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A60932 The desolation of France demonstrated, or, Evident proofs that one half of the people of that kin[g]dom are destroyed two thirds of its captial stock consumed, and the nation reduc'd to such a condition that it cannot be restored to the flourishing state it was in thirty years ago, in less than two hundred years, and not then neither, except the whole frame of their government be new modell'd / by a person of duality, a native of France. Souligné, de. 1697 (1697) Wing S4718; ESTC R8752 142,366 298

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obnoxious to the Rudeness of Soldiers have been abandoned because of the Marches Counter-marches and Quarterings of the Troops as I said already 'T is easie to conceive those places are much depopulated and that a Curate can't fare well there it may be two or three Parishes will be turned to one I confess it will be a great trouble to People to go so far to Church But what other Remedy is there if they cannot maintain one in every Parish as they did hitherto As for Parishes that have several Priests they must needs turn them all out except one for few of them will be able to keep more 39. The Military Art and Discipline will visibly degenerate in France and Men grow less couragious and even cowardly as Men usually do in depopulated poor and slavish Countries unless the King applies as I have said already the Revenues of the Monks and Nuns for the constant maintenance of multitudes of brave Officers for his Emergencies not to make Conquests any more God forbid but only for the Defence of his Kingdom and of his Allies 40. Painting Sculpture Engraving Architecture and many other Trades less necessary and which serve only for Curiosity Ornament or Luxury will fall entirely The useful ones are already very much decayed but they will decay yet more 41. The scarcity of People will occasion all Servants to be dear every where in the Kingdom so that I believe they will be constrained to give leave to buy Negroes as is practised in Spain and Portugal and as all Christian Nations do in America and that the Law prohibiting to keep Slaves in France will be altered We may observe by the way what a great Change hath happened in the French Government since the Establishment of that Law for then they were good natur'd to all Mankind nay even to Heathens and the most barbarous and remote People whereas at this day they deal with the Natives their Fellow-Citizens and Christians worse than others do with Slaves any where nay even worse than with brute Beasts whose Owners take care to maintain them well for the service they do whereas the Rulers in France do not allow the People who work more than Slaves or Beasts to fill their Bellies with Bread and sacrifice them besides every day by thousands to their Princes Ambition and Vanity 42. There will be no more Sumptuousness in Buildings Furniture of Houses Tables nor Equipages in France tho' Luxury indeed will always be extravagant yet it must be less than it was formerly because of their great Poverty 43. Universities Academies Colledges and Chools will decrase strangely in number So that I do not believe France will stand in need for the future of more Universities than there are in Spain viz. three instead of almost twenty that are there at present besides the Academies and Colledges c. The Profits of Doctors or Masters are already fallen more than 9 parts in 10 for want of Students and Money 44. The number of Comedians Rope-dancers Musicians Fidlers Dancing-masters Fencing-masters and such like will decrease yearly more and more tho' there be not at present the 10th part of what there was 30 years ago 45. Parents able to bestow Money upon their Children will desire them to settle in Sea-ports or in the best and least ruined Cities which we named before 46. In that general Desolation few Refugees will think of returning to France except those who are here in Extream Want and who did possess Lands and Houses in France in case the free Exercise of their Religion be restored On the contrary 't is like that many new Converts will leave France what precaution soever be taken to hinder their escape if so be as I said before they are not restored to their Ancient Liberty of Conscience But I question very much whether they shall be re-established therein during Lewis the XIV Reign unless it be by the potent interposition of King William and of the other Protestant Allies tho' it be the Kingdoms Interest to do it speedily for it seems that notwithstanding the lamentable condition to which he hath reduced that flourishing Kingdom he comforts himself with the thoughts of the mischief he hath done to the Protestant Party in it and even glories in having as he thinks quite destroyed the Reformed Religion there and I incline to think that he will look upon what he has done as the only Ressource of Glory left him and I do not doubt in the least but that his Counsel of Conscience Father la Chaise and Madame Maintonon do bless themselves in it and fortifie the King in such imaginations and that the Court of Rome will keep him by their secret but powerful influences in that frame of mind giving him hopes perhaps of a degree of Glory above St. Lewis and next to St. Dominic and Ignatius Loyola in their Heaven But I am confident that they will contrive and endeavour to find out some Medium to catch the Refugies in their Net I mean both as to Soul and Body for as 't is against the Clergy's Interest or rather Passion and even against the false Glory of that King that the French Protestants should be restored to the Condition they were in before the Violation of the Edicts and that their Religion should be authorized so 't is also against the Kingdoms Interest that it should lose for ever so many useful Subjects So that I make no doubt but they will make use of all Tricks and Subtilties imaginable to draw them in by a kind of Toleration which would do their business if the Refugees were Fools for by that means a great many would come to them with what Estates they have carried away and the new Converts would have no mind to leave the Kingdom and yet their Religion should be destroyed for ever and they will also according to the usual method of Rome bribe ambitious and wordly Preachers amongst them to divide them in their Opinions as 't is like they actually do in order to bring them to Popery again by the Back-door according to the Maxim Divide Impera And I am of opinion also that in order to hinder the restoration of true Christianity in that Kingdom the Jesuits will put the French King upon the Design of Destroying Geneva and the Protestant Switzers and make him believe that it will be a compensation for the Destruction of his Kingdom and that it is the most glorious thing he can do and for that reason they will it may be spare the Vaudois for some time to disguise their Design 47. Several Lackeys Servants and such sort of Men having got some Imploys and Preferments in this War will be apt to insult and despise their Ancient Lords and Masters who are reduced to Poverty and totally ruined and a great deal of insolence will be seen every where 48. Several Widows of Quality and Young Ladys whose number is three times greater than that of Men of their own rank
