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by which Means Stanislaus loft his Election, this Miscarriage of the latter was imputed by France to the Artifices of the Emperor, and made use of as a Pretence to attack him almoft on every Side at once, in Conjunction with the Queen of Spain, and the King of Sardinia.

It was not to be expected, as his Dominions lay fo diftant from each other, that this Prince could long make Head again ft fo powerful a Confederacy; accordingly in two or three Campaigns, he loft almost all Footing in Italy, befides Fort Kebl, and Philipsburgh in the Empire; and was glad to clap up a difhonourable Peace, by perfwading his Son-in-law, the Duke of Lorrain, to an immediate Ceffion of that Dutchy, iu Exchange for a precarious Reverfion of the Dutchy of Tuscany, which it would be in the Power of France or Spain to take from him when they pleafed. Behold here, the bitter First-Fruits of his Invafion of another's Rights, and Violation of a folemn Treaty! Had he not difobliged the King of Sardinia formerly, by wrefting Sicily from him, France and Spain could never have made fuch a rapid Progress in Italy and theEmpire; and had he not done the fame by Great Britain and Holland in fetting up the Oftend Company, they would probably have assisted him in repelling Force by Force.

But this is not all, the worst is ftill behind. It was natural for the Emperor to be greatly mortified at fo disadvantageous a Treaty; the Lofs of the two Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, with the whole Milaneze, and Lorrain, two of the most valuable Dutchies in Europe, Tuscany excepted, was fufficient to put him out of Humour, and to make him ready, like a drowning Man, to catch at any Twig which would fave him from finking. In this critical Juncture, a Rupture happening between the Muscovites and Turks, wherein the former had gained

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Bained confiderable Advantages, the Emperor was invited and follicited by the Czarina, to lay hold of that Opportunity to humble the common Enemy of Christendom, and indemnify himself for his former Loffes, at the Expence of the Infidels.

The Temptation was strong to any Man who confulted only his prefent Intereft, without any Regard to Juftice, or folemn Contracts, when they any way clafhed therewith; and it was the more fo, as the Turks having been already greatly weakened by an unfuccefsful War carried on against the Perfians, and by feveral Advantages gained over them by the Muscovites, it was generally believed (fo fhort-fighted are Mankind!) the Germans would march to certain Conqueft. In effect, this was what his Miniftry were continually reprefenting to the Emperor; fo that at laft they perfwaded him, upon fome frivolous Pretences, to proceed to open Hoftilities against the Turk, who had maintained the Treaty of Paffarowitz inviolably about twenty Years, and never given him, nor the Empire, the leaft Cause of Offence.

One would have thought, however, that a Prince who was himfelt Sovereign of Hungary, and whose extenfive Territories bordered equally upon Turkey and Poland, and who must confequently be fuppofed to have been converfant in the Hiftories of thofe Nations, fhould have remembered the unhappy and deplorable Fate of Uladislaus, on an Occafion almoft fimilar to this, and should have been warned thereby not to tread in his Steps, left he fhould fhare in his Punishment. But, as he did not, though his Chaftifement was fomewhat more mild, yet he met with a very severe Rebuke at the Hand of Providence.

With three powerful Armies that marched into the Turkish Territories, confident of Succefs, the

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Imperialifs were fo far from gaining any confiderable Advantages, though the Infidels had their Hands full at the fame Time of the Muscovites, that they met with many fhocking Repulies, and were not able to maintain their own Ground; fo that being driven from Place to Place, and greatly weakened by continual Loffes, his Imperial Majefty was at laft glad fhamefully to clap up a feparate Peace, dishonourably leaving his faithful Ally the Czarina, and compounding for the Security of his remaining Dominions, by the Surrender of Belgrade, one of the ftrongest and most important Fortreffes in his Dominions, and by giving up a confiderable Frontier to the Infidels.

