be cry'd down. 17. That no Peace or War be A. C. concluded without the Confent of the Palatine of 1706. the Kingdom. 18. That a General Indemnity_be given to the Hungarian Nation, without any Exception. 19. That a Particular Satisfaction be given to Prince Ragotzi and Count Berezini. 20 and 21. That the Priviledges of the Nobility, Iand the Limits of the Kingdom be regulated. 22. That the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdom · be Re eftablished. 23. That all the Articles afore6 faid be Ratifyed and Executed. Upon the Receipt of thefe Demands, the Minifters Mediators repair'd to Presburg, where they prefented the fame to the Prince of Lorrain, Bifhop of Ofnabrug,the Emperor's firft Commiffioner, who fent them by an Exprefs to Vienna. His Imperial Majefty, and his Council, having confider'd thofe Demands, return'd an Anfwer to his Commiffioners at Presburgh the 28th; which Anfwer was immediately deliver'd to the Minifters Mediators, who fet out the fame Night for Tirnau, being accompanied by Count Wratislaw, one of the Imperial Commiffioners, who the next Day (June 29. N. S.) had a Conference there with Count Berezini, and on the 30th made a Vifit The Empe to Pr. Ragotzi at Newhaufel. The Terms which the rors Answer Emperor offer'd to grant to the Malecontents, came proves un fhort of being fatisfactory: For whereas the Demands fatisfactory of the Hungarians, imply'd, That all their Privileges were violated; the Anfwer of the Imperialifts on the contrary, fuppofed no fuch Violation, but only declared that if there was any fuch thing, it fhould be remedied in a future Diet. Notwithstanding the Mediators were very fenfible that the two Parties were not fo fincerely inclin'd to Peace as they could have wifhed, they continued their good Offices with all poffible Care and Industry, and endeavour'd to convince both Parties of the Neceffity of putting. an end to thofe Troubles, which, if continued, could The Negotia not but ruin entirely Hungary, and end in the Ex-the Accomoation for tirpation of the Chriftian Religion in that Country.dation of Their Reafons had fome apparent Effect upon them, theTroubles. fince, the Imperial Court granted fome of the De-in Hungamands of the Hungarians, and the latter receded ry, breaks from fome of the Articles they had infifted upon. ff without This and the Prolongation of the Truce, to the 24th Succef A. C 1706. of July, made People expect a fudden Pacification, but contrary to their Expectations, the Conferences broke off, and the Mediators could not obtain a further Prolongation of the Sufpenfion of Arms. Thofe Minifters waited on Prince Ragotzi at Schinta, and took their leave of that Prince, and the Deputies of the Hungarians, who deliver'd to them two Letters, one to the Queen of Great Britain, and another for the States-General, wherein they return'd their hearty 'Thanks to Her Majefty, and their High Mightineffes, for their generous Interpofition in Favour of their Nation, and affur'd them, that they were very forry that their Mediation fhould have been fruftrated by the Artifices of fome, who having fomented thefe Troubles, were altogether against Peace,being refolv'd to fee the Ruin of Hungary. Prince Ragotzi's Letter to the States General was as follows. Prince Ra- High and Mighty Lords, gotzi's Letter to the States < "THE generous Sentiments which have prompted your High Mightineffes to endeavour General. to procure a happy Peace for the Hungarian Nation, having wrought in us a juft Acknowledgment, I joyfully embrace this Occafion gratefully to render your High Mightineffes my own most humble Thanks, and with them thofe of the Confederated Eftates, of whom I am the Leader and Chief. "Tis certain, that the fole Aim, which I and the Hungarian Nation propos'd to our felves, namely to recover our juft and reafonable Liberty, founded on the Laws of the Kingdom, by taking Arms againft thofe who had long fought to opprefs us under the Yoke of Arbitrary Power, could never be more powerfully feconded, than by the Mediation of your High Mightineffes, and of Her Majefty the Queen of Great Britain: Becaufe no Government in the World better knows the Value of Liberty than your High Mightineffes, who have, at all Times, made Ufe of the Force God has put into your Hands, to maintain it. 6 We flatter'd our felves with pleafing Hopes, that a fpeedy and lafting Peace would be the Iffue of that Mediation, having to do with a Prince, who as for his own Perfon, was not the Author of our paft paft Calamities, who has given us no lefs frequent A. C. Affurances of his Affection than of his fincere De- 1706. 