the prejudice of my Son according to all Laws the Fathers have no right to alienate the Estates of their Children whilst they are Minors and when these Estates are Maternal But says Luxemburgh the Marriage was only concluded upon this condition so that the renunciation your Majesty made upon all the present and future Right that you might have upon Spain or upon the depending States was consider'd as the Ground of Marriage without which the Ministers of Spain would have been guilty of a great deal of Folly on their side to have consented to an Allyance which would have produc'd nâ—w causes of Wars and Divisions instead of a Firm and Stable Peace whiâ—h was their chief design I add to all these proofs that the Circumstance of the Oath that your Majesty was obliged to take in swearing solemnly upon the Holy Evangelists that you would keep your Royal World that you then gave was as the Seal of all the promises of the engagements and of the good Faith of your Majesty In your opinion says the King I am then very ill grounded in my pretensions and I have no right according to the Civil Law No without doubt says Luxemburgh but a hundred thousand Men a hundred pieces of Cannon and a hundred Millions will make the Ballance incline much more to your side It was a custom to represent Justice blindfolded holding a Balance in one Hand but if the other had not been arm'd with a Sword and had a Lion plac'd by her side which is the badge of Force and Might she would have been but a ridiculous Maygame expos'd to the violence and rashness of Men. So we may say he that has the power in his Hand is the Master of Justice and whether she will or no must of necessity betake her self to his side and fight under his Standards against the weakest and this is your Majesty's Right But says his Majesty since things are in this condition and that I see my self Master of Force and of Justice shall I not do well to push my good fortune to the end and to render my self by my Armies always victorious and triumphant over all the States which shall be at my discretion and serve for my convenience having placed my self safe from the opposition of mine Enemies Very well says Luxemburgh there is no other obstacle which is capable to stop your Majesty but the Faith of Treaties But that is another Gospel for your Majesty for which you care but very little We say of King John the First one of your Ancestors descended from the first Branch of Valois that that Prince was so great an observer of his Word that they gave him the Title of Good He was accustomed to say that when Fidelity and good Faith should be banished the World they ought to be found in the person of a Prince This Prince answer'd his Majesty did not know Machiavel and you should have added at the same time that he was very unhappy during his Reign and I do not doubt but his too great Goodness was in part the cause of his Misfortunes For having lost the Battle of Poictiers against the English who were commanded by the Prince of Wales a great Captain the King was taken and carried Prisoner to London from whence he came not out but by the treaty of Bretigny by which he quitted the Sovereignty of some Provinces in France in f vour of the King of England But all these faults of John the First were gloriously repaired by Charles the Fifth his Successor who acquir'd to him self the name of Wife Sir answer'd Luxemburgh since your Majesty Laughs so at the good Faith of Treaties which other Princes look upon as Inviolable and adore as an Idol I am not surpriz'd that you have heap'd up Conquest upon Conquest There is never a little Prince in the World but may be in a condition to make himself great by this means and at last become the terror of his Enemies but it is not to be wished that such a like disorder should happen for if every Soveraign should do the like we should see a great number of Scepters overthrown to the ground become the Prey of the strongest But says his Majesty since it is not permitted to make ones self great what 's the reason that the Prince of Orange is Mounted even in our Days upon the Throne of his Father-in-Law Is not that an Usurpation Sir says Luxemburgh that is not singular Histories are full of such like instances and we see that Childerick the Third last King of the first Race was Dethron'd by Pepin the Short who before was but Mayor of the Palace which was a place almost like that of Grand Visirs and his deposing was also done by the Assembly of the States after the Pope had declar'd that the French were dispens'd with from owning that Prince So that the poor Dethroned Childerick had no other part to take but to shave himself and put himself into a Monastery And as this disgrace happen'd to him by reasons of State which would be too long to report so the Prince of Orange is not mounted upon the Throne but by the consent of the People which call'd him to it And the Parliament