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anxiety evinced by the Pruffian mo. narch to preferve, or rather to cfta blish, the balance of power, fo effential to the welfare and felicity of Europe, on a broad and folid bafis, able to elude the fnares of envy, and to withstand the attacks of ambition, exhibits his character in a moft favourable point of view. Indeed, the whole tenour of his conduct, fince his acceffion to the throne, has proved him a confummate politician; but his are not the dark politics of Charles the Fifth-that narrow and confined fyftem, found ed on fufpicion, cherished by deceit, and enforced with defpotifm ;-'tis the more open and liberal policy of that emperor's manly competitor, Francis the First. This has been fufficiently exemplified in his emancipation of the Dutch (conjointly with England) from the daring and dangerous attempts of an aristocratic junto, and in his recent treatment of the inhabitants of Liege.

The small principality of Liege, having caught that fpirit of liberty for which the prefent age is fo juftly renowned, demanded, with a firm nefs the more refpectable, from being tempered with moderation, the full restoration of thofe rights and privileges, of which their ancestry had been illegally deprived by the regulation of one thoufand fix hundred and eighty-four. This was refufed by their epifcopal prince; who, being educated in arbitrary principles, and impreffed with thofe tyrannical ideas, which diftinguished the catholic prelates of the early ages, fed from a throne which freedom had render

ed uneafy and placed himself

Liege; but inftead of fupporting the caufe of the bifhop, by affording his fanction to tyranny and oppreffion, he nobly fhewed himfelf the friend of liberty, by offering his mediation between the contending parties, and declaring his fole defign to be the legal restoration of the ancient conflitution.

A revolution more extenfive and perfect, has taken place, in the course of the prefent year, in the Auftrian Netherlands; which, from the erection of a new power in the political fcale of Europe, formidable from its local fituation, the fertility of its foil, and its commercial refources, becomes an object of greater importance, and therefore claims a larger fhare of our attention.

The rich provinces of the Auftrian Low Countries, owed their first annexation to the empire to the mar riage of Mary, daughter and fole heirefs of Charles the Bold, with Maximilian, fon of the emperor Frederic the Third; from whom they defcended, firft, to Philip the Handfome, archduke of Auftria, fon to Maximilian, and from him to Charles the Fifth, who affumed the government of Flanders in the year one thousand five hundred and fifteen, which he annexed to the empire, on his acceffion to the Imperial throne, at the commencement of the fubfequent year. It is needlefs to trace the fate of thefe provinces under their different monarchs; fuffice it to obferve, that their ancient rights and privileges were fecured to them; and every emperor, at his coronation, was obliged to take an cath to preferve them in their full

extent. The ftates of the provinces, compofed of deputies from the nobles, the clergy, and the citizens, regulated all matters of finance, and every thing which appertained to municipal government. Things were in this fituation, when in the year one thousand feven hundred and eighty-fix, the emperor thought proper, without confulting the flates, to make several material changes in the administration of juftice, and to fupprefs a great number of convents of both fexes. The latter, as might naturally be fuppofed, inflamed the minds of the clergy; while the former produced fome ferious remonftrances on the part of the laity. Thefe remonstrances being treated with contempt by the court of Vienna, the states had recourse to their ancient mode of defending their privileges from invafion, by refusing to levy the fubfidies, which the expences of the war with the Turks had compelled the emperor to demand. Jofeph, however, unufed to restraint, and unwilling to fubmit to contradiction, determined to enforce his orders; and with that view ap, pointed intendants to the different provinces, for the purpose of collecting the impofts, without the concurrence of the states. This was a violent exertion of arbitrary power, and a flagrant violation of thofe privileges which he had folemnly fworn to maintain. Hence the murmurs of difcontent became louder and louder; remonftrances were repeated; and deputies were at length difpatched, by the ftates, to Vienna, to reprefent the nature of their grievances, confirm the juftice of their 'complaints, and point out the redrefs they required. But the emperor, inftead of liftening to their petition with that calmnefs and moderation, which its importance certainly demanded, employed the imperious language of defpotifm, in-, fifting on the moft paffive and implicit

obedience to his commands. Theftates of all the provinces, faid that weak and arbitrary monarch, must fubmit implicitly to the payment of the fubfidies, both thofe that are in arrear, and thofe which are current. The companies of burgeffes, their mili tary exercifes, uniforms, cockades, and all other marks of party fpirit, as well as all other illegal affocia tions and meetings, fhall be forthwith abolished; and in defect of troops, each magiftrate fhall take the most effectual measures for the fupport of the police, and of good order. The convents fuppreffed previous to the first of April laft (one thoufand feven hundred and eightyfeven) fhall remain fuppreffed for ever; and the nominations that may have been made fince that period to the vacant abbeys, fhall be null, and produce no effect in favour of the religious perfons fo appointed. All the perfons in office, whom they have prefumed to difplace, must be restored; with the exception of the intendants and members of the new tribunals of justice: thefe two topics being of the number of thofe on which I am difpofed to liften to my ftates, and to commune with them,

In a word, there must not remain the smallest veftige of any thing committed contrary to my orders and intentions. My dignity renders all these preliminary re-establishments abfolutely neceffary. The emperor farther added, that in cafe of a perfeverance to difobey his orders, on the part of the ftates, he fhould employ all thofe means, which were abundantly in his power, to enforce them.

