desir'd him that the eldest of his Family might be ever called Saladin that Posterity curious of knowing why they bore so extraordinary a name among Christians might know at the same time the generous Action he had perform'd Those of that Family have been careful to remember the request of Saladin to their Ancestor All the Eldest of that Family have successively after one another taken the name of Saladin so that the Count D. Estages who is the Eldest of that Family is still at this day called by that Name If I might be allowed to make any reflections upon this matter it would be no hard task for me to prove that the present Age is very different from the former Heretofore a Christian kept his word with a Turk and now a most Christian King does not keep his with his Father in-Law At this day the Descendants of a Christian are called Saladin because their Father promised it to a Turk and now a most Christian King neither minds the Word which his Predecessors gave their Subjects of the Reformed Religion nor that he himself has given them At this day the House of Anglure which is only the Family of a Gentleman derives all its Glory from that their Forefather executed the promise he had given a Turk and now the House of France which is the most August House of Europe derives all its glory from infringing an infinite number of Edicts which it has granted to Christians But to return unto my Subject the French King grounding himself as I have said upon his imaginary Pretensions and upon the Parliaments not having ratified the Treaty of the Pyrences resolv'd to break the Peace and carry his Arms into Flanders Mean while as I cannot proceed on farther without first giving an account of the Authority of this Parliament for fear some should judge its Power extended as far as that of another Country it is convenient that it be known that the least Order of Council Cashiers all Acts of Parliament and that its Power is now so limited that though the matters in hand be only the interests of private Persons the Council does often attribute to it self the taking Cognizance of 'em and thus makes a mock of all the Parliament could Decree Nevertheless its Authority was formerly very great nay and it 's not long since that it was to so high a Point that it was look'd upon by all with Admiration I mean the time of the Kings Minority but that time is now so much chang'd that a man may say there 's now no knowing the Parliament again And even in that time I mean the time this Manifest appear'd in the King had stript it of all its Priviledges had banish'd all those Members out of it who were suspected by him because they stood well affectioned to the publick good and to say all in a word contemn'd it to that Degree as to go to it no otherwise than in great Boots and with a Cane in his hand Nay he plum'd it of its very name as well as the name of all the other Tribunals For to shew that none but he was Master he caused an Edict to be issued forth by which neither the Parliament nor the great Council nor the Chamber of Accounts nor the Court of Aids ought thenceforward to be called more than the Superior Courts whereas before they were called the Soveraign Courts Nay and he had publish'd another Edict too which seem'd to me still more injurious for whereas when there was a design of any new Subsidies or of some other Innovation in the State he was used to go thither in Person to have his Edicts verifyed he had ordered the Parliament to verify them upon a meer Note under the Privy Signet which he most commonly sent by a Foot-man so as that this August Tribunal which had been instituted formerly as a Man may say to be the Mediator between the People and the King and to save the one from the Tyranny of the other was it self oblig'd to buckle under his will and pleasure for there was no more talking of making Remonstrances which those of the same Company formerly made to stir up Kings to have compassion of their People And if any were allowed to be made they were only such as were stufft with Flatteries and Dissimulation and just as certain Fathers make their Children sometimes kiss the Rods wherewith they come to Chastise them in like manner were the People who are the Kings Children or at least who ought to be so to thank the King by the mouth of their Magistrates for all the Imposts he lays upon them to satisfy his Profusions Nevertheless it was upon the Authority which the Parliament had in the Kingdom that the King laid the Foundations of an approaching War as I have already said In effect the King of Spain being dead there straight appeared a small Tract under the Name of the Rights of the Queen in which it was endeavoured to be prov'd that the Renunciation which the King had made to his Rights by the Treaty of the Pyrenees was Null seeing the Parliament could never be brought to verify the Treaty That though this Renunciation were good which however they were far from granting it could not always subsist by reason of the Dauphin