Protestantism in Scotland - James Aitken Wylie

Madam Carewell, afterwards Duchess of
Portsmouth, and the king's favorite mistress, to
prosecute what she had been unable to conclude.
Next, M. Colbert, ambassador from the Court of
France, came across with 100,000 pistols to lay out
to the best advantage.
With so many and so convincing reasons
Colbert had little difficulty in persuading the
ministry, known as the Cabal,[1] to espouse the
French interests, and persuade the king to fall out
with the Dutch. Coventry was sent across to
Sweden to induce that Government also to
withdraw front the League. He succeeded so far
that Sweden first grew lukewarm in the cause, and
after having armed itself at the expense of the
Alliance, and dissembling for a while, it dropped
the visor, and drew the sword on the side of
France.[2] Thus Protestant Holland was isolated.
A war with Holland having been resolved
upon, the next thing was to pick a quarrel. This
task required no little invention, for the Dutch had
not only behaved with perfect good faith, but had
422