two Sicilies, Lorraine, and others, were added to his dominions, and he might reckon upon the assistance of England and Holland against the emperor. By the second, he exposed himself to a general war for the establishment of his grandson. He assembled an extraordinary council, where the question was debated. His disposition prompted him to splendid enterprises, and he accepted the last will of Charles. difficulties on The Abbé Mably maintains, that he chose Inevitable the worst, though the Spaniards had called in the duke of Anjou, though they would not both sides. have admitted of a partition, and though the regency had given orders, if France did not accept the whole, to make an offer of the succession to the archduke. The marquis de Torci, an able negociator and secretary of state, in his Memoirs, maintains a contrary opinion. There are strong probabilities on both sides, which leave the judgment in suspense; and whether he accepted the will, or adhered to the treaty, war was inevitable. It must be allowed, that England and Holland would never have proved faithful allies of France; on the contrary, is it not very probable that they soon would have been enemies? Would they not have taken the first opportunity of breaking the partition treaty, which made them murmur against William? because France, in fact, thereby gained too great an increase of power; too great, according to the common idea of politics; for, in my opinion, the acquisition of a kingdom in Italy must certainly have weakened the French monarchy. Last of all, whatever way he determined, the most violent opposition was to be expected; and if the king exposed himself almost ac: knowledged. to the greatest dangers, he, at least, embraced a just cause. Philip V. Such was the astonishment of Europe at sight generally of a prince of the family of Bourbon inheriting the dominions of Spain, that, except the emperor, all the powers remained for some time in perfect tranquillity. The duke of Anjou, by the name of Philip V., set out to take possession of the crown; and his grandfather at parting from him said, There are no more Pyrenees. He was acknowledged by the pope, the duke of Savoy, Venice, the northern potentates, even Portugal, England, and Holland. The elector of Bavaria, governor of the Low Countries, and his brother the elector of Cologne, were to be depended on; and the duke of Savoy, to whom Philip V. became son-in-law, as was already the duke of Burgundy, might be looked upon as a friend. The duke of Mantua received a French garrison, and Louis tasted the most flattering satisfaction; but always presuming upon his power, he did not as yet sufficiently know the dreadful blows prepared against him by fortune. Ill-founded The emperor Leopold alleged, in opposition claims of to the will of Charles II., some agreements enEmperor. tered into between Charles V. and his brother, the the emperor Ferdinand I., to secure a reciprocal succession to the two branches of the Austrian family; and likewise that the will of Philip IV. substituted the children of Leopold to Charles; as if the agreements of a family, or the arbitrary will of a prince, could annihilate the laws of a kingdom. By the laws of Spain, the females were entitled to succeed before collateral males; and besides, Charles II. had undoubtedly the same right to bequeath as Philip IV., and his will was agreeable to the laws of the kingdom. Did not the approbation of the people of Spain confirm it inviolably? regard to Italy. As the dominions of Spain in Italy might be League with ́considered in a different light, England and Holland entered into an alliance with the emperor, to separate them from the principal inheritance. The views of the allies extended in proportion to the success of their arms. 1701. Prince Italy. The war was begun in Italy before these maritime powers declared themselves, and prince Erene in Eugene commanded the imperial army, consisting of thirty thousand men. Though Venice was neuter, he penetrated through the district of Trent. Catinat, restrained by orders from court, and badly obeyed by some general officers, did not obstruct him on his passage, but retreated before the enemy till he got on the other side of the Oglio, and the Milanese was exposed to danger. Marechal de Villeroi was sent to replace Catinat. This was a courtier, instead of a general. Villeroi, by his insolence, disgusted the duke of Savoy, perhaps already inclined to betray France, and imprudently attacked prince Eugene at Chiari; where he was defeated, notwithstanding the efforts of the duke, who exposed himself to every danger, as did Catinat likewise, who sought his death in an action of which he foresaw the consequences. They were so fatal, that this first campaign prognosticated an unfortunate issue of the war. This was the beginning of those evils which prince Eugene was to bring upon France, his native country. He was son of the count de Account of prince Eugene. Necessary to pay respect to merit. Soissons, of the house of Savoy, governor of Champagne, and of madame Mancini, one of Cardinal Mazarin's nieces. Being slighted at court in his youth, he went to serve the emperor against the Turks, and bid an eternal adieu to France. The king seemed at that time to treat him with disdain, and the courtiers spoke of him with the utmost contempt. How illfounded and dangerous are hasty judgments, especially in courts! Eugene has shown himself one of the greatest men in the world; he humbled Louis, in recompense for his insults, and made France tremble, as we shall have too frequent occasion to mention. With more penetration and reflection, it would have been possible to discover in him that luminous understanding and vigour of soul which raise a man above the level of his species. It would have been foreseen, that, by alienating him, he might be converted into a dangerous enemy; whereas, by proper attention, he would make a faithful friend. In a word, it would have been judged, that the more superior merit was becoming rare, the more essential it was to secure those in whom it was to be found, though only in embryo. Even modest merit has a certain pride, because it feels its own strength; and when an opportunity offers, what advantage may it not take of those from whom it has received an affront! CHAPTER IV. LOUIS XIV. GIVES THE TITLE OF KING TO THE SON OF 1701. Louis gives the of England to James II. THE war was yet but a single spark, when Louis afforded a pretence to the allies of the emperor to kindle a general conflagration. James II. dy- title of King ing at St Germain, he gave the title of king to his son, after having agreed in council not to the son of take this dangerous step. The widow of James, and madame de Maintenon, whom Louis had married privately in 1686, by flattering his natural magnanimity, obtained from him what prudence seemed to condemn. It was a bad sign to see two women, the one overwhelmed in sorrow, the other a devotee, inspiring the monarch with devotion, and suddenly overturning the unanimous deliberation of a council of state. the The English might have found a pretence Provokes for taking up arms independent of that provo- English. cation, but their animosity would have been less keen and less obstinate; they probably |