the War which she unjustly declar'd against the Emperour it may be certainly said that the Acquisition of Philipsburgh cost King James his Crown as being at the same time abandon'd by Lewis the XIV to his Evil Fortune The Council of France soon after but too late acknowledg'd their Fault and could find no other way to excuse the Blunder but by entring into a War with England Spain and the United Provinces at the same time that they declar'd War against the Emperour and this same mistaken piece of Policy occasion'd that strict and sincere Confederacy which we see aâ— this day between the greatest part of the Christian Princes to preserve themselves from the Invasions of France and Lewis the XIV to wreck his Revenge upon 'em for the sad Fate of K. James his most dear Allye whose Misfortunes were only the Consequences of his having follow'd the Counsels of France and her pernicious Politicks was oblig'd to raise Great Armies and equip a Numerous Fleet to restore K. James to his Throne tho' hitherto he has not been able to accomplish any thing in his Favour but rather has liv'd to see the Disappointment of all the Hopes that flatter'd his first Attempts Whereas if the Ambitious Monarch had turn'd his whole Force against the Empire only and bent all his strength on that side he might have gone a great way into the Empire and have given Mahomet his Dear Friend and Allye a fair Opportunity to recover his Losses But while he labour'd the Re-mounting of two unhors'd Princes he ruin'd both the One and the Other And here it is that we ought to adore the Divine Providence that confounded and strook with a suddain Stupidity the Counsels of France on purpose to dissipate those unjust Designs which her False Politicks had suggested to her no less then the Assailing of all Europe at a Time according to the Proverb Covet all and Lose all There is no question but that France was sensible of her Errour after the Revolution in England for which reason she discharg'd all her Fury upon poor Germany where the French Soldiery exercis'd the utmost Extremities of Cruelty and Barbarism because that Electorate belong'd to the Emperour 's near Relation and Confederate France being thus Embark'd upon this Tempestuous Sea the Prosperity of the Imperial Arms the Revolution in England and the strict League of all the Confederate Princes for the Defence of the Common Cause could not choose but raise prodigious Storms about his Ears and therefore finding there was no repairing the Fault she had committed she was constrain'd to caress and promise the Ottoman Port whatever Succour the Infidels demanded both of Men and Money to oblige the Turks to continue the War With a Design however to deceive and forsake 'em so soon as the Court of France should find it convenient to agree with the Emperour But in regard the French have drawn in the Ottoman Port and blinded with their Presents the Principal Ministers and more especially the Mufti who holds his Dignity for Life 't is almost impossible to open the Eyes of the Grand Sultan who is willing to flatter himself with the Hopes of recovering that part of Hungary which he hast lost So that as long as the French are able to domineer at the Port as they do 't is in vain to send Embassadours thither to make proposals of Peace since it so absolutely behoves the Court Politicks of France to hinder it by all manner of means cost what it will either by Money or Poyson as we have seen 'T is not long since that the French perceiv'd that the Ministers of the Mediatours had made some Progress in the Interim that our Minister was hastning to the Port but their Emissaries both at Constantinople and Adrianople overturn'd with Money all the Measures that had been taken So that there is nothing but an Insurrection in the Ottoman Empire that can ranverse the Practices and Machinations of France and this is that which the Christians ought to meditate if they desire a Peace between the two Empires and there are ways to bring it about if they would but put 'em in Practice Nor is it to be question'd but that France drives on all the Intrigues imaginable in the Ottoman Court where she is in daily fear least early or late a sudden Truce should be clap'd up between the two Empires by reason of some unexpected Insurrection as I have already said And therefore it is that the Court of France endeavours to supplant her Confederate and to make a Peace with the Emperour and the Empire by restoring several Places which she now holds in Germany because that Lewis XIV and his Ministers see very well that they cannot continue the War so long as the Confederacy continue their Union as hitherto they have done that being alone by himself to bear the Burthen of so many Enemies he stands in need of Numerous Armies to oppose the same Adversaries that environ him on every side in Germany Flanders Brabant Catalogna Navarr and Piemont but above all the Conjoyn'd Fleets of England and Holland that threaten his Coasts and enforce him to an Excessive Expence to guard himself from a