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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42275	The history of France written in Italian by the Count Gualdo Priorato, containing all the memorable actions in France and other neighbouring kingdoms ; the translation whereof being begun by the Right Honourable Henry, late Earl of Monmouth, was finished by William Brent, Esq.; Historia delle revolutioni di Francia sotto il regno di Luigi XIV. English	Gualdo Priorato, Galeazzo, conte, 1606-1678.; Monmouth, Henry Carey, Earl of, 1596-1661.; Brent, William, d. 1691.	1676 (1676)	Wing G2166; ESTC R21817	657,819	516

Duke of Orleans Before the Seals were taken away upon fear that the Duke of Orleans might withdraw from Court and seduce Conde along with him the Queen being desirous to recompence the first President with as good a thing or better made many gracious offers to him as to make a fifth Secretary of State and give the place to his eldest Son or to buy a Presidents place in Parliament for him or to give him his own place after his life but he not being content with any of these she offered to make him Archbishop of Tolouse and indow him with 6000 pound sterling a year And it was further said that she offered to make him a Cardinal and his Son first President so as he would willingly resign the Seals all which he did scornfully refuse and contrary to the wishes of all his friends who told him that a Cardinal and a first President were never known in France to be of one and the same Family which made it be believed that either he thought very well of himself or that he feared to be deluded or that the place of Guard de Seaux was to be prefer'd before all these A treaty of peace with Spain was this mean while introduced by the Dutchess of Longueville's and Marishal T●renne's return to Paris but Conde foreseeing that if this were effected he should be ruined he resolved to send Marquess Sillery about the end of April to Flanders under pretence of the same treaty of peace but in effect to negotiate his own concernments and to renew the treaty which was held at Steney with the Spaniards by Monsieur Croisy and this was the first correspondency which the Prince had with the Spaniards and which yet continues and was the cause why the Spanish Agents did not agree with France touching the general peace The Duke of Espernoun desired as much as the Court did that he might be permitted to quit the Government of Guien so to shu● the disorders which might insue by his remaining in a Province ill af●e●ted to his name the only difficulty lay in finding out another Government equivalent to that of Guienne It was reported that the Prince of Conde not being well pleased with those of Burgundy for not having appeared in h●s imprisonment cooled in the affection which he bore them before Espe●●oun thought therefore that Conde would be easily perswaded to change Governments with him especially being much obliged to the 〈◊〉 for having made head against the King for his liberty wherefore the Duke of Cand●lle sent Gourvill to propound this unto the Prince whom he found willing to accept thereof upon some conditions which were that he would have Guie●ne with all the Towns therein and that he should reserve unto himself in Burgundy the Castle of Dijeon and the Town of St. Iohn de Asne no mention was made of Belgard it being his own particular Patrimony for that Burgundy yielded five or six thousand pounds sterling more than Guienne but these things not being agreed upon the business broke off The Cardinal hearing of this negotiation wish'd the Queen not to permit this change for many reasons which shall be hereafter mentioned The Prince hearing this began to desire that which formerly he had not cared for saying that he would have that change with the aforesaid retentions and that if the Court were against it he would cause new troubles this business was often debated in the Privy Council pro contra Some said that Guienne was well ●cituated for receiving help from Spain and England in case of revolt That the Prince of Conde held intelligence with Spain already which was the only cause why he desired that Government that Guienne and Poictou joyn'd one upon another whereof the Duke of Rochefaucolt was then Governour who was Conde's great friend that the Duke of Rohan Chabot in Anjou was of the same party that Brovages both of them places of importance and the Islands of Olleron and Ree were in Count Ognon's hand who declared against the King that Normandy was under the Duke of Longueville Brother in law to Conde and that Britany was in the Government of Marishal Millerey who was about to ally himself to the said Prince by marrying his Son to Madamoselle de Tremaglia That by reason of so many Towns Provinces and friends back'd by the Spaniards and if need should be by the English France was exposed to apparent danger it was therefore concluded that this evident danger was not to be permitted in so many important Provinces the rather for that the Prince keeping Belgard St. Iohn de Asne and the Castle of Dijeon in his hands should be still as good as Master of Burgundy These reasons were of themselves sufficient not to permit that Province to the Prince of Conde had not Count Serviente one of long experience in Court affairs with strong reasons maintained the contrary he said that in great storms experienced Mariners stood not upon casting part of their loading over-board to save the rest that the King's Authority was in great danger that it was therefore needful not only to watch carefully but even to spend whole nights in thinking how to fence it if not in whole yet in part from the assaults of ambitious people that their Majesties were as Prisoners in their Palace whilst the Frondeurs pretended to take