THE Desolation OF FRANCE DEMONSTRATED OR Evident Proofs that one Half of the People of that Kindom are destroyed Two Thirds of its Capital Stock consumed And the Nation Reduc'd to such a Condition that it cannot be Restored to the Flourishing State it was in Thirty Years ago in less than Two hundred Years and not then neither except the whole Frame of their Government be new Modell'd By a Person of Quality a Native of FRANCE LONDON Printed for John Salusbury at the Rising-Sun in Cornhill 1697. THE Epistle Dedicatory To the Right Honourable Charles Mountague Esq one of the Lords Commissioners of His Majesties Treasury and Chancellour of the Exchequer SIR BEING a Foreigner and by consequence standing in need of a great Patronage I presume to beg yours not only as being a Personage of an Elevated Station but because you are yet more considerable for your surprizing Penetration of Mind and your incomparable Activity and Zeal for the Good of your Country by which you have merited those Honourable Posts that you do so worthily fill and which I have reason to-hope are but the earnest of greater Advancements But the chief Reason why I make bold to trouble your Honour with this Dedication is that amongst the many Persons of Quality who have done me the Honour to peruse this Book in Manuscript and to testifie their Approbation of it there was none who did so much encourage me to render it Publick as your self So that if it be any ways useful to the Nation as I hope it may they will be obliged to your Honour for it I confess Sir that my first intention was to Dedicate it to His Majesty as tending very much to the Glory of England and by consequence of his own Royal Diadem but the meanness of my present Condition abated my Confidence to sollicit Access to that great Prince and therefore Sir seeing you were always pleased out of your Zeal to the Publick welfare to give me a favourable Reception notwithstanding the narrowness of my Circumstances I resolved upon this Dedication to your self as one of His Majesties most faithful Ministers which I beg you would accept as a Token of the singular Esteem and profound Respect of Sir Your most Humble and most Obedient Servant De Soulignè Grandson to Monsieur du Plessis Mornay THE PREFACE TO THE READER I Have observed several times when in Company of Ingenious Men both English and Refugees that neither of them did know the State of this Kingdom nor that of France and that they did all judge England to be less populous rich and potent and France to be much more populous and rich than really it is and that they had no right Notions of the present condition of France and of her Ruine I observed also that several of the Refugees did long eagerly after their return into France not thinking the Nation to be destroyed to that degree that it really is fancying that she may be restored easily to her former Condition in a few years and having in a manner forgot the Cruelties and Prefidiousnesses of the Popish Church towards them I observed likewise that several English and French who have lent Money to the Publick or to whom some may be owing otherwise do vex themselves by fancying the Affairs of the Kingdom to be in a worse Condition than they really are because of the present scarcity of Money That the Jacobites and other Enemies of the Government do harden themselves in their obstinacy thinking the Kingdom not able to maintain the War any longer and France to be still potent enough to dispossess K. VVilliam by this War and restore the late K. James which makes them still to adhere to that Faction and is partly the cause of their frequent Conspiracies against the King's Life and of several other disorders France and her adherents in this Country deceiving themselves mutually by making one another believe that they are stronger than they are and fancying that England is ruined which has been perhaps hitherto one of the causes of France's delaying to make Peace because she seems to be always in great hopes of some fatal stroke and revolution in this Kingdom I confess I have also been often-times incensed against the French Court as being the Causers of so many mischiefs and having reduced that flourishing Kingdom to nothing by Cruelties and Treacheries as well against their Neighbours as their own Subjects and of so much Blood shed every-where in Europe Those Reasons did oblige me about a year ago to take the Pen in hand in Order to undeceive so many People which may be a Service to this Nation the Allies Refugees and all the World by shewing them plainly that France never was what they took her to be even in the height of her Prosperity and that she is utterly ruined now which is evident enough from the great Efforts Advances and Offers that she makes notwithstanding her pride towards obtaining a Peace Whereas England is still in a hopeful Condition notwithstanding the present scarcity of the Coin After I had made a considerable progress in the Work being dubious whether or no I should publish it I thought fit before I determined any thing to shew it to a Person of great Merit that did Communicate it to several other Persons of Quality in the Government who after the perusal of it did exhort me to make it Publick as being like to be useful to the World and to my self So that I did look upon those Encouragements and particularly those that I had from the Honourable Person that I Dedicate this Book to to whom I owe my Life for had it not been for him I might have starved I say I did look upon those Encouragements as Orders which I was obliged to obey because they came from Persons who had a right to command me Since that time I have added to it what the continuation of the War has added to the Desolation of the Kingdom of France and some Events which have happened since and made some other small Alterations I question not but those of the Contrary party will oppose it for fear it should prejudice their Faction and that some of my Country-men amongst others will for that reason do me all the ill Offices they can I have been accustomed to those things of a long time I consider France in all respects and in relation to all Orders and Ranks of People which are in it I shew plainly the great disorders of the French Government which are such that there was perhaps never any Nation amongst those that are called Christians so ill Governed In the several manners of considering France I am obliged to make use of Repetitions but always with some diversity and never but when the things are not common but important and which the Reader might let slip My design being rather to instruct and to be useful than to tickle the Ears or divert those wits who love trifles So that I