Descent his Trade being quite lost his Subjects reduc'd to utmost Misery and his Exchequer decreasing every day through the decay of Trade and the Poverty of the Inhabitants of his Kingdom We must believe that France would fain have a Peace while she thinks she has some Advantage before any Terrible Blow befall her which would enforce Lewis the Great to accept of such a Peace as it would please the Emperour and the Confederates to afford him 'T is no less certain then that his Imperial Majesty together with the Confederates have no more to do then to continue the War a little longer to compass their Ends upon France that can never be able to make Head against 'em for any long time Which is the reason that we find her already beginning to change her Batteries at the same time that she sees her self oblig'd to alter her Designs in respect of the Empire Formerly nothing would serve Lewis the XIV but the Imperial Crown for himself and the Title of King of the Romans for the Dauphin his Son But now no more of that The Grapes are out of his Reach and therefore he cries They are sowre All those vast Designs having fail'd and all his Lofty Enterprizes being come to nothing the Policy that France made use of when the Turks were marching to the Siege of Vienna is now no farther useful the End failing the means must of necessity surcease Formerly France was all for dethroning the Emperour but now 't is well if she can keep the Crown upon her Monarch's own Head in preserving by the force of her Arms what he has usurp'd from his Neighbours Heaven has alter'd the Face of Affairs by the ill success of the Ottoman Armes and thereby confounding the Counsels of France the designs
Providence has reserv'd to it self However we see the King of France tries all Ways and Means to Support himself like a Man that strives against Death He ruins his Subjects to maintain his Armies he Impoverishes 'em to constrain 'em to turn Soldiers He calls in all their Money embases it and pays 'em with New Money enhaunc'd above a Third part of the True Value to fill his Coffers He seizes upon all the Church-Plaâ—e and what belongs to private Persons and coins it into Money and the better to inveigle the People as it were to follow his Example he sends his own Plate First of all to the Mint and sends for it back the next day There is not any Tax or Toll or Imposition that has escap'd the Invention of his Flint-Skinners so that the greatest part of all the Handycraft Tradesmen and Peasants have abandon'd their Farms and their Houses to wander about and beg their Bread or else to seek their Livelihoods in foreign Countries I have often with my own Ears heard very good Men and Old Catholicks cry out When will the Prince of Orange meaning the King of England now reigning come and deliver us from all our Miseries Rightly judging That the English are They who can only give that Lucky Blow by reason that their nearness to the Coasts of France facilitates their Entrance into the Kingdom The Court of France knows this to be true and therefore takes so much care to line their Coasts tho' the King of France's whole Army would not suffice to guard a Compass of 300 Leagues in Extent so well as they should do to prevent the Enemies landing in some part or other Where they that land have no more to do then only to stand the First Shot for the Second Discharge will prove very moderate and for the Third there will be no occasion to fear it I affirm then that the English alone are able to harrass France more then any of the Confederates to put her to an Excessive Expence which dreins her Treasury forces the King to oppress his Subjects that he may replenish his Coffers provokes the Malecontents to shake off the Yoke of a Despotick Government and to desire a Government like that of England which beyond all contradiction is the most Just and most Equitable as well for the King as for the People every one there enjoying their Rights and Privileges the King his due Prerogatives and the People their Repose If any one of the Republicks of Europe be able to infuse Jealousies and Fears into France it is the Republick of the United Provinces which is at present the most potent the most Illustrious the most glorious and the most wealthy Republick in the World I acknowledge that Venice may dispute the Point of Antiquity with her otherwise there is no Comparison to be made between ' em No wonder then that her Neighbouring Puissance has drawn upon her the Envy of France The Policy of her Ministers ever since the Beginning of this Reign has very Judiciously exercis'd it self in finding out the most clever and probable ways to swallow up those Provinces either by Conquest or by Ruining 'em to which purpose Measures have been taken a long while ago And Lewis XIV at the Beginning of the War 1672. did verily believe to have compass'd his Designs having invaded the States at a Time when they rely'd upon the Faith and Sincerity of Treaties and had neither any Forces a foot nor any General to lead 'em Good Husbandry being