i 4 8 HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

C ir A p. ambition of Lewis, and still more by the frequentlxxi. insults, which his pride had made them undergo.16S8. He was apprized of the influence of these mo-narchs over the catholic princes of the empire :He had himself acquired great authority withthe protestant : And he formed a project ofuniting siurope in one general league against theencroachments of France, which seemed so nearlyto threaten the independence of all its neighbours.

No characters are more incompatible than thoseof a conqueror and a persecutor; and Lewis soonfound, that besides his weakening France by thebanishment of so many useful subjects, the refugeesbad inflamed all the protestant nations againsthim, and had raised him enemies, who, in de-fence of their religion as well as liberty , wereobstinately resolved to oppose his progress. Thecity of Amsterdam and other towns in Holland,which had before fallen into a dependence onFrance, being terrified with the accounts , whichthey every moment received, of the furious per-secutions against the Hugonots, had now droppedall domestic faction , and had entered into anentire confidence with the prince of Orange \The protestant princes of the empire formed aseparate league at Magdeburgh for the defenceof their religion. The English were a - new en-raged at the blind bigotry of their sovereign ,and were disposed to embrace the most desperate

1 D’Avaux, 24th of July, 1681 ; 10 of June, i$th ofOctober, nth of November, 1688; vol. iv. p. 50.