As to France; this æra of the entire fall of the Spanish power is likewife that from which we may reckon that France grew as formidable, as we have feen her, to her neighbours, in power and pretenfions. HENRY the fourth meditated great defigns, and prepared to act a great part in Europe, in the very beginning of this period, when KAVAILLAC ftabbed him. His designs died with him, and are rather gueffed at than known; for furely thofe which his hiftorian PEREFIXE and the compiler of SULLY's memorials afcribe to him, of a Christian commonwealth, divided into fifteen states, and of a fenate to decide all differences, and to maintain this new conftitution of Europe, are too chimerical to have been really his but his general defign of abafing the house of Auftria, and establifhing the fuperior power in that of Bourbon, was taken up, about twenty years after his death, by RICHELIEU, and was purfued by him and by MAZARIN with fo much ability and fuccefs, that it was affected entirely by the treaties of Weftphalia and by the Pyrenean treaty: that is, at the end of the fecond of those periods I have prefumed to propose to your lordship.

When the third, in which we now are, will end and what circumftances will mark the end of it, I know not but this I know, that the great events and revolutions, which have happened in the course of it, interest us ftill more nearly than those of the two precedent periods. I intended to have drawn up an elenchus or fummary of the three, but I doubted, on further reflection,

whether my memory would enable me to do it with exactnefs enough: and I faw that, if I was able to do it, the deduction would be immeafurably long. Something of this kind however it may be reasonable to attempt, in speaking of the last period: which may hereafter occafion a further trouble to your lordship.

But to give you fome breathing-time, I will poftpone it at prefent, and am in the mean while,

My lord,

Your, &c.

LETTER VII.

A sketch of the state and hiftory of Europe from the Pyrenean treaty in one thoufand fix hundred and fifty-nine, to the year one thousand fix hundred and eighty-eight.

THE

HE firft obfervation 1 fhall make on this third period of modern hiftory is, that as the ambition of CHARLES the fifth, who united the whole formidable power of Austria in himself, and the restless temper, the cruelty, and bigotry of PHILIP the fecond, were principally objects of the attention and folicitude of the councils of Europe, in the first of these periods; and as the ambition of FERDINAND the fecond, and the third, who aimed at nothing less than extirpating the proteftant interest, and under that pretence fubduing the liberties of Germany, were objects of the fame kind in the fecond: fo an oppofition to the growing power of France, or to speak more properly, to the exorbitant ambition of the houfe of Bourbon, has been the principal affair of Europe, during the greatest part of the prefent period. The defign of aspiring to univerfal monarchy was imputed to CHARLES the fifth, as foon as he began to give proofs of his ambition and capacity. The fame defign was imputed to Lewis the fourteenth, as foon as he began to feel his own ftrength, and the weakness

of his neighbours. Neither of thefe princes was induced, I believe, by the flattery of his courtiers, or the apprehenfions of his adverfaries, to entertain fo chimerical a defign as this would have been, even in that falfe fenfe wherein the word univerfal is fo often understood: and I mistake very much if either of them was of a character, or in circumftances, to undertake it. Both of them had strong defires to raise their families higher, and to extend their dominions farther; but neither of them had that bold and adventurous ambition which makes a conqueror and a hero. These apprehenfions however were given wifely, and taken ufefully. They cannot be given nor taken too foon when fuch powers as these arise; because when fuch powers as these are beficged as it were early, by the common policy and watchfulness of their neighbours, each of them may in his turn of ftrength fally forth, and gain a little ground; but none of them will be able to push their conquefts far, and much less to confummate the entire projects of their ambition. Befides the occafional oppofi, tion that was given to CHARLES the fifth by our HENRY the eighth, according to the different moods of humor he was in; by the popes, accord, ing to the several turns of their private interest; and by the princes of Germany according to the occafions or pretences that religion or civil liberty furnished, he had from his first setting out a rival and an enemy in FRANCIS the first, who did not maintain his caufe "in forma pauperis," if I may ufe fuch an expreffion: as we have seen the house

of Auftria fue, in our days, for dominion at the gate of every palace in Europe. FRANCIS the first was the principal in his own quarrels, paid his own armies, fought his own battles; and though his valor alone did not hinder CHARLES the fifth from fubduing all Europe, as BAYLE, a better philologer than politician, fomewhere afferts, but a multitude of other circumstances easily to be traced in hiftory; yet he contributed by his victories, and even by his defeats, to waste the strength and check the courfe of that growing power. LEWIS the fourteenth had no rival of this kind in the house of Austria, nor indeed any enemy of this importance to combat, till the prince of Orange became king of Great Britain: and he had great advantages in many other refpects, which it is neceffary to confider in order to make a true judgment on the affairs of Europe from the year one thoufand fix hundred and fixty. You will discover the firft of these advantages, and fuch as were productive of all the reft, in the conduct of RICHELIEU and of MAZARIN. RICHELIEU formed the great design, and laid the foundations; MAZARIN purfued the defign, and raised the fuperftructure. If I do not deceive myself extremely, there are few paffages in history that deferve your lordship's attention more than the conduct that the first and greatest of these ministers held, in laying the foundations I speak of. You will obferve how he helped to embroil affairs on every fide, and to keep the houfe of Auftria at bay as it were, how he enter ed into the quarrels of Italy against Spain, into