732 FRA 
Salvador, and drove the Spaniards from all the forts they 
occupied. Three engagements were fought between the 
combined Spanifh and Dutch fleets and the French, in one 
of which Valbelle commanded the van, and his veffel was 
engaged with de Ruyter’s. In this adlion de Ruyter was 
killed, A.D. 1676, and the Dutch fleetretired inconfufion. 
During the various operations of the hoftile armies, the 
language of peace had been refumed, and a congrefs efta. 
blifhed at Nimegucn under the mediation of the king of 
England : the Dutch, loaded with debts and haraffed 
■with taxes, were defirous of putting an end to the war. 
Louis was alfo fincerely defirous of peace; but his 
haughty mind was confcious that a good treaty could only 
be obtained by vigoroufly pufhing on the war. In Fe¬ 
bruary 1677, he laid fiege to Valenciennes, and carried it 
by florin ; he nextinvefled Cambray and St. Omer. The 
prince of Orange advanced to the relief of the latter place, 
and was encountered by the duke of Orleans and marflial 
Luxemburg. The Dutch were defeated, and Compelled 
to feek fhelter under the walls of Ypres; while Cambray 
and St. Omer furrendered, and clofed the operations of 
the campaign. 
Negociations for peace flill continued; and Charles II. 
of England, having beftowed the hand of his niece on the 
prince of Orange, was more than ever defirous of conci¬ 
liating the belligerent powers. The king of France had 
taken the field with his ufual firmnefs, and had reduced 
Ypres and Ghent ; and the army under Luxemburg had 
inverted Mons, when Van Beverning, at Nimeguen, in 
1678, figned the treaty of peace with the minifters of 
France. By this treaty Louis fecured pofleflion of Franche 
Compte, together with Cambray, Air, Saint Omer, Va¬ 
lenciennes, Tournay, Ypres, Bouchain, Cafl'el, &c. and 
agreed to rertore to Spain Charleroi, Courtrai, Oudenarde, 
Athe, Ghent, and Leonbourgh ; while in the north, his 
ally the king of Sweden was reinftated inthofe dominions 
of which he had been dripped by the joint forces of Den¬ 
mark and Germany. 
The war which had fo long agitated Europe, was fuc- 
ceeded by four years of profound peace. Louis, ever on 
the alert, diligently employed this time in preparing for 
future conquerts. The treaty that he had fo lately figned 
at Nimeguen could not fufpend his infatiate third for do¬ 
minion : by treachery he pofleffed himfelf of the impe¬ 
rial city of Strafburg ; he purchafed Cafal of the duke 
of Mantua; and difpoffefl'ed the eledlor Palatine and the 
elector of Treves of the lordfliips of Falkemburg, Ger- 
mafheim, and Valdentz. Ports and harbours were con- 
ftrudtedat Bred and Toulon ; the fortifications were every 
where (Lengthened and improved by the celebrated Vau- 
ban; the docks were completely occupied with new (hips 
of war ; the army was augmented, and the magazines 
replenifhed ; while the people, enriched by arts and com¬ 
merce, cheerfully acquiefced under fevere imports. 
The death of the queen, in 1684, was an event but little 
regarded by Louis, who already felt that paflion for ma- 
dame de Maintenon which accompanied him through the 
refidue of his life; he was doubtlef's impreffed with 
more real concern at the lofs of Colbert, whofe (kill and 
integrity as a financier had greatly contributed to his con- 
quefts ; that minirter expired when the ambition of the 
king had juft influenced him to commence a new war. 
On pretences the mod frivolous, Louis had demanded 
Aloft of the Spaniards ; and on their refufal he feized on 
Luxemburg. The indignation of Spain had impelled her 
to an open declaration of war againft France ; but her 
own weaknefs, and the fituation of the other powers of 
Europe, compelled her to lign at Ratifbon a truce for 
twenty years, which left Louis in the peaceable pofleflion 
of Luxemburg. With equal injuftice that monarch had 
bombarded Genoa, and reduced the republic to fue for 
peace in the mort abiedt manner, for having ftipulated to 
build fome gallies for the Spaniards. But greater glory 
accompanied his projected expedition againft Algiers; 
and thole licentious rovers, after beholding the greateft 
N C £. 
part of their city reduced to alhes, fubmitted to releafe 
feveral hundreds of Chriftian captives. Yet vanity or in- 
tereft were the foie motives thatadluated the fovereignof 
France ; for while he braved the fpiritual cenfure of the 
Roman pontiff, and dripped that fee of Avignon, he re¬ 
voked the benevolent edidts of Nantz, revived the perfe- 
cution againft the proteftants, and, in 1687, drove by his 
miftaken policy into exile above five hundred t’noufand 
of the mod ufeful and induftrious inhabitants of France. 
