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A35780
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The Designs of France against England and Holland discovered, or, The intrigues of that crown for the utter ruine of both those nations, laid open.
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1686
(1686)
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Wing D1177; ESTC R197
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13,358
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14
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till after this when the King of England prosecuted his Right to the Kingdom of France that the Salick Law was made upon a Speech of the Bishop of Beauvais's in the Assembly of the States in which he endeavoured to make out from an allusion to that place of the Gospel The Lillies Spin not that the Crown of France ought not to fall to the Distaff But that Law could not prescribe to time past but only to that which was to come and consequently could not invalidate the King of England's Pretensions After this Henry the Fifth entring France with a powerful Army and having defeated the French in several Battels Married Catharin Daughter to Charles the Sixth and in the Year 1441 it was concluded that Henry should be King of France Isabella also who was Queen of France and Mother to Catharin Queen of England made her last Will in Favour of her Son in Law declaring him therein the sole Heir of all her Estate and of the Crown which encreases the just Pretensions and strengthens the Rights of England to the Kingdom of France Had the French King but half the Pretensions to England which the King of England has to France the World would soon hear of nothing but Manifesto's to prove them just as he calls all he does So that the King of England ought upon all occasions and in all respects to suspect France and to beware of him as a most dangerous Enemy who flatter'd and humour'd his late Majesty only to lull him asleep that he might play his game without being disturb'd or interrupted by him who whenever it shall please him to mind and be true to his own Interest will undoubtedly carry the greatest stroke in the Affairs of Europe 'T is therefore no wonder that King Lewis the Fourteenth spared nothing that might supply the Necessities or provide for the Pleasures of the late King Charles the Second as Monsieur Barillon and the Dutchess of Portsmouth can Witness But I must tell you that the French King confiders no Body whether Prince or private Person any further than as they may be servicable to promote his own ends Yea Vertue it self is not esteemed by him except it go hand in hand with his Interest Do but confider what account he made of the Princes and Princesses of England in Cromwels time were they not obliged to leave France and to seek for Entertainment elsewhere And it is notorious that he never contributed any thing towards the late Kings Restauration till it was past his skill to hinder it So that upon the whole neither the Resentment of the Royal Family nor the Interest of England will allow of such strict Alliances with France as might tie up the King of Englands hands and make him an idle Spectator whilst Lewis the Great makes himself Master of the Low Countries but on the contrary he must always be ready to oppose any the least Attempt he shall make toward it making use in the mean time of the Six Regiments he has in Holland which the States will not deny him on that account till he can send some other Troops over to Flanders I am perswaded that those Six Regiments will be able to make Head against double the number of Frenchmen and when England shall thus be pleased but to shew its Teeth all Europe will thereby be safe Resist the Devil and he will fly from you but if you fear him he will make you his Slaves France has cut out work enough for King James the Second and the business that he hath taken in hand is so great that many people fear and others hope he 'l never compass it 'T is not a time to alter old Laws when the Enemy is at the Gates 't is not always seasonable for a King to act the Missionary but much more requisite that he shew himself a brave Soldier and good Politician All the World was in expectation of great things from his Majesty his Courage put all Europe in hopes of an universal Relief and some Respite for Spain but how has he frustrated and befool'd their Hopes whilst his sole Study is to please the Jesuits and to kindle a Fire in his own Kingdom which probably he will never be able to quench when he would as long as he dares not Convene a Free Parliament As Spain became depopulated by the departure of the Moors so is France greatly weaken'd and impoverished by the Dragoon Conversions and flight of the Protestants and the French King would fain see England brought to the same pass 'T is a high Presumption to rob God of his Right 't is to him the Honour of Converting does belong that work surpassing the Power and Activity of a Creature So leaving that care to God the King of England ought to lay out his Endeavours about preserving his Dominions from becoming a Prey to that Ambitious Prince by obliging him to keep within his own bounds and not to encroach upon his Neighbours Territories and in so doing the King will make good the Hopes and Expectation Europe had conceived of him The Designs of France against theVnited Provinces AFter the States of the Vnited Provinces had by their Powerful Arms constrained Spain to acknowledge them a Free State who owed Allegiance to none but God alone they were for a time the Object of their Neighbours Admiration and Envy every one endeavouring to Court and make Alliances with this growing State which began to be lookt upon as the Umpire of Europe But this high Reputation of theirs has suffer'd a notable Eclipse since the War of 1672 when France having brought them to the very brink of Destruction pleas'd himself with the thoughts of seeing them tumble headlong into the Pit he had digged for them neither would he have been mistaken in his hopes had not the people given a sudden and unlookt for turn to the face of Affairs by declaring the Prince of Orange Stadthouder the Providence of Almighty God at the same time concurring with their Endeavours to preserve that small Spot of Ground by confounding and daunting their Enemies who after the taking of Naerden were struck with such a Panick Fear that theâ— ran away none pursuing them Now what contributed most to the Mischiefs they were involved in at that time was that besides the Treasonable Correspondences which France held with some principal Members of that Government they had neither any good Troops nor a Commander in Chief and relying on the Peace and fair Promises of France they were well nigh lull'd asleep by that fatal Melody whilst that King was hard at work to undermine the Foundation of their dear bought Liberties and Government We find in time of Peace the Soldiers grow Idle as well as their Arms rusty Ease pleaseth and flatters us and Men are soon perswaded to lay aside the Exercise of Arms to betake themselves to a more gainful way of Living so that when the Enemy approached they are readier to embrace shame