the Regency from the Queen and to take the Government of the whole Kingdom upon themselves That the Assemblies of the Clergy and of the Nobility prest the calling of the States General pretending to keep off the King's majority till he were Eighteen years old and in the mean time to chuse a Governour of the Kingdom That that strong-wound-up Rope composed of the several threads of many friends became strong and not to be broken that destruction was at hand unless this knot were untied by the yielding of one and abating of the other party that he was of their opinion who held that it was not good to grant Guienne to the Prince so to make him greater but that when he considered how great an acquisition it would be to take off a Prince of such esteem from the Frondeurs he was of another mind for that the true means to break the knot of the Enemy was to divide them the Male-contents being then only to be pacified when they see themselves abandoned by great ones that it was true that Guienne was of importance for scituation and for the peoples condition but that it was as true that it could not prove so prejudicial as was supposed That it was well known that the greatest part of the Gascons were of the Prince his opinion and that it was not to be doubted but that they would second his designs as well if he were far off as if he were their Governour so as by giving him that Government that was only given him which was already at his disposal and that by gaining Burgundy made him lose what he had That

on the Ninteenth of August passing first by Turennes Army which advanced from Lagny towards Brie and pursuing his journey he came to Bedam and from thence to Bovillon where he stayed Conde hearing that he was gone whereby all pretence of War ceased sent Marquess Ierze to the Lorraine Army whither was come the Succor which Wirtemberg brought the Princes with orders to fall upon the Cardinal in his journey and take him prisoner But the Spaniards who liked it not acquainted him with it so he escaped the danger The very same day the King went from Pontois and that he might win the more upon the Parisians when he came to Campaigne he published an Act of Amnesty wherein after a short account of all that had past from One thousand six hundred forty and eight till then he granted a General Pardon and Abolition of all that had been done against his Majesties service nulling whatsoever had been done by his decrees upon occasion of the present troubles from the first of February One thousand six hundred fifty and one till then as also his Majesties Declarations of September and the eight of October that year upon condition that Orleans Conde County and their whole party should lay down Arms within three days after the publication of the said Amnesty and to that purpose Orleans should within three days send a writing to his Majesty subscribed by himself wherein he should renounce all Treaties Confederacies and Leagues with any whatsoever without the Kings leave and that Conde and County should do the like and that they within the same time should put necessary orders into the Kings hands to make the Spaniards who were in Stenay Burg or in any other places to go from thence as also to make the Enemies Ships depart from the Coasts of France that Orleans and Conde should cause the Foreign Forces which were about Paris to march directly towards the Coast of Flanders and join their Forces to them of Turenne and Ferte Senetre and also all Forces that were farther off within fifteen days declaring that who should not do what was contained in this Amnesty within three days should not partake thereof wherein the King did only except such faults as had been committed between particular people of the same party which he left to the due course of Law This Amnesty with this bundle at its breech seemed a piece of cunning to those who liked it not saying that those not being therein comprehended who had fought Duels or assaulted the publick Pallace on the fourth of Iuly the King might punish whom he would under colour of this Riot It did not withstanding make impression upon those who liked not the cavil of the Princes and Frondeurs but had thought that when the Cardinal should be gone the Princes and Parliament would throw themselves at the Kings feet But though neither the Princes nor Frondeurs had any thought of accepting the Amnesty yet they appeared zealous of the general good seeming very well pleased that the Cardinal was gone Orleans and Conde went to the Parliament where it was decreed that thanks should be sent to his Majesty for dismissing Mazarine all the chief Companies and the whole body of the City did the like And soon after the Parliament resolved to intreat the King to return to Paris and the Princes declared they were ready to lay down arms when a good Amnesty should be granted Orleans sent an express to the Duke Anville who was a friend of his and one whom the King loved and who was very faithfull to the Queen to get Pasports from his Majesty for such Commissioners as were to negotiate a final Peace But Anville having detained the Messenger three days sent him back without an answer for it seemed not decent that the King should enter into other Treaties having supplyed all things with an Amnesty and intended that the Princes should presently lay down arms as they had offered to do when the Cardinal was gone from Court Anville writ therefore back to the Duke of Orleans telling him that he thought his request would be granted if his desire were made directly to the King which being done Marishal de Estampes had a Pass sent him to come to Court not as a Commissioner but as a Courtier and at the same time certain private Treaties were renued between Secretary Goulas Marquis Chasteaneuse and the Dutchess of