After the reading of these Declarations the Duke spoke and represented to his Majesty, That the late King having seem'd desirous that the Duke of Maine should have the Care of his Majesty's Education, tho' the Place belong'd to him by Birth-right, he did not then oppose it, because he was at that time a Minor; but as this was not the Case now, he desir'd that the Honor might be conferr'd upon him: which Demand was granted to him, as well as that of the Dukes and Peers, who demanded to have Precedence of the Presidents au Mortier in Parliament.
Thus ended the Bed of Justice, which will no doubt be famous to the latest Posterity. The Parliament was very much mortify'd at the Conduct observ'd to them, and declared next day in their Assembly, by an Arrêt which was register'd, That they neither could, nor ought, nor intended to have any Share in what pass'd the Day preceding in the Bed of Justice; and that Posterity might be inform'd of it, Commissioners were nominated, to draw up a verbal Account of all the Proceedings. The Regent being inform'd of what the Parliament was doing, sent Detachments of the Gray and Black Musketeers, commanded by a Brigadier, who on the 28th at Night, took up those that had been the most zealous for this Opinion. Such were Messieurs de Blamont, President of the 4th of the Inquests, Feydeau Counsellor of the same Court, and St. Martin a Counsellor of the Grand Chamber. They were clapp'd into three Coaches, each guarded by eight Musketeers and an Officer, and carried to Places which the Court had appointed;
and at the same time the Papers of the two former were seiz'd.
As soon as the Parliament was acquainted of this Arrest, they met and made a Deputation to the King, to intreat him to permit them to enjoy the Privilege they always had of trying those of their own Body for any Crimes they may be accus'd of. The Keeper of the Seals made them answer, The Affairs which bring this Deputation to the King are Affairs of State, which demand Silence and Secrecy: The King is oblig'd to see due Respect paid to his Authority. The future Behavior of his Parliament will determine his Majesty's Sentiments of, and Dispositions towards them. The Deputies went next day to the Royal Palace to make fresh Intercession with the Regent for the Liberty of their Brethren; but his Royal Highness returned much the same Answer to them as they had the day before, whereupon the Parliament shut up their Tribunals, and left off decreeing Justice. Mean time the King's Council were always in Motion at the Louvre, and at the Royal Palace, but could not obtain a satisfactory Answer; and on the 5th of September the Marquis d'Essiat, Master of the Horse to the Duke Regent, gave the Company notice on the part of his Royal Highness, to open the Courts again, and to continue the Sessions, assuring them, that an Answer should shortly be returned to their late Instances.
Mean time the Rumor of the Violence us'd to the President and the Counsellors that had been apprehended, put a great many People out of Temper: These Exiles were consider'd as Martyrs to the public Liberty, and every Man made their Case his own. Several Parliaments seem'd inclinable to support that of Paris. The
Parliament of Bretagne discover'd more Zeal than any other, and wrote a fine Letter to the Parliament of Paris, offering to join with them in the Demand of the Exiles Liberty; they also wrote another on the same Subject to his Majesty, which they addressed to M. de la Vrilliere Secretary of State.
At the same time a very important Event happened, which took off the Attention of the French, in a great measure, from their own Affairs, and rais'd the Speculation of all Europe. This was the Spanish Expedition to Sicily. To let you fully into the Secret of this Affair, I must go farther back, and give you a general Account of the State of Affairs of Europe in the preceding Year. The Emperor, in pursuance of his Alliances with the Republic of Venice, from whom the Turks had taken a Part of the Morea, was sollicited to declare War against those Infidels. The Pope, on his part, dreading that the Turks should land in Italy, caus'd Instances to be made to his Imperial Majesty to persuade him to the War. The Emperor could not determine with himself for a good while to break with the Turks, for fear lest Spain should take an Advantage of such Rupture, and fall upon his Provinces in Italy. The Pope encourag'd the Emperor, by acquainting him, That the King of Spain had given him his solemn Promise that he would undertake nothing in Italy. He also gave him to understand, That instead of having any reason to be afraid of Spain, he might expect all manner of Assistance from that Crown in the present War; since it had engag'd to send him a powerful Squadron; and that the better to enable him to do this, he (the Pope) had given him leave to raise the Tenths upon the Clergy of Spain.
These Representations made an Impression upon the Emperor; but the Thing which absolutely determin'd him, was the Treaty of Guaranty, that he had concluded with England, by which that Crown engaged to assist him with its Navy, in case that his Dominions were invaded. He therefore declared War against the Turks, and sent a numerous Army against them, under Command of Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Campaign prov'd very glorious for this Prince. He began it with a Victory near Temeswaer, after which he laid Siege to that Place, and in a very little time reduc'd it. Mean while Spain prepar'd a Naval Armament, under Pretence of sending Succours to the Venetians. But how was all Europe surpriz'd, when it was known that the Prime Minister of Spain, the Cardinal Alberoni, heretofore Chaplain to the Duke de Vendôme, afterwards Agent of Parma at the Court of Madrid, and finally, by the Queen's Favour, promoted to the Summit of Grandeur and Prosperity, had prevail'd on the King of Spain to employ the Sums that were levied upon the Estates of the Clergy, and appropriated for the Support of the Honor of the Christian Name, in the Conquest of Sardinia! The Reduction of it was attended with no great Difficulty, because the Island, in reliance upon the Faith of Treaties, was at that time but indifferently furnish'd with Troops. The Emperor made his Complaints to the Pope, and to France and England as Guaranties of the Neutrality of Italy. These Powers did their utmost to engage the King of Spain to desist from his Pretensions. The Duke Regent order'd the Duke of St. Aignan, Ambassador of France at the Spanish Court, to represent to the King all the
Inconveniencies into which this War might plunge him; but the Spanish Minister, who rely'd upon the secret Correspondence he had in France, refused all Proposals of an Accommodation, tho' they were so very advantageous to the King of Spain: For it was propos'd to him, that the Emperor should recognize him the lawful Possessor of Spain and the Indies; and moreover, that he should consent to the securing of the Successions of Parma and Placentia to the Queen of Spain's Children; Terms infinitely more advantagious than those that had been granted to him by the Peace of Utrecht, and of which the King, of Spain so earnestly desir'd to see the Confirmation the Year that Lewis XIV. died.
The End of the Third Volume.