the Treaty unless our Governour Monsieur the Marquess of Gastannaga be charg'd in particular His Majesty says the Declaration has been also inform'd of the part which the Governour of the Low-Countries had in the Enterprize which the Prince of Orange undertook against England By this it appears that his most Christian Majesty had very good Eyes to see what no body else but himself could discover But I would fain understand what part the Marquess of Gastannaga had in the Enterprize of the Prince of Orange Did he righ out any of his Masters Ships to join the Holland Fleet Did he levy any Soldiers in the Netherlands or send any Forces aboard to land in England Did he lend any Money to the Prince of Orange or the Hollanders toward their getting ready their Fleet Did he sollicit the English to revolt and favour that pretended Invasion In my opinion these are the only Acts by which it may be presum'd that he had any part in the Enterprize Now it is as clear as Daylight and notorious to all Europe that the Governour of the Netherlands was never guilty of any of these Charges and that he cannot be upbraided with any false step that ever he made either directly or indirectly to the ruine of King James but I will tell ye the truth how it was Some years since there was a Tribunal erected at Versailles altogether resembling the Judgment-Seat of God where men were to answer for their Thoughts as well as their Actions In this Tribunal which understood the hearts of Men it was that they found that the Marquess of Gastannaga was at the bottom of his heart very glad that the King of England had work enough to do at home since he minded so little those Affairs abroad that most concern'd him For King James was Garrantee for the Peace of Nimeghen for the obtaining of which his Brother had been the Mediatour It behov'd him also to be Garantee for the Truce that follow'd and yet he sat still without ever concerning himself while the King of France both openly broke the Truce and invaded the Empire It is natural not to close too far with the Interests of those who do not close with ours especially when they are obliged thereto It may be that the Marque4ss of Gastannaga who is deeply engaged in the Interests of the Empire not a little perplex'd that the King of England so strangely neglected the peace of Europe was nothing at all troubl'd to see him depriv'd of that Peace himself which he would not preserve to others This was a Thing divin'd in France as it was divin'd that the Emperour would make a Peace with the Turk to make War upon the Rhine And this was the great Crime of the Governour of the Low-Countreys He was a Friend to the Prince of Orange before the enterprize of England nor has he yet abandon'd his Friendship but has always preserv'd the good Correspondence which was between the Prince and Him. This was another of his Crimes For from this time forward the World is to be inform'd that France is not onely the Arbitratour and judg of the general conclusions of Peace but she is also the Mistress of private and particular tyes and Obligations of Friendship People of honesty and Integrity are no longer to have any other Friends but those whom she will allow them Otherwise he must be a Criminal a Violator of Treaties and an Infringer of Alliances It may be that the Marquess of Gastannaga at what time there was no news in Holland of what pass'd in England gave advice to the Spanish Minister residing at the Hague of what Intelligence he had by the way of Newport and that the News was carry'd to the Princess of Orange and the States And this was having a part in the Enterprize of the Prince of Orange according to the Interpretation of France for that without this Intelligence the Prince of Orange's Enterprize could never have succeeded this was that which terrify'd King James this was that which caus'd him to abdicate his Kingdom this was that which had such an influence upon his Army that they refus'd to fight in a word this was that which did the work Thus it is that France derides and laughs at all the World and takes us all for a company of Beasts Nevertheless these specious Pretences are the Ingredients of a Delcaration of War and make up the principal Grounds and foundations of it Now let us listen to the following part of the Declaration His Majesty not being able to believe that the conduct of the Governour of the Low-Countries in this particular Affair was every by the Directions of Order of the King of Spain who by so many ties of Religion Bloud and assurance of all Kings one toward another was oblig'd to oppose a Usurpation of that nature His Majesty was in hopes that he might have been able to persuade his most Christian Majesty to a Union for the Re-establishment of the lawful King in England and the preservation of the Catholick Religion against the Protestant League c. His Majesty was inform'd at the same time that the Spanish Ambassadour in England was every day with the Prince of Orange c. And bad Counsels prevailing his Majesty had intelligence that a resolution was taken to favour the Usurper of England and to join with the Protestant Prince Behold another most pious and most Catholick Article of the Declaration and now after this who can ever accuse the King of France of not behaving himself answerable to his Title of Most Christian It is clear from hence that the King of Spain is no longer to be accounted Catholick since he is become a Friend and favourer of the Protestants He refuses to succour a Catholick Prince dispossess'd by an Usurper he joins his Forces