1706. The duke of Marlborough having now fettled feveral important affairs with the States, particularly the continuing the The duke Heffian troops in Italy, according to the duke of Savoy's deof Marl- fire, he embarked for England, and arrived at London the borough 18th of November, O. S. As returns to England peace. It would have been, in the language of the faction, a plain cafe, we were fold to France, and nothing less than his head could have atoned for it. But, instead of prov ing the abfurdity of accepting fuch a peace, I fhall fhew you rather, what to every body is not fo plain; and that is, that the French were not fincere: They meant nothing by their offer, but to amufe the allies, and knew they could not all agree to accept either part of the alternative; and that England and Holland without the emperor, could not take Spain and the Indies, were they neC ver fo much inclined to it. For, had the allies hearkened to this propofal, it had been in the power of the French to have clofed with which they would. Now it is eafy to fee, what this must have ended in. For in fuch partition there is no doubt, but, as the Dutch and we fhould have been for Spain and the Indies, the emperor would have made the other part his choice, which is evidently left for him. Which part now of the allies, in this divifion would France be moft willing to comply with? Or, in other words, which part of the monarchy ⚫ would they choose of the two to quit? A man must be blind not to fee, that the part the emperor would like beft to have, the fame France would like beft to part with. Behold then the neceffary confequence of hearkening to fuch terms: The confederacy broken, and the maritime powers left to fhift for themfelves, without being able to obtain either of the parts, when they ought to be content, according to the terms of the grand alliance, with nothing less than both. Who now, I would fain know, have most reafon to complain, that these offers were rejected, the people of London or Vienna? They, who might have had the part they had moft mind to, if they would have abandoned their allies? or we, who, it is certain, befides the infamy of fo bafe an action, could have had nothing? Had the writers, who are fo able at making fomething out of nothing, had their lot in Auftrian ground, what a 'field had there been for them? what rare matter to shew their fkill in? what fpecious pretences, without the help of fecret hiftory, to give out, that the emperor was ill-advised? What! reject so advantageous an offer, by which fo great an addition of real ftrength would have been made to the house of Auftria; and that, at a time, when they were fo unable to carry on the war, when the people have been exhaufted with continual wars for ⚫ more 6 As the duke had by the emperor been invefted with the 1706. principality of Mildenheim, for delivering the empire from 6 In more than thirty years! 'Would not this be the lan'guage of the faction, if the ⚫ scene were changed from London to Vienna? And yet we do not hear, that either the emperor, or his people, have hitherto thought it any crime in the minifters, who would not hearken to thofe terms. ftead of that, all the world think it much for their honour, that they have appeared true to themselves, and faithful to their allies, in rejecting fo pitiful and infecure a peace. And ₫ is not this a reproach to us, who fuffer ourselves to be deluded by fuch vile impaftors, who would perfuade us out of our fenfes, that half the Spanish monarchy is as good as the whole, and that nothing is as good as half. For I have 'fhewn, that one half only was ⚫ offered, and that even that ⚫ could not be had. It must, fure, to all thinking men be very furprifing, that we only, of all the allies, fhould com⚫ plain, that this ridiculous offer of the French was rejected, ⚫ when we, of all of them, have ⚫ most reason to be pleased with it.I muft beg leave to obferve one thing further, which is of too much moment to be pafs'd over; and that is, that they, who have done their country fo much service in rejecting this offer from the · French, would have done it ftill much greater, could they have prevented any regard being given to it. For, though the refufing thefe terms could the do no harm, the hearkening' ་ 1706. the arms of France; fo he was now no lefs diftinguished at home by the queen and parliament. For, foon after his re the noble firmnefs they have fhewn in adhering to it, till ' terms may be had to the latiffaction of all parties, is by thefe ill defigning politicians, who can take every thing by a wrong handle, imputed to 6 carriage of that glorious en-rate intereft. Though now terprize. Nothing made the imperial court fo obftinately bent on that unhappy expe⚫dition, but the fears they had that Naples, as well as Milan, would at the Hague be given up to facilitate a peace, which they were relolved to prevent, by getting pollellion as foon as they could. This is all we have got by hearkening to thofe offers, which it is now thought a great crime we did not clafe with; the lofs of the battle of Almanza, and the miscarriage of the project on Toulon, the greatest, most important, best concerted enterprize, that was ever entered < on. And both these misfor tunes had, in all probability, been prevented, had the offers of the French been roundly rejected at the firft, and no occafion of jealousy had, by liftening to them, been given the ⚫ imperial court. After faying fo much of that part of the offer the French made, them for a crime. That this is the whole truth of this matter; that these, and no other, were the offers the French made after the Ramillies campaign; I will give you, betides thefe already hinted, one plain authentic proof, which is as good as a thousand demonstrations; and that is a letter of the French king to the pope on this fubject, writ in the following fpring, when all thoughts of peace were at an end, and a new campaign was entering upon, This letter was dated at Verfailles, February 15, 1707, and was as follows: The care, which your holi• nefs continues to take for procuring the peace of Europe is always equally agreeall: to 2 us. turn, he received the thanks of both houses for his eminent. 