Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A90805
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The politicks of the French King, Lewis the XIV. discovered with respect to Rome. Emperour, and princes of the Empire. Spain. England. United Provinces. Northern princes. Suisse cantons: and of Savoy. With a short account of his religion. Translated from the French. Licensed according to order.; Aprit de la France et les maximes de Louis XIV découvertes ̀l'Europe. English.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing P2770A; ESTC R229739
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67,320
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98
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hand he helps them with the other he knows how to bring the Turk into Hungary when he supposeth them fit for his Designs and Interests against the Empire when he thinks they may be serviceable to him as assistants in advancing him to the Throne of Europe to which our Great King hath confined his Ambition But it often happens that Man purposes but God disposes France would have you believe her true-hearted and real that the Holy See and every body besides should of her Ambition make an Article of their Creed Let her do and say what she pleases I do not for all that believe that if so be Faith and Truth were lost that any one would go look to find it in France All her by-past Actions do but too much bespeak her not to be any longer honest and that Faith cannot agree with the King's Humour so that a Prince failing in that the Holy Father ought to beware of him he is a close Enemy counterfeiting the Devoto a whited Sepulchre that dazles the Eyes of those who approach him He is an Orpheus who charms Christendom by his kind promises and noise of his Louises dor but within he is a very sink of Falshood insatiable Ambition of unparallel'd Covetousness and of barbarous Cruelty from whose Cruelty and out of whose Hands the Church should put it into their Litany Good Lord deliver us for fear they Christians fall into the same miseries that the Jews did in the time of Antiochus the Illustrious The Policy of France in relation to the Emperour and Princes Electors of the Empire CHarles V. did manifestly weaken the House of Austria by dividing it into two branches bestowing the Empire on Ferdinand his Brother and Spain to Philip his Son I must needs confess that these are two Twins so nearly related to each other by Blood by Alliances and common Interests that one will have much ado to touch the one without offending the other or destroy the one without debilitating and reducing the other to the utmost extremity This House hath evermore held up her Head against France she alwayes counterpoized with France the Empire of the World Spain took from Antony of Bourbon King of Navar the Kingdom he had acquired by his Marriage with Jane De Albret Heiress of Navar so that 't is easie to suppose that at present the House of Bourbon being exalted to the Throne of France since Henry IV. time may be from its Cradle Enemy to the House of Austria and if she could de-Throne both of them no question she would with all her heart get into their place if she could and thereby joyn the Empire to France France to Spain and the Low Countreys and then by and by very easily ascend to the Universal Monarchy of all Europe If this project don't succeed 't is at leastwise the intent and purpose of the French Politick Spirit and what Lewis XIV drives at who was not far from effecting it when Vienna look't upon her self near destruction and an hundred to one but had fallen into the Ottoman Chains Scarce any one is ignorant of the Correspondence the King of France holds with the Ottoman Port that it was upon his intreaty that the Grand Seigniour first violated the Truce concluded with the Emperour that he might second and abet Count Tekely's Designs whom France assisted with Money and Counsel The Emperour and his Council knows better than any body the occasion that moved the Port to send back Count Caprara together with the Propositions of Peace he brought along with him The Marquiss D'Seppeville Embassador of France failed not with all expedition to send one Courier after another to his Master to give him notice thereof who failed not forthwith to dispatch a Person to the Grand Visier to oblige him to persist in his Siege of Vienna he laying before him that his Honour was ingaged that the City was at the last gasp that it stood him upon to take it at what rate soever for his own Reputations sake and good of the Port that this Siege having made such a noise in the World he could not quit it but with Eternal Infamy to the Ottaman Empire and Grand Visier and for the better facilitating the taking of it and to divide the Armies of the Empire he was about to enter into Flanders with a powerful Army which would undoubtedly force the Empire to recal his Forces to defend themselves and the King did effectually make good his promise for he entered of late years as we see into Flanders burning pillaging and taking all before him after the Turkish manner imitating therein his Allie whom he was so forward to serve and second and the King divesting himself of the Title of Most Christian took upon him that of his Friend and Allie the Grand Sultan for places that ought to be most sacred to Christians and the retirements of the Nuns fared no better Several Virgins suffered Martyrdom by a Violation never before heard of in Christendom But all this did much contribute to the King's Design and the French Policy obtained its wish there was Forty Thousand Men just ready in Alsatia to pour into Germany to make himself be declared Emperour at the Head of this Army His Manifestoes were already in print ready to be spread abroad that to prevent Christianity from falling into Slavery he was forced to withstand it by a powerful Army and by declaring himself Emperour to hold the Reins of the Empire to defend it as serving as a boundary to France and to Europe it self considering the incapacity of the Emperour c. for the King knew what he said when he tells us the Emperour was not fit to Reign Without all question had Vienna been taken the Princes and Electors would have had recourse to him and been of his side for their own preservation being the only Prince who had Forces ready and who at that juncture was capable to retard the progress of the Infidels But Vienna being relieved we saw then the truth of what I have alledged that their Spirit came down and they became crest-fallen they cared not to joyn in the common joy of all the Universe which could not sufficiently praise God for this Signal Victory by their Bone-fires and Te Deums wherewith the Air echoed again None but France stood mute and who forbid divers Church-men to give thanks for the same upon pain of incurring the high displeasure of the most Christian King. Here you may perceive what Spirit France is of in relation to the Emperour who that it might have an opportunity to keep him under and throw him down from his Throne and so take his place The King of France heartily wishes that Vienna might sall into the hands of the Mahometans But as our Thoughts are not as Gods Thoughts so this King of Kings has disposed of things otherwise who by vouchsafing such grand Victories to the Christian Forces France must be fain to change their Batteries and
