It appears certain that Arlington was not consciously deceiving Marsilly.  Madame wrote, on February 12, as to Arlington, “The man’s attachment to the Dutch and his inclination towards Spain are too well known."[1] Not till April 25, 1669, does Charles tell his sister that Arlington has an inkling of his secret dealings with France; how he knows, Charles cannot tell.[2] It is impossible for us to ascertain how far Charles himself deluded Marsilly, who went to the Continent early in spring, 1669.  Before May 15-25, 1669, in fact on April 14, Marsilly had been kidnaped by agents of Louis XIV., and his doom was dight.  Here is the account of the matter, written to ——­ by Perwich in Paris: 

[1] Ibid., p. 281.

[2] Ibid., p. 285.

“W.  Perwich to ——­

“Paris, May 25, ’69.

“Honored Sir,

“The Cantons of Switzerland are much troubled at the French King’s having sent fifteen horsemen into Switzerland from whence the Sr de Manille, the King’s resident there, had given information of the Sr Roux de Marsilly’s being there negotiating the bringing the Cantons into the Triple League by discourses much to the disadvantage of France, giving them very ill impressions of the French King’s Government, who was betrayed by a monk that kept him company and intercepted by the said horsemen brought into France and is expected at the Bastille.  I believe you know the man. . . .  I remember him in England.”

Can this monk be the monk who went mad in prison at Pignerol, sharing the cell of Mattioli?  Did he, too, suffer for his connection with the secret?  We do not know, but the position of Charles was awkward.  Marsilly, dealing with the Swiss, had come straight from England, where he was lie with Charles’s minister, Arlington, and with the Dutch and Spanish ambassadors.  The King refers to the matter in a letter to his sister of May 24, 1669 (misdated by Miss Cartwright, May 24, 1668.)[1]

[1] Madame, by Julia Cartwright, p. 264.

“You have, I hope, received full satisfaction by the last post in the matter of Marsillac [Marsilly], for my Ld.  Arlington has sent to Mr. Montague [English ambassador at Paris] his history all the time he was here, by which you will see how little credit he had here, and that particularly my Lord Arlington was not in his good graces, because he did not receive that satisfaction, in his negotiation, he expected, and that was only in relation to the Swissers, and so I think I have said enough of this matter.”

Charles took it easily!

On May 15/25 Montague acknowledged Arlington’s letter to which Charles refers; he has been approached, as to Marsilly, by the Spanish resident, “but I could not tell how to do anything in the business, never having heard of the man, or that he was employed by my Master [Charles] in any business.  I have sent you also a copy of a letter which an Englishman writ to me that I do not know, in behalf of Roux de Marsilly, but that does not come by the post,” being too secret.[1]