Aguillon the contents whereof was to slave Orleans off from joyning with Conde whose declarations made in Parliament and to the Court were clearly found not to be real since at the same time that he said he was ready for Peace he protested at Madrid and Brussels that he would alwaies join with the Crown of Spain and continue war and did negotiate in England for assistance in his designs that therefore all assistance in France should be taken from him without which he would be but a bare Captain of the King of Spain and would be able to do but little against so powerfull a Kingdom when it should be wholly obedient to the King The Prince his Forces lay this mean while behind the River between Surene and St. Clou expecting Recruits from Flanders and those fruitfull hills being full of Vineyards and grapes beginning then to grow ripe the Soldiers did very much prejudice the people in these parts at whose requests they were sent to St. Victoire where some Soldiers quarreling with the Citizens upon the Guard five or six of the inhabitants were slain and twenty of the Soldiers which seemed to set them at variance But because the Cardinal knew that the welfare of the Royal party consisted in reducing the Parisians to a necessity of Peace which they began to wish the people Merchants and all others being weary of the ruines which they underwent he advised the King to go Campaigne as being more commodious for the Court than Pontoise and that he should never be allured to go to Paris without undoubted security of not being once more detained there and this was one of the chiefest Maxims which he recommended to the Queen in his absence which he gave in precise charge to Abbat Vndedei he added that the Kings Forces should go to oppose those of Flanders which were marching to assist the Princes and that if they should be too weak they should go to Villeneufe upon the Seene and fortifie themselves and have Provisions from Corbeile Melune and other neighbouring parts by means of the River where whilst they should tarry the Enemies Forces would be necessitated to keep there abouts also so as the Country being sack't and plundered by the Soldiery and Travellers slain the Parisians would without an open breach be in a manner besieged whereby the Princes would become odious as thought the chief occasion thereof that thus keeping corrispondency with their friends that were faithfull to them in Paris the Parisians might easily be brought to resolve upon fitting means to free themselves of their miseries which could not

duty by submitting to his Majestie 's Authority These good Successes in Guienne were seconded by other Accidents which were of great advantage to the King's Party for the Newes came That on the 28th of February there had been a great Fight at Sea between the English and the Hollanders wherein each Party taking themselves to have the better and the loss of Ships being almost equal the Victory remained undecided And this Engagement of the English in a Warr against the Hollanders hid●red them from being able to embrace those resolutions against France which otherwise they might have done by assisting those of Bourdeaux to the great prejudice of the Crown of France which would have run great hazard being attacked on the one side by the powerful Forces of the King of Spain and on the other by Intestine Broyls if at the same time it had been also assaulted by the English But the good Fortune of France subordinate unto the Will of God which disposeth all things according to the order of his Providence preserved in that conjuncture this most Christian Kingdom from receiving prejudice by that Nation different in Religion and Customes which at that time met with the fairest opportunity that might be to have wrought her ends it being governed then by a violent party had she not undertaken Enterprises different from what was expected and being confounded within her self had not given leisure to the King's Authority to gather strength and to destroy the force of those who being disobedient themselves endeavoured by their Cabal to bring all the rest into confusion This was by the Warr with Holland of which I shall onely touch the principal Motives because I would not with long digressions break off the thred of that Narration I have prescribed unto my self After the Parliament of England had made it self Master of that whole Kingdom and overcome with its Victorious Arms the Realms of Scotland and of Ireland they cast about how to maintain themselves in Arms with Forrainers having no Enemy at home because in times of quiet Factions use to arise and Armies weaken which brings ruine to Commonwealths especially in the beginning of a new Government when their minds are wavering between the hopes of settlement and fears of falling It happened then that no just cause appearing for a breach with France they took a fair pretence for a Warr with the Hollander as being those who having gained a considerable reputation at Sea seemed to eclipse the lustre of the long feared and unresistible force of the English on that Element These Jealousies between them besides the natural Emulation usual amongst bordering States were heightned by the art and industry of the neighbouring Crowns who observing with a jealous Eye two Common-wealths by their sides grown powerful by Warr and Violence could not but suspect from them some of those inconveniencies which are usually offered by those who are strongly provided with Sea Forces The cause of difference was the Herring Fishing about the Orcades Islands on the North of Scotland and Members of Great Britain to which the Hollanders send yearly a vast number of Ships and draw from it an excessive Profit The English pretended That the Hollanders possession of this Fishing was an effect