730 
FRANCE. 
to fatisfy his honour by erecting a pillar in Rome, expref- 
fing tl'.e injury and reparation. The fatisfaption that he 
derived from thefe events was increafed by the birth of a 
fon, in 1661 ; and the fecurity of his kingdom was aug¬ 
mented by the purchafe of Dunkirk. Charles It. of 
England, whole toils in the fchool of adverfity had not 
taught him economy, was reduced by his profufion to 
part with that important place, and Louis obtained it at 
the price of four hundred thou (and pounds. He imme¬ 
diately employed thirty thoufand men to fortify it by 
land and fea; and dug the capacious bafon between the 
town and the citadel, capable of containing a fleet of 
men of war. 
In the iapfe of fix years, the French monarch it ad re- 
pleniflied his coffers, created a naval force, augmented 
his armies, and provided large magazines, and an im- 
rnenfe quantity of military (tores. The two minifters 
who principally (hared his confidence were Colbert and 
Louvois. The former in the finances, rivalled the fame 
and abilities of the duke of Sully; the latter firft dif- 
played to Europe the means of fublifting large armies at 
a distance by magazines. The prince of Conde and the 
marefchal Turenne were fiill in the vigour of life ; and 
France might juftly boaft the fuperiority of her (fatefmen 
and her generals. Anne of Auftria, the queen-mother, 
wlio no longer retained her influence over the mind of 
her fon, had funk unnoticed into the grave. The death 
of Philip of Spain, in 1668, was an event of more im¬ 
portance ; lie left a fon, Charles II. but the queen of 
France, the i(fue of a former marriage, laid claim to a 
confiderable province of the Spanifh monarchy, even to 
the exclufion of-her brother. By the culiom of fome 
parts of Brabant, a female of a firft marriage was pre¬ 
ferred to a male of the fecond ; and Louis, in open vio¬ 
lation of his folemn renunciation in the treaty of mar¬ 
riage, now prepared to vindicate the claim of his confort 
by arms. 
The king of France, with an army of forty thoufand 
men, burft into the defencelefs provinces of Flanders. 
The towns without magazines, without fortifications, and 
without garrifons, furrendered to Louisas foon as he pre- 
fented himfelf before them. The banners of France were 
in an inftant difplayed from the walls of Athe, Tournay, 
Oudenarde, Courtrai, Charleroy, and Binche; Liile 
alone maintained a reliftance of nine days; and the king 
returned to Paris from the campaign attended by the moft 
important acquifitions, but which had rather refembled a 
party of pleafure, than a warlike expedition. The repu¬ 
tation which ruarfhal Turenne acquired in this enter- 
prife, awakened the jealcufy of the prince of Conde. 
The inclemency of the feafon could not chill his martial 
ardour, and in the mvdft. of winter he piopofed to his fo- 
vereign the inyafion of Franche Comte. That province, 
fituated on the borders of Swiiferland, and protected by 
the houfe of Auftria, enjoyed its ancient privileges, under 
the jurifdidtion of a parliament. Befanyon and Salins, 
the two ftrongeft towns, were inverted and reduced by 
the prince of Conde. Louis haftened to join his army, and 
laid fiege to Dole ; in four days that city was compelled 
;o open its gates ; and in three weeks the conqueft of the 
entire province was completely achieved. 
The rapid luccefs of Louts began to awaken the envy 
and the fears of his fufpicious neighbours. A triple 
league was formed by England, Holland, and Sw eden, to 
prefcribe the limits of his ambition. The arbitration of 
fo formidable a confederacy could not be rejected. A 
negoeiafion was commenced, and haftily concluded. By 
a peace at Aix la Chapelle, in 1669, Louis retained bis 
acquifitions in Flanders, but reftored Franche Comte to 
Spain ; though even by thefe conditions he gained an ex- 
tenfive territory, yet he ever after harboured a deep and 
implacable refentment againft the dates of Holland, whole 
deputies had difplayed at the congrefs the high and in¬ 
flexible fpirit o! republicans. 