who had not yet Ratifyed it and yet who had the greatest Interest therein as being one day to be his Mothers Heir In fine this Treatise was only filled with trim words and few reasons For to begin with the first true it is the Parliament was us'd to verify what passed most remarkable in the Kingdom but that this was absolutely essential is what I deny and which I shall endeavour to disprove For Example if a Marriage of a King be concluded with a Princess the Parliament has nothing to do in the Contract and we do not find it was suffered to take Cognizance of that of Henry the Fourth with Mary of Medices and to start a matter still of latter Date of that of the Dauphin with the Dauphiness And yet in this occasion the thing perhaps was of as much moment as the Renunciation which the King made by the Treaty of the Pyrenees Yes but may be one or other may tell me that the species is very different for a Treaty of Peace is concern'd in establishing the repose of the People whereas a Treaty of Marriage only regards the establishing the Society of two Persons I 'le own with them that their reason is specious but easy to refute For if it be upon the account of the Interest of the People that the Treaties of Peace ought to be Ratified by the Parliament why does it not also verify Treaties of War as well as Treaties of Peace They will needs have that a Treaty which banishes War and brings back repose into a State instead of Troubles and Confusion which reign therein are subject to verification and will not allow that a Treaty of War which must banish
Peace and bring along Disorder instead of the repose which all enjoy should be verifyed by Parliament which nevertheless was only instituted to be watchful for the Preservation of the People Let us rather say that this Custom of thus verifying Treaties of Peace was only introduced since it was Enacted that Royal Gifts should be verified in Parliaments and that those which were not so should be of no consideration and this to hinder Kings who are commonly inclined to liberality from giving away all their Patrimony and so compelled for want of means to vex and oppress the People Let us I say conclude that the Parliament seeing that by some Treaties of Peace considerable Alienations had been made and principally under John the first to retrieve them out of the hands of the English and since under Francis the first to retrieve them out of the hands of the Spaniards had attributed to it self the Authority of verifying Treaties to hinder thence forward the Dissipation of the Crown Lands But there 's more which is that tho' it were a Law receiv'd in France that the Parliament may find fault with those Treaties it has not verified this ought to be understood if the Treaties were not made in the forms or that they were prejudicial to the Crown In what remains there 's no saying that France receives any prejudice by the Treaty of the Pyrenees not but that this Treaty was concluded with all the usual Formalities In regard of the Formalities they had been so far observ'd that this had kept the matter much longer depending than was necessary for the repose of the People who after so long a War only breathed after Peace For they thought it not sufficient that Lienne Pimentel had set their hands to the Treaty but for the rendring it the more August to future Ages Cardinal Mazarine and Don Lewis de Haro Prime Ministers of the two Crowns would needs sign it themselves too so as that one may say it was the most solemn and authentick Treaty that has been of a long while Besides they had observed therein all the Circumstances imaginable namely as holding the Conferences in a place which belonged neither to France nor Spain which however is Note-worthy For this shews they were willing then Spain should go Peer-with France but since it will not be allowed as I said just before one may say it had been Ratified but what rendred this Treaty free from all manner of scruple not only by the King but also by all France In effect the Principal among the Clergy and Nobility had signed the Contract of Marriage between the King and the Infanta wherein was contained the abovementioned Renunciation so as that it was a mistake to say that the Parliament which can at most but represent the Orders of the Kingdom would not approve a Treaty which was already approved on by the King by the Clergy and by the Nobility In regard of what I said before that this Treaty brought no prejudice to France that will be also easy for me to prove For tho' France had then much the advantage over Spain yet it is nevertheless to be considered that this advantage might one day turn against it self being obliged to share his Conquests with England which was then in its alliance Now without specifying by retail what are the dangerous Consequences which I might draw from this sharing it 's sufficient for me to say that the interest of France was not to give one foot to the Englishman in Flanders who was a much more dangerous Enemy