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A50582
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Memoires of the transactions in Savoy during this war wherein the Duke of Savoy's foul play with the allies, and his secret correspondence with the French king, are fully detected and demonstrated, by authentick proofs, and undeniable matter of fact : with remarks upon the separate treaty of Savoy with France, and the present posture of affairs with relation to a general peace / made English from the original.
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Savage, John, 1673-1747.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing M1673; ESTC R2398
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65,773
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194
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put a Stop to the Designs of the French King However we may say that 't is by the Violation of Treaties that he has laid the Foundation of that overgrown Power which one might justly call the Tyrant of Europe and which has an absolute Sway in almost all Courts After so many living Examples and repeated Experience of the small Credit that can be given to the French King's Word we may safely conclude that his late Renunciation to the Dominions of his Royal Highness will not be of long Continuance The ninth Article whereby the French King engages and promises to assist the Duke of Savoy in order to reduce the City of Geneva was never made publick through Reasons of State and Policy as well as several others which have secretly been agreed upon by the French King and the Duke of Savoy Time will clear this great Mystery However it is certain that France for these many Years past has meditated the Ruin of that City The Protestant Religion which is profess'd there is the chief Reason of these two Princes Hatred against it Besides the good Successes the French King has had in extinguishing the Reform'd Religion in France give him the Hopes to bring it under his Subjection after a general Peace is concluded This grand Design had by this time been accomplish'd had he not fear'd a Rupture with the Switzers who have declar'd themselves Protectors of it He has already but too many Enemies upon his Back and therefore it is convenient for him to dissemble and temporize till he has decided the Quarrels he has with the Allied Princes In the mean time he has taken all the necessary Measures for that Purpose and the French Resident at Geneva is an ill Omen to the Safety and Liberty of that Republick since he only lives there to know their weak and strong Sides and observe all that passes which he presently acquaints his Master withal But when all is done perhaps the French King promises more to the Duke than he is able to perform 'T is not the first time he has been out in his Projects The Face of Affairs does often change in a moment and a small Disappointment may make his Designs miscarry But let us suppose that the French will make himself Master of Geneva what Security can his Royal Highness have that he will put it into his Hands and punctually perform all his Promises I do not know any Body would take upon him that Guarranty The French King's Honesty in those sort of Matters is now become so slippery and suspicious that it is more likely he would keep that Conquest for himself than resign it to the Duke Let us therefore conclude That this Article is just as those that went before that is imaginary and chimerical The French King will never want for colourable Pretences to call back his Word and keep his Promises to the Duke no farther than he has a mind to Thus having examin'd the Treaty of Peace concluded betwixt the French King and Victor Amedeus II. Duke of Savoy let 's now consider the Consequences of that Peace And first let us begin with its solemn Publication at Paris on the Tenth of September 1696. BE it known to all That a good firm stable and solid Peace with an entire and sincere Friendship and Reconciliation has been made and agreed upon between the Most High Most Excellent and Most Mighty Prince LEWIS by the Grace of God of FRANCE and NAVARRE King our Sovereign Lord and the Most High and Mighty Prince VICTOR AMEDEUS the Second Duke of SAVOY their Vassals Subjects and Servants in all their Kingdoms Dominions Countries Lands and Lordships of their Obedience That the said Peace is general betwixt them and their said Vassals and Subjects and that by vertue of the same it is lawful for them to go and come to return and sojourn in all the Places of the said Kingdoms Dominions and Countries to Trade and Merchandise hold Correspondence and Communication one with another in all manner of Freedom and Security as well by Land as by Sea and on Rivers and other Waters on this side and that side the Mountains and in the same manner as it has and ought to have been done in time of good sincere and amicable Peace such as it has pleased the Divine Goodness to grant unto the said Lords Kings and Dukes of Savoy their People and Subjects Which to maintain and entertain it is most expresly forbidden to all Persons by what Quality or Title soever dignified or distinguish'd to undertake attempt or innovate any thing to it contrary or pâ—judicial upon pain of being severely punish'd as Infringers of Peace and Disturbers if the Publick Repose Given at Oar Court at Versailles the Eighth day of September 1696. Signed LEWIS And a little lower Phelypeaux c. This Peace as you see was publish'd at Paris with all the Pomp and Solemnity that usually attend those great Events in which France has a more than ordinary Concern And there 's no doubt but she has affected to shew an uncommon Magnificence in this thereby to dazle the Confederate Princes and make the Success of a Negotiation which she looks upon as the Foundation of a General Peace sound high in all the Courts of Europe The French King's Policy is good enough as to that matter He loses nothing by crying up and proclaiming whatever he does and undertakes but often draws a great deal of Good from a false Shew and so turns both his good and bad Successes to his own advantage According to this Maxim it is observable That during this War when he has lost a Battel or a Town or suffer'd any other Damage he has caus'd Publick Rejoycings to be made and order'd his Generals and Governours of Towns to discharge their Artillery as if he had won a signal Victory over his Enemies This Conduct tho' a little unsincere has brought great Advantages to him First By that means he has dazzl'd his Subjects and kept them in Obedience by flattering them with imaginary Successes and has receiv'd from them at the same time all the necessary Subsidies to answer the vast Charges of a burdensom War Secondly He thereby has confirm'd the staggering Fidelity of the Conquer'd Nations In fine He has rais'd the drooping Spirits of the Soldiers that fought under his Generals and has as we say set a good Face on a bad Game Witness the extravagant Rejoicings made at Paris after the Battel of the Boyne upon the false Report of the Death of the King of England those that were made after the loss of a Fight at Sea and generally in all the Rencounters where the French King's Arms were worsted But we may freely say That all the Parade and Ostentation of the Court of France upon the score of the Peace of Italy will be so far from making any Impression upon the most Serene Allies to engage them to agree the sooner to a General Peace that it