with those of the Enemies of the Church Nevertheless the Marquess of Gastannaga does not relish this specious Article And therefore he finds himself oblig'd to tell the VVorld in his Counter Declaration That that same piece of the most Christian King is injurious to the Devotion and Piety of his Master as being labour'd with all the Art imaginable to render his Alliances wih the Princes and States his Neighbours scandalous to the World. In the Declaration of the most Christian King of which we have already repeated the words it appears that his Majesty seems to have a peculiar abhorrence of Usurpers and would by no means be thought a friend to Usurpations but altogether a Zealot for the Rights and Priviledges of lawful Sovereigns For he calls the Prince of Orange a Vsurper and would have all the World to be his Enemy King James he calls the Lawful King of England and would have all the World to succour him But it is an easie thing to look through all these feigned shews of his good Nature for if they be real 't is to be hop'd that the consideration of these things will bring him to look
can France say to This But to say no more of the pretended Usurpation of England who has told France that the Catholick King has join'd with a Usurper He has united with the Emperor his Kinsman and Ally He has join'd with the Pope the Head of the Church Against whom Against the common Enemy of the Empire against the general Enemy of Europe against the declar'd Enemy of the Holy Empire Where is the Scandal The Prince of Orange lawful Elected King of England by the Three Estates of the Kingdom is upon his March the same way What sort of Morals has the Court of France found out to prove that it is not lawful for the Catholick King to make an Alliance with him in defence of the Common Liberty of Europe Is it for us to dispute the Rights of the People and Kings of England We should take it very ill that the English should intermeddle with the Government of Castile or Arragon If there be any wrong done 't is done by all the Nation Now I cannot find that the whole Body of a Nation is answerable for its Conduct to any other than God himself If King James have any right on his side we will not take it ill that he defend his Title But this is a Quarrel to be disputed between the People and Him wherein no body has to do to concern himself much less the Catholick King who never receiv'd any Kindness but all the dammage that might be from the late Kings of England as being always in League with France to the ruine of the House of Austria This is the first time for these two hundred years past that the House of Austria has found England in a condition to be advantageous to their Interests and France is mighty unwilling that they should lay hold of the Lucky Conjuncture 'T is very unjust and the Accusation which the most Christian King raises thereupon is a Pretence without any ground After all what would be the benefit of that plausible Alliance into which his most Christian Majesty tells us that he has labour'd so much to persuade the Catholick King for the restoring King James It would produce a bloudy War. England environ'd with the Sea united to Holland and in Alliance with other Protestant Princes is able to maintain a War against all the other Princes of Europe And in this War Spain would be a loser the Empire would get nothing and France would win all For when the Allies were weaken'd by extravagant Expences and a tedious War with England then would France fall upon them and level all before him This is a true Prospect of the Designs of France so Religious so Catholick so Zealous for the Rights of lawful Sovereigns And now has not the Marquess of Gastannaga just reason to publish That the most Christian King's Declaration is injurious to his Catholick Majesty while it labours to render all his Alliances with the Princes and States his Neighbours scandalous to all the World whose glorious Aim is onely the repose of Christendom and the reciprocal Grandeur of each others Dominions The Scandal then being wip'd away as it is clear there is none in this case it is as apparent that his Catholick Majesty cannot dispence with his entring into an Alliance with all the Enemies of France let them be of what Religion they will. For this Union tends to the glorious End which is the safety and repose of Europe of which the most Christian King has been the Disturber for several years His Ambition is boundless nor will it admit of any Limits and therefore it is requisite that Bounds should be set him in spite of his teeth it being necessary as the Marquess of Gastannaga says for the reciprocal Grandeur of each others Dominions Not that the Emperour or the King of Spain or their Allies have any design of Conquest upon those Princes that acknowledge and worship Jesus Christ That Honour is left for the most Christian King to pillage and devour the Children of the Church The Emperour is contented with conquering the Countries of the Christians out of the hands of Infidels And as for his Catholick Majesty all that he desires is but to regain what has been so unjustly ravish'd from him Nor does it appear that the Protestant States the English and Hollanders either have or can have any prospect of Conquest nor any other Interest than that of the publick safety and the preservation of the Liberty of Europe But to be an Enemy of France to go about to stop the Career of her Fury is to declare War against Heaven if you will believe the Ministers and Council of Versailles His Majesty was inform'd at the same