no longer Master of either This answer you may imagine was but very little to their liking therefore the Ambassadours thought themselves oblig'd to present a Memorial to his Royal Highness wherein among other things they insinuated that his Predecessors having engag'd their Royal Word to several Sovereigns and particularly the Protestant Cantons their Masters that they wou'd never disturb the Repose and Tranquillity of the Vaudois and that because of their Royal Patents they had granted 'em they humbly conceiv'd his Royal Highness could not dispense with those Engagments without violating his Royal Word and that because these Patents must not be barely look'd upon as Tolerations but rather as perpetual Concessions Irrevocable Sacred and Inviolable The Ambassadours enforced these Reasons by many others which related more needy to the Interest and Politicks of Savoy and which might have been capable to have mov'd him had not the French King oppos'd them by others that tended altogether to introduce Fire Blood and Slaughter into the Dominions of this Prince Understanding Men have all along clearly perceiv'd that the chief Aim of France was to weaken the Duke by ruining the Vaudois who for their Valour were always look'd upon as his right Arm and who tho' with their small Number were able alone to bafflle the Designs of the French King and oppose the Incursions of his Troops Many other Protestant Princes likewise writ to his Royal Highness in Favour of the Vaudois but all without doing any good This most Christian King had gain'd so far upon his Inclinations that even in spite of himself he was forc'd to yield to the Torrent that bore him down before it and which at last carry'd him to a Precipice that foretold no less than the utter Ruin of his Dominions The Swiss Ambassadors having at length demanded a positive Answer his Royal Highness caus'd the Marquess of St. Thomas one of his Ministers for Foreign Affairs to acquaint 'em that he was extremely sorry it was not in his Power to comply with their Master's Request And the French Minister moreover suggested to him to add that provided the last Edict was not already put in Execution he would endeavour to find some Expedient to procure the Vaudois Leave to retire out of his Dominions after that they had disposed of their Possessions We shall pass over in Silence several other Circumstances that relate to this Negotiation it not being my Purpose to enter into Particulars of the Cruelties exercis'd against the Vaudois for which a much larger Volume would not suffice I think my self only oblig'd to give an Account hereof the principal Accidents that have been the Occasion of the Differences between the Duke of Savoy and France from the very Beginning of this War I shall next proceed to examine the Conduct of his Royal Highness since his Rupture as well in regard to the most Serene Allies as France even to the Conclusion of the Treaty lately sign'd by him by which he is once more reconcil'd to a Crown that has promised a great deal but will no doubt perform little or nothing We may affirm freely that this Prince having been a Slave to the French King so many Years and groan'd so long under a Yoke that other Sovereigns now fight to be secur'd from never had a fairer Occasion to release himself than at present which he would have laid hold on had he been but the least sensible of his Interest When a Man makes such Oversights as this he seldom or never recovery and perhaps for above these Hundred Years there may not happen a League so puissant and daring as this There was no other way of withstanding the Greatness of France but by a Union of so many Princes that Crown being too formidable to be oppos'd by a single Force According to common Opinion God Almighty only has reserred this great Power to himself who keeps in his hand the Performances of Princes and who can in an Instant thrust 'em from their Thrones and deprive 'em both of their Authorities and their Force whereof this History every where abounds with convincing Examples This being granted there is no doubt but the League of these moil Serene Princes now in War against France has been rais'd by this Almighty Power to humble the exorbitant Greatness of that Crown and this will the more plainly appear if we consider the Motives that occasion'd it its uninterrupted Continuance for nine Years together remaining always firm and not to be shaken by the Attempts and Artifices which France has all along made use of to weaken confound or divide the Princes which compos'd it Notwithstanding these mighty Efforts and continu'd Dissentions which this most Christian King has endeavour'd to sow in almost all the Courts of Europe they have nevertheless been so far from weakening them that they have rather contributed towards a more firm and lading Alliance which all the Confederates have unanimously resolv'd to carry on except Savoy only who may be justly reproach'd hereafter by all Princes for so base a Compliance with a Monarch that is already above half ruin'd But before we go any farther let us first see what this Prince has freely promis'd to the most Serene Allies and more