all this practice, the fire was rather covered at present than extinguished. (a) (a) Colonel Cavallier, their principal leader, in his memoirs of the wars of the Cevennes, B. IV. tells us, that the whole country was now reduced to a defart, an hundred boroughs and villages plundered and burnt, the prifons full of proteftants, and the fuccours, which had been promised two years before from England, not come, when marshal de Villars arrived in the province with fresh troops. The first thing he did after his arrival, was to give notice to Cavallier, that if he would come to any agreement, and lay down his arms, the marshal had orders from the king to grant all his juft demands; but, if Cavallier should refuse, the proteftants should expect no favour. At laft, after a conference between the marshal and Cavallier, the latter in conjunction with his friends drew up articles in behalf of the proteftants of the Cevennes, which were figned by the marshal and monfieur de Bofville, intendant of Languedoc, in the king's name, on the one part, and by Cavallier and his lieutenant Billiard, on the other; and were as follow: The humble request of the proteftants, in the province of Languedoc, to his majesty. I. That his majefty be pleased to grant us liberty of confcience in all the province, and to hold religious affemblies in fuch country places, as they shall think convenient, and not in cities or walled towns. Granted, provided they do not build churches. i. The II. That all fuch as are detained in the gallies only on account of religion, fince the revocation of the edict of Nantes, be fet at liberty in fix weeks after the date hereof. Granted. III., That all who have left the kingdom on account of religion, fhall have free liberty to return, and be reftored to their eftates and privileges. Granted, on condition they take the oath of allegiance to the king. IV. That the parliament of Languedoc fhall be established on its ancient foot, and restored to its privileges. The king will advise. V. That no capitation-tax fhall be paid by the province, during the space of ten years. Refufed. VI. That we shall have the, cities of Montpelier, Cette, Pernignan, and Aiguemortes, as cautionary towns. Refused. VII. That the inhabitants of the Cevennes, whofe houses have been burnt in the wars, fhall pay no impofts for the term of seven years. Granted. VIII. That out of a body of two thousand of those who were actually with monfieur Cavallier, and fuch as fhall be delivered out of the feveral prisons, he shall raise a regiment of dragoons to ferve in Portugal: and that he fhall receive his orders immediatly from the king. Granted, provided the remainder lay down their arms, that 1704. 1704. The The disorders in Hungary had a deeper root and a greater ftrength. It was hoped, that the ruin of the elector of Affairs of Bavaria would have quite difheartned the malecontents, Hungary, and have difpofed them to accept of reasonable terms, if the emperor could have been prevailed upon to offer them frankly, and immediately upon their firft confternation, after the conqueft of Bavaria. There were great errors in the government of that kingdom. By a long courfe of oppreffion and injuftice the Hungarians were grown favage and intractable; they faw they were both hated and despised by the Germans. The court of Vienna feemed to confider them as fo many enemies, who were to be depreffed in order to their being extirpated; upon any pretence of plots, their perfons were feized on, and their eftates confifcated. The Jefuits were believed to have a great share in all these contivances and profecutions; and it was faid, that they purchased the confifcated eftates upon very eafy terms. nobility of Hungary feemed irreconcileable to the court of Vienna. On the other hand, those of that court, who had thofe confifcations affigned them, and knew, that the reftoring these would certainly be infifted on as a neceffary article, in any treaty that might follow, did all they could to obftruct fuch a treaty. It was vifible, that Ragotfki, who was at their head, aimed at the principality of Tranfylvania; and it was natural for the Hungarians to look on his arriving at that dignity, by which he could affift and protect them, as the beft fecurity they could have. On the other hand, the court of Vienna, being poffeffed of that principality, would not eafily part with it. In the midft of all this ferment, a revolution happened in the Turkish Empire. A new Sultan was fet up, fo that all things were now at a ftand, till it might be known what was to be expected from him. They were foon delivered from this anxiety, for he fent a Chiaus to the court of Vienna, to affure them, that he would give that the king will permit them By virtue of a full power we no The Marfhad de Villars. But whether thefe articles were ever laid before the king, or only before his minifters, colonel Cavallier was not able to determine; but it is certain, they were very little obferved in favour of the proteftants. no affiftance to the malecontents. That court, being freed 1704. So likewife was its neighbouring kingdom of Poland. It The afwas hoped, that the talk of a new election was only a loud fairs of threatning, to force a peace fooner; but it proved other- Poland. wife. A dyet was brought together of thofe, who were irreconcilable to king Auguftus; and, after many delays, Stanislaus Leezinkfki, Palatine of Pofnania, was chofen and proclaimed their king, and he was immediately owned by the king of Sweden. The cardinal primate feemed at firit July 12. unwilling to agree to this; but he fuffered himself to be forced into it; and this was believed to be an artifice of his to excufe himself to the court of Fance, whofe penfioner. 