to 1596. Sagitarius has wrote the HiStory of the Marqueffes and Electors of Brandenburg, from their Origin to the Tear 1680 So has Gregory Leti, the Amfterdam Geographer, given us in Ita lian the Hiftory of the Electoral House of Brandenburg; but Puffendorf, for the Compass of Time he takes in, excels all in his Life of Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, who was the Grandfa ther of the prefent King of Pruffia. The Annals of Bavaria, in Three Volumes in Octavo, were writ by Bruner, and printed at Munick in 1636; and Le Blanche has given us the Hiftory of that Country to the Tear 1648, in Four Volumes in French. The Palatine History has been writ by Tolner, from the Origin of the Family to the Year 1292. We have also Marquardus Freherus his Origines Palatina Heidleberge; but Daniel Pareus is the fullest, and he has deduced the Hiftory of that Country and Family from the Beginning to the Tear 1530. As for the House of Saxony, they have had better Fortune than other Princes of Germany, in the Number and Goodness of the Authors that have wrote of their Affairs, fuch as Albinus, Fabricius, Cranzius, and many more: But it were to be with'd that fome able Ped Pen had undertaken to continue and per fect the Work for the two laft Centuries. Great Expectations indeed there were om the Lucubrations of the Famous Mr. Leibnitz, that we should in time have a Compleat Hiftory of the House of BR a NSWICK, feeing the late Elector, and the the other Princes of his Houfe, had committed this Work to his Care and Judgment. It was in Agitation about Twenty Years; and at length, in 1711, came out Three Volumes in Folio: There were no more than three Sets of them in England, before His MAJESTY's Acceffion to the Throne; and these were in the Hands of my Lord Sunderland, Mr. Rymer, and Dr. Hutton. This last at his Death left his Books to the Parifb wherein he was born in Scotland, and they were actually Sent thither before I had Information that there were any fuch Books in the Kingdom. I had not the Honour to be perfonally known to my Lord Sunderland; and Mr. Rymer being likewife then Dead, and his Books difperfed, it was with Difficulty that I traced them to the Place where I had the Perufal of them. I own my Expectations were very great, and hop'd that I should have little more to do than to tranflate or abridge this this Work for the Hiftorical Part of the Houfe of BRUNSWICK, to the End of the Seventeenth Century: For as to what happened fince the Limitation of the Crown of GREAT BRITAIN upon the Houje of HANOVER, I had done that before. It must be own'd, that Mr. Leibnitz's Performance in this Way is very great and commendable: One of his Countrymen Says of him, that the Illuftrious Author has thofe Qualifications and Advantages which could never be expected in any other; that he was in the good Graces and Efteem of all the Branches of the Family; that their Cabinets were open to him; that he is extreamly well acquainted with the German and Italian Affairs, and well skill'd in the Laws of Germany, and that therefore we might expect the Performance to be exquifite and fatisfactory. The Volumes are writ partly in Latin and partly in the Languages of the Lower Saxony; and they are nothing more than a Collection of old Authors, (most of which bad lain dormant ever fince they had been first writ :) and it would not fignify much if fome of them had fo continued. The LUNENBURG Chronicle, Excerpta Hermanni, Stadwegius, Henry Lange, as alla alfo Botho's BRUNSWICK Chronicle were of fome Ufe to me: So was M. Leib- But, alas! all that I met with here, prov'd of no great Importance to effect my Defign. I had my next Recourse to fuch other Authors as I could find wrote any thing particularly concerning the Affairs of this Country. Gafpar Sagittarius I found to be the Author of feveral Treatifes, wherein are divers Things appertaining to the Houfe of Brunswick So there are alfo in his Memorabilia Hiftoria Luneburgica. He was born in the Country of Lunenburg,and had an Opportunity to give fome Light into the Hiftory of thofe Princes. I have not overlooked Hoffman's Infignia Brunfui- cenfium. Some valuable Things occurr'd to me in the Works of Meibomius, Father and Son, which is but a just Compenfation for the Labour of carefully fearching three Large Volumes in Folio. The fame I may Say of Marquardus Freherius his Works de Germanicis Scriptoribus. Albert Cranzius his Hiftory of Saxony contains fo un- unpardonable Crime to neglect the Perufal of it: Tet his Authority is to be used with Caution, and to be compared, in what concerns the Princes of this Houfe, with other Writers, who have not study'd Party fo. much, as he seems to do, in Favour of the Houfe of Saxony. Fabricius, an Author of good Repute about the German Affairs has been helpful to my Defign in fome Particulars. Thuanus wrote the Hiftory of his own Time in Latin, from 1543 to 1607. It's very large, and a Work both for Subject and Style, comparable to the Performances of the Ancients: I may venture to say, that I have gleaned every thing out of him that was pertinent to my Subject. So I endea vour'd to do by the Continuator of that Work to the Year 1618; but the Produce tame much short of my Expectations. Laurea Auftriaca is a Hiftory of the Bohemian Wars, from 1617 to 1628. The Author is very partial in Favour of the House of Auftria, and therefore it cannot be expected, that any of the Princes of the House of Brunfwick, who adhered to the Intereft of Frederick V. Elector Palatine, and King of Bohemia, fhould have |