Natural to Republicks in Time of Peace Nevertheless France could not strike that Blow so home as she desir'd without the Consent of England and therefore it was that the Court of France was so careful to improve their Friendship with Charles II. sparing neither for Money nor the Allurements of Pleasure to inveigle and fasten him to their Interests and to cause him to bury in Oblivion all the Benefits he had receiv'd from the Republick and the House of Orange Nor would France quit her Hold till England had in conjunction with her declar'd War against the United Provinces where the Embassadors of France had for some Years labour'd underhand by the Inticing Baits of Gold and Silver to gain Creatures within the Republick since which time the Count d' Avaux understood so well to follow their Steps that he out-did ' em For that being Young and a Courtier he made his Love of Women serviceable to get him Admittance into certain Families that had some share in the Government and there were few Cities where he had not his Creatures who gave him Intelligence of all things that past in Council and some there were who like Nicodemus's came to him by Night not daring to appear in the day-time The Greatest Policy of France was always to foment Division between England and the United Provinces afraid of nothing more then a good Correspondence and Union between the Two Puissances Nor did she see any way more Probable to compass her Ends upon the United Provinces then by sticking close to England which had fallen out luckily for her during the two preceding Reigns while she amus'd those two Princes with Hopes of sharing in the Conquest And upon this Score Lewis XIV had very little trouble to perswade James the Second to close with him for that in his Heart he was an Enemy to the United Provinces and the House of Orange besides that he was besieg'd by the Monks and Jesuits and particularly by Father Peters who kept him under the awe of the Ferula putting him in hopes of Great Rewards from Heaven in case he would lend his Helping hand to destroy the Hereticks perswading him that the United Provinces were the Center of Heresie So that he added to his private Hatred that Biggotry which those Hypocrites of Monks continually blew in his Ears And indeed all Things were in a ready forwardness to recommence in Conjunction with France a new War against Holland The King's Inclinations were altogether bent that way and the Thing would have had the Effect desir'd so soon as James the Second had once obtain'd to be Master of his Parliament had abolish'd the Fundamental Law of the Kingdom and lay'd low the Heads of some of the principal Lords the best Affected toward the Wellfare of the Kingdom and the Preservation of the Privileges of the Nation But the Revolution in England falling out so unexpectedly toward the end of the Year 1688. and the Year following fended off the Blow and broke all the Measures of those Two Princes to which we may add the rejecting of the Cardinal of Furstenburgh from being Archbishop of Cologne All these Events so contrary to the Expectation of Lewis XIV very much contributed toward the Preservation of the Low-Countries For there is no doubt but the Cardinal who is a Man dangerous turbulent actuated by the Demon of France to whom he has sold and devoted himself since he withdrew himself from his Obedience to the
Emperor his lawful Sovereign was intâ—oduc'd into the Chapter of Cologne only to be the Tool and Organ by whose means the Most Christian King might the more easily disturb the States of the United Provinces But all these ways failing tho' not his good Will and finding he could not be assisted either by Cologne nor England nor by the Bishop of Munster as in the preceding War France could no longer contain her self but under pretence of assisting King James presently declar'd War and fell upon the United Provinces to prevent 'em from aggrandizing themselves by the sincere and strict Union which they were about to make between the King and Queen at present prosperously reigning But in regard that frequently Revenge never considers the Danger to which it exposes it self for the satisfaction of its Rage in like manner the King of France has drawn upon himself all of a sudden the the most numerous and the soundest part of the Puissances of Europe who will never lay down their Arms till he has made those Restitutions which they shall think convenient for the Welfare of Europe there being no other way of Reliance upon the Promises and Faith of the Most Christian King I believe that Lewis XIV spake just according to the Sentiments of his Heart when he happen'd one Day to say That he neither Fear'd nor Lov'd the Hollanders who nevertheless fill'd him full of Jealousies and Fears and often broke his Measures And yet 't is to that warlike Nation that he is at this Day beholding for his having got the upper-hand of Spain For as France formerly made use of the Hollanders to humble Spain so the Spaniards are now glad of succour of the United Provinces