OCR Text |
Show [ 54 J M~n !bou'd ~boofe the Side they have; Self weighs more with them than a whole Na~ tion, whom they vainly think they ' cannot only make blind but keep fo.7 and hope to skreen themfelves from thi:1r Refentments by fetting them upon thofe who never did them any harm , but have Reddily purfu'd their true Interefts. · But if a 1-{atipn can't fee, they can feel ; and the time may come, when they, who are now fo angry with the late M ~ that there is no Peace, may find it more than they can do. to excufe themfelves for bringing the Nation into a neceffity of fubmittin~ to an ill one. When P~ople have been long well in their Affairs, they may contraCt fuch an Infenfibility of the good Condition they are in, as to be perfuaded they are ill; but when their Affairs go very ill, 'tis not ia the power of Words to make them believe they go well ; and there's nothing can pre~ vent this, nothing can fave the Nation from the dangers fome Men wou'd bring it into, and them from what they deferve for it, but the un!baken Conftancy, and unwearied Encleavours of thofe very Men, whom they daily load with the blackell: Calumnies, and treat in fo barbarous a manner, as if they never thought they cou'd be us'd ill enough. But to return to the Rupture of the Con~ ferences; 'tis plain· they broke off, becau(e the French wou'd not fecure to the Anies the Rell:itution of Spain and the Indies; and 'tis as plain, the French ought to have done this; 'tis what they prom is 'd from the beginning, and undertook for at the opening of the~e Con· [ 55 J Conferences, 'the Propofal of a Partition being incapabllT of any other fair Conll:ruetion : an therefore the blame of the Rupture can lie onty upon the French, or on thofe who have encourag'd them 'to aCt thus, by difcovering the mighcy hafte they were in for Peace. For whether the French, when they firft begall thefe Gpnferences, intended they fhou'd end as they did, may poffibly be a Quell:ion. I. mull: ~~n, when I heard they had propos'd a Paruuon, I thought the neceffity .of their Affairs had at !aft forc'd them ro be lin ·cere, and that they wou'd have ll:ruck up a Peace before Doway was taken ; that the AI~ lies might not extend their Conquell:s beyond the Bounds of their Preliminaries.. And per~ haps, •even after this they might balance with themf.elves, and were for fome time irrefo~ lute, •With intention to confent, or not con. fent to the Allies, as they found themfelves prefs'd by the War. And cou'd the Duke of M--- have either beat their Army or befieg'd .Arras, I 'believe they wou'd hav~ thought, the King might with Honour have abandon'd his Grandfon, after he had facrific'd fo much for the Support of him ; and the Safety of France wou'd have excus'd to al~ tlle ~o~ld his quitting Spain: and it was With th1s v1ew principally, they kept their 1\:Hnill:ers fo long at Gcrtruydenbcrg, that they m1ght be upon the Spot, to clap up a Peace im.mediately, if there lhou'd be occalion. By thiS they were fure t? have an Advantage in _cafe. of a Battle, wh1ch ever wzy it turn'd >' for 1f they loll: it, they wou'd have been able to prevent the fatal Confequences of a great |