1706. fervices, and the lords addrefled the queen to fettle his ho us. We have nothing more. at heart than to fecond your. ⚫ endeavours; and we would. even prevent you in any thing we could do to make then ef. fectual. As it was not our. fault, that the war was begun, fo we hall feek occafons to end it, by the molt ready and. • eafy methods. Your holiness has been informed, that we. have already made frequent • advances to come to fo whole-, fome an end. It can be attributed only to the fortune. of the times, that catholic. nours fano. But God, who is the maiter of events, changed the poiture of our affairs. Yet, tho' we were employed with the cares of repairing our loffes, we had ftit in our minds. the idea we had conceived of peace, at the time even of ourgreatet profperity. We renewed to Holland the offer of a barrier for their fate, and of. the fecurity demanded for their. trade; reserving it till to ourfelves to treat with the emperor about a compenfation. Propofitions foreafonable were again rejected by the intrigues of that party, which had fhew⚫ed itfelf averfe to the advance princes, fruck with fear of Jefus Chrift. When we left it to the arbitration of your holinels to fatisfy the rights and demands of the emperor, by a valuable compenfation upon fome parts of the Spanish monarchy; the miniftry of your holinefs were charged with the care of making the propofal of it to that prince But with what haughtinefs did he reject it! Having faid things exorbitant, and infolently demanded, that our grandfon fhould be recalled. Who could have thought, moft holy father, that he would have made fo arrogant a return to an infulted king, to a minifter of your holinefs and to our love of peace? For the conjuncture, far from being favourable to the houfe of Auftria, icemed then to threaten it by the fu periority of our forces, and by our gaining the battle of Caf then we employed all our thoughts to increase our preparations for a war, which had been violently and unjustly declared against us Neverthelefs, as it becomes us to be obedient to the pious exhortations of your holiness; and, to the end that our enemies may have no pretence to impute to us the lofs of fo much chriftian blood, as is already (pilt, and now going to be let out, we will give your holiness a plain and frank account of the disposition we are in for peace. We will therefore acquaint your holiness, that the king, our giandion, has • intrufted us with full power to convey the archduke a part of thofe eftates, that compofe the Spanish monarchy. The catholic king has the hearts of the true Spaniards, and is content to reign over them. It only depends therefore on the ⚫empe. 1706. ; gours on his pofterity. This was readily complied with and an act paffed to limit his titles and honours to his eldest daughter, We fhould easily agree a⚫bout a barrier for the republic • of the United Provinces. And the two pretences of the war being thus removed, it would not be difficult to put an end to thefe misfortunes, which Europe has been fo long oppreffed with. We pray God, that he will preferve your holiness a great many years in the government of his church.' Your devoted fon, The author of the military history of the late prince Eugene had been reduced the laft campaign, fhould be delivered up: To which the States returned general anfwers, and continued to exercife their jurifdiction as formerly. Count Zinzen⚫dorf was pitched on therefore by his imperial majefty, to go firft to the camp, and then to the Hague, in order to regulate all things with the allies. The duke of Marlborough enter of Savoy, and the late Johntained this minifter very agree duke of Marlborough, vol. II. P. 18. tells us, That it is not certain, what were the true ⚫ reasons, why the confederates did not liften at this time to the propofals of peace, fince there are just reasons to believe that his moft chriftian majefty ⚫ would have confented to any thing that could have been ⚫ demanded, lefs than an intire • renunciation of Spain. Nay, ⚫ it is to be wondered, that the ⚫ alliance itself was not broke at ably; they converfed together on the fubject of the overtures made for peace, and canvaffed the feveral neutral powers of Europe, in order to find out the proper mediation, under the aufpice of which a negotiation might be commenced. The pope was by no means grateful to the proteftant powers, nor a grain more in the good graces of his imperial majefty. The Venetians expreffed no great inclination to concern theinfelves in fuch a bufinefs; and it was thought the emperor would not accept the mediation of the Swifs " Cantons. |