time that the Spanish Embassadonr in England was continually with the Prince of Orange And thus for the future the Court of France it seems will take upon her to regulate the Visits and motions of Forreign Embassadours in Foreign Courts so that they shall not dare to pay common Civilities without her permission Wherefore should the Catholick King forbear holding that good Correspondence with the Prince of Orange which he had always observ'd while he was at the Hague Had the Prince of Orange given the King any occasion to order his Ministers not to see him any more 'T is very true the behaviour of the Prince was quite different toward Monsieur Barillon the most Christian King's Embassadour for he sent him away packing with ignominy and he had good reason so to do For that Embassadour was sent into England for nothing else but to engage King James in a Conduct entirely opposite to the Interests of Europe and the publick peace 'T was his business to cheat England and to tie he Hands that she might not oppose the Ambitious designs of the most Christian King and aster the flight of King James he staid behind for nothing else but to be a Spy and a Firebrand of Sedition But the Spanish Embassadour was there to engage England to do her duty by suppressing the Attempts of France The Prince of Orange comes into England and by the flight of King James becomes Master of Affairs and turns the Tide so that the Revolution proves altogether favourable to the Interests of his Catholick Majesty and of all Europe What reason has the most Christian King to take it ill that we should lay hold of such a lucky Circumstance for the restoring Christendom to peace and that flourishing Condition which it formerly enjoy'd One of the King of France's Reasons for declaring War against the Catholick King is That the Governour of the Spanish Netherlands we very busie in raising new Forces Is not this very fine that the King of France shall cover Land and Sea with Armies and Fleets shall declare War against the Pope and the Emperor threaten the Universe make preparations as if he were to conquer all the East and that he Princes of Christendom and their Governours must not dare to make moderate Levies
homeward consult his own Actions and that then he will suddenly make satisfaction to the Princes his Neighbours for so many Provinces of theirs which he himself has usurp'd He will restore Franche Conté the Dutchy of Luxenburgh and all Flanders to the Catholick King. He will surrender Strasburgh Friburgh the Palatinate and all the Rhine to the Empire and Lorain to it's own natural and lawful Prince and Duke For how is it possible that the declared Enemy of Usurpers and Usurpations should himself continue to be the greatest Usurper of all King James he says was lawful King of England it may be so Neither do we concern our selves whether he were or no. But was not the Catholick King as much the Lawful Sovereign of both the Burgundies Is it because that Flanders which was wrested from him during the Campaignes of 1667. and the rest that follow'd was not his by all manner of Right and Title Is it because he was not the true and lawful Duke of Luxenburgh which was came the Duke of Lorain to forfeit his Dutchy What right had the French to ravish Strasburgh for the Empire Who shall endure the Gracchi complaining of Sedition In good truth it is a thing altogether insupportable that a prince usurping with so much Violence and Injustice the Estates of all the World should complain so loudly of Usurpers and of our being so strictly united with them Nevertheless the Prince of Orange is a Prince of the Bloud of England he marry'd the next Heiress and he was called in by the Nation in General He was declared King by the Three Estates of the Kingdom Now had the French King any Veil like this to cover his Usurpation of several Provinces which being join'd together are as good as a Kingdom Our Eyes are not yet sufficiently open to see the difference between the King of France and a Usurper He wrested those Countries from Spain from the Empire from the Duke of Lorrain in open War and by the dint of Sword VVhat other way did Crowwel the most Infamous of all Usurpers ascend the Throne of England Was it not by the force of open VVar and with his Arms in his hand By what means did the Turks usurp the Estates of the Christian Princes Was it not by main force Therefore they are no Usupers And Excellent Definition of an Usurper If fraud be requir'd to make a Usurper was there ever known a more wicked piece of Treachery than that by which he got Strasburgh and all the re-united Countries But some will say the King of France is too Conscientious he would not have despoil'd a King he would not have dethron'd the King of England A most apparent piece of Truth It was the niceness of his Conscience I warrant ye that hinder'd hi from taking Brussels and Antwerp as he did Gaunt or as if he would not have taken Madrid if it had been in his power as well as Messina While we see him devour we see that he is Insatiable let him but alone till his hunger is asswaged and you shall see how far he will eat on If Castile had call'd him and made him King he would have gone thither f possible he could and would have conquer'd it was he conquer'd Sicily After all this you may if you please give ear to the most Christian King when he talks so like a Christian against Usurpers Nevertheless we ought not to refuse him the Honour of being an Enemy to Protestant Usurpers For that is a double Crime in a Catholick King to favour a Usurper and a