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Show [ I-6 ] them :9£ a ' Ii:tult, which I · don~t .tel;lll:tnQer they were <:ver befort: bl3rn'd for. . ;" ,, ' That ~hi~ is the whole Truth .of thts-.Mat_ter that thefe and no other, were th~;.Qifers th; French made after the Rame!/ies Campaign-; I will give you, befi~es thofe alread_y hi.nteci at, one plain authemtck Proof, whtch ts . as good as a thoufaml D.:mon,~rations, and that is a Letter of the French Kmg ro the Pop,~, on this Subject, writ in the following Spring, when all Thought, of Peace were at an end, and _a new Campaign was emring upon. This ~l!tter may be found in the Mercure Hi-ftorique & Politique, Tom. 4:;. pag. :; ;. and here follows a Tranllation of it. LETTER of the King of France to the 'Pope. Dated at Ve~failles, IS Feb. 1707. T HE Care which y~ur Holinefr contlmtes to take for procuri11g the Peace ofEurope is ahvayr equaliJ agreeable to us • .. We have nothing more flC Btart than to Jecond yotlr Endeavours, and we wou'd even prevmt yo'u in any thing wepnl'd do to make them ejfellual. J1s it 1vas not our Fat~{t that ; the'Wa'r was begrm, jo w.e jhall [tek Occafions to end-it, by the mojf readj"arld eajj Methods. Your l'lolmefr bas been inform' d, that we have already made frequent Advances to come to fo whole{ome an End • . It can be attribut_ed only to the Mitort~ne of the T~mes, that ·Cathotick.Princes, ftruc ?Vtth a Fea~ cf difpleafi»[, their' Allies, jho>~'ri yet refufe IQ - · . . · h1ar be.rr the· holy Exhortati~ns of the Vicar of Jeffll Chrift. When we lfft it . ro the Arbitration of your HoJinefs 'to fatisfy tbe Rt;jhts and Demands of the Empeim", by a 'ZMI!!ablt C•1mpenjation, UDon fome PartJ of the -Spaollh Monarchy : The Mv•iftry of your Holinefs were Gha•g'd wit~ the c .. re _.of fnaki14g the Propof"l of 11 to that Prm~e. But w•:h 11>hat H.,ugbtinefs dtd he re1dl tt ! H.,Vtn.K fmd Things exorbitrtnt, and infoleni!Y deman.·ed thrtt out Granrl{on fhou'd be rec-tll'.l. W,;o cou'd have thought mojl holy Fatb,r, tba¢he n>•Ju'd have m.,de fo rtrrogant a Retur>< to an i>~julted King, to a Minifter of your Holinefs, and t J our Love of Peace. For the Canjunflure, far from berng favourable to the Houfe of ~u!l:ria, feem'd therz .to threaten it, by the Superiority of our Forces, · mtd by our gaii1ing the Battle of Calfano. But God, who ~ the li-t after of Events, chanl'f the Pofture of our .Aff:'~rs. Yet tho' we were employ d with the C arcs of rcpamng our Loffis, we had ftill in our Minds the Idea we had conceiv'd of Peace., at the time even of our greateft Profp~ity. We ren.ew'd to' Holland the Offer Qf a Barrier for their State, and of the Security demanded for their TrJde; referving it ftill to our felves to treat with the Emperor about a Compe nfation. Propo/itions fo rettfonable were ,,gain rejefled by the Intrigues of that Party, which had !hew'd it felf averfe to the Advancement of our Grandfon: .And then tve employ' d all our 'thoughts to incr~afe our Prep,>r:rtions for a W,~, wbich had been Vtolent!Y and WIJUftlJ declar' d ag ainfr us. Neverthelefs Mit becomes us to be obedient to the piom Exhortat~ons of your Holinefs : .And to the End tbat our Enemies may have no pretence to impure ~o 114 the Lofs of fo.mucb Chriftian Blood, as is alJ D r~ady |