Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	france_n	king_n	son_n	6,466	5	5.3982	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25235	The Ambitious practices of France, or, A relation of the ways and methods used by them to attain to that supreame grandeur as also, the secret intrigues of the French king's ministers at the courts of most of the princes and states of Europe : with remarks thereupon, and some reflections on the interest of those princes.		1689 (1689)	Wing A2949; ESTC R8728	42,003	71

France yet I should think it perhaps not so foreign as some may imagine since I therefore call again to mind the Ideas of so many Treasons and Perfidies And indeed tho' there 's no saying that the French Nation wants Courage yet one may say that it 's very willing to joyn Cunning to Strength without which we should not see it so successful in all its Enterprizes But let 's add at the same time that what makes it still succeed the better is that mony costs it nothing to attain to its Designs For passing at one leap from War to Peace let 's examine I beseech you what Course it hath taken to separate all the Allies and whether this Metal has not been of more use to it for that purpose than all the Rhetorick of its Ministers One of the greatest Obstacles to the Peace was the difficulty of reconciling the Interests of the Crown of Sweden with the Interests of the Princes who had some things to clear and determine with it As to the Crown of Sweden all its Interest was that as it had been engaged in the War upon no other account than for the service of France France should cause all the Places to be Restored it which had been taken from it either by the King of Denmark or the Elector of Brandenbourg or the Princes of the House of Brunswick And the Interests of these three Powers was on the contrary not to hear any talk of the Peace until all their Conquests were abandoned to them or at least the greater part Thus the difficulty was to reconcile such opposite Interests but see now how this Affair was brought about and which made it no longer appear so impossible as an Entertainment that was given one day at the House of one of the three Ministers of France being the same who had the secret of the Court. Among other things there was a Dish of Olives and one of the Ministers of Sweden having found them extraordinary good the Minister of France promised to send him a Barrel of them and accordingly sent him a Barrel by his Secretary The Minister of Sweden very much surprized to see that the Secretary of an Embasie should be the Bearer of such a business but making no other reflection on it at first he took the Barrel into his own hands and finding it extream heavy he asked him the reason The Secretary told him that he 'd find when he opened it but that the Embassador of France desired that he would open it himself The Minister of Sweden began to smell out then the meaning and having dismissed the Secretary he broke open the Barrel and found it to be full of Lewis's of Gold among which he found a Letter wherein were these words If you expect we should often give you Olives you must grant us the Peace Perhaps now may I be asked how it comes that I should get the knowledge of a thing which ought to have been kept very secret both by the Minister of France and the Minister of Sweden But to that I 'll answer How do so many things which pass in the Cabinet become common How come we to know of so many Enterprizes before they are put into execution Moreover I must say that France afterwards falling at variance with Sweden did not much care tho' a secret was divulged which was no longer of any moment to it nay and on the contrary it took delight in sowing by that means a difference between the Prime Men of Sweden where this business is now so much the subject of common Discourse that they attribute to it the rupture of the two Crowns And indeed tho' the Homage which France demanded for the Dutchy of Deux Ponts of the King of Sweden was very sensible to that Young Prince yet wise men believe it would not have been a sufficient Cause for a Breach if the King of Sweden's heart had not been ulcerated with the disadvantageous Peace which France had brought it to make And it will not be improper to say here something of this matter so much the more in that during all the time I staid at Paris I saw few French but did maintain that the King of Sweden lay under a great obligation to France in that it would not listen to any Treaty of Peace until all had been first restored it that had been Conquered from it But they know not that Sweden had been forced to yield up the Lands in Pomerania to the Elector of Brandenbourg Lands in the Dutchy of Bremen to the King of Denmark and lastly Lands in the Bishoprick of Verden to the Princes of the House of Brunswick But since I am here upon Sweden I mean to tell after what manner it was stript of the Dutchy of Deux-Ponts and under what pretext The last Duke was still full of Life nay and in good health when France perceiving this Countrey lay for its convenience projected that as it had not yet bethought it self of its Right of Dependancy under which Colour it seizes on so many Lands to seize on this Now you must know that the last Duke having no Children the Dutchy fell after his Death to the House of Sweden and not to the King of Sweden positively because that Duke Adolphus pretended to exclude him as being nearer by one degree to him who possest it The King of Sweden on the contrary pretended that the Dutchy would one day belong to him as being Son of the Eldest wherein there was great probability For tho' in many places of Germany they have established that the nearest to the Dead succeeds in his Estates yet it is to be observed that the use is contrary in the Electoral Houses and principally in the Palatine House which was the Family now in Issue Be it as it will the French King having an itch to make the Latine Proverb good which says that between two Persons that dispute for a Succession there comes a third which ravishes it away from 'em both sent Troops to seize on the Dutchy of Deux-Ponts yet under pretext of keeping it for the King of Sweden in favour of whom by this means he decided to the prejudice of Duke Adolphus The Duke of Deux Ponts who was still alive as I have said was not surprized to hear that the French Troops entred into his Countrey because he was often exposed to their violences But he was strangely amazed when he knew they came to gather his Succession of him I say who was still full of Life nay and had not yet the least mind to die so soon Mean while the Troops being entred into the place of his Residence he not only saw all his Countrey under slavery but likewise his own Person For as they very much doubted that a Prince of so Great and of so Illustrious a Birth would hardly be accustomed to see himself under Tutelage and that it was feared he would call the Emperor to his Succour they watcht him sonarrowly