It may well be imagined, fuch a Train of Misfortunes, one upon the Heels of another, must senfibly have affected this unhappy Prince; but if we add thereto, that upon an impartial Review of his paft Conduct, unless he was wilfully blind to his own Errors, to call them no worse, he must be for ced to acknowledge, he had brought all thefe Ca. lamities upon himself; and that the last in particular, was owing to a moft notorious Breach of public Faith, and confequently a fignal Tranfgreffion of the Third Commandment, it must certainly be a confiderable Aggravation of his Sorrows, as he might read his Sin in his Punishment.

The wrefting Sicily from the King of Sardinia, was followed by the Lofs not only of that Ifland, but of Naples and the Milaneze alfo, without ha ving Sardinia in their room; the ferting up of the Oftend Company, which was likewife contrary to Treaty, was followed by the Lofs of the Confidence and Friendship of Great Britain and Holland, who, inftead of interpofing, ftood quiet Spectators of his Misfortunes; if it may not likewife be added, thathis Daughter's Lofs of Flanders at prefent, is origi nally owing to the fame Caufe. Then, to com

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p'eat all, the Lofs of Belgrade, and a great Part of Hungary, followed clofe upon his violating the Treaty of Paffarowitz, which himself had formerly concluded, and greatly to his own Honour and Advantage.

Nor was this the worft, for this confiderable Lofs of his Dominions was followed with the Lofs of his Quiet; he never held up his Head again; but after lingering out about a Year in Sorrow and Difcontent, departed this Life, with this flinging Mortifi. cation, that he had furvived his Glory and Profperity by fome Years, and left the Affairs of his Family unfettled, and in a very precarious Coedition.

But Charles VI. is not the only Prince whom we have feen grievously disappointed in his ambitious Views, when fuch Princes have undertaken to compass their Designs in defiance of, and without any regard to, the moft folemn Treaties, though concluded by themselves. For, not to mention the late Lewis XIV. who was a remarkable Example of this; fince, notwithstanding his having treacherously fettled his Grandfon, contrary to an exprefs Treaty, made by himself but a little before, upon the Throne of Spain, he not only lived to fee that young Prince, but likewife himself, in the utmost Danger of being driven from thence, which no. thing but the Divifions of Great Britain, and the Corruption of the English Miniftry, could have then prevented.

Not to mention then that Monarch, we fay, is not the prefent State of the Spanish Armies in Italy, and the aftonifhing Turn that Affairs have lately taken in that Country, a moft evident and manifett Proof, that Heaven itself interpofes in Behalf of his Sardinian Majefty, and the Tuscan Dominions, to render the unwarrantable Defigns of the Queen of Spain abortive ?

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In effect, if she believed any thing of the Exiftence of a Deity, and of his Superintendence over Human Affairs, how could the expect otherwife? How could fhe expect, that after having made use of the King of Sardinia, as an Inftrument to strip the late Emperor of the two Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, the fhould now be fuffered to deprive him of those very Dominions that were conferred upon him by Treaty, in Confideration of the Affiftance he then lent her? Or how could it be expected, that either fhe, or France, should be allowed to ftrip the Emperor of the Dukedom of Tufcany, folemnly yielded to him by Treaty, in exchange for the Dutchy of Lorrain, his hereditary Dominions?

How muft this unexpected and unforeseen Difapppointment gall that haughty Parmefan, that Female Fury, whom Providence feems to have let loofe in his Wrath, to be the Scourge of all Europe? But let her receive this mild Chaftifement with Humility and Patience; let her at last be fatisfied with that Deluge of Blood fhe has caused to be shed, to gratify her inordinate Ambition and Luft of Power; let the Millions of Lives she has already facrificed fuffice, and let her no longer perfift in her nefarious and unwarrantable Schemes, left the fhould meet with a yet more fevere Vifitation, and left certain Powers, opening their Eyes at laft to their true Intereft, her Favourite Don Carlos fhould be tumbled from the Throne by as fudden a Revolution as that which placed him there.

Nor is the prefent Emprefs, though otherwise a Princess endued with many and exalted Virtues, altogether free from Blame in this refpect. The firft Attacks indeed of her Enemies were attended with fuch Succefs, and carried on with fuch Fury, that it is no Wonder Nature fhould prompt her when

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