The profperities which it has pleafed God to heap upon us during the courfe of our reign, are fo many motives to us to apply ourselves, not only for the time present, but alfo for the future, to the happiness and tranquillity of the people whereof Divine Providence has entrusted to us the government. His impenetrable judgments let us only fee, that we ought not to place our confidence neither in our forces, nor in the extent of our dominions, nor in a numerous pofterity, and that these advantages, which we receive from his goodness alone, have no other folidity than what it pleases him to give them. But as it is however his will, that the Kings, whom he chufes to lead his people, fhould forefee afar off the events able to produce diforders, and the most bloody wars; that they fhould make use of the lights which his divine wifdom pours upon them; we fulfil his defigns, when, in the midst of the univerfal rejoicings of our kingdom, we look upon as a poffible thing, a fad futurity, which we pray God to avert for ever. At the fame time that we accept the will of the late King of Spain; that our most dear and most beloved fon the Dauphin renounces his lawful right to that crown in favour of his fecond fon the Duke of Anjou, our moft dear and moft beloved grandson, inftituted by the late King of Spain, his univerfal heir; that this Prince, known at present by the name of Philip the Fifth, King of Spain, is ready to enter his kingdom, and to answer the earnest wishes of his new fubjects. This great event does not hinder us from carrying our views beyond the time prefent, and when our fucceffion appears the best established, we judge it to be equally the duty of a King, and of a Father, to declare for the future our will conformably to the fentiments which thefe two qualities infpire in us. Wherefore, being perfuaded that the King of Spain, our grandfon, will always preferve for us, for our Houfe, for the kingdom wherein he is born, the fame tenderness, and the fame fentiments, whereof he has given us fo many proofs, that his example, uniting his new new fubjects to ours, is going to form a perpetual amity, and the most perfect correfpondence between them; we should think likewife that we do him an injuftice, whereof we are incapable, and occafion an irreparable prejudice to our kingdom, if we fhould hereafter look upon as a stranger, a Prince, whom we grant to the unanimous requests of the Spanish na-. tion. For these causes, and other great confiderations us hereunto moving, of our fpecial grace, full power, and royal authority, we have refolved, declared, and ordained, and by these prefents, figned with our hand, we do refolve, declare, and ordain, we will, and it is our pleasure, that our most dear and moft beloved grandfon the King of Spain do preferve for ever the rights of his birth, in the fame manner as if he made his actual refidence in our kingdom; wherefore our most dear and moft beloved only fon the Dauphin, being the true and lawful fucceffor and heir of our crown, and of our dominions, and after him our most dear and most beloved grandfon the Duke of Burgundy, if it fhould happen (which God forbid) that our faid grandfon the Duke of Burgundy fhould come to die without male children, or that those which he fhould have in good and lawful marriage fhould die before him, or if the faid male children should not leave any male children after them, born in lawful marriage, in fuch cafe our faid grandfon the King of Spain, making use of the rights of his birth, is to be the true and lawful fucceffor to our crown, and to our dominions, notwithstanding he should be at that time abfent, and refiding out of our faid kingdom; and immediately after his decease, his heirs male begot in lawful marriage, fhall come into the faid fucceffion, notwithstanding that they may be born, or that they may dwell out of our kingdom; we will that for the abovefaid caufes, neither our faid grandfon the King of Spain, nor his children, being males, be deemed and reputed lefs able and capable to enter upon the faid faid fucceffion, or upon others which may fall to them within our faid kingdom. On the contrary, we intend that all rights, and generally other things whatever, which may at prefent or for the future belong and appertain to them, be and remain preferved whole and entire, as if they did refide and dwell constantly within our kingdom to the time of their decease, and as if their heirs had been natives and inhabitants of the kingdom; having for this purpose, as far as there is or shall be need, enabled and difpensed with them, as we do enable and dispense with them by these presents. And fo we give it in command to our beloved and trufty counsellors, the members of our court of parliament, and chamber of our accounts at Paris, prefidents and treasurers general of France, in the office of our exchequer established in the fame place, and to all other our officers and juftices to whom it fhall appertain, that they