than the Spaniard Besides by this Treaty France made sure of the greatest part of its Conquest and changed into a certain Right the Right of Nations which was a Right subject to all the divers events of Fortune In regard of what was objected that the Dauphin had not ratified the Renunciation of the Queen this is a feeble objection and such as merits no answer For tell me I beseech you a Father and a Mother do not they engage their Children when they sign a Contract And why had the Dauphin more right to disclaim what the King and Queen had signed than those had who live under the same Laws and same Monarch All these considerations do sufficiently shew that all that was in the Treatise of the Queens Rights was only to impose upon the common people and particularly those of Flanders who being once perswaded that the Queen had some right to their Provinces were capable of fomenting a Rebellion to which they had other provocations through the ill treatment they received from the Spanish Souldiery who for want of pay broke out into several violences Thus as it was a point of prudence to prevent all ill consequences of this kind by undeceiving them with the soonest the Baron d'Isola one of the Ministers of the house of Austria set pen to paper and made a small treatise to shew the nullity of the consequences which the Author of the tract of the Queens Rights pretended to draw And a great number of Copies were distributed both in Flanders Germany and other places of the neighbourhood Nay some were transmitted into France but the Court thinking fit that their Nation should make its ambition an Article of their Faith made an exact search after the Stationers who had distributed them two or three of whom were sent to the Bastile and were in great danger of their Life for as it was not allowed in that Kingdom to write truth in matter of Religion so too in matter of Policy it was not allowed to speak it or hear it from any one soever For which reason as well those who bought this Book as those who vended them were obliged to skulk as if they had done some great crime But the more they endeavoured to constrain Peoples wills the more they strove to render themselves free so as all worthy People not minding the prohibition that had been made sought to satisfy their Curiosity By vertue of these imaginary pretentions the King failed not to send to summon the Governour of the Low-Countreys to remit into his hands the places he pretended to belong unto the Queen And as he did a little doubt this Governour would not comply with his demands with a powerful Army he follow'd the Person he had sent to him in order to the seizing them His Envoy bringing him back word that the Governour of the Low-Countreys had order from the King his Master not to yield up the least he entred Flanders took Charle Roy At h Courtray Oudenarde and Lisle while that the Marshal d' Aumons with another Army attack'd such Cities as Bordered next upon the Sea. These Conquests which were made with great rapidity amaz'd all the Neighbouring Potentates They thought it their interest to stop the Course of these progresses especially the United Provinces who had no mind to so formidable and so ambitious a Neighbour Whereupon they engag'd with the King of England to sign
with Mont-George who was kill'd in these last Wars and was then a Captain in Candale being a brave Man and loving War above all things about Conducting Officers and Soldiers into Portugal Now Mont-George being Embark'd with them in order to his getting as soon as possible into that Country having been taken by the Spaniards who had notice of his departure for that time it was forc'd to pull off the Mask because the Spaniards already spake of taking off his Head. Whereupon a Courrier was dispatch'd in all haste to Madrid and the Court of Spain seeing he was re-demanded by France durst not proceed farther in that matter for fear of drawing upon itself the War which it was very willing to avoid So great a piece of Infidelity was followed with a world of others of the like nature without any Potentates interposing his Authority to bring these things to be regulated according to Justice Not but that there were Guarrands of the Peace of the Pyrenees but not the least aid would they give unto the Spaniards whom it was endeavour'd to oppress by so many indirect ways The Spaniards too whether that they were become insensible or as is more probable they knew their weakness suffer'd themselves to be thus Fool'd and good morrow'd if I may use that word without shewing any Resentment but by Complaints so little suitable to Soveraigns unless they be followed with some effects so as others seeing they swallow'd all these affronts without saying ought did not think themselves more oblig'd than they themselves to take their part Mean while if their weakness appear'd in any thing it was undoubtedly in what happen'd at London between Mon. D' Estrades and the Baron de Vatteville Ambassadors of the two Crowns For after