149

Of the Study of H i s t o k y.

out the little lise and vigor that remaìned in theirmonarchy. Philip the second issaid to hâve beenpiqued against his nncle Ferdinand, for refuíìngto yield the empire .to him on the abdication ofCharles the fìfth. Certain it is, that as much ashe loved to disturb the peace of mankind, and tomeddle in every quarrel that had the appearanceof supporting the Roman, and oppreflìng everyother church, he meddled little in the affairs ofGermany . But, Ferdinand and Maximilian,dead, and the offspring of Maximilian, extinct,the kings of Spain efpoufed the interests of theother branch of their family, entertained remoteviews of ambition in favor of their own branch,even on that side, and made ail the enterpriíes ofFerdinand of Gratz, both before and aster hisélévation to the empire, the common cause of thehoule of Auífria. What completed their ruin wasthis: they knew not hovv to lofe, nor when toyield. They acknowledged the independency ofthe Dutch commonwealth, and became the alliesof their ancient fubjects at the treaty of Munster:but they would not forego their ufurped daim onPortugal , and they persisted to carry on singîy thewar against France . Thus they were redueed tosuch a lowness of power as can hardly be paralleledin any other case: and Philip the fourth wasobìiged at last to conclude a peace, on ternisrépugnant to his inclination, to that of his peuple,to the interest of Spain , and to that of ail lìurope,in the Pyrenean treaty.

L 3