Protestant Usurper that 's very bad indeed Yet we see that the most Christian King has chang'd his Principles and that we need not to be afraid for the future of his doing what he has done formerly We might very well set before his Eyes tekely the Usurper of Hungary who obtain'd that Title to be given him by the Ottoman Port and who has done his utmost endeavour to get possession of it That Usurper is a Protestant for he is a Lutheran Nevertheless the most Christian King must not disown but that he has acknowledg'd him for one of his best Friends Had France no other Veil to hide her Miscarriages than a Cobweb yet she is so brazen-fat'd that she would deny what she did behind that Curtain with the same confidence as if she had had a wall of a hundred foot thick to conceal her And therefore it is that you will find her perhaps denying all her strict ties of Friendship and Treaty with Tekely and the Turk But what will she say to her Union with Cromwel Here is an Example that nearly concerns England where now the Dispute lies Henry William of Nassau Prince of Orange Prince of the Bloud of England marry'd to Mary of England Eldest Daughter of James call'd in by the English Crown'd King by the three Estates is a Usurper He is a Protestant Let every Catholick be anathematiz'd that adheres to him But Cromwel a Person of mean Extraction yet a Protestant but the Abomination of all of his own Religion the Murtherer of his King whose Head he had cut off upon a publick Scaffold The Tyrant of England and sworn Enemy of all Catholicks is no Usurper It is lawful for a most Christian King to make a League Offensive and Defensive with him to give him Entrance into Flanders to invite him to invade the Countries of a Catholick Prince to deliver Dunkirk into his Hands and give it to that same English Usurper At that time the Motives and Inducements of Religion Bloud and safety of all Sovereign Princes were but Chimera's never any such tings really known in the World till the most Christian King begins to be afraid of England under the Government of the Prince of Orange 'T is a Crime for a Catholick King to have any Alliance with such a Person In good truth it is apparent that the most Christian King derides Religion and Christianity and laughs at all Europe beside Let us suppose the Catholick King to be at a loss behold him between two Usurpers between the King of France a Usurper without the least shadow of Pretence of two Dutchies two great Provinces and several Cities and Territories and between Henry William of Nassau Usurper of England as France pretends The most Christian King invites him by all the Motives of Religion Bloud and safety of Kings to unite with him in a War against the Vsurper of England at least if the Condition of his Affairs will not permit him to engage in such a Vnion to observe and exact Neutrality On the other side King William of England promises him great Advantages if he will join with Him. What shall the Catholick King do In my Opinion between one Usurper and t' other his Interest requires him to declare for the Vsurper that never took any thing from him against the Vsurper that has wrested from him by force so considerable a part of his Dominions VVhat
THE Detestable Designs of FRANCE EXPOS'D Or the True SENTIMENTS OF THE Spanish Netherlanders The Injustice of the King of FRANCE BY HIS DECLARATION Of War against His Catholick MAJESTY And the Justice of the COUNTER-DECLARATION of the Marquess of Gastannaga his Governour General of the Low-Countries London Printed for Robert Clavel at the Peacock at the West end of St. Pauls Church-yard 1689. THE TRUE SENTIMENTS OF THE SPANISH NETHERLANDERS c. FRANCE sets her self against all the World and therefore it is but just that all the World should declare against Her. She it is that makes the first Onset and we can do no less than defend our selves Since the Germans in a little Treatise entitled the French Herald have so successfully refell'd the Declarations of War made by he most Christian King against the Emperour and the Pope the Flemings are no less oblig'd to their Sovereign and the Marquess of Gastannaga their Governour Nor are they in a worse condition powerfully to refute all the weak and pitiful Arguments with which the most Christian King endeavour'd to support his Pretensions After he had declar'd War against the Emperour and at the same time against the Empire for he seeks the utter extirpation of the House of Austria he has also declar'd War against the Catholick King by an Act of the fifteenth of this present year 1689. and at the same instant has exercis'd all manner of Hostility upon his Dominions as well in Flanders and the Low-Countreys as in Catalonia 'T is very true that before he fell to work there was no Stone which the Court of France left unturn'd to corrupt the Spanish Council on purpose to draw them from their own Interests and divide them from the Emperour For She well knows that while the House of Austria continues firmly united in the two Branches of Spain and Germany she need not be afraid of any other Power and therefore it is that she has attempted to divide them So that after she had declar'd War against Spain by the Exercise of most dismal Hostilities she has labour'd to the utmost of her Power to prevent the King of Spain from sending succour to his own Bloud and his own Family This is absolutely to tie one Arm to hinder the relief of the other which they are maiming at the same time But be sure that after Spain has sat quietly to see the Empire devour'd France them will turn