Let. 7.

and State ofEuaopi.

185

by their confederates ; if these are fufficient, they‘fliould not hâve acted for decency’s íake as vvellas out of good policy, the part they did act inone thousand seven hnndred and eleven, and onethousand seven hnndred and tvvelve, towards thelate queen, who had complaints of thte samekind,in a much higher degree and vvith circumstancesmuch more aggravating, to make of them, of theemperor, and of ail the princes of Germany ; andwho was far from treating them and their otherallies, at that time, as they treated Spain and theirother allies in one thousand fix hnndred andsevency-eight, Immediately aster the Dutch hadma de their peace, that of Spain was signed withFrance . The emperor s treaty with tliis crownand that of Sweden was concluded in the followingyear: and Lewis the fourteenth being now atliberty to affìst his ally, whilst he had tied up thepowers with who m he had treated from aíïïítingtheirs, he seoir forced the king of Denmark andthe elector of Brandenburg to restore ail theyhad taken from the Swedes, and to concludethepeace of the north. In ail these treaties he gavethe law, and he was now at the highest point ofhis grandeur. He continued at this point for severalyears, and in this height of his power he prepatedthose alliances against it, underthe vveight of vvhichhe was at last vvell-nigh oppreífed ; and might hâvebeen reduced as low as the général interest ofEurope required, if semé of the causes, whichworked now, had not continued to work in hisiavor, and it his enemies, had not proved, in their