to humble the Pride of France And the Moderation and Flegm of the Hollanders proves very effectual to abate the Fury of the French which only affrights those the fear it and are not acquainted with it In the Year 1672. the United Provinces alone made Head against the Two Potent Kings of France and England were Victorious at Sea and constrain'd the latter to make a Peace and the other su'd for the Peace of Nimeghen Tho' through a remissness Injurious to the Honour of the Parties the Plenipotentiaries out of a Complyance not to be endur'd suffer'd the slipping in of those Words That the King of France being desirous to restore Peace to Europe c. Whereas it was he that begg'd for it and made such Condescentions to the City of Amsterdam that she consented to it so that to speak properly 't was she and not Lewis XIV that restored Peace to Europe But in regard it was made without any great Precautions and without taking any other Guarranty then the Sincerity of a Prince who never had any therefore it lasted but a short while and within the space of Six Years the Peace-Restorer committed several Hostilities took many Cities and Fortresses so that there was need of a new Peace and a Truce follow'd to the end he might retain what he had usurp'd Nor were all these Treaties Mounds sufficiently strong to restrain the impetuous Torrent He breaks through all the Tyes of Sanctity and Religion and falls upon Philipsburgh the loss of which was attended with several other scurvy Inconveniences Now upon what Foundation could the States of the United Provinces treat with a King that observ'd no Rule of common Morality but broke his Faith his Word his Promise even with the Emperor himself Certain barbarous People whom Alexander the Great would have oblig'd to swear Fidelity to him return'd him answer That they never swore any Oaths but gave their Word which they kept inviolably from whence I observe that they were not French The Ministry of the Court of France imagines with it self that Lewis XIV not having usurp'd any thing upon the Republick of the United Provinces during the Peace nor won any Place from her during the War that it would be always an easie thing for their Monarch to make a Peace with her besides that the Hollanders are greatly inclin'd to Peace by reason of their Trade which is much obstructed in time of War neither is it the Interest of a Republick to enlarge her Confines or to add new Provinces to those she has already but to preserve United what already she possesses and to secure her Frontiers the best she can But tho' France may be in the Right as to some Circumstances yet is she deceiv'd in the main For it is not so easie to make a Peace with the Hollanders as the King of France imagines Those People tho' naturally good-natur'd and easie are not readily twice deluded That Prudence which never forsakes the Counsels of their Soveraigns has seen by the Consequences of the Peace of Nimeghen that there is no trusting to France but that all her Promises and Treaties were only meer Amusements that is to say a sort of Recoiling to fetch the greater Leap he must be a very mean Politician and very dull-sighted who does not percieve that France had a great mind to have made her self Mistress of the United Provinces their Wealth and their Religion those three things so precious and so necessary that the Inhabitants neither can nor ought to lose 'em but with their Lives And therefore as they ventur'd all to purchase those Blessings so they will use their utmost Endeavours to preserve 'em as the most precious Jewels of the Republick For the Hollanders are not like King James who left the care of his Crown to the Count of Lausune while he ran away before the Battel of the Boyne and before his Person was in any evident Danger France knows not as yet the strength of the United Provinces as being ignorant of what she can do if once she be hard put to it Seeing that if they could find the way not only to shake off the Chains of Servitude but to make head for several Years against one of the most Potent and one of the greatest Monarchs of Europe Philip II. and come off with Honour why should the Ministers of France flatter themselves under this Reign that they are able to destroy ' em 'T is only because Men are apt to flatter themselves that they can compass what they desire and generally they never care to be dis-abus'd in regard that Hope supports and in some measure satisfies an ambitious Mind Usually the Court of France is crowded with Flatterers who make no other Prayers then for the Glory of their Monarch and sing no other Hymns then in his Praise all their Opera's sound forth the Grandeur and the Conquests of their new Deity Jupiter-Bourbon They perswade him that he was sent into the World to reign by himself and to subdue all the People of the Earth under his Dominion they have given him the Sirname of Dieu-donné or God's Gift and they make their Oblations to the immortal Man Viro Immortali To which purpose they have erected his Statue in the Piazza of