her Arms upon him and perfect his destruction 'T is true that Lewis XIV finding himself burthen'd with King James of England who has thrown himself into his Arms and drawn upon him a terrible War through the Union of the Forces of England and Holland would fain lull Spain asleep and cajole the Emperor with vain hopes of peace and by motives of Religion His Ministers have spared no Flatteries at the Court of Spain He has offer'd the King of Spain to make him Arbitrator and Mediator of the Peace between him and the Empire He has caus'd his Ministers to lay before the King of Spain that it is the Interest of the Catholick Religion before all things to see the King of England re-establish'd in his Dominions besides that it would be a work of infinite Charity That the differences between the Emperour and him might be easily determin'd by way of Negotiation upon which Heaven would never fail to shed down a Blessing so soon as their Interests were link'd together by so pious a work as would be that of restoring a Catholick King dispossess'd for the sake of his Religion The Ministers of France at the cost of Spain made use of all their Engins which were employ'd in Germany to disunite the Princes of the Empire They laid before them That it was a real War for the sake of Religion That there was a League between the Lutheran Princes of Germany the Hollanders and the English revolted from their lawful Sovereign and that they menac'd no less the ruin of all the Catholick States than of the Catholick Religion it self And besides all this they made use of all those persons who had the nearest Access to his Catholick Majesty to insinuate into him the great Advantages that would accrew to Both if he and the Emperour should join their Forces to those of France against the Common Enemy They farther whisper'd him in the Ear That the Hollanders were not alter'd in their Inclinations by the Treaties of the Truce and Peace that had been brought to pass since their Rebellion That after all they were but Rebellious Subjects and that it always became him to make it his business to reduce them under their former Yoke that their Master offer'd his Majesty the Assistance of his Forces to tame and bring them under subjection and their old Obedience That England and Holland made a Union formidable to all such Princes who had any Territories bordering upon the Sea That the King of Spain had great reason to fear the loss of the Netherlands That the English who had been in possession of Dunkirk not long since would not be wanting to make themselves Masters of Newport and Ostend which when it should come to pass they should soon be Lords of Brussels and Antwerp that there would be no security for Spain it self That her Coasts lay naked and open as well upon the Ocean as the Mediterranean Sea and that she would be always expos'd to the Invasions of the fierce and haughty English and the Attempts of Holland always covetous and seeking after nothing but Gain That the two faithless Nations being Mistresses of the Sea would make an Eternal separation between the Dominions of the King of Spain in the new discover'd VVorld and those which he has in Europe That his Gallions would import no more Bullion into his Territories but be snap'd by the way to gratifie the Luxury of the English who never think they have enough to supply their Debaucheries and Effeminacy or else to asswage the Avarice of the Hollanders who never believe they have Gold and Silver sufficient in their Coffers That they would never content themselves with putting a stop to the flowing Rivolets but would suddenly go to the Fountain it self and that the two Insatiable and faithless Nations would wrest even Peru it self from the King of Spain But luckily for us all these great Engins were broken to pieces by the constancy of the Spanish Council Thereupon the Court of France being incensed by the ill success of their Intrigues has declar'd War against the King of Spain and grounded their Declaration upon ridiculous Reasons not much more solid than those contain'd in their Manifesto against the Emperour to justifie their taking Arms a second time Let us a little examin this Declaration and the better to discover the vanity of it let us compare it with the Counter-Declaration of Monsieur the Marquess of Gastannaga our Governour The sincere desire says the Declaration which the King has had to observe the Truce concluded
for their own security but that the King of France must take from thence and occasion to declare War against them The Method of this Ambitious Prince is to strike without giving notice and to take and burn Cities and Towns without any Declaration as was apparent by the burning of Genoa and the seizing of Strasburgh and Philipsburgh which he has wrested from the Empire However it behoves us to trust to his Honesty we must neither stir nor make any Levies in the Spanish Netherlands because that at the Court of Madrid he is endeavouring to lull the People asleep with Proposals of Peace and Neutrality It was also a very great Crime in the Governour of the Low-Countries to let in the Dutch and Brandenburgh Forces into the principal Spanish Cities of Flanders Is it not a wonderful thing that we should be so Cautious against a faithless Enemy 'T is true that since there was no War declar'd between France and Spain it behov'd our Governour to live and sleep at his ease upon the Faith and security of the Treaties since there was no necessity for him to put Forein Forces into his fortify'd Cities But who is there that does not know