particularly to the Emperour King of England and United Provinces which are to be consider'd as the chief Actors in the League In order whereunto I shall oblige the Reader with a true Copy of the Treaty that his Royal Highness made with the Emperour and which was presented him by the Abbot Grimani to be sign'd which is as follows HIS Imperial Majesty being sensibly mov'd with the late reiterated Menaces of the French King towards his Royal Highness which so visibly tend to oppress him As likewise considering the Inviolable Friendship his Royal Highness professes for his said Imperial Majesty Also having moreover understood that his most Christian Majesty had caus'd an Army to enter into the Territories of the said Duke to oblige him to give up two of his Chief Fortresses as likewise to furnish him with 2000 Foot and Two Regiments of Dragoons to assist him in an Invasion upon Milan his Imperial Majesty has thought himself oblig'd to succour a Prince that has always approv'd himself an unshaken Well-wisher to the Empire Whereupon he has herewith sent the Sieur Abbot Vincent Grimani with express Orders and full Power to Negotiate Treat and Agree with his said Royal Highness in an Alliance that may as well serve to strengthen his Imperial Majesty's Affairs as to secure those of his Royal Highness against the future Attempts of France And for this purpose his most Serene Highness Victor Amedeus the Second Duke of Savoy and the aforesaid Sieur Abbot Grimani do Article as follows I. His Most Serene Highness obliges himself for the future not to enter into any Treaty of Alliance with the Most Christian King without Consent of the Emperour But to remain always under a good Correspondence with his Imperial
eternally to have united him to the House of Austria let us come to the strict Alliance he had contracted with the King of England And hereof we cannot give you a more signal Proof than the specious Harangue made to his Britannick Majesty by his tricking Envoy the President de la Tour which is as follows SIR HIS Royal Highness congratulates Your Majesties glorious Access to a Throne due to Your Birth merited by Your Virtue and maintain'd by Your Valour Providence ordain'd it for Your Sacred Head for the Accomplishment of Heavens Designs from all Eternity That Providence which after a long forbearance raises up Chosen Instruments to suppress Violence and protect Justice The wonderful Beginnings of Your Reign are assur'd Presages of the Blessings which Heaven is preparing for the Integrity of Your Intentions which have no other Aim than to restore this flourishing Kingdom to that Grandeur which it anciently enjoy'd and to break off those Chains under the weight of which all Europe at present groans This magnanimous Design so worthy the Heroe of our Age soon fill'd his Royal Highness with unspeakable Joy tho' he were constrain'd to keep it undisclos'd for a time in the Privacies of his Heart and if afterwards he could not forbear to let it break forth the Obligation for that Happiness is due to Your Majesty who has at length inspir'd him with Hopes of Liberty after so in any Years of Servitude My Words Sir and the Treaty which I have already sign'd at the Hague with Your Majesties Envoy but faintly express my Master 's passionate Desires to unite himself to Your Majesty by an inviolable Devotion to Your Service The Honour which he has of being one that appertains to Your Majesty has knit the first Knot of this Union and the Protection You grant him with so much Generosity has brought it to the perfection of being indissolvable These are the sincere Sentiments of his Royal Highness with which I dare not presume to intermix any thing of my own For how ardent soever my Zeal may be how profound soever my Veneration of Your Majesties Glory I know not how better to express it than by a silent Respect and Admiration Can there be any thing more to the purpose better studi'd and more eloquent than this Harangue His Royal Highness seems to insinuate he will always be govern'd by his Britannick Majesty to whom he solemnly vows eternal Friendship and for whom he expresses the greatest Veneration imaginable A Prince whom he acknowledges God has rais'd to the Crown of England to break off the Chains of Europe and more particularly to free him from a Slavery which he had groan'd under so many Years His Royal Highness I say professes so entire a Respect for the King of England that he seems to think of nothing more than Revenge and Hostility against France insomuch that to hear him speak you would believe he were the most zealous of all the League But here we must observe That his Royal Highness did not a little dissemble when he dictated this Speech to his Envoy and for my part I am of opinion that a Man cannot have extraordinary Principles that can so easily digest Hypocrisie and Treachery Methinks a bare regard to ones Honour of which every Man ought to be tender especially Sovereign Princes might have been a sufficient Check to such an inglorious Action which is rather the result of a mean and dastardly Soul than a brave and noble Whatever it be certain it is that this Prince whom