It was not probable, that fuch language fhould conciliate the affections of his offended fubjects: the deputies, accordingly, remonstrated on its feverity, and attempted to effect fome alteration in the fentiments of the emperor. But all their efforts proved fruitless, and the in, habitants

habitants of the Low Countries, yet unable to oppose tyranny by force, were reduced to the neceffity of a temporary fubmiflion. The empe ror, meanwhile, fent a fresh fupply of troops to the Netherlands, and appointed general Dalton commander in chief, with very extenfive and extraordinary powers. The year eightyeight paffed in murmurs and remonftrances, but to feeble and ineffectual, that the emperor was thought to have gained his point; and the Brabanters were deemed deftitute either of fpirit or power, to promote their liberation from the fhackles of defpotifm.

The prefent year, however, was destined to exhibit a very different fcene, and to correct fo erro neous an opinion. A general amnesty had been recently granted by the emperor, at the inftigation of his minifters, who feem to have been better acquainted with the temper of his fubjects in the Low Countries than himself. But the impofition of new taxes, for the fupport of the Turkish war, having encouraged the ftates once more to relift their collection, till the infringements on their ancient constitution fhould be wholly removed; the emperor revoked his amnefty, and by a rigorous edict of the feventh of January, renewed his former tyrannical commands, which produced a fpirited addrefs from the first orders of the state on the twenty-ninth of the fame month. In confequence of this, the emperor fent a reply, to his minifter plenipotentiary, who communicated its contents to the ftates on the fecond of March. It exhibits a curious inftance of defpotic pride, and fhews Jofeph in his true light-mighty in words, but in deeds infignificant. The following extract will amply justify our affertion."Without having any farther controverfy in refpect to raifing the fupplies, I order you to proceed, without delay, to the granting

them, in virtue of my fall and fove-
reign power. To this object I have em-
powered my government-general to
afford you any military affiftance in
enforcing the fupplies, fhould it be
found neceffary. I promife my felf
that you will pay implicit refpect,
as you ought to do, to my fovereign
commands, as they are founded on
a thorough knowledge of the cafe ;
nor fuffer yourfelves to be led away
by objects foreign to your duty;
and farther, that you will not give
countenance to thofe indifcreet per- ́
fons, who, by an obftinate refiftance,
and a criminal conduct, have in-
curred my difpleafure; nor embar-
rafs the exercife of my rights, and
the prerogatives of my crown. I
have, moreover, ordered my govern-
ment-general to carry into full force
the laws I have ordained, and to
fpare no methods to put them into the
speedieft execution, without minding
(in regard to any of my fubjects
who may difpute them) the common
forms of law, which were only made
for ordinary cafes. At the fame
time, I acquaint you, that I have
broken and annulled thofe claufes
and conditions by which fame of
the courts have exceptions, and new
modified my orders; not doubting
but you will think with me, that if
my dignity and my rights require I
fhould take fome effectual measures
to deftroy for ever that odious dif
grace, which, for the honour of the
nation, I could wish to lofe the re-
membrance of, it is even for its own
intereft, as well as mine, that I fhould
purify the conftitution, in many in-
ftances obfcure and inexcufeable,
and fix it upon a proper bafis. I
cannot give you a stronger proof
of my clemency, nor of my real af-
fection, than in communicating my
intentions, which, after what has
happened, I was fully authorifed to
do by my fovereign power alone. I
must likewife acquaint you, that
the mitigation of the rigorous parts

of

T

of my difpatch of the feventh of January last, only holds good fo long as every order of my citizens obferve the implicit refpect that is due to me; and if there fhould still be found refractory perfons, who fhould be guilty of the leaft act of fedition, injurious to my authority, I have given pofitive orders to my government-general to act against thofe culprits without obferving the ufual forms of law, which, in all fuch circumstances, are to be rendered fubfervient to the neceffity of the cafe."