it self which being in England very near to what the States were formerly in France Crown'd him and confirm'd him nemine contradicente so the coming of the Prince of Orange to the Crown ought to be call'd an Acceptance and not an Vsurpation According to this sense says his Mâ—jesty you are then of opinion that the Prince of Orange is well grounded and that the poor King James has no shorter Course to take in the midst of his disgraces than to imitate Childeric that is to say to make a rennuciation of the Crown shave himself and so put himself into a Convent Sir answer'd Luxemburgh I abuse perhaps the liberty your Majesty allows me speaking open hearted my Mind and what I think of the misfortune of this Prince But as in the beginning of this Conference your Majesty was pleased to say you put a great deal of Confidence in me I desire you also to give me leave to abstain from the language of certain Parasites who applaud your Majesty in every thing No Luxemburgh says his Majesty you do me a kindness to tell me the things as you think tâ—em that does not surprise me because I have always given you more liberty to speak your thoughts than any of my Courtiers and Counsellors Sir says Luxemburgh since your Majesty gives me leave to speak what I think of King James and of the War which has been kindled in Europe upon his occasion I do not now speak of a secret itching desire that your Majesty had from your Cradle to surpass your Ancestors in enlarging your Dominions and pushing on youâ— Conquests beyond the Rhine the Sambre and Meuse I speak not neither of the Rights of the deceased Queen I pass also in silence the Right of
says Luxemburgh this Conquest is not important enough to imploy a King with an Army of one hundred and fifty thousand Men. What shall be done then says his Majesty shall we enter into the Country of Liege to force the Prince of that Diocess to lay down his Arms and to submit himself to my clemency No says Luxemburgh that expedition is more proper for Boufflers than your Majesty it is not glorious enough for a Prince who marches only to attack invincible places Ha! What then says his Majesty Thus Sir says Luxemburgh your Majesty must come at the Head of one hundred and fifty thousand Men divided into three Bodies the first of which shall be commanded by your Majesty having under you the Mareschall d' Humieres The the second shall be under the Command of the Marquess de Bâ—ufflers and the third shall be remitted to my Conduct The Army being thus divided the Marquess de Boufflers shall take the Van with a Body of fifteen thousand Horse and possess the passages and avenues The main Body of the Army being arriv'd your Majesty shall form the Siege of Namur and by the taking of that important place you will render your self Master of a whole County which is without contradiction the finest of the Low Countries Luxemburgh says his Majesty this enterprise is great and this place seems to me Impregnable by it Situation besides the building of a certain Fort which is called Fort William built within this little while renders it almost inaccessible Sir says Luxemburgh Art and Inteltelligence must favour force and as we say sow the Tail of the Fox to the Skin of the Lyon I know an expedient by which half of these difficulties will be overcome and thus it is as I understand it There is in the Cittadel a certain Baron de Berse which is a Major a Man fit to do any thing a high spender and much given to his pleasures I understand that this Berse calls himself Kinsman of Madam de Maintenon and that 's what we want But says his Majesty who has told you that this Berse will be a fit Man to hold correspondence Sir answer'd Luxemburgh it is sufficient that he is given to Debauchery Your Majesty must charge Madam de Maintenon with all this business and whilst we shall be preparing Bombs and Carcasses she on her side must attack the strongest part of the place by fair and good guilded Letters which will do more in one day than an Army of one hundred and fifty thousand Men in six weeks Ho! says his Majesty if matters be so my good and dear Maintenon will do that well enough to do me a kindness But what is it she must promise him in order to engage him Sir says Luxemburgh she must promise him one hundred thousand Livers for reward and after the reduction of the place a Lieutenant Generals Post I am persuaded that he will accept the proposition and that in less than eight days your Majesty will have convincing proofs thereof Ha! Well says his Majesty suppose then for example that he accepts the offers that Maintenon shall make him in your opinion what method must he take to favour the enterprize Sir says Luxemburgh it is this he must in the first place make an exact Register of all the Provisions and Ammunitions of War which shall be found in the Cittadel he must also make a very regular draught of the strength and weakness both of