war against France. Thus they were reduced to fuch a lownefs of power as can hardly be paralleled in any other cafe: and Philip IV. was obliged at last to conclude a peace, on terms repugnant to his inclination, to that of his people, to the interest of Spain, and to that of all Europe, in the Pyrenean treaty.

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 seen her, to her neighbours, in power and pretenfions. Henry IV. meditated great defigns, and prepared to act a great part in Europe in the very beginning of this period, when Ravaillac ftabbed him. His defigns died with him, and are rather gueffed at than known; for furely those which his historian 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 establishing the fuperior power in that of Bourbon, was taken up, about twenty years after his death, by Richlieu, and was pursued by him and by Mazarin with fo much ability and fuccefs, that it was effected entirely by the treaties of Westphalia and by the Pyrenean treaty; that is, at the end of the fecond of thofe periods I have prefumed to propose to your Lordship.

When the third, in which we now are, will

end, and what circumstances will mark the end of it, I know not: but this I know, that the great events and revolutions, which have happened in the courfe of it, intereft us ftill more nearly than thofe of the two precedent periods. 1 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 fpeaking of the laft 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,

A Sketch of the State and Hiftory of Europe from the Pyrenean treaty in one thousand fix hundred and fifty-nine, to the year one thoufand fix hundred and eighty-eight.

TH

HE firft obfervation I fhall make on this third period of modern hiftory is, that as

the

the ambition of Charles V. who united the whole formidable power of Austria in himself, and the restless temper, the cruelty, and bigotry of Philip II. 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 II. and III. who aimed at nothing lefs than extirpating the Proteftant intereft, 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 house of Bourbon, has been the principal affair of Europe, during the greatest part of the prefent period. The defign of afpiring to univerfal monarchy was imputed to Charles V. as foon as he began to give proofs of his ambition and capacity. The fame defign was imputed to Lewis XIV. as foon as he began to feel his own ftrength, and the weakness of his neighbours. Neither of these 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 fense wherein the word univerfal is fo often underftood and I mistake very much, if either of them was of a character, or in circumstances, 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 an hero. Thefe apprehenfions

however were given wifely, and taken usefully. They cannot be given nor taken too foon when fuch powers as these arife; because when such powers as these are befieged 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 opposition that was given to Charles V. by our Henry VIII. according to the different moods of humour he was in; by the Popes, according to the feveral turns of their private intereft; and by the princes of Germany, according to the occafions or pretences that religion or civil liberty furnished; he had from his first fetting out a rival and an enemy in Francis I. who did not maintain his caufe "in for"ma pauperis," if I may ufe fuch an expreffion; as we have feen the house of Auftria fue, in our days, for dominion, at the gate of every palace in Europe. Francis I. was the principal in his own quarrels, paid his own armies, fought his own battles and though his valour alone did not hinder Charles V. from fubduing all Europe, as Bayle, a better philologer than politician, fomewhere afferts, but a multitude of other circumstances eafily 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 XIV. had no rival of this kind in the house of

Austria,

Auftria, nor indeed any enemy of this importance to combat, till the prince of Orange be- · came 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 thousand fix hundred and fixty. You will discover the first of these advantages, and fuch as were productive of all the reft, in the conduct of Richlieu and of Mazarin. Richlieu formed the great defign, and laid the foundations: Mazarin purfued the defign, and raised the fuperftructure. If I do not deceive myfelf extremely, there are few paffages in history that deferve your Lordship's attention more than the conduct that the firft and greatest of these minifters held, in laying the foundations I speak of. You will obferve how he helped to embroil affairs on every fide, and to keep the house of Austria at bay as it were; how he entered into the quarrels of Italy against Spain, into that concerning the Valteline, and that concerning the fucceffion of Mantua; without engaging fo deep as to divert him from another great object of his policy, fubduing Rochelle and difarming the Huguenots. You will obferve how he turned himself, after this was done, to ftop the progress of Ferdinand in Germany. Whilst Spain fomented difcontents at the court and diforders in the kingdom of France, by all possible means, even by taking engagements with the duke of Rohan, and for fupporting the Proteftants; Richlieu abetted the fame intereft in

Germany