should preferve to us the Dauphin, we could give our kingdom, in the perfon of the King our brother, and grandfon, a regent inftructed in the art of government; and that if this child, fo precious to us and to our subjects, were also taken from us, we should at least have the confolation of leaving to our people a virtuous King, fit to govern them, and who would likewife annex to our crown very confiderable dominions. Our inftances reiterated with all the force, and with all the tender affection neceffary to perfuade a fon, who fo justly deferves thofe efforts, which we made for preferving him to France, produced nothing but reiterated refufals on his part, ever to abandon fuch brave and faithful fubjects, whofe zeal for him had been diftinguished in thofe conjunctures, when his throne feemed to be the most shaken. So that perfifting with an invincible firmnefs in his firft refolution, afferting likewife, that it was more glorious and more advantageous for our House and for our kingdom, than that which we pressed him to take, he declared in the meeting of the States of the kingdom of Spain, afsembled at Madrid for that purpofe, that for obtaining a general peace, and fecuring the tranquillity of Europe by a balance of power, he of his own proper motion, of his own free will, and without any conftraint, renounced for himfelf, for his heirs and fucceffors, for ever and ever, all pretenfions, rights, and titles, which he or any of his defcendants have at prefent, or may have at any time to come, whatsoever, to the fucceffion of our crown; that he held for excluded therefrom himself, his children, heirs, and defcendants for ever; that he confented for himself and for them, that now, as well as then, his right, and that of his defcendants, should pafs over and be transferred to him among the Princes, whom the law of fucceffion and the order of birth calls or fhall call to inherit our crown, in default of our faid brother and grandíon the King of Spain, and of his defcendants, as it is more amply specified in the act of renunciation, approved

by

by the States of his kingdom; and confequently he declared, that he defifted particularly from the right which hath been added to that of his birth by our letters patents of the month of December 1700, whereby we declared, that it was our will, that the King of Spain and his defcendants fhould always preferve the rights of their birth and original, in the fame manner as if they refided actually in our kingdom; and from the registry which was made of our faid letters patents, both in our court of parliament, and in our chamber of accounts at Paris. We are fenfible, as King and as Father, how much it were to be defired that the general peace could have been concluded without a renunciation, which makes fo great a change in our royal House, and in the ancient order of fucceeding to our crown; but we are yet more fenfible how much it is our duty to fecure fpeedily to our subjects a peace which is fo neceffary for them. We fhall never forget the efforts which they made for us during the long continuance of a war which we could not have fupported, if their zeal had not been much more extenfive than their power. The welfare of a people fo faithful, is to us a fupreme law, which ought to be preferred to any other confideration. It is to this law that we this day facrifice the right of a grandfon, who is fo dear to us, and by the price which the general peace will coft our tender love, we shall at leaft have the comfort of fhewing our fubjects, that even at the expence of our blood, they will always keep the first place in our heart.

For these causes, and other important confiderations us thereunto moving, after having feen in our council the faid act of renunciation of the King of Spain, our faid brother and grandson, of the fifth of November laft, as alfo the acts of renunciation which our faid grandfon the Duke of Berry, and our faid nephew the Duke of Orleans, made reciprocally of their rights to the crown of Spain, as well for themselves as for their defcendants, male and female, in confequence of the renunciation

