fi 
HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
T was impoffible that tranfaCtions 
of the kind we have juft been re- 
Tating, fhould not, in every point of 
view, forcibly attract the attention 
‘of all the furrounding nations of 
Europe. But, to the people of thefe 
kingdoms, they became, at an early 
period, from feveral peculiar circum- 
Rances, a fubject matter of a more 
“direét, as well as ferious intereft. 
Betore we proceed, therefore, to the 
~ detail of our parliamentary proceed- 
ings, it will be neceflary to give a 
fhort account of the general impref- 
fion which the tranfactions of France 
made upon the public mind; to 
point out the diiferent views they 
fuggefted to political parties, and the 
+ firlt appearance of a defign to form 
-a common caufe between the {pe- 
-culative reformers of our own na- 
‘tion, and the levelling party, which 
. Yoon became all-powerful, in France. 
The reader will have remarked 
* the many favourable circumftances, 
under which the ftates-gencral of 
France were at firft aflembied, and 
which feemed to require but an ordi- 
nary degtee of public virtue-and poli- 
tical prudence to improve them into 
the moftimportantadvantages. With 
a fpirit of conceffion tending to faci- 
lity, the reprefentatives of the two firtt 
orders, the clergy and the nobility, 
” were empowered, by the infructions 
- of their refpective conftituents, to 
concede upon almoft all the points, 
Which had ever been confidered as 
invidious, or were then in difpute, 
and particularly thofe of pecuniary 
ee. Every thing that could 
€ required from a prince, to whom 
the happinefs of his people had ever 
“been the object neareft his heart, 
~ Was to be reckoned upon as certain; 
* and, amongtt the reft, the future pe- 
riodical meetings of the ftates, by 
_ which the gradual improvement of 
[63. 
the conftitution, without convulfion, 
perhaps without conteft, was almoft 
a necefiary confequence. 
Whilft the affairs of France wore 
this promiling afpeé, the Englith 
nation feemed difpofed to congratu- 
late, with fincerity, its ancient rival 
upon the dawn of its liberty. A 
laudable partiality for their own 
country had, indeed, excited appre-~ 
henfions in fome, that France, by 
availing itfelf of the advantages of a 
free conititution, might become .a 
mgre powerful, and confequently a 
more dangerous neighbour: -whilft 
others, led away by the fathionable 
theories of the day, conceived, that 
whatever temptations to ambition 
France might derive from its future 
profperity, they would be more than 
counterbalanced by thofe principles 
of equity and moderation, which 
might be expected to prevail under 
its new fyitem of government, in 
proportion to the predominance of the 
popular intereftsin it. ‘This latter o- 
pinion had its advocates particularly 
among ft thofe, who were admirers of 
republican forms of government,and 
willing to caft an odium upon mo- 
narchy by attributing all the wars 
which have defolated the world, to 
the ambition and avarice of princes, 
Such, in general, were the opini- 
ons which floated upon. the public 
mind; and rather as matter of cu- 
rious {peculation, than of national! 
concern. But upon what a fuperf- 
cial view of things thefe opinions 
were formed, in all their parts, the 
events, that have fince happened, 
have fully evinced. The evils, 
however, which at that time exiited 
only in their principles, or in fuch 
effects as. might be fuppofed occa~ 
fional or collateral, did not even 
then efcape more experienced ,ob- 
fervers, They were developed and 
purfued 
