“FRANCE 
and, “Germany and”. Sweden favoured his pro 
®ver-ran feveral of the provinces, and adv 
gate erdam, when the Dutch overflowed the country 
by one in the fea, and the French were obliged to retreat. 
Thea 
tain an alliance in aid of the republic. of Lew 
e pence e concluded 
The armi 
however, fill continued facets ul, anc 
at was 4 favour r of (Fran 
oot, either re ee or meet 
the ee to humble the eee ‘G 
ree s and’ Genoa. The former was forced to relca ey 
without any remuneration, all the French fubjeéts whom 
they had made flaves, and promifed to exercife that power no 
more : the lat sada more than half demolifned by bom 85 could 
ear 
Snee and o te cca officers to 
Having annexe fever: inipaliien to his vatt dominions, 
having obtained very important fucceffes in a new war, and 
having laid the Piaae watte, gare m ruins, and having 
se wife sae the ediG of Nantes, i whole continent, of 
England at the head, 
e main- 
2 se 1 he experienced fome fevere checks ; 
his navy was deftroyed at La Hogue, the ag were 1 
ed byt ei far fhips, which deftroyed. Havre, and reduced 
eppe afhes. Vidor ory w s, however, a com panion of 
eee by land ; but the numerous armies which he kept in 
the field depopulated the kingdom, and occafioned a famine. 
“The people ceafed to admire, and gee the dire effets. of 
war, they be to murmur ne was added the 
calamity of civil war. The prot teftants revolted, becaufe 
their worfhip was a fle rches demolifhed, 
a million of 
sndutel nOUS s fubjedts, and the rame cf Lewis 
e Great was eee all over Europe. Now the united 
pees of bec and eae under the Seno of Marl- 
ent 1 rtunate. m tre 
year 1702, till nearly i dlofe of ihe sign w oa happened 
.ewis fuftained a feries of det oe calamities. 
t ielde . to 
and France was in his time eeaally i illuftrious by the tary 
talents of her generals, and by Z e oe which fhe mad 
‘i the arts and {ciences. ae WIS. 
the laft ee of Lew ° XIV. the Slade ey of the 
country devolved on his great grand-fon, who at the de- 
ceafe of the monarch only f five years old, and ie intent was 
feized by Philip duke of res whote authority was 
fanétioned by a parliament of P 
‘turn to the manners of the ans Tad of that grave and 
auftere etek ice — ies a in it, nothing was 
‘hope, 
the young King fhould die, whofe health was exceedi: agly 
a arious 
thepd of which he was alae er he people murmt ore 
“deprefations, ‘but-he: amici shele ae ete se 
je. He 
ed almoft to the. 
pre 
- however def; air; the fpirit of the brave se ureee pie 
roufed by her. magnanimity 5 re sdiftrefs excited the 
Ke “pal 
n this he -was. difappointed 
‘for iby cual — 
alliance aa bet es Englan nd @ nd 
the king of Peuffia. Thefe dite ons gave but ‘fictle inter- 
ruption to that general tranquillity which Europe enjoyed 
from the peace of Utrecht till the year 1734.° At that pé» 
riod a flame broke e out, in confequence of the a. of Ati- 
guitus If. the ae of Poland, and {oon fpread itfelf through 
every par rope. Lewis withed to place on the throne 
of es ets father-in-law Staniflaus, but the Ruflians 
and the houfe of Auftria ef 
Sax n e war Ww 
daughter Maria Therefa was not allawed to remain ‘Ton 
quiet poffeffion of that vait inheritance which her father 
beerr fo anxious to fecure for her. 
claim to different parts of her dominions, and t 
which had been thrown by the feudal fyftem over the right 
of fucceffion to o kingdoms, enabled each claimant to give th 
appearance of juitice to his rg Charles “Albert, 
of Bav 2 laid claim the fuc cefh ion of Bo emia 
princes were labouring to eftablifh the paftic 
demands, the ficcehital invafion of Silefia oy he bing of 
Pruffia, at the head of 30,000. men, invite r powers to 
ta! ae = se fhewed the feveral eer that the 
ually tain their Se 
ardinal Fleu 
logic effe 
Novwithtanding the Laser difpofition of ¢ 
d not lon an idle {peGtat or of ey con- 
Fra e di remain 
into ee ae inftead ee con me his t 
or of purfui ing the queen, who h , fled for halter to. Han- 
lovereign power, to crofs invade .Bohemia. 
“his was in the autumn of 114 agu e sraprnieas tle 
more cad lerable nia n can well be eee ‘She k d 