At the moment that Louis figned the treaty of peace, 
lie meditated new wars, and prepared to fatiate his re¬ 
venge. The firft object of his councils was to detach the 
king of England from his alliance with Holland. His 
brother the duke of Orleans had married the fifter of 
Charles II. and the influence of that princefs was exerted 
over the mind of the Englilh monarch. The neceflities 
of Charles feconded her arts ; the Liras that his profu¬ 
fion demanded, and his parliament denied, were Lipplied 
by Louis; and the king of England, in 1670, was pre¬ 
vailed upon to relinquish the moft fettled maxims of ho¬ 
nour and policy, and to fign engagements for the deftruc- 
tion of Holland, with whom lie had fo lately united him- 
felf-to reprefs the ambition of France. 
If the alliances and armaments of Charles and Louis 
appeared formidable in the eyes of Europe, the pretences 
they affigned for their hoftile intentions were frivolous 
and contemptible. The former complained that the cuf- 
tomary honours had been refufed to the Englifh flag, 
and that pictures injurious to the reputation of the Eng- 
lifli had been encouraged : the latter maintained greater 
dignity, if undifguifed violence and injuftice can merit 
that appellation ; he pretended that the behaviour of the 
Hollanders had been fucli as to refledt dilhonour on the 
crown of France. At the moment that the United Pro¬ 
vinces were thus menaced, they could derive but little 
fatisfadtion from the review of their domeftic fituation. 
Two fadtions at that time agitated the republic. The 
one headed by John de Wit, grand petitionary, a man 
equally eminent for greatnefs of mind and fcrupulous in¬ 
tegrity ; the other defirons of reftoring the ftadtholder- 
fliip, and of inverting the prince of Orange with the ports 
and dignities of his anceftors. 
Into this devoted country Louis XIV. in 1671, led a 
moft formidable army, aided by thofe illuftrious com¬ 
manders Turenne, Conde, Luxemburg, and Vauban. 
Louis parted the Meufe at Vifat, pofferted himfelf of Orfoi, 
reduced in four days Burik, Wefal, Emerik, and Rhimberg ; 
and prefl’ed forwards to the Rhine. To the other calamities 
of the Dutch, was added the extreme drought of the fea¬ 
fon. The French cavalry, from the unufual lownefs of 
of the water, and animated by the prefence of their fove- 
reign, plunged into the ftream ; 'a few Dutch regiments 
on the oppolite fide made but a feeble refiftance; and the 
celebrated partage of the Rhine, the fubjedl of fo much 
panegyric, was achieved without danger and almoft with¬ 
out oppolition. This fuccefs added courage to the con¬ 
querors, and (truck the vanquifhed with difmay ; and 
every hour brought intelligence of Come frefh acquisition, 
A lift of defencelefs cities that opened their gates on the 
appearance of an enemy, can afford neither infirudtion nor 
entertainment to the reader. It will be fufncient to ob- 
ferve, that in little more than a month three provinces, 
Guelderland, Overyrtel, and Utretcht, were in the hands 
of Louis ; Groningen was threatened ; Friezeland lay ex- 
pofed ; and the only difficulty that prefented itfelf was in 
Holland and Zealand. Conde and Turenne exhorted the 
king to difmantle the towns he had taken, and prefs on 
to new conquefts; but Louis liftened to the counfels of 
Louvois, who prevailed on him to (Lengthen thefe acqui- 
fitions with new fortifications ; a project which, by weak¬ 
ening the main army, proved fatal to his defigns. 
At fea the Dutch manifefied the moft undaunted cou¬ 
rage in a memorable and bloody engagement with the 
combined fleets of two powerful nations. De Ruyter, 
their admiral, on this occafion acquired immortal honour, 
and acknowledged, that of two and thirty actions which 
he had beheld, this combat was the moft obftinateiy dif- 
puted. The lofs fuftained by the two fleets was nearly 
equal; the approach of night at length fulpended the fury 
of the combatants; and both retired to their refpetrtive 
harbours to repair the damages they had fuffered. But 
the glory of de Ruyter could not infpire his countrymen 
to emulate his conduct by land ; the (hues determined to 
fupplicate the pity of the confederated monarchs; but 
the conditions that Louis impofed were little better than 
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