onely of the negligence of their Kings accompanied with so great a loss unto the Commonwealth by the Hollanders usurpation and therefore not to be longer suffered by a Nation that before Holland was so much as known enjoyed without contest the principal Dominion of the Ocean To this the States-General pleaded That their Right was sufficiently established by their long continued possession and Prescription This was the Motive upon which either party beginning first to raise Forces at Sea the one for recovery of this loss and the other for the preserving of it fell afterwards to an open breach with so great a prejudice to both parties whose principal subsistence and strength depended upon Trade that the same being hereby interrupted produced all the effects of a miserable and destructive Warr but principally to Holland which being straitned by the smallness of their Territory upon Land had no means of subsisting but by the Sea To these Reasons which were derived from profit and interest of State were added others touching the punctilio of Reputation The English pretending themselves to have been slighted by the Hollanders upon several occasions and principally in the killing of their Ambassadour at the Hague who was against the Law of Nations assassinated there by some English of the King's Party And the Hollanders who by their fresh and frequent Victories obtained against the Power of the King of Spain had already gained so great a Reputation that they were generally much esteemed and feared and had besides concluded so advantageous a Peace with his Catholick Majesty not daigning to give way unto the threats of England wherein the wounds of their Intestine Broyls were yet fresh bleeding took little care to satisfie the Parliament therein but sent to Sea a numerous Fleet and either Party falling to Acts of Hostility many Merchants Ships were lost on either side And their Fleets who were above 100 Sayl strong on either side meeting at last there passed the said Battle and many other Fights at Sea with loss on both sides but in such manner as each Party pretending to have the Victory it could not be well told which side had got it the loss consisting only in that of one or two Ships more or less than the Relations which were published and therefore each Party failed not to put to Sea afresh with an intention of fighting for it the Hollanders notwithstanding were very sensible of the loss of Van Trump their General a Person of great Valour and extraordinary Experience at Sea And we may well believe that as there is no comparison between the Greatness and Power of England and Holland which is far inferior to it in richess in extent of Land and Bodies of men so without doubt the English would have prevailed had they not been distracted by new intestine Broyls and Troubles The Court of France therefore considering how fit it was to make use of this favourable conjuncture of time to assure themselves of Guienne and Bourdeaux a City so disposed to risings resolved to make all fitting preparations for the reducing of them and therefore besides the Fleet sent into the Garonne as hath been said and the advance of Souldiers from all parts into the Province the Cardinal Mazarine continued the Treaties of Agreement with several Parties to see if he could give an end rather by Composition than Arms unto that War which being against Subjects renders the Victory weak and languishing whereof reserving the Account to the next Book I will resume the Relation of what was done during this time in Champagne where all persons being encouraged by the arrival of the Cardinal's Army and the Recruits sent from him after the taking of Barleduc and passing of the River Aisne

were not in wisdom to be trusted in any one place that none but those that desired his ruine could be offended thereat and that if these had been less circumstantial and better advised since they knew that his Sister was in the Monastery of Carmelites at Burges and his wife assign'd to a house of his in the time of his imprisonment they would not have raised jealousies of a thing which was not only permitted but also very indifferent nor yet badly interpret the exhibition made by him of his Revenues for the payment of his Debts and keeping of his House in the time of his imprisonment That no condition was drawn from him touching Stenay wherein it was easie to judg he could not oblige himself in any thing since it was not in his power the Duke of Orleans having made it sufficiently known that he had not failed in any thing that became his duty to the King nor to his Birth since conformable to what was witnessed by his Royal Highness after the return made by Marquess Sillerey who went to Brussels by order from the King he had offer'd to make the Spaniards go out by way of treaty so as promise might be given that no Hostility might pass between the Towns of Stenay and Luxemburg or that if they would give him 2000 men he would force them to withdraw from thence which not being granted him by the Queen he was not to be blamed that the Garrison which consisted not of above 200 men did not drive out the Town Garrison wherein were 500 and which might at all times be recruited by the Archduke for what concern'd the pass of Dun it was so inconsiderable as 300 men might have driven out the Enemy which was unable to preserve it that concerning his Forces abiding upon the Frontiers he could not be therein better justified than by the Duke of Orleans who declared that he had done nothing therein but by his direction and to hinder the dissipation of the Forces which might be very serviceable to the King and wherein their ruine and that of the whole Army would have been unfallible which was commanded by Generals and Officers totally depending upon the Cardinal