Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 3.djvu/617

1543.] special inquiry; and the offenders should be punished without embroiling their Governments.

Letters of marque should not be granted in such cases for reprisals. The ancient commercial treaties should continue to be observed. If disputes arose under them they should be amicably settled.

In case of war with France or any other power, neither England nor the Empire should treat separately either for peace or truce, except under certain narrow conditions especially defined.

Further (and here we trace the effect of the preliminary differences), it was agreed that the two powers would act towards one another honourably, uprightly, and faithfully; that they would do nothing either of them to the prejudice of the present treaty, especially (with a reassertion of the last condition) that no peace should be made with France unless with their joint consent, and unless both declared themselves satisfied: that the present treaty should be of such force as to override all others whatsoever into which they had entered or might enter at a future time: that neither prince should allow or entertain any confederate who should be the enemy of the other, or against whom