Series 1 > Diplomatic correspondence of Jean de Montereul and the brothers de Bellièvre, French ambassadors in England and Scotland, 1645-48 > Volume 1

1646]
MONTEREUL TO MAZARIN
207
promises by telling him I would be very glad to see something effective
done before leaving, in order to be able on arriving at court to lessen
rather than to increase the causes of dissatisfaction, by praising them,
instead of complaining about them. But 1 see they wish the king to
begin by satisfying them on the matter of religion, before they will satisfy
him about other things, and I find the king is less disposed to grant them
this point now, than he was when I left him at Oxford; and perhaps
were he to grant it to them, they might do nothing for him of what he
wishes. I showed his Majesty, however, as well as I could that this is the
only thing in which the Septs have an advantage over him, and that
gives them an excuse for all they have done till now, contrary to their
promises, since they are able to say the king has not fulfilled the only
point they required of him ; and I indicated to him further, that he may
now do with honour what he might have appeared to do by constraint
before the arrival of Rev. Henderson, as he has already had time—
of which he will have still more—to be conversant with the subject.
But as I saw I was talking to no purpose, I proposed to him as a means
of satisfying the Scots, without interfering with his conscience, to settle
here at present all that relates to civil government, i.e. all they pretend
their king ought to do for them, and what they lead him to hope they
may do for him ; and that he offer, after these matters have been ratified,
to go to London, in order to settle all that relates to religion, according
as it may have been or will be hereafter determined upon by both Parlia¬
ments and by the assemblies of the clergy. This ought, it seems to me, to
satisfy the Scots, since it not only serves to assure them of their party in
England; but the king thereby also obliges himself to give them satisfac¬
tion. And, on the other hand, it seems that the king ought to be satisfied
with this overture, since it gives him time to acquire information, and,
as he believes the English Parliament has no wish to establish Presby¬
terianism, he can promise boldly a thing which he knows he will not be
allowed to execute. Besides, this would be a means of ascertaining whether
or not the Scots really wish his interest, and to act sincerely with him, by
obtaining from them what he desires, before granting them what they
desire of him. Yet I fear neither the king nor the Scots would accept
this proposal—the first from the apprehension of deriving the smallest
benefit from a thing which he has no intention of executing; and the
others, because they wish to begin by the establishment of religion,
which is all they lay claim to. I have observed also that there is some¬
thing in this plan which the Scots do not at all relish, viz. the offer the
king would conditionally make, to go to London. They have, uninten¬
tionally, allowed me to see this, which ought to remove the apprehension
you seemed to have that they would decide to deliver up their king to
the Independents in order to come to terms with them; and which I
believe they will never do, from their knowing the advantage they derive
from holding his person.
The Earls of Loudoun, Dunfermline, and Lanark express to me now
each day, the obligations they are under to your Eminence, and the desire