renunciation of our faid brother and grandfon the King of Spain, the whole hereunto annexed, with a copy collated of the faid letters patents of the month of December 1700, under the counter-feal of our chancery, of our fpecial grace, full power, and royal authority, we have declared, decreed, and ordained, and by these presents, figned with our hand, we do declare, decree, and ordain, we will, and it is our pleasure, that the faid act of renunciation of our faid brother and grandfon the King of Spain, and thofe of our faid grandfon the Duke of Berry, and of our faid nephew the Duke of Orleans, which we have admitted, and do admit, be registered in all our courts of parliament, and chambers of our accounts in our kingdom, and other places where it fhall be neceffary, in order to their being executed according to their form and tenor. And confequently, we will and intend, that our faid letters patents of the month of December 1700 be and remain null, and as if they had never been made, that they be brought back to us, and that in the margin of the regifters of our faid court of parliament, and of our faid chamber of accounts, where the enrolment of the faid letters patents is, the extract of these presents be placed and inferted, the better to fignify our intention as to the revocation and nullity of the faid letters. We will that in conformity to the faid act of renunciation of our faid brother and grandfon the King of Spain, he be from henceforth looked upon and confidered as excluded from our fucceffion, that his heirs, fucceffors, and defcendants be likewise excluded for ever, and looked upon as incapable of enjoying the fame. We understand that in failure of them, all rights to our faid crown, and fucceffion to our dominions, which might at any time whatsoever belong and appertain to them, be and remain tranfferred to our moft dear and most beloved grandfon the Duke of Berry, and to his children and defcendants, being males, born in lawful marriage; and fucceffively, in failure of them, to thofe of the Princes of our royal House,

House, and their defcendants, who in right of their birth, or by the order established fince the foundation of our. monarchy, ought to fucceed to our crown. And fo we command our beloved and trufty counfellors, the members of our court of parliament at Paris, that they do cause these presents, together with the acts of renunciation made by our faid brother and grandfon the King of Spain, by our faid grandfon the Duke of Berry, and by our faid nephew the Duke of Orleans, to be read, publifhed, and registered, and the contents thereof to be kept, obferved, and executed, according to their form and tenor, fully, peaceably, and perpetually, ceafing, and caufing to cease, all moleftations and hindrances, notwithstanding any laws, ftatutes, ufages, cuftoms, decrees, regulations, and other matters contrary thereunto; whereto, and to the derogations of the derogations therein contained, we have derogated, and do derogate by thefe prefents, for this purpose only, and without being brought into precedent. For fuch is our pleasure.

And to the end that this may be a matter firm and lafting for ever, we have caufed our feal to be affixed to these prefents. Given at Verfailles, in the month of March, in the year of our Lord 1713, and of our reign the 70th. Signed Lewis, and underneath, By the King, Phelypeaux. Vifa, Phelypeaux. And fealed with the great feal on green wax, with ftrings of red and green filk.

Read and published, the court being affembled, and registered among the rolls of the court, the King's attorney general being heard and moving for the fame, to the end that they may be executed according to their form and tenor, in pursuance of and in conformity to the acts of this day. At Paris, in parliament, the 15th of March, 1713. Dongois.

(Signed)

The

The Renunciation of the Duke of Berry to the Crown of Spain.

CHARLES fon of France, Duke of Berry, Alenfon, and Angoulefme, Viscount of Vernon, Andely, and Gifors, Lord of the Chatellenies of Coignac and Merpins to all Kings, Princes, Commonwealths, Communities, and to all other bodies and private perfons, present and to come, be it known. All the Powers of Europe finding themselves almost ruined on account of the prefent wars, which have carried defolation to the frontiers, and into many other parts of the richest monarchies, and other dominions, it has been agreed, in the conferences and treaties of peace, which are negociating with Great Britain, to establish an equilibrium and political boundaries between the kingdoms, whereof the interefts have been, and are ftill, the fad occafion of a bloody difpute; and to hold it for a fundamental maxim, in order to preferve this peace, that provifion ought to be made, that the forces of these kingdoms may not become formidable, nor be able to cause any jealoufy; which, it has been thought, cannot be fettled more folidly, than by hindering them from extending themselves, and by keeping a certain proportion, to the end that the weaker being united together may defend themselves against the more powerful, and fupport themselves respectively against their equals.

For this purpose the King, our moft honoured lord and grandfather, and the King of Spain, our most dear brother, have agreed and concluded with the Queen of Great Britain, that reciprocal renunciations fhall be made by all the Princes, both present and to come, of the crown of France, and of that of Spain, of all rights which may appertain to each of them, to the fucceffion of the one or of the other kingdom, by establishing an habitual right to the fucceffion to the crown of Spain, in that line which fhall be made capable thereof, and declared immediate after that of King Philip the Fifth our brother, by the Eftates of VOL. II.

F

Spain,