dead such Curiosity The Hereticks affirm they are no farther concern'd in the Affairs of this World Ghost Ah. Volcart You sigh Ghost I have reason to sigh I know what you mean by this Word Hereticks and this brings still to my remembrance more Evils which I have committed But do not enlarge my Grief but rather divert it by an Answer to my Question Volcart Withal my Heart provided you 'l let me know the Reason why you left the Empire and retired from the World for all those that have wrote on that Subject have given such different Accounts that the World is at a loss whom to believe Ghost Spare me a Recital which will be to me very troublesom Volcart Spare me then likewise a Relation which will spend my Lungs Besides do you think I can satisfie your Question without deep Sighs A Man must be very insensible to relate without the greatest regret the former Condition of these Provinces and that wherein they now are I have seen them flourishing and at this day do behold them so decay'd that its impossible to think them the same Ghost Well I see thou art a Man of thy Trade that will not so much as tell a Man what 's a Clock for nothing Thou hast been always a griping covetous humour'd Fellow I 'll warrant thee Volcart I am of that humour God has been pleased to endue me with either I do love Money or I do not love it However I know not why you should not satisfie my Questions as well as I yours Ghost I cannot tell thee any great news from the other World and as to this when I was on the Throne I could not conceal every thing from the Eyes of the Publick There are some Quick-eyed Argus's every where All that I can say to thee is that if I have been reserv'd in any thing it has been chiefly in the matter of Opinion or Religion Policy had learn'd me that through the Profession of a great Zeal to the Catholick Religion I must arrive to the universal Empire So that I would be thought to be the most bigotted Roman Catholick in the World I undertook Wars under this pretence and if thou wouldst know more of this matter thou needst only read the History of my Life which I got written in my Life time Volcart I have read it and there seems to me several Passages wherein you contradict these Polities for Example how do you explain the Sacking of Rome by your Troops and the Imprisonment of the Holy Father whom you kept along time in Custody in the Castle of St. Angelo Ghost Poo a Fart of this your Spiritual Persons are as great Polititians as the Secular Princes we have all our Finesses from the Clergy and you 'll find them to be the greatest Trickers Read only the History of the Popes and you 'l see that you must not go to Rome for Religion and hadst thou been at the Place as well as I thou wouldst not need two words to be said to thee on that Subject Volcart I have heard indeed several times what you say but I ever thought 't was the Hereticks that spread these Reports However I am almost convinc'd by what you say for I cannot believe Ghosts will lye especially such an Illustrious Phantome as you Ghost I do not lye but speak the Truth dost thou not see what jugling and tricking there is to be Pope whence thou maist judg what they are capable of when they have got into the Chair Volcart However we have had one of late that was not of this Number but really an honest Man for had it not been for him the Heirs of your Brother Maximilian might have begg'd their Bread the Turks had driven them from the Throne whereas by his means they themselves are driven out of Hungary Lewis the Great caus'd an Archbishop of Cologn to be elected a Prince of Liege and Bishop of Munster according to his humour but by a lucky stroke the good Father has turn'd Lewis beside his Politicks without which these Provinces had in a short time unavoidably faln into his Hands Ghost And who is this Lewis the Great Volcart 'T is the King of France a Prince such another almost as you have been a great Pol full of Dissimulation a mighty undertaker and generally successful its true he has not laid hold on the Pope yet as you have done but 't was not for want of good Will but Power He has had divers Quarrels with him grounded on frivolous Pretences byt however the whole has turn'd much to the advantage of Christendom Ghost Which is to say that this Pope whom thou hast made so honest a Man is no more than a Man for this stroke thou speakst of arises from a Principle of Revenge and human Affections as well as those of other Men. But before we go any farther prithee tell me some of those Remarkable Passages since my death and which I could never hear any thing of in the other World Volcart That 's my design and I had come there had you not interrupted me in comparing Lewis the Great with you I was about telling you that he has not been behind hand with you in loving the fair Sex and though he has not had Privacies with his own Sister which is an abominable Incest yet he has been guilty of an Adultery which must needs sound very Criminal He has taken away one of his Subjects Wives and enjoy'd her several years And in a word as your Sin made you retire into a Monastery where you dyed his made him undertake the destruction of the Hereticks of his Kingdom He has depriv'd them of the Exercise of their Religion and this is the Penance imposed on him by Father la Chaise his Confessor without which its probable he has inform'd him that the way to Paradice would be shut up whether