THE SECOND DUTCH WAR 



467 



of the ceremony as was possible, and when disputes did arise 

 with other Powers, to enable them to avoid war or to make 

 war as circumstances and policy might determine. They held 

 that England, and England alone, was the rightful interpreter 

 of what was due to her flag by ancient custom. On the other 

 hand, the Dutch Republic looked upon the whole business 

 as a troublesome affair ; and as the greatest commercial nation 

 of the time, whose chief interest was peace, they naturally 

 desired that the dubious points about the salute should be 

 permanently settled. 



Immediately after the conclusion of the Triple Alliance 

 against France, at the beginning of 1668, 1 De Witt, taking 

 advantage of the good feeling existing between England and 

 the Netherlands, and especially of the presence of Sir William 

 Temple as English ambassador at The Hague, proposed that a 

 formal settlement should be made of the doubtful points 

 concerning the striking of the flag. Temple, who was a 

 staunch friend of the Dutch and was on intimate terms with 

 De Witt, shared this opinion. He thought that by a slight 

 concession, or by a definite agreement, England might count 

 with some confidence on the support of the States-General in 

 any future quarrel with other nations about the flag. The 

 subject was formally raised by De Witt on a proposal for a 

 union of the Dutch and English fleets, in certain contingencies, 

 against France. He offered to give the same honour to the 

 king's ships at sea as their ambassadors gave to his Majesty's 

 person, " to uncover first and cover last " ; but stipulated that 

 any agreement about the flag must not be regarded as an 

 acknowledgment of England's pretension to the sovereignty of 

 the sea, which the Dutch would " die rather than do." Know- 

 ing that it was a " delicate " subject to broach with the King 

 of England, he thought the negotiations might be opened by 

 the States-General sending a polite letter to Charles, laying 

 stress on the good relations between the two nations, and 

 intimating that in order to prevent sinister encounters which 

 any new sourness might occasion, they had issued orders to 

 all their naval officers to strike their flag with every mark of 

 civility on meeting with the royal flag of England. The king 

 was then (according to the scheme) to inform the States- 



1 See p. 474. 



