IV. enjoy'd the Government of the Dutchies which he had Alienated those Dukedoms ought to revert to Prince Charles the only Heir of that Dutchess But Duke Francis was not the only Person that oppos'd the Registring of the Donation For the Duke of Vendosm at the same time presented a Petition wherein he besought his Majesty to consider That Henry IV. had sent a Declaration to the Parliament purporting That he should walk in Processions immediately next after the Princes of the Blood and according to that Declaration his Majesty allow'd him that place in the Ceremony of the Knights of the Holy Ghost And therefore that he hop'd his Majesty would grant the same Priviledge to his Children who had a Right to it by their Mothers side being the Daughter of Emanuel of Lorrain Duke of Mercoeur who ought to precede all those of the House of Guise and that of the Marquis of Mouy that were descended only from the younger Family And lastly he besought his Majesty to permit both him and his Children to make their Opposition and defend their Rights according to the Rules of the Common Law The Prince of Courtenai and his Children also made the same Protestations And the Dukes and Peers Remonstrated in their places That the Preeminence that the King had granted to the Princes of Lorrain wounded the highest Dignity in the Kingdom That they could produce Examples to prove that the Princes of the Blood and even Kings themselves of Forraign Countries had been preceeded by the Peers at the Coronations of the Kings of France in Assemblies of Parliament and at other Ceremonies and that they hop'd his Majesty would not suffer them to undergo any Diminutions of their Privileges under his Reign They who were concern'd in this Affair flatter'd themselves that the Parliament would refuse to verifie the Donation But in regard the King was come to the Parliament with Four Thousand Men at his Heels and consequently with a Resolution to be Obey'd the Parliament without any Hesitation fulfill'd the Kings Pleasure So that the same day which was the 27th of February 1662. the King having himself presented a Declaration containing the Clauses and Conditions upon which Charles IV. had surrender'd to him the Propriety of the Dukedoms of Lorrain and Bar the Declaration was Register'd And to shew that he did not altogether despise the Oppositions and Remonstrances which had been made him and that he had not laid 'em aside till he had made it appear that they were of no validity the Advocate General Talon maintain'd before he came to his Conclusions that the States of Lorrain and Bar were never regulated by the Salic Law and as for what concern'd the Entail made upon the Heirs Male by the King of Sicily which was that which Duke Francis alledg'd it made for the Kings of France seeing that Charles of Anjou Nephew and Successor to René not having any Childern made Lewis XI and Charles the VIII his Heirs To which he added that 't was Ridiculous to alledge the Succession of Women after having set up the Male Title only That Lorrain having been always dependant upon the Crown of France it was but just that it should be reunited to it and in a Word that by what ever Title Duke Charles claim'd a Right to the Dukedoms as he had been stript of 'em by the Deceas'd King so they were not restor'd to him but by the Indulgence of his Successor and therefore since there was a way found out to unite them again to the Crown by an Authentick Stipulation it behov'd his Majesty for the Interest of his Kingdom to make his Advantage of it And as for what concern'd the Honour which the King had accorded to the Princes of Lorrain to be reputed Princes of the Blood it was a Privilege that was never yet contested with a Crowned Head though Monsieur the Chancellor had spoken very boldly in that Affair for he had positively and in proper terms affirm'd That the King could not make Princes of the Blood without his Consort the Queen The Publication of the Donation thus made put Duke Francis into a great Consternation and all those of the House of Lorrain There were none but some of those Princes that were settled in France and enjoy'd all their Estates in that Kingdom who suffer'd themselves to be dazled with the Hopes of coming to be Princes of the Blood and of being preferr'd under that Character to all Foreign Soveraign Princes without considering that it was to the Extinction of their own Family and that there was so little likelihood of seeing that Article for their Association into the Princes of the Blood observ'd in regard of an Infinite Number of Oppositions that were made and would be made every day that they had more reason to fear lest one day they should be reduc'd to be no Princes at all In the mean time Duke Francis omitted no Industry to let the Duke of Lorrain understand the wrong he had done him And his Remonstrances wrought so effectually upon the Duke that after he testified his extream Sorrow for having sign'd the Donation he promis'd without intermission to labour the Disannulling it and that so soon as he had brought his design to