'fire of Peace, and who has fo great Obligations to 6 6 6 6 your High Mightineffes, and Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, that we had Ground to believe he could refufe you nothing. "Thefe Confiderations had fo thoroughly rooted out of our Hearts all Diftruft, and produc'd in us 'fo perfect a Difpofition to facilitate the Negotiation of Peace, under an aufpicious Mediation which we esteem'd our greatest Happiness, that we thought it impoffible the Treaty fhould not be carried on to a happy Iffuc. But I find my felf conftrain'd to acquaint your High Mightineffes, with too real Grief, that hardly had we begun to treat, when we perceiv'd that the adverfe Party pretended rather to prescribe us hard Laws, than agree with us on Conditions that might be deem'd equitable on both fides. For his Imperial Majefty having return'd an Answer to our Propofitions, in which he referr'd almost all the effential Points to a Diet, we had no Time allow'd us to make a Reply; but as if the Peace was to be founded on our Defpair, not on our Confidence in the Emperor, and our willing Com pliance, the Imperial Court has forc'd us to betaké our felves again to Arins, refufing to grant the leaft Prolongation of the Armistice beyond the 24th of July, notwithstanding all the Inftances made to them to that purpose by the Minifters of your High Mightineffes, and of the Queen of Great Britain, whofe Endeavours we cannot fufficiently commend, and of whofe Equity we are fo fully perfwaded, that we dare truft the Faithful Report they will make to your High Mightineffes, and Her Majefty, will fhew, that the true Caufes ' of the unhappy Rupture of the Treaty, were the violent Councils of fome of the Emperor's Mi nifters, whofe Sincerity and Maxims are thereby become more fufpected to us then ever. We think our felves happy that we can alledge the juft Grounds of our Complaints to Potentates, whofe Virtues make them defervedly admir'd by the whole Univerfe; and if our Arms have occafion'd fome Diveron of those of your High • Migh A. C. 1706. 6 Mightineffes, and of the Queen of Great Britain, 'tis our much harder Lot to be expos'd to the fatal Effects to us of the Victorious Arms of Potentates, whofe Power and Valour we revere as much as we prize their Mediation, fince their Conquefts 'encrease the Pride of our Enemies, and contribute to our Oppreffion, by drawing upon us Troops 'from Bavaria and the Empire. < But we put our Confidence in God, and in the Juftice of our Caufe, which has no other Profpect than the maintaining of the moft facred Laws of the Kingdom. I cannot without extream Regret refolve to have recourfe to Means, that will engage me anew to fpill the Blood of my Fellow Countrymen, after having endeavour'd with fo much Sincerity, and at the Expence even of my Dignity, to fecond the generous Intentions of your High Mightineffes; though the Infractions of our Laws, the Violences done to our Perfons and Liberties, the Floods of Innocent Blood fhed, under the Reign of the late Emperor, which have been fet forth in all their Horrour in my Manifeftoes, and the Contempt that is still had at this very Time for our moft fincere Wishes for Peace, are a fufficient. Juftification of our Arms, to all thofe who have any Sence of Honour and Equity. And as your High Mightinelles cannot but be touch'd with our Misfortunes, we beseech you to grant us your powerful Afliftance, and to interpofe more effectual good Offices than your former, to procure Peace for a Nation fo unjustly diftrefs'd, which recommends 'it felf to the Continuance of your Favour, and begs you not to abandon him, who is with all due Sen-, timents of Refpect, &c... Neuhauzel, Your High Mightineffes moft obliged, most obedient, and most devoted Servant, The Prince RAGOTZI, Prince of Transilvania., Upon the Breaking off of the Negotiation, and the Expiration of the Truce, the War was renew'd in that unhappy, Country, with greater Vigour: And And Mr. Stepney, Count Rechteren, and Mr. Hamel A. C. Bruyninx, being return'd to Vienna, had on the 1ft 1705. of Auguft, N. S. an Audience of the Emperor, wherein the firft, in the Name of all, made the following Spech to his Imperial Majefty: SIR, WE Mr. Stepney's Spetch to E think it our Duty to give your Imperial the EmpeMajefty a fuccinct Account, by what ror, Aug.i. 'Means the Negociation that was committed to us N. S. came to have no Effect. "We have on feveral Occafions reprefented to the Imperial Commiflioners, and at laft to your Majeffy your felf, that a Prolongation of the Armistice "[Ceflation of Arms] was abfolutely neceffary for difpofing the Tranfilvanians to recede from their Pretenfions, and for carrying on the Negotiation to a happy Iffue: But your Imperial Majefty having been pleas'd to fignify poffitively to us, that you 'would admit of no Expedient in Regard to Tranfilvania, but would have the Government of that "Province remain on the fame Foot it was at the 'Time of the Peace of Carlowitz; and that without ruining your Army in Tranfilvania, and lofing the Benefit of this Campaign, your Majefty could by no Means confent to a Prolongation of the Armiftice; nothing remain'd for us to do, but to deliver that double Negative to the Hungarians, as your Imperial Majefty's laft Refolution; whereupon they declar'd they were extremely forry to fee the Negociation broken off in that Manner, when it was in fo hopeful a Way. . . "We are in Confcience and Honour oblig'd to tell your Majefty, that we never faw fo favourable a Conjuncture for Peace, as at the Time when we were oblig'd to come to that Extremity. Ragotzi, for his own part, had confented, that no more mention fhould be made of him with regard to the Principality of Tranfilvania; and was going to call a Dict of the Eftates of Hungary to meet at Selzchin, having actually fign'd the Writs for that purpofe, to try whether Means could be found to diffolve the Confederacy of the Hungarians with the Tranfilvanians, and to prevail with the latter, upon certain moderate Conditions, to fubmit to Y 2 the |