he has deceiv'd him or no let others judg my Hair stands an end at the remembrance of the Violences and Cruelties used to effect this However he has had greater success than your Son who desirous of doing the like in these Provinces has thrown them into such a Revolt as has cost him the loss of the best part of them Hence has ar ose Republick which flourishes above Envy and has stood out in War I know not how many times against all the Forces of your Posterity But in fine after 't was found they could not bring her under they have made a Treaty with her by which they acknowledge her a Sovereign State Ghost In what Canton was this Republick form'd probably in the Provinces bordering on France Volcart No Sir a mistake on the contrary in Holland and the six other Neighbouring Provinces which have made a League together which has held for this hunder'd and twenty years and upwards Ghost What Head have they had to compass such an Enterprize Volcart William Prince of Orange Ghost What he that was so dear to me that I was continually leaning
another matter Volcart Very fine truly I thought the People of the other World would not have exprest themselves at so light a rate on so grave a subject I thought rather that having left behind them these amorous Vanities they would have shewed the greatest abhorrence of these Abuses But I have a strong perswasion you have not wholly lost your old rellish and that having had your time with the Queen of Hungary and the handsom Widow we lately mentioned as well as with many others you still have a hankering after the same game for an old sinner never dies to himself and tho' his strength fails him yet his will is still the same But pray tell me to what end were all those grimaces when you were in your solitude seeing you were ever such a good companion If I understand what you now said you would have one believe you to be a sincere Lutheran but if this were true how could you assist at the Prayers of the Monks in the Quire as you did did you find nothing herein that went against your Conscience But above all how do you excuse that whimsie which made you shut your self up alive in a Tomb as another Harlequin Is it not for this reason that this Comedian has a name so near yours that it is the very same with the first Letter Methinks I see you in that posture full of amorous fancies whilst the Funeral Offices were chanting for you But pray what could be your design in doing this and what was the use you intended to make of this Ghost To blind the World and make it believe the contrary to what was true Several that saw clearer than I desired for a long time suspected that I was not firmly fixt to the Catholick Religion which necessitated me to throw Dust in their Eyes by some famous action Moreover how could I do better than in testifying outwardly to approve of Prayers which I inwardly disliked yet thou maist know that I was scrupulous enough to do nothing herein and I did not cease to tell my three Directors that this was a great sin as in effect I do believe it to be still but what wouldst thou have a Man do they seeing me melancholy and doubtful were afraid they should be call'd in question about the change of my Religion and therefore they gave me no rest till I had finished the Mummery of which they had been the inventors Yet there were none but the Vulgar that were abused hereby for clear-sighted People saw through the cheat Volcart Well! As far as I can see Father Strada is a great lyar who would have this action pass as a matter of great edification if he has had no better Memoirs for the rest of his History I see there 's not much stress to be laid on what he says And to speak the truth altho' he brags much of the certain knowledge of what he writes yet I have for some time began to suspect his veracity for I could never rellish his attributing all along the advantage to the Spaniards and at the same time I see a Republick spring up and he is so far from saying how this comes to pass that he does not so much as mention one tittle of it Ghost A Jesuite Historian you must expect indeed much truth from such a one But do not thou disguise it from me but instruct me in the state of these Provinces and that of my Descendants Volcart Your Descendants are terminated in an infirm Prince that remains to us and who according to the common report cannot give us an Heir which is attributed to his Marriage with a French Princess of whom care has been taken to put her out of a condition of having Children before shew was suffered to go out of the Kingdom I have ever heard that when a Woman is brought to Bed it is an easie matter to hinder her from having any more Children but I cannot tell whether this secret may be extended as far as a Maid However for my part I am not learned in these matters Ghost So that according to what thou saist here 's the Spanish Monarchy at an end but is there not a Son of some Daughter of Spain who may keep up the glory which I acquired when I was in the World Volcart Ay ay do not put your self in pain about that matter the eldest Sister of our Prince was married about thirty Years since to Lewis the Great she has left a Dauphin and the King his Father who is not asleep when there 's any thing to be gotten has already seiz'd of one part of Flanders under pretence of this Succession Ghost But the time is not yet come and therefore he must wait with patience whether