1 7 9 2 • political progrtfs of Britain. J^ 7 



" is there any Briton so weak as to think, or so fool- 

 " hardy as to alHrm, that this was a EritiOi qiiar- 

 " rel*?" We acted in a double capacityi as the 

 bullies and the bubbles of Europe. In the year 

 171 8, we engaged in another war with Spain, and on 

 this occasio.i France \ combined with England, Hol- 

 land, and the emperor, to invade that kingdom. How 

 striking is the madnefs cf modern politics ! Six yeans 

 had not yet elapsed, since the termination of a war 

 of ten or eleven campaigns ; and that war had been 

 undertaken, to prevent a French prince from succeed- 

 ing to the crowa of Spain, lest, as a certain conse- 

 quence, that country fliould become a province of 

 France. Within the fliort, the very fhort space of 

 six years only, France combined with his former 

 enemies, against that individual French succefsor. 

 Sir Robert Walpole J afserted in the House of Com- 

 mons, that "our conduct w^s contrary to the law of 

 " nations, and a breach of the most solemn treaties!''^ 

 We could not pretend, that Spain had afforded to 

 Brita:in the most remote pretence of provocation : 

 But the king of Spain had quarrelled with the em- 

 peror, about the pofsefsion of Sicily and Sardinia. 

 The war was extremely unpopular, and the Spani- 

 ards were compelled to submit. 



Our next war with the same nation, commenced 

 in February 1727, with the siege of Gibraltar : And, 

 it is curious enough, that in this war the emperor 

 espoused the cause of the king of Spain, as a proper 

 return for our knight errantry in having seconded his 



• Smollet vol. x. p. 319. -}- Upon the 19th Dectmber 1718. 



X Smollet vol. x. p. zjS. 



