212 A Sketch of tke History Let. 8 .

to furniíh arguments to the emiffaries of France ,and motives to the Spaniíh councils, if a will infavor of France could be obtained. I repeat itagain, I cannot see what king William coulddo in such circumstances as he found himself inaster thirty years struggle, except what he did :neither can 1 see how he could do what he did,especially aster the refentment expreffed by theSpaniards, and the furious mémorial presented byCanales on the conclusion of the first treaty ofpartition, without apprehending that the consé-quence would be a will in favor of France . Hewas in the worst of ail political circumstances, andthat wherein no one good meaíure remains to betaken; and out of which he lest the two nationsat the head of whom he had been so long, to fightand negociate themselves and their confédérales,as well as they could.

When this will was made and accepted, Lewisthe fourteenth had succeeded, and the powers inopposition to him had failed, in ail the gréât ob-jects of interest and ambition, which they had keptin sight for more than forty years ; that is, fromthe beginning of the présent period. The actorschanged their parts in the tragedy that followed.The power, that had fo long and so cruelly at-tacked was now to defend the Spanilh monarchy:and the powers, that had fo long defended, werenow to attack it. Let us see how this was broughtabout : and that we may see it the better, andmake a better judgment of ail that passe d from thedeath of Charles the second to the peace of