to an Universal Monarchy he would advise his King to beg of God to prolong the World as much as he can This Malady ceasing in Spain hath passed into France but France being wiser doth not grasp so much and her King's Ambition is only confined to Europe a wish worthy of such a great Prince and who if we consider him aright could scarce demand less his Neighbours ought narrowly to watch his water for certain it is France cannot aggrandize her self without encroaching upon her nearest Neighbours as she doth really every day already When the House of Austria made broad signs of her design upon the Universe all the Princes of Christendom rose up against her and entered into an Association to prevent her Charles V. after the Battel of Pavia where Francis was taken Prisoner thought himself above all but he found business enough The Pope King of England the Venetians the Grand Duke of Tuscany the Swisse made a League against him to hinder this Emperour from bringing France and consequently the rest of Italy under his subjection It was not for any kindness the Pope and King of England bore King Francis that they combin'd together to relieve him but because Charles V. became so great that he would by his good Will have made himself Master of the World. Now at present forasmuch as this Itch is past into France All Princes of Europe for some time have run counter to whatsoever their Ancestors did in the Reign of Charles V and Philip II. and instead of opposing they have abetted and concurr'd with the designs of France some out of base compliance others out of fear There are none but the Princes of Nassau alone who have alwayes been fatal to whosoever had a mind to aspire to this sublime Monarchy of the Universe Do not Men admire with me the wretched Policy of several Princes and States in the World who look on with their Armes a cross and behold the French King to advance so fast and take Luxemburg a City of such grand Importance to Europe only the Prince of Orange presented himself upon the breach with the Low Countreys but who not being in a capacity to do any thing by himself was forced to retreat The French King would never have taken it had England and the States withstood it he hath no cause to brag of it it is a truth all the World knows but too well he was so cunning to get the King of Great Britain on his side that he consented to take what was not his own and to baffle the rest by illusory promises of an Universal Peace after the taking in of Luxemburg which they suffered him to do and this gross valiant Captain of a Trencher-man the Marquess of Grana Governour of the Low Countreys who was not promoted to this place but upon his demonstrating the means of being able to preserve this most Important place to the Court of Spain a place I say so necessary to Spain for the preservation of the Low Countreys by the assistance of Germany and albeit he should have minded nothing else but the preservation of that same City his own Honour as well as Duty to and interest of his King his Master being all engaged therein Instead of doing which this Fat-gut put into it only a pitiful Garrison of Twelve or Fifteen Hundred Men instead of Four Thousand and was wholly taken up in fortifying the City of Namur with his Regiments and some other places which were Cities on the boundaries which France would not have dared so much as to touch Would you not swear such a Fellow conspir'd to aggrandize France and concurr'd with the Designs of Lewis XIV When the King in 1667 would have undertaken the Conquest of the Spanish Netherlands England Swedeland and the Vnited Provinces associated together by the Triple League forced him soon to quit his hold they obliged him to re-procure and make a Peace with Spain and to restore to it some part of what he had usurped and taken away It would have been just so if the Neighbouring Princes had done the same at such time as he attacked Luxemburg Resist the Devil and he will fly from you But France cunning and subtle had sufficiently tryed how prejudicial this League was to her she could never be at rest till she had pluckt this Thorn out of her Foot and so soon as ever the term was expired she could not be satisfied till she had found out a way to hoodwink England and so got her disingaged from the Tripple-knot The Dutchess of Portsmouth like another Dalilah came over out of France into England to lull asleep the Sampson of this Kingdom France found out the way to act and speak so fair that she hook't in Dunkirk by Promises and Money at the beginning of the Reign of Charles II King of Great Britain A Town of so great Consequence to England in as much as it affords a good entrance into Picardy and Flanders 'T is no new thing for France to be troubled with this itching mind to sieze on the places of her Neighbours and to enlarge her Dominion from one end of Europe to the other The Duke of Rohan told us heretofore that Princes commanded People but that Self-Interest commanded Princes Without question he would have added something else had he lived in this Age and especially Lewis the XIV We may see Examples of it day by day and to secure his Ambition all times and seasons are good for him in Peace in War in Cessation of Arms. Interest is the evil Angel hath so long reigned through France we are taught out of History how Godfrey of Bulloign having a mind to take a Journey for the Conquest of the Holy Land and coming short of Money to put himself in a capacity to do it sold many of his Cities and Lands amongst others the City of Metz with the Country adjoyning which its own Citizens and Inhabitants purchased of him for the Sum of an Hundred Thousand Crowns They enjoyed this their purchase till the Year of our Lord 1551 in which Charles V. did so evilly intreat the Protestants of Germany Henry II. King of France under a pretence seemed forward to send Relief to the said Protestants of Germany In effect he dispatched the Constable of Monmorency with Four Thousand Men in all probability for this Expedition but it was quite and clean for another design as the sequel will make appear He demanded passage of the City of Metz who were for the most part of the same Religion with those who were molested in Germany between whom and the Emperour there was no good understanding They granted to the King with abundance of joy whatsoever he required of them in reference to his Troops passage and in testimony of their good will they caused Tables to be set up in the Streets to make the Soldiers eat and drink on their passage with huge demonstration of Friendship and Rejoycing But alas Their Laughter was