the Baron de Vateville had got the precedence of Mon. D' Estrades at an entrance made by another Ambassador he was not only disown'd by Spain but Spain has for ever varnish'd its Reputation by a shameful Declaration which I dare not repeat nay which I dare not so much as call to mind for fear of blushing upon its account Yet if it be well remembred the fault thereof ought to be attributed to other Powers who shew'd themselves so passionate for Peace that they took not any share in the Affront that was meant upon Spain which seeing itself abondoned by all the World was obliged to relax of its usual haughtiness The best Head pieces then considering with what Arrogance France demean'd it self upon that occasion were of advice that before it was suffer'd to gather greater Forces endeavours should be used to oppose its Ambition but the voice of these wise Politicians was only listned to by way of Conversation and the blindness began to become so Epidemical that they consider'd those who held such like Discourses as People who had more mind to create stirs than foster Peace which they thought so necessary to all Europe Nor did they begin to see clear until that France being no longer able to bear the yoak of Ease resolv'd to make War in Flanders under the pretext of some Pretensions as Chymerical as those now on Foot But to which an Advocate of Paris whom they had been careful to cull out from among the most expert in puzling of Causes undertook to give a Varnish and some Colour Nevertheless an honest Man would have been very much puzled but this Advocate had serv'd his Apprentiship at the Bar where for two Crowns they 'l undertake the worst Cause that is thought that being much better paid for this he should not neglect a thing that might make his Fortune Thus Interest having prevail'd over Truth there quickly appear'd a Manifest by which they endeavoured to make out that though the King had renounc'd by the Treaty of the Pyrencas to what he might one day pretend in the Low-Countries and elsewhere upon the account of the Queen his Wife this Renunciation was null because that the Parliament would never be brought to ratify the Treaty This Manifest did moreover establish that the Queen had a Right from that time over several Provinces and to give this Manifest a Title that might suit with what it endeavoured to insinuate it was intituled The Rights of the Queen Now you must know 't was the King himself who hinder'd the Treaty of the Pyrenees from being Registred that so it might be a pretext upon occasion to thwart against what had been sign'd by the greatest Lords of France and what he himself had sign'd Mean while this new litigious pretension giving occasion to all the World to make Reflexion upon the little Faith of this Prince could not sufficiently admire that a great Monarch who affected wearing the Quality of most Christian King did things which would have made the very Infidels to blush whose actions some took pleasure in relating that by the Comparison of those of both Parties they might the more debase those of the King. And indeed they Query'd whether one was not obliged to keep ones word and principally a word given so solemnly sworn upon the Holy Evangelists confirmed by a great Allyance and in short wherein had been us'd all that was thought most considerable to render it the more inviolable They Query'd I say whether any thing could fall from so solemn an Oath to which every one answer'd that 't was an Action that created a Terrour in Men and merited a just punishment from God. And indeed a Man needs not be a great Divine to know that Christianity and the Church which is but one and the same thing teaches that we are to keep our Faith not only with a Christian Father-in-Law but even with a Turk There is a fine Example of this in a French Gentleman of the House of Anglure and which his Descendants do still Pride themselves in at this day The particular History of that Family does make mention that one of their Ancestors having been taken in a Battel by Saladin Sultan of Aegypt after a long Imprisonment was set at Liberty upon Condition he himself should return and bring his Ransom which Saladin had fix'd at a very considerable sum this Gentleman after being arrived at his own home and had sold a good part of his Estate to satisfie his Word went back to Saladin and told him That he was come with the Ransom he had agreed upon with him and that if he pleased to name any Person to receive it he would pay it him immediately down upon the nail Saladin not dreaming of him and when he had set him at liberty never expecting to see him more was so surpriz'd at his Generosity that after having embrac'd him and caress'd him to a high degree told him he should thenceforward have more Esteem for Christians than he had had before that he not only remitted to him his Ransom but also ordered his Treasurer to give him ten thousand Francs which was a considerable sum at that time that he requested his Friendship and