pass he would restore his Territories to Prince Charles reserving to himself a reasonable Pension And to assure him of Performance and let him see that he approv'd the Prince's withdrawing out of France he had furnish'd him with Five hundred Pistols to defray his Expences to Vienna The Duke being thus return'd to himself and extreamly troubled at the Donation which he had made of his Territories to the King refus'd to Surrender up Marsal though the Stipulation were verify'd in Parliament And the Prétence which the Duke laid hold on was very lawful for that the Parliament in verifying the Deed had added a Condition which render'd it utterly void The Clause of the Verification imported that the Princes of Lorrain should not be reputed Princes of the Blood but upon Condition that all the Princes of the Blood should Sign and Ratifie the Stipulation for defect of which they were all in general excluded from the Benefit of that Association It was urg'd by the Duke of Lorrain that there were several Princes of that House who were as yet under Age and therefore incapable of doing any Act that could stand good in Law that Duke Francis had put in Exceptions against the Registring of the Donation that Prince Charles his Nephew had withdrawn himself out of the Kingdom because he would not be forc'd to Sign it and so that Clause which the Parliament had added overthrowing all he was not bound to perform the Articles of the Treaty which concern'd the King's Interest that the King had not perform'd those that concern'd the Interest of his House since he had not stript himself of his Territories in Kindness to him but with this Consideration that the Princes of the House of Lorrain might be in
Original of these Troubles that have caus'd the Effusion of so much Blood for Twenty years together and the Calling in of the Ottoman Assistance at the last Extremity and has been the only Occasion of so many Calamities and Miseries which the greatest Part of Germany still bewails At what time the Emperor had laid his Design to reduce the Hungarian Male-Contents after the Discovery of the Conspiracy already mention'd he sent an Army into that Kingdom which committed therein an infinite number of Hostilities On the other side the Hungarians who had had no hand in the Conspiracy seeing the Troubles were wholly appeas'd upon Prince Ragotski's laying down his Arms believ'd that the Emperor would have drawn off his Forces that ruin'd all before 'em but their Expectations were no way satisfied Thereupon they made their Complaints that the Innocent were envelop'd among the Guilty and that the Germans never considering they were not in an Enemies Country yet committed the same Disorders they had done some Months before but the Emperor would not listen to any Complaints On the other side General Spork being reinforc'd with a considerable Body sent him from Bohemia entred into the very Heart of the Country his Infantry being Commanded by the Marquis of Baden and the Cavalry by Prince Charles Upon this the Hungarians who never expected to see an Army where no no Enemy made any Opposition were in such a Consternation that they resolv'd to Arm themselves against the Emperor and this they did accordingly in all Parts where they thought themselves to be strong enough But in regard the Imperial Army was very numerous the Male-Contents were hard put to it General Spork immediately seiz'd upon all the Passes to prevent their flight into Foreign Countries and advancing to the Principal Places with fifteen Regiments to furnish them with Garisons he no sooner appear'd before those Places but they set open their Gates to him so that there was only Muran that made any Resistance But the Prince of Lorrain coming before it with a considerable Detachement of Horse and Foot and having presently possessed himself of a Hill which commanded the Town he intrench'd himself and summon'd the Countess of Wesselini who was Mistress of the Place to Surrender threatning to give no Quarter if he took it by Storm The Countess who was within the Town that a sufficient Number of Male-Contents who had betaken themselves thither for Refuge made a shew at first of holding out But at length considering that her resistance would be in vain since the Prince was Master of a Post so Advantageous she resolv'd to Capitulate So that all the strong Holds being fill'd with Garisons General Spork and the Prince of Lorrain return'd to Vienna to give an Accompt to the Emperor of their Expedition In the Year 1672. the King of France Declar'd War against the Low-Countries and within one Month made himself Master of Two and thirty Towns that were all Places of good Defence For those Provinces at that time were divided into two or three Factions and in regard that France who made the best Advantage of every thing fomented those Divisions underhand it was no such extraordinary thing to make such considerable Conquests in so short a time besides that there was a great suspition that Treachery assisted his Successes However it were the French Army no sooner appear'd before a