THE DESIGNS OF FRANCE AGAINST England and Holland Discovered Or the Intrigues of that Crown for the utter Ruine of both those Nations laid open WITH ALLOWANCE ADVERTISEMENT to the READER THESE Papers which were intended to be publish'd before this time had the Press been open for such Truths plainly discover the cunning Intrigues Wicked Designs and Unchristian Practices of the French King for the Overthrow of England and Holland and with them the Protestant Religion If this Account be as 't is hoped approved of a further Information may be expected from the same Hand A Discovery of the Designs of France against England HENRY VIII King of England did in his time cause a Medal to be stampt with a Hand stretch'd out of a Cloud holding a Balance in equal poise whereof both the Scales represented Spain and France with this Motto Cui adhaereo praeest My Alliance weighs it down It seems that Prince well knew his own Might whereas now England may be compared to an Ox who being insensible of his own strength quietly submits himself to the Yoke Evident it is That England has many Advantages beyond other Kingdoms but especially this that being an Island it can easily secure it self against any Foreign Force they that intend an Invasion against it must be obliged to cross the Seas and struggle with the Winds and Waves and all the hazards and dangers of that unstable Element besides a very potent Fleet which alone is sufficient to deter their hardiest Enemy from any such Design Now this being so 't is manifest that the King of England having Peace and a strict Alliance with Holland can over-balance the Party he designs against This is a Truth France is so fully convinc'd of that notwithstanding the great Antipathy there is between both Nations he has hitherto spar'd nothing and is still turning every stone to take off England from its true Interest and to engage it on his side or at least oblige it to stand Neuter and to be an idle unconcern'd Spectator of the horrid Tragedy the French King acts upon the Theatre of Europe because he well knows that England is better able to prevent it and spoil his Sport than any other State or Kingdom whatsoever and rescue Europe from the Universal Slavery he prepares for it Would the King of England only be pleased to open his Eyes fast closed with the enchanted slumbers of the French Dalilah to take a view of his own Strength and true Interest he should soon find himself making another Figure amongst the Princes of Europe than of late Years he hath done and with ease mount that high degree of Power and Glory of being the profest Umpire of the Universe the Sovereign Mediator and Decider of Controversies and the Giver of Peace to all Europe which France in a vain Bravado pretends to when indeed he is the sole Troubler of it To arrive at this transcendent pitch of Grandeur and Authority two things only which the King of England may do when he pleases are requisite The first is That his Majesty do comport himself so as to engage the Love of his People and keep a right Understanding between him and his Parliament And the second That he enter into a strict Alliance with Holland living in sincere Amity perfect Union and good Correspondence with them in order to their common Defence and Security The former of these is very easie and the King will do it as soon as he shall resolve to desire nothing of his Parliament but what is agreeable with the Laws of the Realm which by his Coronation Oath he is obliged to observe and maintain and the latter will be found to be of absolute necessity as soon as the King of England shall please to stop his Ears to the false Suggestions of France and stifle those Jealousies and Resentments which his Emissaries daily buzze into his Head there being nothing to fear for England from the States whose desire is not to enlarge their Dominions as France do's by invading those of their Neighbors but only to keep what God has given them and to maintain their Subjects in the Liberty they now enjoy This France so well knows that he leaves no Stone unturn'd to prevent it and continually sends forth some crafty turbulent Spirits to sowe the Seeds of Division and Misunderstanding between the King and his Parliament Thus the Spirit of France was at work to exasperate the Episcopal Party against the Presbyterians and again the Presbyterians and other Nonconformists against them making them believe that the Bishops favoured Popery and would not fail to prove Turn-coats as soon as a favourable Opportunity should be offer'd them and that the King did incline the same way with a thousand like Suggestions which so set the People against the King and filled the Parliament with such Jealousies that they often granted his then Majesty but very little of what he demanded and gave him so much work at Home that he had no leisure to consider what was done Abroad It was France that first kindled the Civil Wars in the time of Charles I. which cost England so much Blood the French Ambassador that was then at that Court boasting at his Return from thence That he had kindled a Fire in England which should not be quenched of a long time and that the English for 20 Years to come would not be in a condition to claim any thing of France To the kindling of this Unhappy Flame one Father Joseph a Capuchine Fryar did much contribute under-hand by means of the Papists especially those that were in the Parliament's Army But now since the King of England has thought good to change his Religion France also has alter'd his Battery and turn'd all his great Guns against the Church of England and so far are the minds of Men irritated against one another that his British Majesty will not this good while be in a condition to look any where else but at Home where he is like to meet with so many Crossings and Thwartings of the Designs he is carrying on that he will find it a hard matter to break through them and accomplish the thing he aims at and so zealously affects And whil'st these Heart-burnings continue between the King and his People he will be forced continually to be upon his Guard and to keep his Forces about him and cast about his Thoughts how to raise a Fund to maintain them and thereby give an opportunity to France to possess himself of the Low-Countries and of Spain too in case that King should chance to dye which happy hour France with a great deal of Impatience looks for As for the second point viz. a League with the Vnited Privinces and a right understanding and good Correspondence between those two Governments to oppose all Powers that would invade and trouble the Peace of Christendom it is certain that the States for their parts would most gladly embrace the Proposal if they saw