A. C. Prince His Fourth and laft Wife was Louife de Coligny, the Relict of Monfieur de Teligny, and Daughter of the Great Admiral de Chaftillon, by whom he had only one Son, the Famous HENRY FREDERICK, Prince of Orange. PHILIP WILLIAM of Nifau, Prince of Orange, was a Prince of excellent Natural Parts; but being carried into Spain at 13 Years of Age, where he was a clofe Prifoner, and debarr'd the benefit of all manner of Education, he retain'd the Roman Catholick Religion. After a tedious Imprifonment King Philip reftor'd him to all his Demeans in the Spanish Low-Countries, and in Franche-Comté; but the States of the United Provinces conceiv'd fuch a diftruft of him, that they would not fuffer him fo much as to vifit (much lefs to refide in) their Provinces. He Married Eleonor de Bourbon, Sifter to the Prince of Condé, but had no Children by her. After his Death, which happen'd in 1628. Count Maurice his Brother took upon him theQuality of Prince of Orange, and inherited his whole Eftate, whereas before he was contended with the bare Title of Count. MAURICE of Nassau, Prince of Orange, not Maurice, only equal'd his Father in his Prudence and GreatSee De nefs of Soul, but even furpafs'd him in Martial Maurier Performances. For from the Year 1584. when he Hiftory of came first into Action, to 1625. when he died Princes of Prince Maurice was never mention'd without AdOrange. miration and Astonishment. He took for the Bo dy of his Device the Trunk of a Tree, cut off fo as to feem about two Foot high, from whence there grew a Vigorous Sprout; with this Motto, Tandem fit furculos Arbor, At last the Sprout becomes a Tree: To fhow that he would revive the Glo ries of his Father. He took 39 or 40 Towns, and more Fortreffes; defeated the Spaniards in open Field at three Signal Battles, and obtain'd several great Victories at Sea, as well upon the Coaft of Flanders, as upon that of Spain, and the Indies, by the Valour of his Lieutenants and Vice-Admirals. The great Differences which happen'd between him and Barnevelt (upon account of a Truce of fer'd fee'd by the Spaniard, which Barnevelt was for ac- A. C. cepting) went near to overturn the Commonn wealth of Holland,by an intestine Division that ended in the Death of Barnevelt. This Execution fullied the great Character of Prince Maurice in the Opinion of fome Perfons; for 'twas thro' Barnevelt's Intereft, (who bad been one of the Principal Minifters and Confidents of Prince William) that Prince Maurice obtain'd the Soveraign Command both by Sea and Land, immediately after his Father's Death. This Prince was never Married, but had feveral Natural Children, the most Confiderable of whom was Monfieur de Bever vert, a Noble Man of great Courage, and well Accomplifh'd. He died in 1525. when the Marquifs of Spinola Befieg'd Breda, and as fome pretended for Grief, because he could not relieve that Place; or as others faid, because he could not make himfelf Soveraign. HENRY FREDERICK of Naffau, Prince Prince of Orange, Born in 1584. was one of the moft Henry Renowned Captains of his Time, and no way in- Frederick. feriour in Fame and Military Atchievements to his Brother Maurice. He took feveral Important Places from the Spaniards, and by his Vice-Admirals defeated their Fleets at Sea; for which great Services the States General conferr'd the Survivorship of all his Dignities and Employments on his Son William. Thus William I.Prince of Orange laid the Foundation of the Powerful Republick of Holland; his Eldeft Son Maurice fix'd and eftablifh'd thofe Foundations by his Victories, and Henry Frederick the Younger Brother, by the Continuation of their Conquefts, at length forc'd the Spaniards to renounce their pretended claim to the United Provinces, and to acknowledge them as a Free State. Prince Henry Frederick's Motto was Patriaque Patrique, intimating thereby, that he thought of nothing but Saving his Country, and Revenging the Death of his Father. By the Advice of Prince Maurice, when he drew towards his End, he Married EmiLia de Solms, Daughter to John Albert Count of Solms, who came with the Queen of Bohemia into B 4 Holland, A. C. Prince Henriettä. Holland, and was a Lady of furpaffing Beauty, and graceful Behaviour, accompanied with no lefs Modefty and Prudence. By her he had one Son and four Daughters, of which the Eldeft Louife was Married to Frederick William Elector of Brandenburgh. The 2d. Henrietta Emilia to the Count of Nallau. The 3d. Henrietta Catherina to John George Prince of Anhalt; and the 4th to the Duke of Simeren. He died in 1647. leaving behind him his Son, WILLIAM of Naffau, Prince of Orange, William. was naturally Ambitious, and of great Courage, fo that his Enemies reported of him, That tho' he was Young, yet he aim'd at the Execution of that defign which had been laid to Prince Maurice's Charge by Barnevelt and his Adherents. In 1641. he Married Mary Stuart, Eldeft Daughter to Charles I. King of Great Britain, by Madam Henrietta of France; an Illuftrious Birth, Intereft of