Immenfe numbers of thefe perfecuted people fettled in 
England, Holland, and different parts of Germany, where 
they eftablilhed the filk manufadlures, to the great preju¬ 
dice of their own country. Louis difcovered too late 
that the charadlers of a conqueror and perfecutor are in¬ 
compatible ; befides weakening his own kingdom by the 
banifhment of fo many fubjedls, the melancholy fate of 
the refugees had inflamed againft him all the proteftant 
nations of Europe. The prince of Orange, who well 
knew how to avail himfelf of the general indignation, had 
by his intrigues and influence formed a league at Augf- 
burg, where the whole empire united in its defence 
againft the French monarch ; Spain and Holland became 
parties in the fame alliance ; the accethon of Savoy was 
afterwards obtained ; and Sweden and Denmark feemed 
to favour the caufe. The knowledge of this league did 
not efcape the vigilance of the king of France; and, to 
anticipate the defigns of the confederates, he invaded the 
empire, and laid (iege to Philiplburg ; but his attention 
was engroffed by the affairs of England, which by the 
abdication of king James, in 1688, had placed the crown 
on the head of the prince of Orange; and that monarch, 
as William III. prepared to affert his own dignity, and to 
vindicate the liberties of Europe. 
England and Holland, the two great maritime powers of 
Europe, the German empire and Spain, with the greateft 
part of Italy, were now united againft France; but her 
monarch ft ill confided in Iris former fortune, and his ene¬ 
mies acknowledged the mighty extent of his preparations. 
Philiplburg was taken ; Manheim, Frankendal, Spires, 
Worms, and Oppenheim, furrendered; and the fruitful 
country of the Palatinate was, at the unrelenting voice of 
Louis, configned to deftrudtion ; her towns were reduced to 
alhes, her fertile fields became adefert, and the wretched 
people, driven from their habitations by the brutality of 
the foldiers, were left to perifh by famine and the incle¬ 
mency of the feafon. Such were the means by which 
Louis XIV. endeavoured to intimidate his enemies and 
protect his frontier. But the grand objedf of Louis was 
to rertore to his dominions the fugitive James. That un¬ 
happy prince had (till a ftrong party in Ireland; and a 
confiderable fleet was fitted out to fecond his efforts, and 
in its courfe encountered the fquadrons of England and 
Holland in an indecifive engagement ; he was received 
into Limerick, and his firft fuccefs exceeded his molt fan- 
guine expectations; but his career was checked by the 
fkill of the duke of Schomberg ; and on the banks of the 
Boyne he was vanquilhedby the fuperior fortune and ge¬ 
nius of William. 
In two engagements at fea, the fleet of France had at 
heart: maintained an equality with thofe of England and 
Holland ; and Louis, rtill anxious to rertore the (flattered 
fortunes of James, determined to hazard a general udtion, 
and, if vidtorious, to invade England. The hoftile 
fleets met in the channel near Cape la Hogue in 1692, 
and Tourville, the French admiral, obeyed with alacrity 
the orders of his fovereign ; but the fuperior numbers of 
the confederates foon decided the fate of the day. The 
French admiral’s own fhip, with twenty more of the 
larged veffels of his fleet, were deftroyed by the fire of 
the vidtors ; and James, with a figh of defpair, beheld 
from a neighbouring eminence the gloomy flame which 
for ever blurted his future fame and fortune. But on land 
Louis rtill maintained his fuperiority ; Namur, the (Long¬ 
ed fortrefs of the Netherlands, was reduced even in the 
fight of William ; and though the adlivity and vigilance 