it being well known that the rumour spread abroad that the Forces abiding in France was but a trick to exclaim against him since nothing was said of the Forces of Turenne Vandosme who were quartered in the neighbouring Towns of Schale and Netencourt and which were never drawn out into the Field that the licentiousness imputed to his men was an epidemical and no particular malady against the which the Parliament having provided he had already declared and would still protest that he would take order that those who should have failed therein in his Troops should be punished according to Law To what was said that he held intelligence with the Spaniards he with much vehemence protested it was totally false and merely the Calumnies of his Enemies for which he required reparation from the Parliament as of the greatest outrage which could be committed against one of his quality and to the dignity of a Prince of the blood and he desired the Assembly to interpose their Authority in desiring their Majesties to nominate the Authors of those Calumnies and to demand memorials and advertisements of the said imputed intelligence wherein he would submit himself to their judgments if they should find that he had done any thing contrary to the duty of his birth By the news which was had of this writing and by the indeavours hotly pursued by Conde and his friends the Queen after many passages in Parliament was at last inforced by the same necessity which made her do many things in that present conjuncture of times even contrary to her will to make the King publish another writing clean contrary to the former in discharging the Prince of the former accusations which she sent to the Parliament which argued great weakness in the Court and gave occasion of blaming the first indeavour as a thing unusual The Parliament did this mean while declare That all this was done to render him universally odious and to make him despair that according to the Courts designs he might be the first that should take up Arms and from the 22 th of August till the 7 th of September it was much debated by those of the faction of the Princes whether or no Conde could with safety be present at the Ceremony of the King's Majority but fearing or seeming to be afraid he went two days before from Paris pretending to visit the Duke of Longueville at Trie in Normandy and writ a Letter to the King before he went which was given his Majesty by the Prince of County the same morning that his Majesty made his entry on Horseback and went afterwards he and the Duke Rochefaucolt waiting for him in their place in Parliament to assist at the Celebration of his Majestie 's Majority This Letter said that not for want of good will but merely out of fear of danger to his own person he forbare being present at the Ceremony The Prince being gone accompanied by the Marquess of Iersey and Monsieur de Monpasson of the house of Gondrine went by Pointois to Trie at the same time that Longueville came thither with whom he complained much against the Court proceedings and particularly that Servient Tillier and Lyon being banish'd from the Court Chasteauneuf Mole and Vieville were put into their places The first chief of the Council the second keeper of the Seals and the third superintendent of the Finances all which he thought were worse than the former three he then desired him to declare for him and to follow his fortune assuring him of assistance from the Spaniards both in men and money but the Duke keeping firm to the Court would not put himself into these troubles upon uncertain hopes and so giving him fair words kept firm to what he thought was best for his own interest After this meeting the Duke return'd to Normandy and the Prince having heard that the Dutchess of Aiguilon had offer'd the Queen by Count Harcourt that she would bring him to her either dead or alive with bare 200 men which the King had given her the which was absolutely denied by his Majesty instead of returning to Pontoise went to Chantelly where the Dukes of Nemeurs and Rochefaucolt went to meet him to know what resolution they were to take But to return to the affairs of Catalonia the Spaniards after the taking of Tortoise kept quiet there in their winter quarters providing for War that they might carry on their Forces in due time to such enterprises as the time should invite them whereof the Catholick Court making use by reason of the civil discords of France which happened so opportunely for Spain the Spaniards failed not to weigh wisely what might make most for their advantage but their chief hopes were to take Barcellona by the re-inforcements which they expected from

into the Territory of the Venetians where she was received upon the Confines by Anthonio Bernardi Captain of Brescia Royally served and her Charges defrayed through all that State From thence she continued her Voyage through Tiroll where she was generally Treated by the Arch-Duke Charles Ferdinand and in the Moneth of Iune following came to Monaco the Residence of his Electoral Highness where she was received by the Elector her Spouse with such tender Love and Affection as is peculiar to one who had long wished for and expected her and as was due to the Rare Beauties and Perfections of such a Princess When the Coronation of the King of the Romans was to be performed the Emperour caused Notice to be given unto the French Ambassadour That he might if he pleased be present at the Ceremony but that in case he came he must needs give the Precedency to the Ambassadour of Spain Vautort answered That as for coming thither he would do as he saw best but as for the Precedence he knew not any person who could take it from his King who was undoubtedly the first of Christendome He forbore notwithstanding to go thither because he