he will or no. Volcart You do not know him he is a very Devil at Processes and Law Suits the desire of having is so great in him that without murthering People he finds ways to seize on their Estates he has a thousand Monsieur Ravaux at Wages they are turning over Books Night and Day to find what he desires and when the Laws are against 'em they will make new ones rather than fail of their Business I know not where he picks up these Petty Foggers but they guild over their matters so well that they seem to have the reason on their side It was under such a sort of pretence that he entered into Flanders about twenty Years since and had our Neighbours suffered him he had made fine work of it in three Months time for he took I know not how many places The following Winter he conquered the Comté in eight Days having with his Loüis d'Or's corrupted the Governour who was an old Bigot who pretended to carry Candles to the Saints whilst he set up his before the Altar of some Wench The most Christian King caus'd him to come into France after this as into a proper place to content his fancy but having not every Day such Provinces to sell as la Comté he was forced to content himself with one Mistriss when he had not Means to purchase more God reward our good Neighbours the Dutch who began from that time to assist us without them we had suffered far more for these French Devils came to our very Walls insulting over us I would have kill'd one great he Rogue who came insolently and turn'd up his Breech at us having pursued our Guard to the Counterscarp what a fine mark this would have been his name was la Serre a Lieutenant of the Gard de Corps a Fellow insolent if ever there was any witness what he did since to Madameiselle de Guise I believe had this been and this Princess had known it she would have settled a Pension on me for life But of misfortune my Piece went not off not but that it was a good one but I had forgot to charge it so greatly was I disordered in my mind Ghost What you were very angry then Volcart I
should they meet with a favourable opportunity it 's not to be doubted but that they would act the same Part as under the Reign of Charles IX They have only forsook their Religion in appearance and though I reckon it among impossible things for a French Man ever to make a good Spaniard yet I believe this is more feasible than for them ever to become good Catholicks Ghost Well! prethee what consequence dost pretend to draw hence Volcart One that to me appears infallible to wit that it is not at all the French Interest to make War at this time he cannot but be afraid that whilst he shall be busied without there may arise within his Kingdom such a Faction as shall not be in his power to allay Ghost Still methinks thou wandrest from our Subject and hast no Logical Head Volcart Ah Master Charles the Fifth is it for you to pretend to so much Reason who have no Brains Death has dryed up all your Bones and a Dogs head and yours make one as good a Figure as the other don't you perceive that being to discourse with you on a great affair now in hand and of which I already have given you some hints by the by I pretended to prepare you to rellish my Reasons I have told you that the King of France would have made an Elector of Cologn and a Prince of Liege you know of what consequence it is to your Family to have these two Persons in her Interests The pains you were at to bring over the Cardinal de la Mark who possest this last Dignity is a proof sufficiently convincing So now he that is at present on the Imperial Throne according to your politic's has left no Stone unturn'd to put by a blow so prejudicial to the Empire He has succeeded seeing the Cardinal de Furstemburg who is the King of France's Creature has been rejected by the Chapter of Liege which has chosen the Baron d' Elderen one of its Members and Prince Joseph Clement of Bavaria is chosen Elector of Cologn I have told you that Luxembourg is taken the Moselle and the Saar are also subjected by the Forts which the King of France has raised and does still raise Treves is dismantled and the poor Elector is made a Frenchman against his will This was cause sufficient for the Empire and all others in Christendom to betake themseves to Arms. Had the Cardinal of Furstemburg gain'd his Point what security could the Empire expect from so troublesom a Neighbour How many Creatures must France have gain'd when it should be considered that one may by her means not only be rais'd to the highest Dignities but be maintain'd in them against all Right and Reason Is there any ordinary Gentleman but must turn all his desires towards her hoping she will do for him whatever she intended to do for his Eminency who some twenty years past had not wherewithal to maintain a Servant What an encouraging Prospect is this for all clear headed and ambitious Men In fine O Monarch without a Crown recall a little that vivacity of Spirit for which you have been heretofore so fam'd and you 'l excuse all my tedious Transports on this Subject Ghost What wouldst have me say The Emperor must perish rather than not maintain the Legitimacy of the Prince of Bavaria's Election Volcart But pray how shall he maintain it He has enough to do in Hungary our King has few Troops and less Money to raise others the Princes of the Empire are slow in their Resolutions There are only the Hollanders who are in a condition of