cause this method is as ufeful and neceffary to the be nefit of the general peace of Europe, the quiet and comfort of my vaffals, as to the common good of these kingdoms, my counfellors did therefore advise me to it, I thought it good, and determined to command, as I do command, that every thing contained in the abovementioned act be obferved, fulfilled, and executed for ever, as it is contained therein: and in confequence of the faid act, I and all my defcendants are for ever excluded from the fucceffion to the crown of France, fo that we never can fucceed to the faid crown, under any pretence, at any time, or on any accident or occafion whatsoever; and all the Princes of the Blood of France, and all of their race, either in being or that shall be, are by the faid act excluded reciprocally from the monarchy of Spain; and all the princes, as well males as females, of the Houfe of Auftria, that are either now in being or that shall be, are in the fame manner excluded, fo that neither the one nor the other can ever in any cafe, either yet thought of, or not thought of, fucceed to the monarchy of Spain, or to the provinces that now are or hereafter may be united to it and in cafe of failure of my royal perfon, and of my lawful defcendants, as well male as female, I do declare, that the Duke of Savoy ought to fucceed to this monarchy, and his fons, and male defcendants, coming from the male line in conftant and lawful wedlock; and in failure of his male line, the Prince Amadeus of Carignan, and his fons, and male defcendants from the fame line, born in conftant and lawful wedlock; and on failure of his male line, Prince Thomas, brother of the Prince of Carignan, his fons, and male defcendants from the fame line male, born in conftant lawful wedlock; all whom, as defcending from the Infanta, the Lady Catharine, daughter of Don Philip the Second, and by this exprefs vocation have an evident and acknowledged right to the fucceffion of this monarchy. It is my will that this order of fucceffion be for ever obferved,

fulfilled,

fulfilled, and executed, according to the letter, as is above contained, notwithstanding the law of partition, commonly called Partida, which speaks of the form and manner of fucceeding in thefe kingdoms, and notwithstanding any other laws, ordinances, ftatutes, or cuftoms whatsoever, which are or may be contrary thereunto, and notwithftanding any teftamentary difpofitions, made by the Kings our ancestors when they were alive, and notwithstanding any declaration which we made in favour of the Duke of Orleans, and his fons and defcendants, as grandfon of the Infanta the Lady Anna Mauricia, deceafed, Queen of France, from all which we derogate by this law, and refcind and annul them, inasmuch as they are contrary to the tenor of this act, the reft remaining in their force, in like manner as this renunciation, exclufion, and order of fucceffion, for ever, with the other things there expreffed, for the fundamental law of the fucceffion of this monarchy, in the fame form as is there expreffed. And this is my will. Given at Madrid the 18th day of March, 1713.

I the King.

I Don Lorentius de Vivanco Angulo, fecretary of our lord the King, have writ this by his command.

Count de Gramedo.

Marquis of Andea.

Don Garcias de Araciel.

Marquis of Aranda.

Don Peter of Reatiqui and Colona.

Publication.

In the city of Madrid, the 18th day of the month of March, 1713, before the gate of his Majefty's palace, at the gate of Guadalaxera, where the merchants and officers refort upon business, and in the prefence of the licentiates Don Melchior Prous, Don Diego de Pellizer, and Thobar, Knight of the Order of St. James,

James, Don Francifco Zephirino de Villa, and Don John Gafpar Fovilla, of St. Martin, alcaid of the house and court of his Majefty: the law and royal ordinance above inferted, were published by a herald with found of drums and trumpets, many of the guards of his Majefty's houfe and court being prefent, which I Don John of Barco and Oliva, notary of the King our master's chamber, and one of his counsellors, do certify; and befides thofe above named, many others were prefent.

Don John of Barco and Oliva.

This is a copy of his Majefty's royal ordinance, and of its publication, the original whereof is preferved in the archives of the council which I certify for every one who is of the order of counfellors; I Don Michael Rubin of Noriega, notary of the King our mafter's chamber, the moft ancient of thofe who are of the King's council, I figned this at Madrid, the 18th day of March, 1713.

