Let. ?. and State of E u r o p e. i8r

under the character of mediator , than he did orcould have done by joining his arms to her’s, andacting as her ally. The Dutch were induced tofjgn a treaty with him, that broke the confederacy^and gave great advantage to France : for the pur-port of it was to oblige France and Spain to-make peace on a plan to be propofed to them,and no mention was made in it of the other alliesthat I remember. The Dutch were glad to getout of an expenfive war. France promifed toreftore Maeftricht to them, and Maeftricht wasthe only place that remained unrecovered of allthey had loft. They dropped Spain at Nimeghen,as they had dropped France at Munfter, but manycircumftances concurred to give a much worfegrace to their abandoning of Spain , than to theirabandoning of France . I need not fpecify them.This only I would obferve : when they made afeparate peace at Munfter, they left an ally whowas in condition to carry on the war alone withadvantage, and they prefumed to impofe no termsupon him : when they made a feparate peace atNimeghen, they abandoned an ally who was inno condition to carry on the war alone, and whowas reduced to accept whatever terms the com-mon enemy prefcribed. In their great diftrefs inone thoufand fix hundred and feventy-three , theyengaged to reftore Maeftricht to the Spaniards asfoon as it fhould be retaken : it was not retaken,and they accepted it for themfelves as the price ofthe feparate peace they made with France . TheDutch had engaged farther, to make neither peace

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