resistance but do you think they will go and throw themselves into the Lyons Mouth Their single Forces are not sufficient to withstand those of France and they can do nothing without help Ghost The Emperor should temporise and in the mean time make Peace in Hungary to the end that all these Forces being re-united may bring the Enemy to reason Volcart But all this time the Cardinal of Furstemberg who never wants French Money fails not to fortifie his places you know moreover that Possession is a Title according to Law The thunderings of the Vatican signify nothing now adays unless they be backt by an Army Ghost It 's true and therefore a Pope who knows how to manage his Authority knows what time they are efficacious in for in France People are the least bigotted in any of the Roman Countries This Nation acknowledges indeed the Pope to be the visible Head of the Church yet only as a matter of Policy she is too subtle to make this a matter of Faith she knows only that this has been judg'd most expedient to preserve Unity amongst the Members but as soon as ever a Pope requires too great a belief she presently refers him to her Parliament where these four-corner'd Cap People maintain it according to their fancy and how many Bulls have been burnt by the Hands of the common Hangman Volcart As far as I can see it 's not only in these times that this Assembly is Heretical I thought only Monsieur Talon Advocate General had been the scabby Sheep that infected the rest for he made such a Pleading some Months since as smelt dangerously of the Faggot he treated our Holy Father as if he had been but a meer Don Quixot so that having said of him all that is proper to say of one fall'n into madness he made him moreover pass for a favourer of Hereticks In fine I believe it was not long of him that he was not deposed but knowing this could not be done in one day I have heard say he is greatly troubled that Voisin and her Disciples were put to Death as knowing that one touch with their Hands would have been capable of obtaining Remission of their Sins at least as to the Temporal pains of them Ghost Who is then this Voisin thou speakest of It seems by thy talk as if I should know her Volcart A very worthy vertuous and generous Person if ever there was one in the World bequeathing Successions to those who needed them and procuring an entrance into Paradise for others who were not in hast to go thither but as Vertue is not always recompenc'd she was charg'd with doing all this by means of a certain Powder so that having been thrown into Prison she had the same chance as the Bulls I now spake of met with Ghost Which is to say in one word that she very fairly poyson'd People Volcart You are in the right Ghost And thou wouldst hereby insinuate that they would have poyson'd the Pope Volcart I do not wholly affirm that but that which I would say is That the Court would not be much troubled at his taking a Voyage into the other World is this such a criminal desire and can one wish him any thing more advantagious You say not a word is it that you who have been Emperor make such a great reckoning of this quality that you prefer it
did not know whereabouts I was What a Rogue come and let down his Breeches and shew his Arse to civil People For an Officer to do this this was such an unseemly sight the Villain makes my Blood rise But he is it seems a Fellow that has not only two Faces but two Wives who are both yet alive or at least were so a little while since The King knows this and Madamoiselle de Guise did not forget to acquaint him with it but being as he is Lewis the Great and not Lewis the Just the Villain may Marry two others if he will without any danger from the Law Ghost However this is a matter of consequence in a State and a Prince ought not to suffer it Volcart Why don't you say This is not Christian like without enclosing the Crime within the bounds of Policy should a Man of the other World express himself at this rate I that am still in this would not speak thus but you make good that old threadbare saying Quo semel est imbuta c. But pray how long have you been below and how long is it since you came forth I believe you have been better here than where you are at present seeing that after so long an Apprenticeship your talk is still of one place and not a word of the other this is not a Note that the Lutheran Religion is so good but rather a mark that we must remain here as long as we can Ghost Thou maist be mistaken in thy conjectures However believe what thou wilt it s not permitted me to undeceive thee the dead speak not so freely as the living they are enjoyned silence Volcart If it be so I would advise all our Brussels Ladies to have always to do with the dead and as little commerce as may be with the living by which means their Adventures would not become so publick I saw a List the other Day of near two hundred of very high Dames who were all in by Name and Surname and how many Gallants they had apiece and it must be granted they are not ill provided if the List be true Those that pass among us for the most modest have only one Gallant at a time but they change when they think fitting you for your part grave and great Sir needed only one of these to heat you when you lay freezing before Metz. Ghost But now thou talk'st of Metz have not my Descendants or Nephews found out a way to revenge the affront I receiv'd there by the