Place but they found the Gates open or at least it was not long before they were open'd So that the French who were in that Campagne were wont to say That they rather travell'd through those Cities than besieg'd 'em and that if they had not met with some Resistance at Nimeghen they should not have known they had been at War The King also who was present at all these safe Exploits had a particular Eye upon Amsterdam and he miss'd but little of his Design But the Inhabitants letting loose their Sluces rather chose to seek their safety in a Deluge of Water that environ'd 'em and to suffer all manner of Hardships than to lose their Liberty which disappointed the Measures of France Now in regard the Country lay under Water the King finding it impossible for him to advance his Conquests any farther return'd to Paris leaving his Armies under the Conduct of Marshal Turenne At the same time also the Elector of Brandenburgh alarum'd by these Victories of the French and seeing that the King had got Possession of Wesel and some other Towns that belong'd to him in particular resolv'd to take the Field and stop so rapid a Progress as also to oppose the Designs of the Elector of Cologne and Bishop of Munster who had both likewise Declar'd against Holland Nevertheless because he found himself not strong enough to drive the French out of his Dominions had they attempted to enter for there was all the Probability in the World that they had such a Design he had so sucessfully manag'd a Negotiation at the Court of Vienna that he had perswaded the Emperor to joyn him with a Body of Fifteen thousand Men under the command of Montecuculi So that the Elector found himself toward the beginning of October in a condition to Encamp above Mayence between the Mein and the Rhine with an Army of Thirty thousand Men. At the same time the Duke of Lorrain joyn'd the Elector with some Regiments which he had still in Burgundy and Prince Charles who had refus'd some Propositions which the King of France had made him as not being for his Advantage serv'd in the same Army as General of the Horse But the Prince met with no opportunity to signalize himself for besides that Montecuculi had his Reasons why he would not venture his Army and for that he had to do with Marshal Turenne the Prince de Lokowitz having delay'd the Execution of the Emperor's Orders both this and the following Campagne pass'd over without any considerable Action which occasion'd the Fall of that Minister Toward the end of the Year 1673. the King of Poland who had Married the Emperor's Sister the Princess Eleanora-Maria died Now in regard the Emperor had some thoughts of Marrying Prince Charles to that Princess could he have obtain'd the Crown of Poland resolv'd to make up this Match upon the decease of King Michael in regard that now the Prince had new hopes that he might ascend the Throne of that Kingdom For there was great Probability that if he Married the Queen of Poland the Polanders would sooner Elect him to be their King than any other Foreign Prince for that besides the Sollicitation of the Emperor which could not but be of very great weight as Affairs then stood the Grandees of Poland had all along testify'd a very great Respect and Esteem for the Queen They who aspired to that Crown at that time were the Prince of Lorrain the Prince of Muscovie the Prince of Condé the Duke of York Prince George of Denmark the Prince of Orange the Elector of Brandenburgh
Dowager the Carpenter set Fire to the Palace In the mean time though the Emperor were upon his Journey they that were posted to seize upon his Person or assassinate him had not the Courage to execute their Barbarous Orders However Nadash was nothing disheartned at this but believing that Poyson would be more successful some time after he invited the Emperor and the Empress the Imperial Princesses and the Prince of Lorrain to see some Fishing-Sport at Pattendorff which was a Seat of his own There he Feasted them Magnificently and it was none of his fault that the Poyson'd-Plate that was prepar'd for him did not come to his share But the Countess his Wife apprehending his Design caus'd the Emperor to be serv'd with a Plate resembling the t'other which broke the Counts Measures and sav'd the Lives of the Emperor and all the Imperial Guests Most of these things happen'd in the Years 1668 and 1669. And then it was that the Duke of Lorrain Married the Prince of Vaudemont to the Princess d'Elboeuf Anne Elisabeth of Lorrain a Princess of great Wit and Incomparable Beauty About the same time Casimer V. had resign'd his Crown to spend the Remainder of his Days in Ease and Retirement Now in regard the Kingdom of Poland is Elective the Polonians to remove all Occasion of Jealousie and Civil War from the Grandees of the Kingdom who might have any Claim to the Royalty have all along accustomed themselves to make Choice of Foreign Princes The Duke of * The Elector Palatine last deceas'd Philip William who died at Vienna Septemb. 2. 