I FIRST DIVISION. CHAPTER I. From the death of the Emperor CHARLES VI. to the invafion of SILESIA; containing an examination of the pretenfions of the houfes of BAVARIA and BRANDENBURGH to the AUSTRIAN fucceffion. T HE houfe of Austria had, for a CHAP. great number of years, uninter ruptedly enjoyed the imperial dignity; but France, her perpetual competitor for power, had gradually clipped the wings of her foaring eagle, and greatly diminished the grandeur of that illuftrious family; whofe declenfion had fo manifeftly aggrandized the house of Bourbon, as to make that monarchy a formidable enemy to the other European powers. For while the house Y 2 I. PART houfe of Auftria flourished in a condition to opII. pofe the defigns of France, the ballance of power was preserved, and the liberty of Europe remote from the destruction of an arbitrary and univerfal monarchy: like Rome and Carthage, while they preferved an adequate ftrength, the mutual greatnefs of the one protected the rest of mankind from the flavery and oppreffion of the other; but no fooner was the houfe of Auftria depreffed by the treaty of Munfter in 1648, and thereby dif mantled of her principal ftrength on the Rhine, than Europe began to feel the force and fear the councils of France. WHEN Lewis XIV. fate upon the throne of France, it was apparent that crown, had either by the industry of its fubjects, the addrefs of its ministry, or the negligence of its neighbours, arifen to that height of power fhe had been long and laboriously attaining. The French, for near a century had been always triumphant in their encroachments on their neighbours: from the number of their troops, their readiness in taking the field, the remiffness of their enemies, joined with their manner of interpreting the fenfe of their leagues and treaties, they had always fucceeded in every thing they undertook; the long feries of their good fortune made them arrogate to themselves the titles of intrepid and invincible; and in this reign France was arrived to fuch an exuberance of wealth, and fuch extent of influence, as made her more juftly formidable to the reft of Europe; to whom it was no lefs apparent, that the defigns which wealth and power naturally incite, of enlarging dominion and depreff ing competition, had been long entertained by the French ministry which as they terminated in nothing less than univerfal empire, in the fuppreffion preffion of all the privileges, and the fubverfion CHAP. THE afpiring fpirit of the French monarch, prompted him to look on the powers of Europe as already doomed for his flaves and vaffals; and elated with this ambitious view, in fancy great as Jupiter, he held the up-lifted bolt ready to hurl down on the heads of those whom he had devoted to destruction: but though providence has permitted an Alexander and a Cæfar, as the inftruments of its own vengeance, to enflave fome countries, and extirpate the human race in others; heaven had now too tender an eye on the prefervation of mankind, to suffer the world to bow down and be trampled upon, beneath the feet of a Louis: and of this Europe fhould maintain a grateful remembrance, fince the prudent Naffau, and the immortal Marlborough, were fent, like two guardian angels, to avert the ftroke of tyranny, and procure happiness to the world. To accomplish this great and glorious end, the plan of politics pursued by the minifters of King William, and during the reign of Queen Ann, till towards the latter end of it, when a new miniftry began to take new measures, was, to diminish the power of the house of Bourbon, then aiming at an acceffion of ftrength by uniting the Spanish monarchy with France; and increase the power of the house of Auftria, as the most efficacious method of preferving a ballance of power in Europe. In execution of this noble plan, the British nation, in 1688, formed an alliance with the Emperor and the Dutch, which exifted for ten years; when the British nation, who were the foul of the confederacy, after lofing 100,000 men, and con m PART Contracting a debt of twenty millions, concluded II. a peace with great advantage to the Empire and Holland. This was followed by the partition treaty, whereby Naples, Sicily, and Lorrain, were to be added to the French dominions; or if that crown fhould think fit to fet afide the treaty, upon the Spaniards refufing to accept it; then the French would have pretenfions to the whole Spanifh monarchy. And fo it proved in the event; for the then King of Spain, efteeming it an indignity to have these his territories cantoned out into parcels by other princes, during his own life, and without his confent, rather chofe to bequeath the monarchy entire to the Duke of Anjou, a younger fon of France, because he knew the natural averfion the Spaniards had ever held against dividing their dominions. THE Duke of Anjou fucceeded to the monar chy of Spain, in breach of the partition treaty; this being fo great an addition to the power of France, left no hopes of preferving the ballance of Europe; because that monarch would in effect be king, while his grandfon had but the title, and thereby have a better opportunity than ever, of purfuing his defign for univerfal empire. To prevent this acceffion of power in the house of Bourbon, in 1702, the grand alliance was formed, between the Emperor, Great Britain, and the Dutch, in conjunction with other pow ers, against France and her allies, The Duke of Marlborough, at the head of 150,000 men, appeared in Flanders, and carried in his fortune the fate of Europe, and profperity of Britain: Bavaria, Tallard, and Marfin, felt him on the plains of Blenheim, where the routed army of France, after the diminution of 30,000 men, chose to throw themselves headlong into the Danube, nube, rather than face about upon their conque- CHAP. ror; the triumphant columns erected there, per- I. petuate their difgrace; the introduction of this victorious commander into the college of the Germanic princes; the loud acclamations acknowledging him the deliverer of Europe abroad; and the fweet-tuned numbers of Addifon at home; will remain to lateft pofterity, as faithful records of the seasonable affiftance of the British arms at the battle of Hochftet, and the glories of that immortal day. Villeroy was defeated by the British chief on the plains of Ramillies; Vendofme, Burgundy, and Berry, fhrunk before him at Oudenarde; and Villars foon participated the fate of his predeceffors. During the course of ten campaigns, the British general befieged no town but what he took, attacked no army but what he routed; the chiefs at Poicttiers, Creffy, and Agincourt, were now rivalled in fame; Marlborough was every where active, and every where victorious. But the reputation of this glorious general was afterwards attacked; the publick were debauched with impreffions of his affection for prolonging the war; he was dif miffed the illuftrious Ormond fucceeded him, and foon after a fufpenfion of arms between Great Britain and France was proclaimed at the head of both armies; and Great Britain, after fuftaining the expence of fixty millions, and the effufion of the blood of thousands, in conjunction with the Dutch, concluded a peace with France by the treaty of Utrecht, on the 11th of April 1713; whereby the dreaded union of the French and Spanish crowns was effectually prevented, by folemn renunciations from the Duke of Anjou to the throne of France, and from the other princes of the houfe of Bourbon to the crown of Spain. But |