Don Michael Rubin de Noriega.

And whereas the Princes alfo of the House of France have, in like manner, for themfelves, their heirs and fucceffors, renounced on their part all kind of right, title, and pretenfion to the crown of Spain, or to any the dominions thereof, in the form and words following:

Letters Patents by the KING,

Which admit the Renunciation of the King of Spain to the Crown of France, and thofe of M. the Duke of Berry, and of M. the Duke of Orleans, to the Crown of Spain.

LEWIS, by the grace of God, King of France and Navarre: to all people prefent, and to come, greeting. During the various revolutions of a war, wherein we have fought only to maintain the justice of

the

the rights of the King, our most dear and moft beloved grandfon, to the monarchy of Spain, we have never ceased to defire peace. The greatest fucceffes did not at all dazzle us; and the contrary events, which the hand of God made use of to try us, rather than to deftroy us, did not give birth to that defire in us, but found it there. But the time marked out by Divine Providence, for the repofe of Europe, was not yet come; the diftant fear of feeing, one day, our crown, and that of Spain, upon the head of one and the fame Prince, did always make an equal impreffion on the Powers which were united against us; and this fear, which had been the principal caufe of the war, feemed alfo to lay an infuperable obftacle in the way to peace. At laft, after many fruitlefs negotiations, God being moved with the fufferings and groans of fo many people, was pleased to open a furer way to come at fo difficult a peace: but the fame alarms ftill fubfifting, the first and principal condition which was proposed to us by our moft dear and moft beloved fifter the Queen of Great Britain, as the effential and neceffary foundation of treating, was, that the King of Spain, our faid brother and grandfon, keeping the monarchy of Spain and of the Indies, fhould renounce for himfelf, and his defcendants for ever, the rights which his birth might at any time give him and them to our crown; that on the other hand, our most dear and moft beloved grandfon the Duke of Berry, and our most dear and moft beloved nephew the Duke of Orleans, should likewife renounce for themselves, and for their defcendants, male and female for ever, their rights to the monarchy of Spain and the Indies. Our faid fifter caufed it to be reprefented to us, that without a formal and pofitive affurance upon this point, which alone could be the bond of peace, Europe would never be at reft; all the Powers which fhare the fame being equally perfuaded, that it was for their general intereft, and for their common fecurity, to continue a war, whereof no one could foresee the end, ra

ther

ther than to be exposed to behold the fame Prince become one day master of two monarchies, fo powerful as thofe of France and Spain. But as this Princess (whofe indefatigable zeal for re-establishing the general tranquillity we cannot fufficiently praife) was fenfible of all the reluctancy we had to confent, that one of our children, fo worthy to inherit the fucceffion of our forefathers, fhould neceffarily be excluded from it, if the misfortunes, wherewith it has pleafed God to afflict us in our family, fhould moreover take from us, in the perfon of the Dauphin, our most dear and most beloved great-grandfon, the only remainder of thofe Princes which our kingdom has fo juftly lamented with us; fhe entered into our pain, and after having jointly fought out gentler means of fecuring the peace, we agreed with our faid fifter to propofe to the King of Spain other dominions, inferior indeed to thofe which he poffeffes, yet the value thereof would fo much the more increafe under his reign, in as much as in that cafe he would preferve his rights, and annex to our crown a part of the faid dominions, if he came one time or other to fucceed us. We employed therefore the strongest reafons to perfuade him to accept this alternative. We gave him to understand, that the duty of his birth was the firft which he ought to confult; that he owed himself to his house, and to his country, before he was obliged to Spain; that if he were wanting to his first engagements, he would perhaps one day in vain regret his having abandoned thofe rights, which he would be no more able to maintain. We added to these reafons, the perfonal motives of friendship and of tender love, which we thought likely to move him; the pleasure we should have in feeing him from time to time near us, and in paffing fome part of our days with him, which we might promife ourfelves from the neighbourhood of the dominions that were offered him, the fatisfaction of inftructing him ourselves concerning the ftate of our affairs, and of relying upon him for the future; fo that, if God

fhould