that there is no Faith or Trust in France That Treaties of Truce and Peace Capitulations and Promises are but Ropes of Chaff which she breaks in the first fits of her Fury and Ambition without giving warning to any body France also has found out another great Motive to declare War against Spain for that she has discover'd That the Agent of the Prince of Orange have receiv'd considerable sums at Cas diz and Madrid In good truth we are become very happy-and now the Credit of the Crown of Spain is again restor'd The pretended weakness of the Catholick King the Poverty of is exhausted Treasuries and the slowness of his Returns for the Low-Countries were the subjects of the Scoffs and Raillery of France Now thanks be to Heaven Spain is in a condition to furnish Foreiners with considerable Sums And what is this to the King of France Who ever heard it said that when Men pay their Debts or borrow money of their Friends that they incur the Crime of Infidelity toward those with whom they are otherwise at Peace This very Act of Spain in paying money to the Prince of Orange is a sufficient proof that she never intended to break the Truce first For upon Emergent occasions every body has need of his own In short France has found out that the Catholick King deserv'd the utmost of her Indignation and that he should be proceeded against with Fire and Sword because at least He would not oblige himself to observe and exact Neutrality and not promise to succour-her Enemies either directly or indirectly 'T is a very strange thing that France will take upon her to bind up other States by Treaties upon Treaties and observe none her self What need was there of a Treaty of Neutrality since the Truce of 1684. was still in force in respect of the Catholick King And if France intended to make any satisfaction to the Empire for the dismal Invasion of Germany would not things be in their former condition without any need of a Neutrality But France refusing to give the Emperour and the Pope satisfaction was not this an uncivil dishonest and ridiculous Demand that the King of Spain should look on quietly and without stirring while France push'd forward her furious Attempts against the Emperour and the Pope against whom the most Christian King had declar'd War Can this be any occasion to break a Treaty of Peace because France would not stay to see which way the Catholick King intended For seeing France had Enemies enough to deal with tho the Catholick King had forborn to meddle in the Affair and that he had waited to see the end of the Quarrel and the success of the War without having any hand in it the most Christian King had what he could desire The Truce had been in force and the Neutrality by consequence If his Catholic Majesty had at length declar'd War against France he had had time enough then to think of defending him himself So that this Declaration of VVar against Spain had not engag'd the most Christian King in new Expences seeing that having a War with Holland he was oblig'd to have an Army in the Netherlands But the King of France thought to perform an Act of great courage and boldness by being beforehand with the Male contents and foremost in declaring a War against all the States which he foresaw could give him any trouble as in the gaiety of his Heart he declar'd War at one time both against the Pope and the Emperour fearing they would make a Peace with the Turk to fall upon him Presently after he declar'd War against the Hollanders who were busie about their own affairs because he foresaw that in the conclusion it would not a little perplex him should they engage in the Interests of the Empire And at length he declar'd War against his Catholick Majesty at a time when he observ'd the Truce because he thought he could not prevent his assisting the Emperour his Kinsman and Ally 'T is a wonder that this Magnificent Braggard suffer'd England to get the start of him and that he let King William be the first that declar'd the War. We shall see how this Hectoring and Bouncing will thrive with the most Christian King. He has had the pleasure of declaring VVar against all Europe and to give the first Blows we shall know shortly who will strike hardest and continue longest in breath And thus much for the reasons upon which the King of France grounds his Declaration of VVar. There are others but I omit them because they are so very weak that they are not worth repeating Our Governour in his Counter-Declaration does not bring so many but they are much better and more satisfactory He grounds his Counter-Declaration only upon two Arguments The first That the Arms of France inhumanly and with all manner of cruelties and unheard of Barbarisms lay desolate all the States of the Empire without any regard to the Laws of Religion or War or the sacred Right of Capitulations The Second That the Ministers of France make use of all the tricks and slights of Negotiation and of all other means to disturb the Harmony of Christendom and to bring in the whole Ottoman Power to the Destruction of Hungary and at the same time to ranverse the Peace concluded between his Imperial Majesty his Illustrious Allies and the Ottoman Port. Upon this second Reason we could enlarge very much if all had not been said already that is to be spoken that is to say how justly and how truly we have Reason to complain of the Infamous Alliances between the Court of France and the Turk to the Ruin of Christendom We are convinc'd of it by Letters intercepted and undeniable proofs of the private Correspondence which they have always