is
traceable throughout. Charles promised to profess himself openly a Roman
Catholic at the time that should appear to be most expedient, and
subsequently to that profession he was to join with Louis in making war
upon the Dutch Republic. At the date of this bewildering agreement, it
was high treason by statute even to _say_ that Charles was a Roman
Catholic. In case the king's public conversion should lead to
disturbances, Louis promised an "aid" of two millions of _livres_ and an
armed force of six thousand men. He also agreed to pay the whole cost of
the Dutch War _on land_, and to contribute thirty men-of-war to the
English fleet. Holland once crushed, England's share of the plunder was
to be Walcheren, Sluys, and Cadsand. A remarkable conversion! It is
difficult to suppose that either Charles or Louis were quite serious
over this part of the business. Yet there it is. The Catholic provisions
of the secret Treaty of Dover were only known to Clifford, whose soul
was fired by them, and to Arlington, who did not share the confident
hopes of his co-religionist. Clifford thought there were thousands of
Englishmen "of light and leading" among the English Catholics who would
be both willing and able to assume the burdens of the State and to rally
round a Catholic king. Arlington thought otherwise.

The king's public conversion never took place. No hint was given of any
such impending event. Parliament met on the 24th of October 1670, and
after hearing a good deal about the Triple Alliance and voting large
sums of money, was prorogued in April 1671, and did not meet again till
February 1673.

To pick a quarrel with the Dutch was never difficult. Marvell tells us
how it was done. "A sorry yacht, but bearing the English Jack, in August
1671 sails into the midst of the Dutch fleet, singles out the Admiral,
shooting twice as they call it, sharp upon him. Which must sure have
appeared as ridiculous and unnatural as for a lark to dare the hobby."
The Dutch admiral asking "Why," was told "because he and his whole fleet
had failed to strike sail to his small craft." The Dutch commander then
"civilly excused it as a matter of the first instance, and in which he
could have no instruction, therefore proper to be referred to their
masters, and so they parted. The yacht having thus acquitted itself,
returned fraught with the quarrel she was sent for."[187:1] Surinam was
a perpetual _casus belli_. Some offence against the law of nations