all Europe look'd upon with admiration having taken off the Mask of Hypocrisie shews us a quite different Face from what his Ministers more Jesuits than Embassadors had represented him When we seriously reflect upon the Particulars of his Royal Highness's Conduct during this War we may observe how many different Stratagems he has made use of to blind the Confederates discover their secret Designs therewithal speedily to inform France and lastly to drain this latter and more openly the former of vast Sums of Money with which lie has all along fill'd his Coffers This Passion thus prevailing over his Highness makes us look upon his Treachery as the Fruits of a sordid Avarice and base Policy by which he has servilely comply'd with France and withal endeavour'd to sacrifice the Interest of the most Serene Allies as likewise the Common Safety of Europe whatever his Minister de la Tour might say to the contrary I believe this is his truest Character tho' that Envoy and the rest of his Fraternity have endeavour'd to lull the Allies by representing their Master as another Caesar or Alexander abounding with Zeal Constancy and Bravery and who would sooner chuse to die a thousand times than act any thing that should be in the least contrary to the Interest of the most August Alliance he had engag'd in However Matters go these flattering Ministers will never be able to excuse their Matter 's Conduct We are but too well acquainted with the Occasion of it tho' one would think a Prince should have consulted his Honour and Conscience before he attempted any thing at least that might have prejudic'd those that had so generously afforded him Protection at a time especially when he stood in so great need of it We have already seen the President de la Tour's Speech to the King of England whereby his Royal Highness promises to enter into a strict Alliance with his Britannick Majesty and the other Confederates Now let us come to that of the Marquess de Govon his Highness's Envoy extraordinary to King James the Sixth of September last SIR HIS Royal Highness is at length happily reconciled to his most Christian Majesty against whom he bad rashly taken up Arms tho' he has all along receiv'd sincere Proofs of his Majesty's Protection The strict Leagues his noble Ancestors have heretofore had with France and the more exact Alliance his Royal Highness has contracted by his Marriage have but the more disjoyn'd him from the Interest of that Kingdom This Union which ought to have been the most inviolable we have lately seen interrupted by the Artifices of his most Christian Majesty's and your Majesty's Enemies to whom his Royal Highness has been hitherto so weak as to give ear His Royal Highness therefore humbly beggs your Majesty would please to pardon his past Conduct so very contrary to his sincere Desires to re-establish your Majesty upon your Thrones The Injustice and Oppression of your Enemies Sir have caused his most Christian Majesty to engage in this War God Almighty has hitherto favour'd his Attempts because they are just and 't is also to be hop'd he will lend the like Attention to your Majesty's Petition His Royal Highness for his part will contribute all in his Power thereunto who likewise flatters himself that this Treaty lately sign'd with his most Christian Majesty may be a Means to divide those Princes whose Union will infallibly oppose your Majesty's Retum to
Majesty as a faithful Prince of the Empire II. That he will never Act hut in Conjunction with his Imperial Majesty or some other of the Allies III. That he will always employ his Forces against France or its Adherents On the other Part the Abbot Grimani in the Name of His Imperial Majesty and the Empire promises I. That his Imperial Majesty will not enter into any Truce or Treaty of Peace with France without his Royal Highness's being therein comprised II. That the Emperour will so manage Matters that the Governour of Milan shall always employ his Forces to preserve the Dominions of his Royal Highness As likewise That the Spanish Fleet shall endeavour to secure the Town and County of Nice III. That his Imperial Majesty will forthwith send 6000 of his best Troops to be join'd with those of his Royal Highness and which his said Imperial Majesty engages to maintain without expecting they should have their Winter-Quarters in Piedmont IV. That his Imperial Majesty will use all his Endeavours to cause the Vaudois French Refugies and the 8000 Men which the Marquess of Borgomainero Embassador from Spain had promis'd should go to Piedmont should join the Troops of his Royal Highness the Emperor and Governor of Milan consenting he might make use of 'em at his pleasure V. That the Emperor and his Allies would endeavour to repossess his Royal Highness either by Force or Treaty of Pignerol without any Pretence upon Montferrat for so doing his Imperial Majesty being willing to renounce all Title thereunto the ancient Treaties notwithstanding VI. And lastly His Imperial Majesty will pretend no Right to any Conquest on that fide of France but gives full liberty to his Royal Highness and the Governour of Milan to agree between 'em