on hand!

A few days after that First Audience, Ginkel the Dutch Excellency,
with the due Papers in his pocket, did arrive. Excellency Hyndford,
who is not without rough insight into what lies under his nose,
discovers clearly that the grand Dutch-English Resolution, or
Joint-Exhortation to evacuate Silesia, will do nothing but
mischief; and (at his own risk, persuading Ginkel also to delay)
sends a Courier to England before presenting it. And from England,
in about a fortnight, gets for answer, "Do harm, think you?
Hm, ha!--Present it, all the same; and modify by assurances
afterwards,"--as if these would much avail! This is not the only
instance in which St. James's rejects good advice from its
Hyndford; the pity would be greater, were not the Business what it
is! Podewils has the greatest difficulty to keep Friedrich quiet
till Hyndford's courier get back. And on his getting back with such
answer, "Present it all the same," Friedrich will not wait for that
ceremony, or delay a moment longer. Friedrich has had his Valori at
work, all this while; Valori and Podewils, and endless
correspondence and consultation going on; and things hypothetically
almost quite ready; so that--

June 5th, 1741, Friedrich, spurring Podewils to the utmost speed,
and "ordering secrecy on pain of death," signs his Treaty with
France! A kind of provisional off-and-on Treaty, I take it to be;
which was never published, and is thought to have had many IFS in
it: sigus this Treaty;--and next day (June 6th, such is the
impetuosity of haste) instructs his Rasfeld at the Hague, "You will
beforehand inform the High Mightinesses, in regard to that Advice
of April 24th, which they determined on giving me, through the