1:704. Third he was, and to whom he had engaged to carry the election for the prince of Conti. The war was carried on this year with various fuccefs on both fides. King Auguftus made a quick march to Warsaw, where he surprised fome of Staniflaus's party, the latter efcaping narrowly himself. But the king of Sweden followed fo clofely, that not being able to fight him, king Auguftus was obliged to retreat into Saxony, where he continued for fome months. There he ruined his own dominions, by the great preparations he made to return with a mighty force; but his delays induced many to forfake his party; for it was given out, that he would return no more, and that he was weary of the war, which he had good reason to be. Poland, in the mean while, was in a moft miferable condition. The king of Sweden subfifted his army in it, and his temper grew daily more fierce and Gothic. He was refolved to make no peace, till Auguftus was driven out; but, in the mean time, his own country fuffered greatly. Livonia was destroyed by the Mufcovites, who had taken Narva, and made fome progress in Sweden. The pope espoused the interefts of king Auguftus, for to fupport a new convert of fuch importance was thought a point worthy the zeal of that See. He therefore cited the cardinal primate to appear at Rome, and to give an account of the fhare he had in all that war. The pope was now wholly in the French intereft, and maintained the character, which they pretend to, of a common father, with fo much partiality, that the emperor himself, how tame and fubmiffive foever to all the impofitions of that See, yet could not but make loud complaints of it. The pope had threatned, that he would thunder out excommunications against all thofe troops, which fhould continue in his dominions. The emperor was fo implicit in his faith, and fo ready in his obedience, that he ordered his troops to retire out of the ecclefiaftical state; but all the effect this had, was to leave that ftate entirely in the hands of the French, against whom the pope did not think fit to fulminate, tho' he pretended ftill, that he would maintain a neutrality; and both the Venetians and the Great Duke adhered to him in that refolution, and continued neutral during the war. After this view of the state of affairs abroad, it is time to Seffion of return to England, where, on the 29th of October, the the Parlia- parliament met at Westminster, according to the laft prorogation; and the queen, being come to the house of peers, made the following fpeech to both houses: ment meets, O&. 29. My ' My Lords and Gentlemen, HE great and remarkable fuccefs, with which God THE 1704. has bleffed our arms in this fummer, has ftirred up Pr. H. C. "our good fubjects in all parts of the kingdom, to exprefs III. 392. "their unanimous joy and fatisfaction; and I affure myself, "you are all come difpofed to do every thing, that is ne"ceffary for the effectual profecution of the war, nothing "being more obvious, than that a timely improvement of "our present advantages will enable us to procure a lasting "foundation of fecurity for England, and a firm support "for the liberty of Europe. This is my aim. I have no "intereft, nor ever will have, but to promote the good and "happiness of all my subjects. Gentlemen of the House of Commons, "I must defire fuch fupplies of you, as may be requifite "for carrying on the next year's fervice both by fea and "land, and for punctually performing our treaties with all our "allies, the rather, for that fome of them have just pre"tenfions depending ever fince the laft war; and I need "not put you in mind, of what importance it is to preserve "the public credit, both abroad and at home. "I believe you will find fome charges neceffary next "6 year, which were not mentioned in the last feffion, and "fome extraordinary expences incurred fince, which were "not then provided for. "I affure you, that all the supplies you give, with what "I am able to fpare from my own expences, fhall be care"fully applied to the beft advantage for the public service: "And I earneftly recommend to you a fpeedy dispatch, as "that, which, under the good providence of God, we must "chiefly depend upon, to disappoint the earliest designs of "our enemies. My Lords and Gentlemen, "I cannot but tell you how effential it is for attaining "thofe great ends abroad, of which we have fo hopeful a "profpect, that we should be entirely united at home. "It is plain, our enemies have no encouragement left, "but what arises from their hopes of our divifions. It is "therefore your concern not to give the least countenance " to those hopes. "My inclinations are to be kind and indulgent to you "all. I hope you will do nothing to endanger the lofs of "this opportunity, which God has put into our hands, of << fecuring |