ufe of force to restore the power of the laws, and the authority of the emperor.

That the queen of Hungary has treated the emperor's hereditary dominions with inexpreffible cruelty. That Germany has been overrun with foreign troops, which have marched through neutral countries without the customary requifitions.

That the emperor's troops have been attacked under neutral fortreffes, and obliged to abandon the empire, of which their mafter is the head.

That the imperial dignity has been treated with indecency by the Hungarian troops.

The queen declaring the election of the emperor void, and the diet of Francfort illegal, had not only violated the imperial dignity, but injured all the princes who have the right of election.

That he has no particular quarrel with the queen of Hungary; and that he defires nothing for himself, and only enters as an auxiliary into a war for the liberties of Germany.

That the emperor had offered to quit his pretenfion to the dominions of Auftria, on condition that his hereditary countries be reftored to him.

That this propofal had been made to the king of England at Hanau, and rejected in fuch a manner as fhewed that the king of England had no intention to restore peace, but rather to make his advantage of the troubles.

That the mediation of the Dutch had been defired; but that they declined to interpofe, knowing the inflexibility of the English and Austrian courts.

That the fame terms were again offered at Vienna, and again rejected: that therefore the queen muft im

pute it to her own council that her enemies find new allies.

That he is not fighting for any intereft of his own, that he demands nothing for himself; but is determined to exert all his powers in defence of the emperor, in vindication of the right of election, and in fupport of the liberties of Germany, which the queen of Hungary would enflave.

When this declaration was fent to the Pruffian minifter in England, it was accompanied with a remonftrance to the king, in which many of the foregoing pofitions were repeated; the emperor's candour and difinterestedness were magnified; the dangerous defigns of the Auftrians were difplayed; it was imputed to them as the moft flagrant violation of the Germanic conftitution, that they had driven the emperor's troops out of the empire; the public fpirit and generofity of his Pruffien majefty were again heartily declared; and it was faid, that this quarrel having no connection with English interefts, the English ought not to interpofe.

Auftria and all her allies were put into amazement by this declaration, which at once difmounted them from the fummit of fuccefs, and obliged them to fight through the war a fecond time. What fuccours, or what promifes, Pruffia received from France was never publickly known; but it is not to be doubted, that a prince fo watchful of opportunity fold affiftance, when it was fo much wanted, at the highest rate; nor can it be fuppofed that he expofed himself to fo much hazard only for the freedom of Germany, and a few petty diftricts in Bohemia,

The

The French, who, from ravaging the empire at difcretion, and wasting whatever they found either among enemies or friends, were now driven into their own dominions, and in their own dominions were infulted and purfued, were on a fudden by this new auxiliary restored to their former fuperiority, at least were disburthened of their invaders, and delivered from their terrors. And all the enemies of the houfe of Bourbon faw with indignation and amazement the recovery of that power which they had with fo much coft and bloodfhed brought low, and which their animofity and elation had disposed them to imagine yet lower than it

was.

The queen of Hungary ftill retained her firmness. The Pruffian declaration was not long without an anfwer, which was tranfmitted to the European princes with fome obfervations on the Pruffian minifter's remonftrance to the court of Vienna, which he was ordered by his mafter to read to the Auftrian council, but not to deliver. The fame caution was practised before when the Pruffians, after the emperor's death, invaded Silefia. This artifice of political debate may, perhaps, be numbered by the admirers of greatness among the refinements of conduct; but, as it is a method of proceeding not very difficult to be contrived or practifed, as it can be of very rare ufe to honesty or wisdom, and as it has been long known to that class of men whofe fafety depends upon fecrefy, though hitherto applied chiefly in petty cheats and flight tranfactions; I do not fee that it can much advance the reputation of regal understanding, or indeed that it can add more to the fafety, than it takes away from the honour, of him that fhall adopt it.

The

The queen in her answer, after charging the king of Pruffia with breach of the treaty of Breslaw, and obferving how much her enemies will exult to fee the peace now the third time broken by him, declares,

That she had no intention to injure the rights of the electors, and that she calls in question not the event but the manner of the election.

That she had spared the emperor's troops with great tenderness, and that they were driven out of the empire only because they were in the fervice of France.

That the is fo far from disturbing the peace of the empire, that the only commotions now raised in it are the effect of the armaments of the king of Pruffia.

Nothing is more tedious than public records, when they relate to affairs which by distance of time or place lofe their power to intereft the reader. Every thing grows little as it grows remote; and of things thus diminished, it is fufficient to furvey the aggregate without a minute examination of the parts.

It is easy to perceive, that, if the king of Pruffia's reafons be fufficient, ambition or animofity can never want a plea for violence and invafion. What he charges upon the queen of Hungary, the wafte of countries, the expulfion of the Bavarians, and the employment of foreign troops, is the unavoidable confequence of a war inflamed on either fide to the utmost violence. All these grievances fubfifted when he made the peace, and therefore they could very little justify its breach.

It is true, that every prince of the empire is obliged to fupport the imperial dignity, and affist the emperor when his rights are violated. And every fubfequent contract must be understood in a sense confiftent with

7

former

former obligations. Nor had the king power to make a peace on terms contrary to that conftitution by which he held a place among the Germanic electors. But he could have eafily difcovered that not the emperor but the duke of Bavaria was the queen's enemy, not the administrator of the imperial power, but the claimant of the Austrian dominions. Nor did his allegiance to the emperor, fuppofing the emperor injured, oblige him to more than a fuccour of ten thousand men. But ten thousand men could not conquer Bohemia, and without the conquest of Bohemia he could receive no reward for the zeal and fidelity which he fo loudly pro feffed.

The fuccefs of this enterprize he had taken all poffible precaution to fecure. He was to invade a country guarded only by the faith of treaties, and therefore left unarmed, and unprovided of all defence. He had engaged the French to attack prince Charles, before he fhould repafs the Rhine, by which the Austrians would at least have been hindered from a speedy march into Bohemia: they were likewise to yield him fuch other affiftance as he might want.

Relying therefore upon the promises of the French, he refolved to attempt the ruin of the house of Austria, and in August 1744 broke into Bohemia at the head of an hundred and four thoufand men. When he entered the country, he published a proclamation, promifing, that his army fhould obferve the ftricteft difcipline, and that those who made no refiftance fhould be fuffered to remain at quiet in their habitations. He required that all arms, in the custody of whomfoever they might be placed, fhould be given up, and put into the

hands