FRA 
©F his maturer years would have difdained, and which 
muft folely be imputed to the more fubtle, hut lefs ho¬ 
nourable, policy of cardinal Mazarin. The treaty with 
England in 1657, gave to the arms of France a decided 
fuperiority ; Cromwell engaged to fend fix thoufand in¬ 
fantry into Flanders, on condition that the French fiiould 
attempt the reduction of Mardyke, Gravelines, or Dun¬ 
kirk, all of which had been taken by Spain during the late 
civil commotions. While the marefchal Turenne awaited 
the arrival of the Englifli, he endeavoured by furprife to 
make himfelf mailer of Cambray. He had fcarcely en- 
compaffed the walls, when the prince of Conde, at the 
head of two thoufand horfe, penetrated through the 
army of the befiegers, and having routed every thing that 
flood in his way, entered the town in triumph. The 
marefchal no longer perfifted in the hopelefs enterprife, 
but directed his march towards St. Qrnntin to meet the 
Englilh auxiliaries ; ftrengthened by this reinforcement, 
he fucceffively reduced Montmedi and St. Venant, raifed 
the fiege of Ardres, and concluded the campaign with 
the conquell of Mardyke, which was immediately deli¬ 
vered into the hands of Cromwell. 
Early in the fpring of 1658, the armies refumed their 
holfile preparations. The authority of Cromwell now di¬ 
rected the affairs of France ; and Turenne was ordered to 
co-operate with him in the fiege of Dunkirk, which was 
blocked up by an Englifli fquadron, and fix thoufand Britilh 
infantry joined the French camp. The prince of Conde 
and Don John of Auflria affembled all their forces, and 
attempted to raife the fiege. Turenne quitted his lines 
to encounter the enemy ; and the prince of Conde, who 
was not allowed the difpofition of that day, turned to the 
Englifli duke of Gloucefter, who had accompanied him, 
and afked him, if heliad ever feena battle loft ; the reply 
was in the negative ; “ Then (faid the prince) you will 
fee one now.” The event juftified his difcernment. The 
French and Englifli charged with rival valour ; the Spa¬ 
niards were broken on every fide ; and the prince of 
Conde, who had difplayed in the battle the moll heroic 
courage, preferved the fame undaunted countenance in 
defeat ; the troops under his immediate command were 
ftill formidable, and eff'efted their retreat in order ; but 
the Spanifli army was chaced to the gates of Furnes, and 
above nine thoufand of their troops are fuppofed to have 
fallen in the aftion. 
Dunkirk, though now deftitute of the moft diftant 
hope of fuccour, ftill rejefted the fummons of Turenne, 
and furrendered not till ten daysafter the battle ; the gar- 
rifon marched out with all the honours of war, and Louis 
entered the city in triumph ; but he was foon ignomi- 
nioufly compelled to deliver it up to Lockhart, Crom¬ 
well’s ambaflador ; and the refufal of Mazarin was van- 
quifhed by the menaces of the protestor of England. 
Marefchal Turenne, after gaining Dunkirk, turned his 
arms againft Furnes and Dixtnude ; thefe all'o yielded to 
his viftorious aftanlrs; the Spanifli forces, divided in 
garrifon towns, would probably have been fweptaway by 
the torrent of his arms, had not his career been checked 
by the indifpolition of his fovereign ; but no fooner was 
the health of Louis reftoted, than tliofe intrigues which 
fo often agitated the court, v lnifhed into air, and Tu¬ 
renne was permit ted to fwell the long lift of his conquefts; 
•Oudenarde ana Menin opened their gates after a faint re¬ 
finance ; the marefchal de la Fortewvas detached to inveft 
■Gravelines, and Turenne himfelf covered with his army 
the operations of the fiege. The colours of France 
wantoned on the battlements ; the prince of Ligne was 
encountered and routed ; and Ypres in turn fubmitted to 
the victorious arms of Louis. 
The rigour of the winter, which now fufpended the 
hoftile enterprifes of Spain and France, revived in the 
breafts of their refpeftive minifters the defire of peace. 
The victories of Turenne in the Spanilh Netherlands had 
alarmed the former; and Mazarin was intent on fecming 
the tranquillity of the people of France by the marriage 
VOL; YII. NO. 463. 
