ever, the QUEEN hath voluntarily given them a guarantee to defend them against Spain, until the peace fhall be made; and fuch terms after the peace are ftipulated for them, as the Portuguese themselves are contented with.

Having mentioned the Catalonians, he puts the question, who can name the Catalonians without a tear? That can I ; for he hath told fo many melancholy ftories without one fyllable of truth, that he hath blunted the edge of my fears, and I fhall not be ftartled at the worft he can say. What he affirms concerning the Catalonians is included in the following particulars; firft, that they were drawn into the war by the encouragement of the maritime powers; by which are understood England and Holland: but he is too good a friend of the Dutch to give them any part of the blame. Secondly, that they are now abandoned and expofed to the refentment of an enraged prince. Thirdly, that they always oppofed the perfon and intereft of that prince, who is their prefent king. Laftly, that the doom is dreadful of those who shall in the fight of God be efteemed their de

4

Stroyers.

ftroyers. And if we interpret the infinuation he makes, according to his own mind, the destruction of those people must be imputed to the prefent miniftry..

I am sometimes, in charity, disposed to hope, that this writer is not always fenfi-' ble of the flagrant falfhoods he utters, but is either biaffed by an inclination to believe the worst or a want of judgment to chuse his informers. That the Catalonians were drawn into the war by the encouragement of her majefly, fhould not in decency have been affirmed until about fifty years hence; when it might be fuppofed there would be no living witness left to disprove it. It was only upon the affurances of a revolt given by the prince of Heffe and others, and their invitation, that the QUEEN was prevailed with to fend her forces upon that expedition. When Barcelona was taken by a most unexpected accident of a bomb lighting on the magazine, then indeed the Catalonians revolted, having before fubmitted and fworn allegiance to Philip, as much as any other province of Spain. Upon the peace between that crown and Britain, the QUEEN, in order

to ease the emperor, and fave his troops, ftipulated with king Philip for a neutrality in Italy, and that his imperial majesty fhould have liberty to evacuate Catalonia; upon condition of abfolute indemnity to the Catalans, with an entire reftitution to their honours, dignities, and estates. As this neutrality was never obferved by the emperor, fo he never effectually evacuated Catalonia; for, although he fent away the main body, he left behind many officers and private men, who now spirit up and affift thofe obftinate people to con tinue in their rebellion. It is true indeed that king Philip did not abfolutely restore the Catalans to all their old privileges, of which they never made other use than as an encouragement to rebel; but admitted them to the fame privileges with his fubjects of Caftile, particularly to the liberty of trading, and having employments in the Weft-Indies, which they never enjoyed before. Befides, the QUEEN referved to herself the power of procuring farther immunities for them, wherein the moft chriftian king was obliged to fecond her: for his catholic majefty intended no

more than to retrench thofe privileges, under the pretext of which they now rebel, as they had formerly done in favour of France. How dreadful then must be the doom of thofe, who hindered these people from fubmitting to the gentle terms offered them by their prince! and who, although they be confcious of their own inability to furnish one fingle fhip for the fupport of the Catalans, are at this inftant fpurring them on to their ruin by promifes of aid and protection!

Thus much in anfwer to Mr Steele's account of the affairs of Europe, from which he deduceth the univerfal monarchy of France, and the danger of I know not how many popish fucceffors to Britain. His political reflexions are as good as his facts. We must obferve, fays he, that the person who feems to be the most favoured by the French king in the late treaties, is the duke of Savoy. Extremely right; for whatever that prince got by the peace, he owes entirely to her majefty, as a juít reward for his having been fo firm and useful an ally; neither was France brought with more difficulty to yield any one point F 4 than

than that of allowing the duke fuch a barrier as the QUEEN infifted on.

He is become the most powerful prince in Italy. I had rather fee him fo than the emperor. He is fuppofed to have entered into a fecret and frict alliance with the boule of Bourbon. This is one of those facts wherein I am moft inclined to believe the author, because it is what he muft needs be utterly ignorant of, and therefore may poffibly be true.

I thought indeed we fhould be safe from all popish fucceffors as far as Italy, because of the prodigious clutter about fending the pretender thither. But they will never agree where to fix their longitude. The duke of Savoy is the more dangerous for removing to Sicily: he adds to our fears for being too near. So whether France conquer Germany, or be in peace and good underflanding with it, either event will put us and Holland at the mercy of France, which hath a quiver full of pretenders at its back, whenever the chevalier fhall die.

This was juft the logick of poor prince Butler, a fplenetic mad-man, whom every body may remember about the town.