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revenues which fhould be kept for its defence. The court is fplendid, but the treasury is empty; and, at the beginning of every war, advantages are gained against them, before their armies can be affembled and equipped.

The

The English money was to the Auftrians as a fhower to a field, where all the vegetative powers are kept unactive by a long continuance of drought. The armies, which had hitherto been hid in mountains and forefts, started out of their retreats; and wherever the queen's standard was erected, nations fcarcely known by their names fwarmed immediately about it. An army, especially a defenfive army, multiplies itself. contagion of enterprize fpreads from one heart to another. Zeal for a native or deteftation of a foreign fovereign, hope of fudden greatnefs or riches, friendship or emulation between particular men, or, what are perhaps more general and powerful, defire of novelty and impatience of inactivity, fill a camp with adventurers, add rank to rank, and fquadron to fquadron.

The queen had ftill enemies on every part, but she now on every part had armies ready to oppose them. Auftria was immediately recovered; the plains of Bohemia were filled with her troops, though the fortresses were garrifoned by the French. The Bavarians were recalled to the defence of their own country, now wafted by the incurfions of troops that were called Barbarians, greedy enough of plunder, and daring perhaps beyond the rules of war, but otherwife not more cruel than those whom they attacked. Prince Lobkowitz with one army obferved the motions of Broglio, the French general in Bohemia; and prince Charles with

another

another put a stop to the advances of the king of Pruffia.

It was now the turn of the Pruffians to retire. They abandoned Olmutz, and left behind them part of their cannon and their magazines. And the king, finding that Broglio could not long oppofe prince Lobkowitz, haftened into Bohemia to his affiftance; and having received a reinforcement of twenty-three thousand men, and taken the caftle of Glatz, which, being built upon a rock, fcarcely acceffible, would have defied all his power, had the garrison been furnished with provifions, he purposed to join his allies, and profecute his conquefts.

Prince Charles, feeing Moravia thus evacuated by the Pruffians, determined to garrifon the towns which he had just recovered, and purfue the enemy, who, by the affiftance of the French, would have been too powerful for prince Lobkowitz.

Succefs had now given confidence to the Auftrians, and had proportionably abated the fpirit of their enemies. The Saxons, who had co-operated with the king of Pruffia in the conqueft of Moravia, of which they expected the perpetual poffeffion, feeing all hopes of fudden acquifition defeated, and the province left again to its former masters, grew weary of following a prince, whom they confidered as no longer acting the part of their confederate; and when they approached the confines of Bohemia took a different road, and left the Pruffians to their own fortune.

The king continued his march, and Charles his purfuit. At Czaflaw the two armies came in fight of one another, and the Auftrians refolved on a decifive day. On the 6th of May, about feven in the morning, the

Auftrians

Auftrians began the attack: their impetuofity was matched by the firmness of the Pruffians. The animofity of the two armies was much inflamed: the Auftrians were fighting for their country, and the Pruffians were in a place where defeat must inevitably end in death or captivity. The fury of the battle continued four hours: the Pruffian horfe were at length broken, and the Auftrians forced their way to the camp, where the wild troops, who had fought with fo much vigour and conftancy, at the fight of plunder forgot their obedience, nor had any man the least thought but how to load himself with the richest spoils.

While the right wing of the Auftrians was thus employed, the main body was left naked: the Pruffians recovered from their confufion, and regained the day. Charles was at laft forced to retire, and carried with him the standard of his enemies, the proofs of a victory, which, though so nearly gained, he had not been able to keep.

The victory however was dearly bought; the Pruffian army was much weakened, and the cavalry almost totally deftroyed. Peace is easily made when it is neceffary to both parties; and the king of Pruffia had now reason to believe that the Auftrians were not his only enemies. When he found Charles advancing, he fent to Broglio for affiftance, and was anfwered that "he "must have orders from Verfailles." Such a defertion of his most powerful ally difconcerted him, but the battle was unavoidable.

When the Pruffians were returned to the camp, the king, hearing that an Auftrian officer was brought in mortally wounded, had the condescension to visit him. The officer, ftruck with this act of humanity, faid, after

a fhort

a fhort converfation, "I fhould die, fir, contentedly "after this honour, if I might first shew my gratitude "to your majefty by informing you with what allies 66 you are now united, allies that have no intention but "to deceive you." The king appearing to fufpect this intelligence; "Sir," faid the Auftrian, " if if you "will permit me to fend a meffenger to Vienna, I be"lieve the queen will not refufe to tranfinit an inter"cepted letter now in her hands, which will put my report beyond all doubt."

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The meffenger was fent, and the letter tranfmitted, which contained the order fent to Broglio, who was, first, forbidden to mix his troops on any occafion with the Pruffians. Secondly, he was ordered to act always at a distance from the king. Thirdly, to keep always a body of twenty thoufand men to obferve the Pruffian army. Fourthly, to obferve very clofely the motions of the king, for important reafons. Fifthly, to hazard nothing; but to pretend want of reinforcements, or the abfence of Bellifle.

The king now with great reafon confidered himfelf as difengaged from the confederacy, being deferted by the Saxons, and betrayed by the French: he therefore accepted the mediation of king George, and in three weeks after the battle of Czaflaw made peace with the queen of Hungary, who granted to him the whole province of Silefia, a country of fuch extent and opulence that he is faid to receive from it one third part of his revenues. By one of the articles of this treaty it is ftipulated, "that neither fhould affift the enemies of "the other."

The queen of Hungary thus disentangled on one fade, and fet free from the nroft formidable of her ene

mies,

mies, foon perfuaded the Saxons to peace; took poffeffion of Bavaria; drove the emperor, after all his imagi nary conquests, to the fhelter of a neutral town, where he was treated as a fugitive; and befieged the French in Prague, in the city which they had taken from her.

Having thus obtained Silefia, the king of Pruffia returned to his own capital, where he reformed his laws, forbid the torture of criminals, concluded a defenfive alliance with England, and applied himself to the augmentation of his army.

This treaty of peace with the queen of Hungary was one of the first proofs, given by the king of Pruffia, of the fecrecy of his counfels. Bellifle, the French general, was with him in the camp, as a friend and coadjutor in appearance, but in truth a fpy, and a writer of intelligence. Men who have great confidence in their own penetration are often by that confidence deceived; they imagine that they can pierce through all the involutions of intrigue without the diligence neceffary to weaker minds, and therefore fit idle and fecure; they believe that none can hope to deceive them, and therefore that none will try. Bellifle, with all his reputation of fagacity, though he was in the Pruffian camp, gave every day fresh affurances of the king's adherence to the allies; while Broglio, who commanded the army at a diftance, difcovered fufficient reafon to fufpect his defertion. Broglio was flighted, and Bellifle believed, till on the 11th of June the treaty was figned, and the king declared his refolution to keep a neutrality.

This is one of the great performances of polity which mankind feem agreed to celebrate and admire; yet to all this nothing was neceffary but the determination of a very few men to be filent.

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