PART her to reduce it lower when the pleafed, if the II. fhould find occafion for it; and therefore thought it more prudent to lie by, after she had done 1741. this, till fhe might, by the emperor's death, have opportunity to break the Austrian Succeffion, and avail herself of the affiftance of the German princes to undertake that then, which fhe had no pretence to attempt during his life; and which must have inevitably drawn those very powers of Germany against her, till that event happened. Much more fhe could not have done without their affiftance: fhe had fown, in all appearance, a lafting difcontent between the Empire and the Maritime Powers, difuniting the only alliance that could confine her aspiring views; fhe had it in her power to join Lorrain to her own dominions, bringing her territories above 150 miles more forward into Germany, and adding two kingdoms to another branch of the houfe of Bourbon: completing at the fame time, an entire influence over four Electors of the Empire, Palatine, Mentz, Triers, and Cologne; the effects of which were afterwards visibly seen, by the election of the Duke of Bavaria to the Imperial throne in the year 1742. She was now enabled, at a much fhorter warning, and with a much fuperior force to attack the Empire on the first favourable opportunity and by declining any farther advantage for the prefent, fhe carried a fhew of moderation and voluntary abftinence, which the knew would effectually deceive those who abound and ftrengthen her party, by their credulity in every ftate of Europe. Therefore, after thus concluding a peace with the emperor in 1736, fhe lay diligently improving her time for the total fubverfion of the power of the house of Auf

fria. The period was arrived, France beheld CHAP. with an eye of pleasure, the prefent favourable III. opportunity of obfcuring the luftre of the Auf

trian line; and advancing a poor and powerless 1741. prince, of her own nomination, to the imperial throne; as this would leave the Germanic body unable to enter into any alliances with Great Britain and Holland, to obftruct the afpiring views of her unlimitted ambition.

THE annihilation of the house of Auftria, was the strongest foundation France could fix on, to raise her dazling fuperftructure of universal monarchy; fhe had now the most favourable opportunity to accomplish her reviving hopes, and was intently engaged to fupprefs the greatness of her long and natural competitor. The moft potent princes of the Germanic fyftem, had time immemorially, founded pretenfions on the feveral parts of the Austrian dominions; but as the Imperial crown had been for ages, almost uninterruptedly, enjoyed by the houfe of Auftria, they were deterred from afferting their claims by the too formidable power of that family: and now excited by the policy, and infinuations, of France, feized on the fatal period of avowing their pretenfions, and difmembering the imperial houfe of Auftria of her moft confiderable' poffeffions. The most natural allies of the house of Auftria, were certainly Great Britain and the States General; the union of these three powers having always been the grand oppofition against the pride and ambition of France; for which they had not only long preferved defenfive alliances, but in the fafety and prefervation of each other, they were, even abstractedly from thefe alliances, as nearly and effentially concerned as in their own: yet as Great Britain VOL. I. Ee

was

PART was engaged in a war with Spain, and the mini* II. ftry of London retaining an unworthy timidity of the force and menaces of France, the mini1741. ftry of Versailles imagined the British government would be very parfimonious in their af fiftance to the Queen of Hungary, and dreaded little interruption in their afpiring projects, from a ministry who had but lately given too declarative proofs of their pacific adminiftration. Nor did they apprehend any greater danger from the Dutch; for though this republic, by their alliances with the house of Auftria, were obliged to furnish not only a limitted fuccour, but also their whole force in cafe of neceffity, and even to declare war with her aggreffor, yet the French ministry knew the ftates were much embarrassed with debts, and too intractable to be easily induced to give them an increafe. In this fituation the Queen of Hungary lay exposed to the envy and invidious artifices of France, for that power to plume herself with the spoils of the imperial eagle, and mount with the omnipotence of antient Rome, to the utmoft fublimity of hu man ambition.

THE French minifter at Vienna, during the disturbances in Silefia, continued to give the queen the ftrongest affurances of the good intentions of his Moft Chriftian majefty; though at the fame time the French miniftry privately, in conjunction with the Elector of Bavaria, were undermining the noble column that fupported the grandeur of the house of Austria.

For this purpose, Marshal Belleifle had projected a fcheme, to advance the Elector of Bavaria into the Imperial throne, and to strip the house of Auftria of her hereditary dominions: it gained the approbation of the French ministry, and

the

the marshal fet out for Paris, authorized with CHAP. full powers, and furnished with large fums of III. money, to combine the electors, and other princes of the empire, in the views of France, 1741, The marshal, having influenced the three fpiritual Electors of Triers, Mentz, and Cologne, and the Elector Palatine, to the French interest, he arrived at Munich, and waiting on the Elector of Bavaria, at his Palace of Nymphenburgh, concluded a treaty there,between the French King and the elector; whereby his majesty engaged, "To get the elector acknowledged emperor, "and to affift him in cafe of oppofition with his "whole force. And in return, the elector fti"pulated, if he came to the Imperial throne, "that he would never attempt to recover any "of the Imperial towns or provinces conquered "by France, unless the king fhould be inclined, "to restore them; and if fo, the elector was to "re-imburse his majefty forty-five millions of "livres, for his expences in fupporting the elec"tion. The elector alfo promised to renounce "the barrier treaty, and agreed, that whatever "conquefts France fhould make in the Nether"lands, she should irrevocably keep." To this treaty the Kings of Pruffia and Poland were to be invited to accede. On which the marshal repaired to Silefia, and congratulated his Pruffian majefty on his fucceffes; and as the king caufed his army to pass in review before the marshal, and treated him with high marks of diftinction, probably this interview drew his Pruffian majefty's inclinations to coincide with the projects of France. The marshal afterwards vifited the court of Drefden, and biaffed the Elector of Saxony to his fcheme. But the court of Verfailles, to cover their perfidy with fomething like Ee 2 a mafk

PART a mask of decency, did not disclose the French. II. harpy all at once; they counfelled, advised, and

mediated for peace fake, out of a pretended con1741. cern for her Hungarian majefty; but their modest proposals aimed at nothing lefs, than to portion out the hereditary dominions of Auftria as they pleased; a province to one, a province to another, and to fecure a proper referve for themfelves. Though the Queen of Hungary was def titute of power, fhe was not void of understanding; therefore to be thus infulted under the pretence of being ferved, could not fail of exciting a proper indignation: but an impotent refentment, could answer no other end, than to expofe herself to the inveteracy of a power, whofe inya. riable maxim it has been, for the fake of intereft, to facrifice her moft folemn engagements. But the measure of her Hungarian majesty's calamity was not yet full; the Queen of Spain, like. another Semiramis in ambition, having appar ently refolved to be the mother of none but kings, made it the bufinefs of her life to create new monarchies, and beftow them upon her fons. To this royal frenzy all confiderations gave way; the repofe of her husband, the wealth and fafety of her fubjects, the softness of her lex, sense of fame, the remonstrances of justice, the cries of compaffion, and whatever else should be of weight to reftrain the extravagancies, and create the grace and decorum, of human life. With a malignant tranfport, therefore, fhe faw the Imperial family at the laft extremity, and the empire itfelf without a head. It was the crifis fhe had impatiently waited for, and had pre-determined to improve to the utmoft: fhe longed to faften on the Austrian dominions in Italy; a country in itself defirable, cantoned out in little diftricts, Subject