Relapse of his Illness by the Small-Pox of which 't is certain he was perfectly well in eight Days intending this suppos'd Indisposition to be an Excuse for his Retreat when he might have taken Grenoble the Capital City of Dauphinè and thence proceeded with his victorious Arms as far as Lyons and at the same time made so considerable a Diversion that it would have been easie for the Allies to have taken some important Place or at least to have enter'd that Kingdom either by way of Flanders the Franche Comte or County of Luxembourg The most considerable Officers in our Army under the Command of Count Schomberg assure us unanimously that this was the only Opportunity to have brought France to reasonable Terms provided the Duke of Savoy had but done his Part. This Campagne would have forc'd the French King to whatever Conditions we could have desir'd and moreover might have produc'd an honourable and lasting Peace He was like to be attack'd then on his weak Side and that Army might have march'd into the very Heart of his Kingdom without his being able to oppose 'em in the least unless he would have expos'd the other Side which would have been but the same thing But we find the Duke of Savoy thought fit to stop their Proceedings by several Policies one of which was by suffering the poor Protestants under the Command of Count Schomberg to perish with Hunger the Remainder of which were forc'd to disperse in search of Sustenance having not seen a morsel of Bread for eight days together Thus we may see that those who have always assur'd us that the Duke of Savoy shuffl'd with the Allies spoke true as we have since found by experience But what is more remarkable is that this Prince notwithstanding the many juggling Parts he has plaid yet pretends to have done the League many considerable Services These his Ministers endeavour to explain by perswading us that their Master 's chief Aim was all along a General Peace But after all has been said I leave to any rational Man to judge if the Allies would do prudently to depend any farther upon such a Mediator But let us proceed to what follows that we may know what they and their Master were able to do had they been but rightly dispos'd We have just now observ'd That his Royal Highness found means to stop the Progress of the Arms of the Allies but we forgot to add how he manag'd his own Troops and those of the Emperour commanded by his Generals who acted all along in Confederacy with Catinat in a Pare repugnant to all the Rules of good Policy and which was extremely exclaim'd against by Mareschal Schomberg but to no purpose This was to lay all in Blood and Ashes and make more Ravage and Havock in less than three Months than the Tartars and Turks do in many Campagns together by their Incursions This Conduct of his was directly contrary to that of Count Schomberg whose Method was to conquer rather by Goodness and Clemency than Rigour and Cruelty by which means he drew to his Army an infinite number of People from all Provinces of France and might have perform'd something very considerable had they not been basely prevented But here the Protestants not being able to conceive the Duke enter'd France out of any kindness to them when they saw him burn their Houses and plunder their Goods by which he reduc'd 'em all to Beggary and Misery soon forsook his Army joyn'd the Militia against him and from Friends became irreconcilable Enemies to the Allies Another Practice of the Duke 's upon the like Occasion broke all the Measures of Monsieur Schomberg which was to march towards the Rhone and approach the Sevenes with design to fortifie himself there all the Winter and by those means kindle an an intestine War which would infallibly have been fatal to France This Affair was concerted with a great deal of Prudence and afterwards put in practise one would think with as much Caution tho' it prov'd quite to the contrary For Monsieur Schomberg having sent several Officers disguis'd like Peasants among the Malecontents got a Promise from 'em That they would rife the first opportunity which Secret he immediately entrusted to the Duke of Savoy who almost as soon reveal'd it to the Court of France so that when it was expected the Protestants should be up in Arms they were all of a sudden clapp'd up and secur'd and this by reason his Royal Highness had sent their Names to the French King Monsieur Chanlais was at the Court of Turin with no other Design than to penetrate into those of the Allies which his Royal Highness communicated to him And when Complaints were made to that Prince for suffering such a suspected Man near him he answer'd That he was sent from the French King to make him Proposals towards an Accommodation which he had always rejected as injurious to his Honour and the sincere desire he ever had to remain strictly united to the most Serene Allies and by this Sham he eluded the just Suspicions that were entertain'd of his foul Play In fine his Highness was so indifferent about the Design of penetrating into the Heart of France that Count Schomberg and the Officers of his Party did openly complain of it But his Highness had a mind to sacrifice is it were out of a Frolick the Interest of the Allies and was well enough pleas'd provided he might follow the Directions of the Court of France that being all the Advantage he aim'd at in this great Expedition since which things always went worse and worse When the Allies entred Dauphine and possest themselves of Guillistre they made there 2500 Irishmen Prisoners What did his Highness do with them He sent them to Piedmont and a great part of them made their escape by the way thro' his own Orders and return'd into France The rest of them were sent to the Blockade before Casal All the World knows what care France had taken to send Provisions into that Place which was reduc'd to great Straits for want of them The Irish being now before Casal and the General that commanded the Blockade being a good Savoyard he suffer'd them to go into the Place according to the secret Orders he had from his Highness so that France got still some Advantage by her seeming Losses At the Surrender of Casal it was articl'd That all the Cannon should be carried away This was put in execution But what did his Highness do with it He remov'd it from Casal to send it to Pignerol Several Pieces of that Artillery having been stopt by the Confederate Troops who saw them file off towards Pignerol his Highness sent presently Orders to let them go and by night those Pieces were carried to a certain Post within three Hours March of Pignerol where the French came to fetch them Moreover the Generals of the Auxiliary Troops knew very well that the Siege of Casal was never undertaken with