The Embassy of Everaard van Weede 31 



Tests, the King would go into close measures with him against the 

 King of France. Dykvelt replied — I continue to give Burnet's 

 story — that the Prince could never make such a concession. 



Unfortunately, the report of Burnet is subject to criticism in 

 an important point. In the conferences both at the Hague and at 

 Whitehall, he fails to draw any clear distinction between the 

 Test Act and the Penal Laws. The Prince's response to Abbeville 

 implies the unwillingness of the former to favor any change in the 

 law of England. But Burnet goes on to say that Dykvelt's 

 speeches to the King of England were the same in substance as 

 the Prince's and that he argued often with James. 13 ' 2 Either the 

 bishop was prejudiced by his clerical turn of mind and failed to 

 give the account fairly, 133 or he was misinformed by Dykvelt. 

 Don Ronquillo, the Spanish ambassador at the English court, 

 tells us very clearly that Dykvelt was for a time enthusiastic over 

 the King's intention to grant liberty of conscience. 134 The declara- 

 tion which was to be published favored the Presbyterians more 

 than any other sect, and Dykvelt was himself a Presbyterian. 135 

 Moreover, the Dutch envoy had been informed by persons in good 

 standing in the Anglican Church that the present state of affairs 

 could only end in England becoming a republic. He saw that this 

 would be harmful to the Prince's interests, and for several days 

 he was in great anxiety and acted as though this thing might 

 happen on almost any day. 136 A few days later, Don Ronquillo 



132 Burnet, p. 451. 



133 Ralph, who is in most cases a faithful follower of Burnet, here describes the 

 Prince as favoring the abolition of the Penal Laws, but not the Test. See Ralph, 

 History of England, vol. i, p. 952. 



134 Letter of Don Pedro de Ronquillo to the King of Spain, May 26, 1687, from 

 London. Received June 17, 1687. Appendix to Mackintosh, p. 698 ff. 



" . . . le encontre el otro dia sumamenle preocupado de la libertad de concien- 

 cia que tanto havia aplaudido, . . ." 



135 Ibid. 



"... pues dies dias ha establa muy contento da la libertad de consciencia, 

 por ser los mas previlegiados en ella los Presbiterianos, que son se su mismo reli- 

 gion." 



136 Ibid. 



"... diciendo que personas de bueno nota, ydelalglesia Anglicana, le havian 

 advertido que todo esto pararia en hacerse republica este reine despues de la 



115 



