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Treaties with so much Artifice and. Craftiness, as 'to break them upon the leaft Pretence, which oblig'd Elizabeth, Queen of England, in the Treaty of Blois in the Year 1572. to ftipulate with Charles IX. King of France, that the Sense and Meaning ' of the faid Treaty fhould be taken and underftood according to the Natural and Genuine Property, Import and plain Meaning of the Words, and that no Cavils or crafty Interpretations thereof fhould be admitted, as being used only to fubvert and wrest the True and Genuine Meaning of the Parties. Notwithstanding Precautions of this Nature, the French have often difcovered that they. had quite other Designs, and namely after the Treaties of Vervins and the Pyrenees, for tho' they bad ftipulated with and promised to Spain, in the ftrongest Terms that could be made ufe of, that they would not give directly or indirectly any Affiftance to their Enemies, upon any Pretence ८ whatsoever, yet that Crown foon found Subtilties and Pretences to do the contrary, and fent to the Affiftance of the Enemies of Spain, Generals, Troops and Money. It was upon the fame Principles, that after the Treaty of Aix la Chapelle, they pretended and feized under the Name of Dependencies of the Places yielded to them, not only the Flat Country,, but also several Towns and Fortreffes, netwithstanding the Pretenfions were contrary to the Custom and Usage of the faid Countries for above One Hundred Years, which had been acknowledged and agreed to by France it felf in the Negotiations of the Treaty of Munfter. They pursued the fame Defign after the Treaty of Nimeghen, when under Colour and Name of the faid Dependencies, they laid Claim in these Parts to feveral Countries, and tore off fo great a part of the Empire of Germany. We fhall not mention here feveral other Inftances, nor what Interpretations they put after the Death of Charles II. King of Spain, on the famous Treaty of Partition, and conclude, that the Continuation and ftrengthning of the mutual Union between the Allies is abfolutely neceffary against the Craftiness, Endeavours, Practice and Enterprizes of the Enemy.

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The War being to be carried on and profecuted

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C with all imaginable Vigour, as it has been reprefented, it follows as a neceflary Confequence, that great Sums of Money muft needs neceffarily be provided for the fame, and that it is impoffible to raise them otherwife than by heavy Taxes and Charges upon the good Inhabitants of thefe Countries. 'Tis true, that during the Courfe of this War they have fuffer'd great Loffes by Contributions to the Enemy in fome Parts; Inundations on the other; Decay in their Trade; Depredations at Sea; Decay of their Manufactures, and the bad Crop they have had by reafon of the terrible Winter, and by a great Scarcity and Dearth of all manner of Provifions: But feeing, as it had been demonftrated, that all the Efforts made by your • High Mightineffes and your Allies, have been hardly able to obtain, with incredible Difficulties, the Superiority of Arms, and other Advantages that have been mentioned, over an Enemy, who at ⚫ this very time does whatever Men can do, without the leaft regard to any particular Intereft, the Credit and Eafe of his Subjects, for reftablishing his Forces and putting himself in a Condition to cover his Territories, it is evident that thofe Taxes are of an unavoidable Neceffity in the prefent Conjuncture, notwithstanding their Heaviness and Inconveniency, for obtaining a Speedy and Safe Peace. The prefent Difpute, High and Mighty Lords, is not about things of a common Importance: The Queftion is not about more or less Territories, Reparation of Damages by Sea or Land, Satisfaction for an Affront, nor for mainC taining Honour and Glory, tho' these Motives are ufed to incourage People to overcome the greatest Difficulties; Non de Vectigalibus; non de Sociorum Injuriis; but the Queftion is, Whether France fhall in effect Domineer and Lord it over all the Chriftian World, and confequently to protect and defend again't the Enterprizes of that Crown, Liberty and Religion, two Pledges fo dear and precious, that they cannot be too carefully preferved ' and maintained. Things are already gone too far to go back and flacken; for if through Impatience or Uneafinefs, under the neceffary Charges or other Means, the great Efforts that have been made hi

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'therto, fhould grow remifs and flacken, it is impoffible to obtain the great End and Design intended by this War; but on the contrary a Slackening and Remiffness of this Nature, will have the following bad Effects: That it being, impof fible to preferve the Superiority of Arms and Con'quefts already mentioned, all things will go backward, after fo much Blood and Treasure spent to 'bring them fo far: That confequently the Affairs 'fhall dwindle into a Defenfive War, that fhall not be able to hinder the Houfe of Bourbon from confirming themselves in the Poffeffion of the Spanish Monarchy, and France from becoming a Neighbour to the State; and will make it impoffible for the State to obtain a good and fufficient Barrier : That this will produce at laft a flight and unfafe 'Peace, as bad in it felf as War, as it has been formerly reprefented at large. From these Confiderations it follows indifputably, that in all Refpects it is much better to bear ftill with Patience and Conftancy, the heavy and burthemfome Charges of the War, in order to obtain a safe and fpeedy Peace, than to Slacken after having made fo great a Progrefs therein, lofe the Dear-bought Glory and Advantages obtained, and run the risk of falling into a Lingring Defensive War, and fee this State once more plunged into perpetual Expences, Unfecurity, Fears and Apprehenfions of a new War, as it has been for these Forty Years paft, in relpect to France.