perfidiousness of Henry II. who so basely seiz'd on it could they find in their Hearts to leave so considerable a place in my Enemies Hands with the two others which they surpriz'd at the same time This concerned Maximilian my Brother and his Children prethee let me know what they have done in this matter that I may comfort my self by the knowledge of the good condition the House of Austria lies in on that side and how 't is with her in Spain and these Provinces Volcart I can tell you nothing on this Head that will much content you not but that Maximilian and his Son have follow'd your Maxims they have endeavour'd as much as they could under pretence of Religion to make themselves formidable in the Empire tho' if one may believe several good Historians they were no less affected than you to the Lutheran Doctrines But in sine their designs being too well known to succeed by this means there arose so many Factions against them that they left the King of France at rest to apply themselves to that which was most urgent Since that we have seen one of their Successors nearer the happy terminating his Enterprises if France who with good reason mistrusted his Ambition had not excited the King of Swedeland to oppose him He was a Prodigy for Valour Conduct and good Fortune and did as much in two Years as another would have thought himself happy to have perform'd in a long Life and had he not ended his Days in so fair a beginning by a mortal stroak at the Battle of Lutzen he had placed himself on the Imperial Throne and driven out the Descendants of Maximilian There are who have attributed this to the French supposing they had conceiv'd a jealousie at his Power but withall this those that really knew how matters passed are agreed That his misfortune came in that there arose a thick Mist in the beginning of the Battel which hindred him from seeing a Squadron that advanced and which gave him the mortal Blow we mention'd Some of his Party perceiv'd his Death before the end of the Combat having seen his Horse whose Saddle was all covered with Blood go from Squadron to Squadron as if he had been to seek his Master but having had the discretion to keep within themselves the grief they felt they lost not their Courage so that they carried away the Victory which this great Prince had given a beginning to This Death brought some comfort to your Descendants thinking that after the loss of this Prince none of his followers could fill his place but the Duke of Weimar having had the boldness to present himself to Command the Army fortune assisted him to such a degree that he appeared not unworthy this Employ He conquer'd the strong place of Brisac and dying some time after France who had gotten her Foot into the Patrimony of your House could not be obliged to retire but on the contrary maintain'd her Ground by a Treaty to which ours were obliged to condescend having other Affairs to attend Since this so far have they been from finding an opportunity of recovering their own that they have added loss to loss France is now in possession of all the Banks of the Rhine from Basil to Cologne excepting Philipsbourg yet does she bridle this place by means of a Fortress which she has rais'd between Landaw and Germesseim Ghost And does all the Country on this side belong to he Volcart No but she has possest her self of it by one means or other Ravaux has told her that this belongs to France she has believ'd him on his bare word and has not put her self on the trouble of discussing the matter all that was comprehended in so vast a Country has been cited to promise Fealty and do Homage All have been cited to appear of what Quality soever Princes as well as others before the Royal Chamber establisht at Metz Ravaux was both Judge and Party so that they have been forc'd to submit those that would not have been driven from their Estates preferring a miserable life but glorious to a repose which could not be very calm seeing it must have overwhelm'd them with confusion Ghost It is to be supposed my Descendants have given them a place of Retreat and commended a Constancy which must raise Emulation in those who have not had the Courage to follow their Example Volcart Not at all I have seen Princes among them oblig'd to
servants not knowing however he belong'd to him but who came to him to change Lewis d'Or's that there was hardly any other Money to be seen now that the Marquess de Grana receiv'd so many of 'em for his Treasons France morever made him a present of a Sword garnisht with Diamonds when the Imperial Army lay encampt at Mouzon in the Year 1676. and tho' it was brought him as from the present Prince of Condé as an acknowledgment according to what he said that he had sent Horses to this Prince it being known he had been well paid for them so there were none but Fools that believ'd it and in effect the Liberality of this Family never extended it self to the making of a Present of this nature seeing she has enough to do to pay her Debts In the mean time the Emperor having been the only Person who did not perceive his infidelity sent him a second time into Spain in Quality of Embassador extraordinary Here it was that continuing admirably well to play his Game he decried in such a manner the Prince of Parma who was sent Governour-General of the Low Countries that he put into all the Ministers Heads that these Provinces were lost without redemption if he were