FROM THE SPANISH MONARCHY. 1 75 



glorious ilrucliire of its greatnefs. Forty years long 

 did this war continue, the fight of the happy termina- 

 tion whereof was denied to the dying eyes of Philip, 

 which laid wafte a paradife in Europe and created a 

 new one from its fpoils — which confumed the flower 

 of the martial youth, enriched a whole quarter of the 

 globe, and reduced to a ftate of indigence the poffef- 

 for of the golden realms of Peru. This monarch, who, 

 without oppreffing his people,- had annually at his 

 command nine hundred tons of gold, who extorted 

 much more by the odious arts of tyranny, heaped a 

 debt of a hundred and forty millions of ducats on his 

 depopulated country. An implacable antipathy td 

 freedom diffipated all thefe enoimous treafures, and 

 wore out his royal life in fruitlefs enterprifes. But the 

 reformation nouriihed under the devaftations of his 

 fword, and the new republic raifed its triumphant ban- 

 ner on the corpfes of its Haughtered citizens. 



This unexpected turn of affairs feemed to border on 

 the miraculous ; but a variety of circumftances com- 

 bined to break the power of this mighty prince and to 

 favour the advancement of the infant ftate. Had the 

 whole force of his arms been bent againfl the united 

 provinces, there had been no deliverance for their re- 

 ligion, no efcape for their liberty. His own ambition 

 came in to affift their weaknefs, by obliging him to 

 divide his powers. The expemive policy of keeping 

 traitors in pay in every cabinet of Europe, the fupport 

 lie adminiftered to the league in France, the infurrec- 

 tion of the Moors in Grenada, the conqueft of Portu- 

 gal, and the pompous erection of the Efcurial, at 

 . length brought the treafures to an end that feemed in- 



ex- 