the Cittadel the Devils House Fort William â—e must oppose in quality of Major of thc Cittadel to all that shall be undertaken on the behalf of the Prince of Barbancon who he must also endeavour to engage if that can be done He must inform your Majesty or some of your Generals of all the designs marches and countermarches of your Enemies he must at the same time seem to do nothing but to keep himself in the Cittadel and at his ordinary Post just till you give him notice that the Mine is to be sprung Which being done Madam de Maintenon must write to him some time before to pretend to come out in a Party and suffer himself to be taken Prisoner as if it had happen'd by imprudence The Invention is not bad says his Majesty Sir says Luxemburgh being thus made Master of a Man who will inform you at bottom of the least Circumstances you ought to assure your self that from this time forth the place is surrendred If that be so says his Majesty we shall have as good a Bargain as that of Mons. But the Prince of Orange is about to repass the Sea in order to be present here early and by what I can learn here may put himself into the Field as soon as I and having a great Army and being accompany'd with the Elector of Bavaria they may well dispute this Conquest with me these two Princes are of a little hot temper so that this attacking them by so sensible an enterprise will so infâ—ame them that they will not fail to get together all their Forces to oppose me I do not doubt says Luxemburgh that whilst this Opera shall be playing in Flanders we must prepare a Tragedy in England for the Prince of Orange Your Majesty told me confidently the last time that King James had receiv'd Letters almost from all the Nobility and great ones of the Kingdom besides that there was a great number of Quakers and Faâ—aticks that had all unanimously espoused the Interest and Cause of this Prince to re-establish him upon the Throne if your Majesty would only favour and support their enterprize by Eighteen or Twenty Thousand Men which would make a Descent into the Isle of Wight It is true says his Majesty and I have my self read the Letters A Person of Quality says in express terms that his British Majesty has nothing to do but to come that he cannot believe with how much impatience and earnestness the Grandees of the Kingdom aâ—d the People wait for him that all the World generally is concern'd for his re-establishment upon the Throne That in short they begin to make proivsions of Arms and Horses which they gather together the most secretly theâ— can without forgetting good Summs of Mony which they keep ready to pay the Troops to be raised in the Kingdom which shall consist only of persons discontented with the present Government Sir says Luxemburgh if the thing be so that will be a great stroke the Prince of Orange must of all necessity repass the Sea in all hast to go to the succor of his three Kingdoms and in the mean time your Majesty may do your business without opposition and without resistance Your Majesty must give Orders without losing of time to the Count de Tourville to have the Fleet ready to Sail and that a great number of Transport Ships be got together in great diligence for the Embarquing of the Troops But says his Majesty I shall not be very well pleased that Tourville
Charge of the War hath Eat it up and his Countries have been in so great a desolation that they have still need of Succour from the Emperor to preserve them whereupon your Majesty has nothing to fear on that side Let us speak one word of the Elector of Treves neither is War his business and his Sword seems to me never to have done hurt to any body That does not hinder him to be one of the Bravest Princes of the Empire but also one of the most unhappy by the entire Desolation of his Countries which have felt the first Fury of the War and saw themselves expos'd to the Violence of the Soldiers the Walls of his Capital City layd even with the Ground the Castle of his residence Batter'd with Cannon Shot and Coblens overwhelm'd under a Shower of Bombs which have been thrown in at several times As for the Bishop of Munster he is so extreamly chang'd since the two first Campaigns that the Aâ—â—ies have no reason to depend upoâ— him nor upon his Troops so that youâ— Majesty has no reason neither to fear any thing from him or that he for his part will come to trouble your undertakings As to what regards the Electorat of Cologne we may put them into the number of those who have greatly suffered having been the Seat of War all the time that the dispute between the Cardinal de Furestemburgh and Prince Joseph Clement remain'd undecided and which was at last ended only by force of Arms which had like to have overturn'd that State and utterly to have ruin'd it So that that Diocess will need many years quiet to repair her lost forces and recover her ancient liberty Be it as it will the Prince