ページの画像
PDF
ePub

From this time the queen of Hungary procesċed with an uninterupted torrent of fuccefs. The French, driven from station to station, and deprived of fortress after fortress, were at laft enclosed with their two generais, Bellifle and Broglio, in the walls of Prague, which they had stored with all provifions neceffary to a town befieged, and where they defended themfelves three months before any prospect appeared of relief.

The Auftrians, having been engaged chiefly in the field, and in fudden and tumultuary excurfions rather than a regular war, had no great degree of skill in attacking or defending towns. They likewife would naturally confider all the mischiefs done to the city as falling ultimately on themfelves, and therefore were willing to gain it by time rather than by force.

It was apparent that, how long foever Prague might be defended, it must be yielded at laft, and therefore all arts were tried to obtain an honourable capitulation. The meffengers from the city were fent back fometimes unheard, but always with this answer," that no terms would be allowed, but that they should yield "themselves prifoners of war."

The condition of the garrison was in the eyes of all Europe defperate; but the French, to whom the praise of fpirit and activity cannot be denied, refolved to make an effort for the honour of their arms. Maillebois was at that time encamped with his army in Weftphalia. Orders were fent him to relieve Prague. The enterprize was confidered as romantic. Maillebois was a march of forty days diftant from Bohemia, the paffes were narrow, and the ways foul; and it was likely that Prague would be taken before he could reach it. The march was, however, begun: the army, being joined by that of count Saxe, confifted of fifty thousand men,

who,

who, notwithstanding all the difficulties which two Auftrian armies could put in their way, at last entered Bohemia. The fiege of Prague, though not raised, was remitted, and a communication was now opened to it with the country. But the Auftrians, by perpetual intervention, hindered the garrifon from joining their friends. The officers of Maillebois incited him to a battle, because the army was hourly leffening by the want of provisions; but, instead of preffing on to Prague, he retired into Bavaria, and completed the ruin of the emperor's territories.

The court of France, disappointed and offended, conferred the chief command upon Broglio, who escaped from the befiegers with very little difficulty, and kept the Auftrians employed till Bellifle by a fudden fally quitted Prague, and without any great lofs joined the main army. Broglio then retired over the Rhine into the French dominions, wafting in his retreat the country which he had undertaken to protect, and burning towns, and destroying magazines of corn, with fuch wantonness, as gave reafon to believe that he expected commendation from his court for any mischiefs done, by whatever means.

The Auftrians purfued their advantages, recovered all their strong places, in fome of which French garrifons had been left, and made themfelves masters of Bavaria, by taking not only Munich the capital, but Ingolstadt the ftrongeft fortification in the elector's dominions, where they found a great number of cannon and quantity of ammunition intended in the dreams of projected greatnefs for the fiege of Vienna, all the archives of the state, the plate and ornaments of the elec toral palace, and what had been confidered as moft wor

002

thy

[ocr errors]

thy of prefervation. Nothing but the warlike stores were taken away. An oath of allegiance to the queen was required of the Bavarians, but without any expla nation whether temporary or perpetual.

The emperor lived at Francfort in the security that was allowed to neutral places, but without much refpect from the German princes, except that, upon fome objections made by the queen to the validity of his election, the king of Pruffia declared himfelf determined to fupport him in the imperial dignity with all his power.

This may be confidered as a token of no great affection to the queen of Hungary, but it feems not to have raised much alarm. The German princes were afraid of new broils. To conteft the election of an emperor once invested and acknowledged, would be to overthrow the whole Germanic conftitution. Perhaps no election by plurality of fuffrages was ever made among human beings, to which it might not be objected that voices were procured by illicit influence.

Some fufpicions, however, were raised by the king's declaration, which he endeavoured to obviate by ordering his minifters to declare at London and at Vienna, that he was refolved not to violate the treaty of Breflaw. This declaration was fufficiently ambigu ous, and could not fatisfy thofe whom it might filence. But this was not a time for nice difquifitions: to dif truft the king of Pruffia might have provoked him, and it was most convenient to consider him as a friend, till he appeared openly as an enemy.

About the middle of the year 1744, he raised new alarms by collecting his troops and putting them in motion. The earl of Hindford about this time de

manded

manded the troops ftipulated for the protection of Hanover, not perhaps because they were thought neceffary, but that the king's defigns might be gueffed from his anfwer, which was, that troops were not granted for the defence of any country till that country was in danger, and that he could not believe the elector of Hanover to be in much dread of an invafion, fince he had withdrawn the native troops, and put them into the pay of England.

He had, undoubtedly, now formed defigns which made it neceffary that his troops fhould be kept together, and the time foon came when the scene was to be opened. Prince Charles of Lorrain, having chafed the French out of Bavaria, lay for fome months encamped on the Rhine, endeavouring to gain a paffage into Alface. His attempts had long been evaded by the skill and vigilance of the French general, till at laft, June 21, 1744, he executed his defign, and lodged his army in the French dominions, to the furprise and joy of a great part of Europe. It was now expected that the territories of France would in their turn feel the miferies of war; and the nation, which fo long kept the world in alarm, be taught at laft the value of peace.

The king of Pruffia now faw the Auftrian troops at a great distance from him, engaged in a foreign country against the most powerful of all their enemies. Now, therefore, was the time to discover that he had lately made a treaty at Francfort with the emperor, by which he had engaged, "that as the court of Vienna "and its allies appeared backward to re-establish the tranquillity of the empire, and more cogent methods appeared neceflary; he, being animated with a de

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

"fire of co-operating towards the pacification of Germany, fhould make an expedition for the conqueft " of Bohemia, and to put it into the poffeffion of the "emperor, his heirs and fucceffors, for ever; in gra❝titude for which, the emperor should resign to him "and his fucceffors a certain number of lordships, "which are now part of the kingdom of Bohemia. His

Imperial majefty likewife guaranties to the king of "Pruffia the perpetual poffeffion of Upper Silefia; and "the king guaranties to the emperor the perpetual "poffeffion of Upper Auftria, as he fhall have occupied "it by conqueft."

It is eafy to discover that the king began the war upon other motives than zeal for peace; and that, whatever refpect he was willing to fhew to the emperor, he did not purpose to affift him without reward. In profecution of this treaty he put his troops in motion; and according to his promife, while the Auftrians were invading France, he invaded Bohemia.

Princes have this remaining of humanity, that they think themselves obliged not to make war without a reafon. Their reafons are indeed not always very fatiffactory. Lewis the Fourteenth feemed to think his own glory a fufficient motive for the invafion of Holland. The Czar attacked Charles of Sweden, because he had not been treated with fufficient refpect when he made a journey in difguife, The king of Pruffia, having an opportunity of attacking his neighbour, was not long without his reafons. On July 30, he published his declaration, in which he declares;

That he can no longer ftand an idle fpectator of the troubles in Germany, but finds himself obliged to make

ufe

« 前へ次へ »