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After thefe Premifes, High and Mighty Lords, your High Mightineffes and the Lords States of the refpective Provinces, will not expect to fee any leffening of the Charges in the Particulars of this Petition, in refpect to the Number of the Forces, and other Preparations for carrying on a vigorous War; feeing on the contrary it were to be wifh'd that the Circumftances of Affairs could permit to augment them. Therefore the Council of State prefenting with their general Petition, the Ordinary and Extraordinary State of the War for the Year 1710. think themselves obliged to infift be'fore all other things, that the Forces, both Horfe and Foot, in the Pay of the States, and others, for whom there are any Subfidies paid, be conti

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'nued

nued on the fame Foot: Befeeching your High Mightineffes to tranfmit the prefent Petition and "State of War to the Lords the States of the refpective Provinces, and recommend, in the most effectual manner, that the fame may be approved and 'confented to, with the Readiness and Expedition, which the Importance and Neceffity of the 'Contents thereof require, for carrying on the War 'with Vigour, and fee it foon terminate in a Good, Safe, and Solid Peace,

Numb. II.

The ARTICLES PRELIMINARY to the Treaties of a General PE ACE.

1. A

Good, firm, and lafting Peace, Confederacy, and perpetual Alliance and Amity, shall be forthwith treated and establish'd between his Imperial Majefty, with all and each of his Imperial Majefty's Allies, (principally the Kingdom of GreatBritain, and the Lords, the States-General of the United-Provinces) on the one Part, and his Most Chriftian Majefty, with his Allies, on the other Part. And feeing the prefent Conjunctures have not permitted his Imperial Majefty to take previoufly the Approbation and Confent of the Empire, upon all that relates to it, in feveral Articles contain'd in these Preliminaries, his Imperial Majelty shall endeavour to procure, according to the Ufage establish'd in the Empire, as foon as poffible, the Confent and Ratification of the faid Empire, before the Execution of the Articles, which particu larly concern the Empire.

II. And to attain this good End fpeedily, and to enjoy it as much as poffible, from this Time, Preliminary Articles are agreed, to ferve for a Foundation of the Treaties of a general Peace.

III. First, In Confideration and in Confequence of the faid good Peace, and fincere Union of all the Parties, the Moft Chriftian King fhall, from this Time, acknowledge, publickly and authentickly, as alfo afterwards, in the Treaties of Peace to B b 4

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be made, King Charles III. in the Quality of King of Spain, the Indies, Naples, and Sicily, and generally. of all the Territories dependant, and comprehended under the Name of The Monarchy of Spain, in what Part of the World foever fituate; (except what is to be given to the Crown of Portugal, and the Duke of Savoy, purfuant to the Treaties between the High Allies, and the Barrier in the Netherlands, which the faid King Charles III. is to put into the Hands of the faid Lords, the States-General of the United Provinces, agreeably to the Tenour of the Grand Alliance, in the Year 1701; except alfo what fhall be hereafter mention'd, touching the upper Quarter of Gelderland; and alfo except the Agreements yet to be made with the faid King Charles III. without excepting any Thing more:) Together with all the Rights which the late King Charles the II. did poffefs, or ought to have poffefs'd, as well for himself as his Heirs and Succeffors, according to the Will of Philip IV. and the Compacts establish'd and receiv'd in the moft Serene House of Austria.

IV, And forafmuch as the Duke of Anjou is at prefent in poffeffion of a great Part of the Kingdom of Spain, of the Coast of Tuscany, the Indies, and Part of the Netherlands, 'tis reciprocally agreed, That for the fure Execution of the faid Articles, and of the Treaties of Peace to be made, the faid Treaties fhall be finifh'd within the Term of two Months, to begin from the first Day of the enfuing Month of June, if poffible, during which Time, his Moft Chriftian Majefty fhall fo order it, that the Kingdom of Sicily fhall be put into the poffeffion of his Catholick Majefty, Charles III. And the faid Duke shall depart in full Safety and Freedom, out of the Limits of the Kingdoms of Spain, with his Confort, the Princes, his Children, their Effects, and, generally, all Perfons who are willing to folJow them. And if, before the faid Term expire, the faid Duke of Anjou do not confent to the Execut on of the prefent Agreement, the Moft Chriltian King, and the ftipulating Princes and States, fha 1, by Concert, take proper Measures, that it may have entire Effect, and that all Europe may,

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