Joseph Clement is brave and of whom there is great hopes but on the other side he is too young to measure his Sword with your Majesty so you have no occasion to fear any thing from that Quarter From the Borders of the Rhine let us go a little farther into the Country and see if there is some new Caesar which could carry the Glory of Germany so far as did formerly that great Captain of the Romans I would say a Prince a little resolv'd who should come and put himself at the Head of the Germans to serve them for a Sting and animate them by his presence I only see the Elector of Saxony who succeeds to that Electorship vacant by the Death of the Elector his Father and who seems to be engag'd to follow the Interest of the Elector of Brandenburgh by reason of the ailyance of the Princess of Anspach his Cousin whom he has lately Married But as he is a new Married Man he will be glad to enjoy during the Summer the first sweetness of his Marriage giving nevertheless the Command of his Troops to Monsieur Schoning our good Friend heretofore in the service of the Elector of Brandenburgh and at present happily received and accepted General of the Troops of Saxony so that your Majesty has no more need to fear any thing on that side One Countermarch may be of great use But says his Majesty you say nothing of the Electors of Brandenburgh and Bavaria nor of the Princes of the Houses of Haâ—over who are notwithstanding the Right Hand of all Germany and who may when they think fit Form a Party to ballance all the Power of the Emperour and of the other less potent Princes of the Empire Sir answer'd de Lorge I do not pretend to talk off the Electors of Brandenburgh and Bavaria and mâ—ch less of the House of Hanover because these Princes having a greater share in supporting the War of Flanders than that of Germany since they have the greatest part of their Troops in that Country and that according to my judgment they are resolv'd to make very great efforts I leave the care to Monsieur de Luxemburgh to discourse it throughly being resolv'd to meddle with nothing but the affairs of the Rhine But if your Majesty desires I should speak a word by the way I will obey you willingly and add to what has been said of the Princes of the Empire that to what relates to the Duke of Bavaria we do not doubt but he is brave in his Person and perhaps one of the greatest Princes that the Empire has yet produc'd he hath given signal marks in Hungary where he has done for his Age Actions worthy to be put in Paralell with what the boldest and most glorious Captains have done I add to all that that the Campaign of 1689. in which he Commanded with the late Elector of Saxony the Army of the Confederates upon the Rhine the Dauphin to whom your Majesty had given the Command in Chief of your Army had all the trouble imaginable and was oblig'd to make use of all the tricks of War to avoid a Battle whilst that his Brother-in-Law the Duke of Bavaria made on his side great Marches and forc'd all that oppos'd his passage to come to engage so far it is true that Hatred becomes more and more irreconcileable when it is born amongst Relations or Friends But the failing of Generals by the Death of two of the greatest Captains of the Age Lorrain and Schomberg and the pressing necessities that the Allies found themselves in by the progress that your Arms had made in Flanders Savoy Catalonia and upon the Rhine was the cause that he went to Command in Italy and from thence into Flanders where he actually is It were only to be wish'd by them that his Electoral Highness would use a little more Circumspection in the choice he makes of his Domesticks and principally of his Musicians who wriggle themselves into his Chappel in the Habit of a Priest or Monk not to say of a Fox for nothing but to see what passes and discover to his Enemies his most secret undertakings which is the greatest misfortune that can happen to a General and that he ought to endeavour to avoid as a plague capable to spoil all he does to ruin his reputation to make him unhappy and baffle all his great designs But it is an Universal Malady amongst all the Allies and there are very few of their Generals who have yet found the secret to preserve themselves and this is just the defect of their Breast-Plate and by which your Majesty carries even into the Heart your most formidable Blows and that all the French Generals look upon at this day as the Seed of the Lawrels and Victories they have heap'd up one upon another Your Majesty may conclude from all that I have reported of the Elector of Bavaria that this Prince will be for the future so strongly employ'd in other places that I do not think we shall see him any more at the Head of the Armies of the Rhine But the Elector of Brandenburgh says his Majesty could not he come in Person for by what I can learn he is to make the Campaign without being able to understand where he