Thus fpake the defpot; and never furely was the tyrant's plea of neceffity urged in a more tyrannical manner! To this peremptory declaration there was no reply; the only alternative was paffive obedience, or determined refistance. The former was according ly adopted in appearance, while preparations for the latter were fecretly making. An extraordinary meeting of the states was held, in the mean time, by the emperor's command, on the eighteenth of June; at which his ultimatum was made known to the two first orders of the state, by the following propofitions.-1. That the usual subsidy should be continued for ever in regard to the ordinary impofts.-2. That the tiers état, or third eftate, fhould be re-established, and enjoy its ancient privileges, fo that fifteen provincial towns fhould fit and vote in the affembly, inftead of the three chief cities, as at prefent.-3. That in all deliberations on public affairs, each order fhould have a separate voice, fo that two orders, forming a majority, fhould be able to act without the confent of the third.-And, laftly, That to prevent the council of Brabant from acting hereafter in oppofition to the royal authority, they fhould be obliged to feal and

* The Joyeuse Entrée, or Joyful. Entry, is a charter of liberty confirmed to the fubjects of Brabant, by one of their fovereigns; and it is diftinguished by that appellation, because the charter was granted

publish, in the usual form, all edicts, regulations, &c. proceeding from the fovereign, which are not directly in oppofition to the Joycufe Entréc*. -To this final determination of the emperor, the ftates refused their affent; alleging, that the innovations it tended to establish, would be such as by their oaths they were bound to refift. The government-general, therefore, proceeded, in purfuance of the emperor's orders, to iffue a proclamation, by which the council of Brabant was diffolved, and the Joyeuse Entrée (the magna charta of Brabant) revoked! Matters were now brought to an iffue between the contending parties; the emperor claimed the right of exercifing arbitrary power; and the people refolved to defend their privileges, as men and citizens. The heads of the patriotic party withdrew themselves from a country, where every engine of defpotifm was now employed to quench the generous flame of liberty, which began to burst forth with astonishing effulgence. In the month of September, all the members of the état noble, the archbishop of Mechlin, as head of the clergy, and several deputies of the tiers état, repaired to Breda, where the duke d'Aremberg, and M. Vander Noot (the Washington of the Netherlands!) were waiting to receive them; and, having conftituted a regular affembly of the ftates, they had recourfe to a more decifive measure than they had hitherto ventured to adopt. They voted a remonftrance to the emperor, in which they lamented the fad neceflity of affembling as a banished legiflature; ftated the rights and privileges which the province of Brabant had enjoyed from the most remote times, confirmed and extended by a long fucceffion of fovereigns; by the prince on the occafion of his making a public entry into his capital, to the great joy of his people. The charter began with the words, "The Joyful Entry.”

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to facrifice their lives and fortunes for the glory of their monarch, they were not prepared for a daftardly and perfidious furrender of rights which they exercised in truft for their fellow-citizeps and their potte rity. They therefore earnestly adjured his majesty, by an immediate revocation of his illegal edicts, and re-instatement of the province in its rights, to abfolve them from the cruel neceffity, which the moft facred duty muft impofe, of an appeal to God and their fwords. This remonftrance was forwarded to Vienna, where it experienced that reception which the known pertinacity of the emperor gave but too just reason to expect. At Bruffels, in the mean time, the feverett inquifition was eftablished by general Dalton-who proved himself truly worthy of the confidence repofed in him by his tyrannical mafter-aided by count Trautfmandorff; the peaceful habitations of quiet citizens were violated; all letters were opened; and the prifons were speedily filled with thofe who were either proved, or fufpected, to favour the caufe of freedom. This conduct convinced the patriots, that they must now accomplish by force, what remonftrance had failed to effect; they accordingly took up arms, and commenced hoftilities, by the attack of Lillo and Lifenfhock, two fmall forts on the frontiers of Dutch Brabant, which they surprised, but were obliged to abandon on the approach of a detachment of the Imperial army, under the command of count Schroeder,

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banters maintained a running fight, in order to draw Schroeder to the market-place; where a dreadful fire of artillery and mufquetry, from the tops and windows of the houses, was immediately opened upon him, and produced a terrible carnage. The Imperialifts, unable to maintain this dangerous poft, very speedily retreated, though not till they had fuftained a confiderable lofs, which they attempted to retaliate by a cruel attack on defenceless old men, wo men, and children. This important advantage was attended with the most happy confequences; it animated the patriots to farther excrtions, by affording the well-founded hope of future fuccefs. The extensive city of Ghent, with its ftrong citadel, were taken, after a defperate and bloody refiftance; Bruges furrendered next, and at length general Dalton was compelled to evacuate Bruffels, in a manner highly dif graceful both to his courage and conduct.

The emperor, at length confcious of his error, when too late to correct it, defcended, from the threatening defpot, to the humble fupplicant: more liberal terms were now offered than had, at firft, been required; but the patriots, deriving wifdom from experience, were fenfible of the madnefs of trufting to the promifes of a man, whom the more fa cred obligations of an oath had proved inadequate to restrain from the gratification of a restless ambition, and the exertion of unprincipled rapacity. The die was caft;

and the Braban

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