HISTORY OF EUROPE, 



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ipost efficaciQusof these means was, 

 to settle the government of every 

 country of which the;/ obtahied 

 possession, exactly on the plan of 

 their own. This was an act of the 

 profoundest policy They seem- 

 ingly divested themselves of all 

 direct authority over the natives, 

 whom they appeared to leav." in 

 the fullest plenitude of their free- 

 dom, both in their public and pri- 

 vate con -erns ; but they took care, 

 at the same time, to retain it thro' 

 the i ifalliblt; influence of the power 

 which they exercised in virtue of 

 their ostensib'e connexions with 

 the state, and their secret intrigues 

 with the party that having first 

 introduced, was now npcessitated 

 to support them. 



That such would be the fatp of 

 the Dutch was no longer doubted : 

 the unwillingness testified by the 

 inhabitants of both the towns and 

 country to co-op'-rate with the 

 military against the Frencia, was 

 open and avowed. 1 hey seemed 

 even sincerely desirous of tiieir 

 absence ; and expressed their wishes 

 with little or no dissimulation. 

 Sucn a state of the^r minds was 

 very astonishing to ^liose wjio we-re 

 {icquainted with the long standing 

 habits of coolness and circum- 

 Rpection in their general co' duct, 

 for which the natives of this pyrt 

 pf Europe have been so usually 

 noted. It proved that uncommon 

 pains must have been taken to 

 altc their ideas ; unless it may be 

 supposed that, being convinced the 

 career of the French was utterly ir- 

 resistible, theyjudged that thesnon- 

 er thry made terms with that con- 

 quering people, the better Ireat- 

 pient they would experience. 



Reasonings of this nature began 



at this time to be veiy commori 

 among ihs commonalty, both in 

 tlie Belgic and the United Pro- 

 vinces. Not only the lower but 

 the mid.liing classes evinced a de- 

 cided repugnance to espouse the 

 cause of any king ; and attributed 

 the invincible character of the 

 French to the conviction they were 

 under, tnat they were no longer 

 fighting for their kings, but for 

 their country. A persuasion oi 

 this kind, well or ill founded, was 

 also diiflising itself very fast in 

 many parts of Germany ; and was 

 the real cause of the repugnance 

 which the people on the frontiers 

 of the empire visibly cx!;ibited 

 when called upon, with exhorta- 

 tions and menaces, to join heart 

 and hand in repelling the French 

 fr m the confines of G-crmany. 

 When these various considerations 

 are laid togetiier, it was not sur- 

 pri:^ii!g that the French themselves, 

 conscious of the prtiality their 

 cause excited in the majority of 

 the inhabitants of those countries 

 they were invading, should, bj' so 

 flattering and cogent a motive, be 

 actuated to the most indefatigable 

 and daring exertions ; and prove 

 in the issue superior to those who 

 contended against them, under so 

 heavy a discouragement as the 

 hatred of the natives of those coun- 

 tries which they were employed to 

 defend, not for them, but for their 

 masteis. 



The very loss of the town, wliicli 

 has given occasion for the fore- 

 going observations, was imputed to 

 the secret machinations of those 

 within the walls who were labour- 

 ing for the service of the French, 

 and continually giving them no- 

 tice of whatever was transacted 



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