1690 in the Seventy fifth year of his Age. Newburgh and the Prince of Conde were the first that stood Competitors for the Election and had each of them a considerable Party in it But the Prince of Lorrain who had the same Design put the Emperor upon appearing in his behalf and then it was that he found that the Empress Dowager was absolutely for carrying on his Interests since there was nothing which she left undone to procure him the Upper-hand of his Competitors it being both her's and the Emperor's Design to Marry him with the Princess Eleanora Maria. In the mean time because the Business requir'd a vast Expence for these sorts of Elections are not to be canvass'd without store of Money and for that the Prince had only a Pension which the Emperor and Empress Dowager allow'd him the Duke of Lorrain told Duke Francis that he would furnish the Prince with Money necessary for such an Undertaking provided he would Sign the Contract of Marriage between the Prince of Vaudemont and the Princess d'Elboeuf and cause Prince Charles to Sign it also The Marriage of that Prince had been celebrated with so much Pomp and Magnificence of Ceremonies that Duke Francis made no question but that it was the Dukes Intention to settle the Succession upon him to the prejudice of the Prince his Son The Nuptials were solemniz'd at Bar after which the Prince of Vaudemont and the Princess being conducted to Nanci made their Entry with no less Splendour then if the Duke had been Married himself Never did the Duke of Lorrain express so much outward Joy as he did upon that Occasion Besides the extraordinary Civilities which he paid to the new Bride he would have the Princess of Lislebone to yield her the Precedence though she were Niece to the Prince her Husband And as for what he did for the Prince his Son he made over to him in Soveraignty a considerable part of his Territories These Considerations made Duke Francis always refuse to Sign the Marriage of the Prince of Vaudemont But the Assistance which the Duke of Lorrain promis'd the Prince and which he gave him effectually to advance him to the Crown of Poland over-ruled Duke Francis and the Prince to Sign not only the Marriage but also a particular Treaty by vertue of which Prince Vaudemont enter'd at the same time into Possession of the Principal Places that were assign'd him But notwithstanding all the Methods which the Emperor had taken and the large Sums which the Duke of Lorrain had contributed toward the Advancement of his Nephew it was impossible for the Prince to bring his Desires to pass For in regard the Duke of Newburgh and the Prince of Condè had each of them their Faction in the Kingdom as well as he the Polanders fearing that neither of the Rivals would give way to him that was Elected unless constrain'd by Force of Arms as they had openly and severally given out they cast their Eyes upon a Prince of their own Nation to avoid a Civil War and made choice of Michael Korobat Wiesnowisky who was Crown'd Sept. 29. 1669. The Grief which Prince Charles conceiv'd for missing the Election in Poland was attended by another Misfortune which he endur'd with no less trouble of Mind And that was the Death of Duke Francis his Father that happen'd Jan. 27. 1679. and which was as it were an ill Omen of the Consummation of those Misfortunes that were to befall the House For the same year the K. of France drove Charles IV. quite out of his Dominions and constrain'd him to seek out for Sanctuary among Foreign Princes which he had much ado to find 'T is true that it may well be said the Duke drew this last Calamity upon himself For not being able so to govern himself as to comply with France he furnished Lewis XIV with so many Pretences that he could not believe there was any Prince in Europe would blame him for despoiling the Duke of all his Dominions I must confess 't was always the Dukes unhappiness to be oblig'd to receive Laws from France notwithstanding his usual vaunting that being a Soveraign he had no dependance upon any but God and his Sword But in regard that as his Affairs stood the King of France could humble him upon all occasions it had been but Prudence to have comply'd with the Time and to have dissembled with a Prince that was so formidable to him Nevertheless as if he had had a sufficient Power to withstand all his Enterprizes he took so little care to manage him that he rather might be said to make it his Business to provoke him and furnish him with Opportunities to seize upon his Country And therefore it was that out of a desire to have an Army on foot he levy'd Men upon the first occasion that presented it self quite contrary to his own Interests To which purpose the Troubles of Hungary furnish'd him with one occasion which he resolv'd not to let slip though he plainly saw that it was directly contrary to the King of France's Capitulation by which he was bound not to levy any Forces under pretence of giving France an occasion of Suspition But in regard he cover'd his Design with a pretence of sending Assistance to the Emperor he made several Levies and to shew that his only Aim was to aid his Imperial Majesty he sent the