caufe thefe prefents to be registered, and our faid grandfoh the King of Spain, his children and defcendants, being male, born in lawful marriage, to enjoy and use the contents thereof, fully and peaceably, any thing to the contrary notwithstanding; to which, by our grace and authority as abovefaid, we have derogated and do degrogate; for this is our pleafure. And that this may be a matter firm and lafting for ever, we have caufed our feal to be put to these prefents. Given at Verfailles, in the month of December, in the year of our Lord 1700, and of our reign the 58th. Signed LEWIS; and on the fold, By the King, Phelipeaux. And fealed with the great feal on green wax, with ftrings of red and green filk. Registered, the King's attorney general being heard, and requiring the fame, in order to their being executed according to their form and tenor, purfuant to the act of this day. At Paris, in parliament, the first of February, 1701. (Signed) Dongois. His faid Catholic Majefty hereby renews and confirms the most folemn renunciation above mentioned, made on his part; and as it has obtained the force of a general and fundamental law, he engages again, in the most facred manner poffible, that he will obferve, and take care that the fame be obferved inviolably, and he will likewise use his utmost diligence, and provide with the greatest earnestness, that the aforefaid renunciations may be irrevocably obferved, and put in execution, as well on the part of Spain as on the part of France, forafmuch as while they fubfift in their full force, and are faithfully kept on both fides, as alfo the other tranfactions relating thereto, the crowns of Spain and France will be so separated and divided from each other, that they can never hereafter be united in one. III. That there be a perpetual amnefty on both fides, and oblivion of all things which have been in an hoftile manner committed in any place, or by any way, on one fide and on the other, during the late war. So that neither on account thereof, nor by reafon or under pretence of any other matter, fhall the one any way do or fuffer to be done any enmity to the other, or give any moleftation, directly or indirectly, under colour of right, or by way of fact. IV. All and fingular the prifoners on each fide, of what ftate or condition foever they be, fhall, immediately after the ratification of this present treaty, be reftored to their former liberty, without any ranfom, paying only fuch debts as they may have contracted during their being prifoners. V. Moreover, for giving a greater and more lafting strength to the peace which is reftored, and to this friendship, which is never to be violated, and for cutting off all occafions of diftruft, which may at any time arife from the established right and order of the hereditary fucceffion to the crown of Great Britain, and the limitation thereof by the laws of Great Britain (made and enacted in the reign of the late King Wil liam liam the Third, of glorious memory, and in the reign of the prefent Queen) to the iffue of the above-named Queen, and in failure thereof to the Moft Serene Princefs Sophia, Electrefs Dowager of Brunfwick, and her heirs in the Proteftant line of Hanover. That there fore the faid fucceffion may be well and fecurely preferved according to the laws of Great Britain, the Catholic King fincerely and folemnly acknowledges the above-mentioned limitation of the fucceffion to the kingdom of Great Britain; and declares and engages, on the faith and word of a King, and on the pledge of his and his fucceffors honour, that the fame is, and fhall for ever be approved and accepted by him and his heirs and fucceffors; and, under the fame tie of the word of a King and his honour, the Catholic King does promife, that no perfon befides the faid Queen, and her fucceffors, according to the order of limitation established by the laws and ftatutes of Great Britain, fhall ever be acknowledged or reputed by him, or by his heirs and fucceffors, to be King or Queen of Great Britain, VI. The Catholic King doth further promife, as well in his own name as in that of his heirs and fucceffors, that they will not at any time difturb or moleft the faid Queen of Great Britain, her heirs and fucceffors, of the Proteftant line, as aforefaid, being in poffeffion of the crown of Great Britain, and the dominions fubject thereunto; neither will the aforefaid Catholic King, or any of his fucceffors, give at any time any aid, fuccour, favour, or counfel, directly or indirectly, by land or by fea, in money, arms, ammunition, warlike inftruments, fhips, foldiers, feamen, or in any other manner whatever, to any perfon or perfons, whofoever they be, who on any caufe or pretence should hereafter endeavour to oppofe the faid fucceffion, either by open war, or by encouraging fedition and forming confpiracies against fuch Prince and Princes, who are in poffeffion of the throne of Great Britain, by virtue of the acts of parliament there made, or |