not recall'd There were several Councils held hereupon and this Hypocrite having had the time whilst all this past to have Letters of Recommendation sent out of Germany for him he had orders to go and drive away this Prince and to take his place Scarce was this order dispatcht when fearing it would be revoked he took leave incognito of his Catholick Majesty and parted the same Night If we may believe the common report he did wisely in being in such haste seeing the Council of Spain had no sooner done the thing but repented of it But he being now in the Road the business stuck at home his Ministry being to be judg'd of by its Success France was soon advertis'd of his Catholick Majesties choice and being on the point of attacking Luxembourg she was very willing to make tryal whether his Preferment had not chang'd his Heart She sent to meet him on the way but he would not stay to explain himself there but told the Currier who presented him a Packet that he should make some stay in England under pretence of refreshing himself for he was taking the Sea to finish his Voyage and that there some Person should be appointed in whom he might put confidence There was no failer of Money that being already again sent him So that France being sure of him persisted in her Enterprize Ghost Thou knowest a great deal for a Man of thy Quality Volcart Hear the rest The first thing he did when he was arriv'd was to draw out Troops from Luxembourg under pretence of Garrisoning better Mons and Namur although these two Places were in no danger by reason these were the Bar the King had granted to the Hollanders by the Peace of Nimiguen and he knew as well as any other that the King of France could not Attack them without making them take up their Arms. But pretending to be ignorant Luxembourg was immediately invested whilst the most Christian King set himself at the head of an Army to hinder its being succour'd but no Body stirr'd The Emperor was not in a condition to do it having the Turks on his Shoulders the Hollanders on their side were divided amongst themselves by the French Embassadors Intrigues and the great Man I now mention'd And now you have an account how the Place was lost Ghost What a Traitor was this And did neither the Emperor or King of Spain shew any resentment at this Volcart I know nothing of that all that I know is that the Governour took Post some days after for Spain being furnisht with good Certificates against him wherein all the Officers of his Garrison testified that if the Marquiss de Grana had pleas'd the Place would not have been lost But there were Robbers Posted in the Road who took away both his Papers and Money This Robbery was committed near Orleans through which he past having obtain'd a Passport from the Most Christian King on which it is good to make Reflection that nothing can better convince us of the Intelligence above mention'd than this pretended Theft which was committed in a Kingdom wherein that care is taken that for this Twenty five or Thirty years the like has never been known But for a farther Mark that these were not Robbers the Money was restor'd to him at Lyons his Papers being the only things retain'd Ghost These are very strange things thou tellest me of However I must needs say to thee that Europe must be buried in a more than Cimmerian darkness not to awake at the noise of so many horrid Enterprizes But go on I pray thee Volcart Had you been here in the time when this hapned you would have quickly got you back again to the other World for you would have thought you had been in a Hell such a general devastation and burning was here in all these Provinces Ghost And who was the Cause of all this Volcart The Most Christian King Ghost Why what was the matter Volcart Because such was his good Will and Pleasure and he had a mind to confound all Flanders Ghost If this be so why dost call him the Most Christian King how can this Name agree with him after such Outrages which are only for Barbarians and the common Enemy of Christendom But perhaps thou concealest from me that 't was through default of Payment of Contributions in which Case it s a common use introduced in War to proceed to this extremity Volcart No I conceal nothing from you but shall tell you on the contrary that the Contributions were not only paid but that the Country having been threatned with burnings after this it taxed it self in a vast Sum to redeem it self from this violence But the Payment was no sooner made but that with the Sword in one hand and the Faggot in another the French shew'd us such a French Trick as consumed all before them Ghost But what kind of People are these French then now a days It seems to me they were heretofore human Creatures Volcart They would be so still had they less success but this renders these People intollerably insolent to all Nations for they pretend now to be Masters every where yet the King of France has reduced them to such misery that it is a great thing if the Commonalty have Bread to eat The Man of Quality is his Slave through the necessity he is in of making his Court to him he must spend all he is worth in attending him sometimes to the Wars other whiles in Journys where he must be always at some new expence Versailles moreover is a Place which is no less chargeable to him he must keep House there and also at Paris which so wastes him that he has not for the most part a Sous in