would not stand in an ill posture with the House of Austria but might apply himself to those Affairs for which he came which were to continue and encrease the good intelligence between the States of the Empire and the Crown of France that he might be watchful to prevent all prejudice might come unto the Interests of that Crown or its Friends and Confederates by the Resolutions which should there be taken to get the investiture of the places held by the French in Alsatia and to countenance the Interests of Savoy in the investiture he pretended unto of the Towns in Monferrat according to the before mentioned Treaty of Chierasco After the Coronation the Ambassadour Vautort going for Audience unto his Imperial-Majesty he was received with shews of great Esteem and courtesie the Emperour excusing himself modestly That he could not do otherwise The Ambassadour replyed with all Civility to his Complements but defended the Interests and Prerogative of his King with all freedome and boldness The Crown of Sweden sent to this Diet the young Count Oxenstern with the Title of Ambassadour Extraordinary to have the Investiture of the Towns of Pomerania assigned unto the Swedes by the Treaty of Munster but the Emperour refusing to receive him under that title because he came to perform the Office of a Feudatary some differences arose which notwithstanding were after laid aside There were also in this Diet great Controversies between the Emperour and the States who set on foot a bold and a very distastful Pretension which was That they conceived there ought to be an Election of Iudges who might Censure and Iudge the Actions of the Emperours themselves with power to revoke and adnul all Decrees which they conceived to be contrary to Iustice or the Constitution of the Municipal Lawes This Affair as it pressed hard upon the Emperour was very warmly impugned and rejected it being censured as an audacious boldness to go about to prescribe Laws unto him who had the power of making them The Contest was long as being full of knotty Points and tedious difficulties and was solicited with great earnestness and fervour by a person depending on the Emperour himself who having had a Judgment passed against him before his Majestie feared he should not be able to find a good dispatch hereafter of his Causes there but the Endeavours and Artifices of those who laboured therein found such opposition that the Pretenders were finally inforced to give it over without being able to make a farther progress in it At this Meeting the Marquess of Castle Rodrigo Ambassadour from the Catholick King a Person of great Virtue and deep foresight managed divers things advantageous to the Interests of his Master He endeavoured by all means to engage his Imperial Majesty in some Treaty with the Count d' H●rcourt who was in Brisac being upon ill terms with the Court of France to gain out of his hands that most Important Fortress which he said was the Gate by which the French might at their pleasure pass the Rhine and come into the heart of Germany and a Key which would keep them shut up in their own bounds That France shook hands by means thereof with the States Princes of the Empire and Protestant Cantons their Friends so as the Circles of the Empire having alwayes at hand the assistance which upon all occasions they might draw from that united Kingdome so well armed would by consequence swell with such high Pretensions as must necessarily either disturb the Publick Quiet or much weaken and eclipse the Imperial Authority That Caesar being so highly concerned for the general Good ought not to let slip an occasion presented him by Fortune to regain by Art a Place which was never to be won by force of Arms. He shewed farther That Lorrain being beyond Burgundy and Alsatia although the Duke should be restored by the General Peace it would instead of being what it was formerly a Knot that united the Low-Countries with the Franche Comtè and the Austrian Countries be rather a barr and partition to continue them divided from each other which was the greatest prejudice could happen to the Dominions of his Catholick Majesty and of the whole House of Austria whose weakness consisted principally in this That their Countries being dis-joyned they could not without great difficulty communicate those Succours to each other which are necessary for their subsistence in time of Warr. Besides that the French being freed from all Iealousies on that side would with more confidence employ their whole strength in other places But all his Endeavours were without effect as well by reason of the noble disposition of the Emperour who was resolved to observe inviolably the Peace of Munster as of the Ingenuity of Harecourt who would never give ear unto the Propositions reiterated to him from the Spaniards who used their utmost endeavour to make him enter into a Treaty with them by their own and by the Duke of Lorrain's means whom they made sensible what advantage the dislodging of the French out of Alsatia would be unto the Interests of his House and particularly out of Brisac which would alwayes be a bridle upon Lorrain if he should hereafter recover it by any Treaty But Harecourt preferring his Honour and Reputation before all other advantages that might befal him although he might perhaps give ear unto some Propositions and Invitations to a Treaty refused notwithstanding to enter into any or to negotiate touching this Affair Castle Rodrigo sped notwithstanding well touching the Imprisonment of Charles Duke of Lorrain with whom the Spaniards were ill satisfied because they found not in his actions that correspondence which they expected from his gratitude They represented therefore to his Imperial Majestie That the said Duke was not sincere and cordial in his union