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Show [ 56 J great Defeat by clofing with th~ Terms of the Allies b;fore a ViCtory co11'd be purfue~; and if they had won it, they wou'~ have rna e ufe of the firlt Conlternation, whtch the _Lofs of a Battle wou'd have put the ~utch mto, to prefs them to a Peace on their Terms. That this was the molt the Frencb meant by thefe Conferences, is ev!dentt from what was doing at the fame time m Sparn. _I have obferv'd before, that either the Spanzardt or we mult be deceiv'd ; a_nd therefore the French ke t it in their Power by the moft artfuL W~ys they cou'd, to do either as ~ner foun_d molt convenient; but that the Ktng s Inchnation and lntereft were too well known, to leave room to doubt, that he won'd keep· his p(omife- to the Spaniardt, if he cou'd. Accordingly we fee, he did no~ only f!nable his Grandfon, as I have obferv·d before, to JUt S ain into the belt Po!lu_re of_ Defence ~twas ~apable of, and fupply him Wtth. ;very thing that was neccnary; bu~ promts d_ to make the Siege of Girone ea~ly tn th~ Spnng, and was making a new <?.ffenfive and Defenfive Treaty with him, dunng thefe very Conferences. And the Alli~ance ~nd Afruran~es the Duke of Anjou had gtven him_, ~ade htm think of nothing lefs than qutttmg Spam. In the Spring he pretended to have an Army of tll Battalions, and '45 squodrons? be/ides the Troops that were commg to !urn fromFiandm. Before the Conferences. be~un, the Km. g rece·t v'd an Exprefs from h1s Gra,nn·d1·f on, to ac uaint him with the Zeal ~he Car••am 1. "or him and hts Refolutton to fiand ebxyp trhee.sm ' ' ; and 't he Frencb M·m t· u er at Madrtidn [ 57 J in April gave out, that the Conferences werebroke off. At the· fame time the Duke of" .Anjou was haftning to put himfelf at the Hea~ of his Army, but was fi:op'd by the Affa1r of the Duke de Medina Celi ; which as grea£ a Myftery as it is, was probably at bottom a French Trick. 'Twas very nato~ ral for the Spaniards to take Umbrage at the Conferences, and to think it was time to take care of themfelves; and that if the King lbou'd in earneft abandon them, 'twas to no purpofe for them to adhere to his Grandfon. To feel their Pulfe upon this point, 'tis probable _the French Minifters, either Blecour, or lbbervtllc, or fame others of their Emitraries had pretended to treat with fome of the Grandees upon this foot, and acqainted them that the King's Affairs wou'd not permit him to fupport his Grandfon any longer, and that the King did not expeCt they lhou'd ruin themfeives to maintain him on the Throne Iince in that cafe it wou'd be impraCJ:icabie ~ but that if they wou'd difpofe him to re: lign, the King wou'd endeavour to get fome Pa_rtiti~n for him., 'Tis extremely probable, th1s Tr1ck .was try d at Madrid to find how the Grandees were inclin'!i to ~a on this occafion ; the Duke de Medina in particu!Jr who was the firft Min iller; and that whc~ they had go' out of him the Senfe of him and his Friend~ on this nice SubjeCt, the ufe they made ~f It, was to betray him to the Duke of A"JOU : and poffibly the thing went further, and lhat in concert with the Frmcb to fa~e t~e King's Honour, they had agreed to fe1zc h1s Perfon and carry him off; which I · I re- |