State and Glory, the three ordinary Motives which fway Princes in the choice of their Alliances, concurring together in the making this Match. The Proposals were no fooner made, but they were accepted, and the Marriage was Celebrated at London with great Magnificence. From this Marriage was Born William Henry Prince of Orange, and King of Great Britain. Prince William was Born in 1626. *N. S. and died in the 24th Year of his Age, on the * 6th of November 1650. being feiz'd with a violent Small Pox, after his unfuccefsful Attempt upon Amfterdam. His fudden Death chang'd the whole Face of Affairs in the Low Countries, for he had great Profpects from his Alliance with England. William 3650. ders. ders. He was Born on the 14th of November, A. C. 1650. and had for his God Fathers, the States of im Holland and Zealand, and the Cities of Delft, Leyden and Amfterdam. ceffors Dig As it was his Misfortune to come into the World at a Juncture when his Enemies were furnish'd with a fair Pretence to deprive him of thofe Dignities which his Ancestors had enjoy'd; fo the States General finding themselves now at Liberty by the Death of William II. and concluding from the late Defign upon Amfterdam what they might expect from a fingle Governour, or Stadt-holder, refolv'd to obviate all Inconveniences that might for the future happen upon this Occafion, and fo appointed a General Affembly to meet at the Hague. In the He is de firft* Seffion of this Affembly it was refolv'd: That priv'd of his Prede fince the Country was now without a Governour, by the Death of the Prince, the Choice of all Officers and Magiftrates for the time to come, should be in the Dif* Jan. 18. pofal of the Cities; and that not only the ordinary 1651. Soldiers, but even the Guards of the Deceafed Prince fhould take an Oath of Fidelity to the States of Holland. This fatal Refolution was unanimously carried, notwithstanding all the Representations made by the Princefs his Mother, who ineffectually endeavour'd to preferve him in thofe great Employments, which the States themselves had made Hereditary in his Family. The Royal Family of Great Britain, from whom principally fhe could expect any Affiftance, being at that time under an Eclipfe, through the Trayterous Cabals of those execrable Parricides, who after they had barbarouf ly Murther'd Charles I. by a Train of Hypocrifie, and other Villanies, fhar'd his Sovereignty among themselves, and Perfecuted his Sons in those very Places where they had taken Sanctuary. Prince William Henry from his Childhood dif- His Noble cover'd the paffionate Defire he had to follow the Inclinatiglorious fteps of his Predeceffors: And indeed ons. tho' Nature does feldom produce great Men in *De Mau the fame Family and Succeflion, yet the great A- rier's Re tions of the Fathers are powerful incentives to ftirflection. up their Children to imitate them; the Glory of A. C. their Ancestors being a Light, which directs their Pofterity to March in thofe Generous Paths which they have trod before them; and if the Virtue of Strangers has often prompted fome Couragious Souls to Noble Enterprizes, (as that Greek whofe Reft was difcompos'd by the Trumpets of Miltia des :) fure Domestick Examples must be much more prevailing, that they may not incur the Shame of having degenerated. Part. The two diftinguishing Qualities of our Young Prince were his Refervedness and Moderation. His Prudence encreas'd as he grew up, and fuch People as were nice Obfervers of Merit, and took great Notice of him have affirm'd, That never Prince gave greater Hopes than he, even in his most tender Years. Among the reft the Famous Mr. St. Evremont, then an Exile in Holland, See Mr. fpeaks thus of him in at Letter wherein he gives St. Evre- an Account of the Hague to a Friend in Paris : mont Ef- We go now and then to make our Court to the Young fays. 1st. Prince, who fhall have Reafon to Complain of me, for telling you only, that a Perfon of his Age and Quality was never Mafter of fo good a turn of Wit. His Suffer- Our Prince, who like Hercules was to Encounings. ter Snakes in his Cradle, fuffer'd a great deal from the Intrigues and Contrivances of Barnevelt's Party, now reviv'd, as it were out of its Afhes, in the Perfons of the two De-Wits. But he bore all with an admirable Temper, ftill waiting for a favourable Opportunity to be reftor'd to his Father's DigHis unfor nities. Among the many Injuries which his Etunate E- mies did him, we may reckon the impofing upon ducation, his Highness a Governor intirely devoted to John de Wit, Penfioner of Holland; and who inftead of Cultivating the Excellent Endowments which the Prince had receiv'd from Nature, cndeavour'd to break his Generous Spirit; fcarce affording him a Tutor that had any Tincture of good Litera ture, or any tollerable Knowledge of the World. Notwithstanding this unfortunate Education, he Learn'd in his Youth thofe Parts of the Mathe maticks, which have an immediate Relation with the Military Art; and fpoke English, French and |