about it This Treaty was Sign'd the Fourth of June 1690 and the Abbot Grimani promis'd to get it Ratifi'd from Vienna in a Month. We may observe by the first Article That his Royal Highness promises and agrees by a solemn Oath not to enter into any Treaty either of Peace or Truce with the Most Christian King without the Emperor 's Conlent but to remain always under a good Correspondence with his Imperial Majesty as a faithful Prince of the Empire But where is now the Performance of this solemn Promise What is become of all these serious Engagements which ought to have been so Sacred and Inviolable Have not they been lately dispens'd with by an unheard-of Baseness It must be acknowledg'd that by this Conduct his Royal Highness has unpardonably affronted the Emperor abus'd the most Serene Allies and moreover been the greatest of Enemies to himself by sacrificing both his Dominions and his Liberty to the deceitful Promises of France by which means he will not fail to incur the severest Indignation of so many Potent Princes he has betray'd and from whom he has receiv'd so many repeated Obligations By the second Article his Royal Highness promises to act altogether in Conjunction with the Emperor and the other Allies But we can be confident here by convincing Proofs which we shall make appear more at large hereafter that his Royal Highness has had several secret Intelligences with Frame throughout the whole Course of this War and that he has been so far from acting in conjunction with the most Serene Allies according to his solemn Promise that he has all along under-hand favour'd the Enterprizes of the French King and therein his Conduct has been the more faulty as he has always endeavour'd to approve his Sincerity and Good-will by his Envoys and other Ministers but which we are now sensible had no other Aim than to get out of us the Drift of our Designs which he forthwith sent to France This has been the Occasion in a great measure that the Arms of the most Serene Allies have made so little Progress in Flanders Germany and elsewhere because the French King being inform'd of all our Proceedings took his Measures and made his Advances accordingly insomuch that his Forces were almost always superiour in Number to ours which baffl'd our Designs either to Besiege any Place or give Battel And if the glorious Undertaking of the Siege of Namur succeded so well we may ascribe it chiefly to the Duke of Savoy's knowing nothing of it being manag'd wholly by the King of England with so great Circumspection and Prudence that that Action alone deceiv'd the Vigilance of France The Conduce of his Royal Highness during these late Years has been so little conformable to an honest Meaning that in full Congress many Ministers of the Allies have been oblig'd to reproach his Envoy Monsieur de la Tour That his Master did not proceed according to Justice But this Envoy being a Man of Parts and able to defend his Prince's Proceedings had always an Excuse ready at hand so that whilst he fed the Court of England and die other Allies with his Master 's mighty Projects his Royal Highness by a secret Correspondence did his Business with France and moreover drain'd great Sums of Money from both Parties Understanding Men daily observ'd That this Credulity of ours would be no small Obstacle to a General Peace which we nevertheless pretend to force France to a Compliance with But the End has shewn that the Italians are better Proficients in the Art of Deceiving than others and that sooner or later we always repent placing too much Confidence in those People The third Article provides That his Royal Highness shall always employ his Forces against France or its Adherents together with those of the Allies But this Article will appear to have been no less violated on the Part of his Royal Highness than the former For those that Commanded the Auxiliary Troops in Italy being Men of nice Discernment and distinguish'd Merit having made it their Business to pry into the Conduct and Proceedings of this Prince have been Eye-witnesses of all his Intelligences with Monsieur Catinat and have acquainted us That his Royal Highness was so far from acting in Conjunction with the most Serene Allies that he apparently made it his Business to spare his own Troops and to expose those of the Confederates to the greateft Dangers For in one Battel his Royal Highness's Generals having private Intelligence with the French delay'd till they were ready to pour down upon the Imperialists and Protestants with their superior Numbers whilst the Savoyards only look'd on or else betaking themselves to flight abandon'd the English Troops to the Mercy of their Enemies The like Practice has been generally observ'd in all the Skirmishes or Battels in Italy insomuch that by these fatal Treacherries several brave and experienc'd Generals of the Allies have been inhumanely butcher'd without Savoy's taking any care to remedy an Abuse that was the ruine of those that were only capable to make head against Frame and secure his Royal Highness s Dominions After having spoken of the Engagements the Duke of Savoy had with the Emperor and which ought