N C E. - 729 
of the king. It has been afferted, that, from the affeftion 
of Louis to the niece of the cardinal, he had at one 
time raifed his hopes to a royal alliance ; but the haughty 
fpirit of the queen-mother foon extinguiflied the vain 
idea; and the daughter of the king of Spain, and the 
princefs of Savoy, next prefented themfelves to his view ; 
Mazarin therefore liftened with pleafure to the pacific 
overtures of Don Louis de Haro, who governed Philip IV. 
with the fame abfolute authority as he himfelf ruled 
Louis. A ceffation of arms was immediately agreed 
upon; and in the ifle of Pheafants, on the frontiers of 
the two kingdoms, Mazarin and Don Louis de Hgro ap¬ 
peared as the reprefentatives of their refpeftive fove- 
reigns ; and in four months was concluded the celebrated 
treaty of Pyrenees, A.D. 1659. By this treaty Louis 
was to receive the hand of the infanta with five hundred 
thoufand crowns; Alface and Roufillon were confirmed 
to him ; but he folemnly renounced every fueceflion that 
might accrue to him in right of his fpoufe ; and to 
Charles IV. he reftored the duchy of Lorrain ; to Spaiat 
the cities of St. Oilier, Ypres, Menin, and Oudenarde ; 
and he confented to pardon the prince of Conde. Philip, 
onhis fide extended his clemency to the revolted Catalans ; 
rclinquiftied Verceil to the duke of Savoy ; Reggio to 
the duke of Modena; his whole territories to the duke 
of Monaco ; and to the duke of Newburgh the city of 
Juliers, which for feveral years had been fequeftered in 
the hands of the houfe of Auftria. In 1660, Louis ad¬ 
vanced to St. Jean de Luz to receive the hand of his 
bride ; the royal pair returned to Paris, and in their tri¬ 
umphal entry into that city difplayed a magnificence be¬ 
fore unknown ; but, though on this occalion the cardinal 
indulged the national tafte for fplendour, in every other 
refpeft he narrowly circumfcribed the expences of the 
king, and Louis was often reduced to requeft the loan of 
that wealth, with which the coffers of his tninifter over¬ 
flowed. 
In the anxious acquifition of riches, cardinal Mazarin 
had now reached the period which permitted him no 
longer to enjoy them. The treaty of Vincennes with 
the duke of Lorrain, in 1661, was the laft aft of his ad- 
miniftration ; nine days afterwards he expired ; and by 
a deed of gift he refigned his riches to the king. His dif¬ 
cernment was juftified by the generality of Louis, who im¬ 
mediately reftored theinftrument to his heirs, and honoured 
his memory by the compliment of wearing mourning. 
On the death of Mazarin, Louis XIV. prepared to 
throw off tliofe (hackles which the afcendancy of the 
minifter had impofed. The officers of ftate, who little 
expefted that a young prince, only in his twenty-third 
year, would limit the purfuit of his pleafures to fuftain 
the toils of government, impatiently enquired whom they 
were to apply to ? They were equally furprifed and dif- 
appointed, when Louis anfwered, “To me:” their afio- 
nifiiment ftill increafed, when they found him perfevere. 
He had confulted his own faculties, and made a trial in 
fecret of his capacity for government; his refolution 
once taken, he maintained to the laft moment of his life ; 
he appointed bounds to the jurifdiftion of every minifter; 
obliged him to give an account of his adminiftration at 
certain hours ; reftored order to the finances, and efta- 
blifhed difcipline among the troops. In his tranfaftions 
with foreign (fates he afferted the dignity of his crown 
with becoming vigilance ; the ambaflador of Spain at the 
court of London, had on a public occalion difputed his 
precedence with that of France ; but tire remonllrances 
of Louis extorted from Philip ample fatisfaftion ; and 
the Spanilh monarch difpatched the count ot Fuentes 
with the national conceflion, “ that the minifters of Spain 
(hould no longer aifpute the precedency with tliofe of 
France.” With the court of Rome he di(played equal 
magnanimity. His ambalfador the duke of Crequi had 
been infulted, and even his carriage fired into by the 
guards of that city ; the king menaced to avenge the 
affront by arms; and be compelled pope Alexander V! 1, 
8 Z te 
