it be fuppofed that a Prince, whofe courage all Europe has beheld, would have asked to capitulate at the head of an army of near 40,000 men, under the cannon of the town, and in a post of difficult accefs and well intrenched? But this Prince, whofe capacity gave him to perceive, that no retreat remained for him in cafe he should be beaten, preferred the glory of faving the King his father's troops, and thofe of his allies, to the vain honour of fighting the King's army, without any grounded hope of fuccefs. The more of his felf-love he had by this ftep facrificed to the good of the King his father, the more facred and inviolable did the capitulation, which he had asked and obtained, become to him. It is unquestionable in the rules of honour and war, that a capitulation is never to be asked of an enemy till at an extremity; but when reduced to it, it is not lawful to employ those arms against him, which by promife were to be laid down. Honour would look on fuch a procedure with indignation; and if private perfons deteft a treachery of this nature, is it not ftill more unworthy of Sovereigns, who are the protectors of good faith, and who are more concerned than private perfons to preferve their glory and reputation?

Accordingly the Duke of Cumberland, by laying down his military employments, was for faving himself the infamy of breaking fuch facred engagements; he has proved by that ftep that he is incapable of being fo far wanting to himself; but in fheltering his own honour, why has he not been afraid of expofing that of the King his father?

If the King of England, Elector of Hanover, on his receiving advice

of the capitulation had difowned the Duke of Cumberland his General and fon, ftill would the King have had cause of complaint, military conventions not requiring a ratification; but, at least, there would have been in this proceeding an appearance of good faith; but to temporize during near three months, in feeking occafion for breaking the capitulation with impunity, let the French army march away for Halberftadt, wait till it was feparated in the bad feafon, lay hold of the circumftances of a check to come out of the prefcribed limits, under pretence of extending quarters, afterwards taking advantageous posts, equally contrary to the convention; make every difpofition for the fiege of Harburg, without any previous declaration of war; and when all thefe preparations are made, and the enemy is thought to be fufficiently weakened and deceived, to be fought with advantage, to declare to him, that hoftilities are to be renewed, and that the capitulation is looked on as broken, at the very fame moment that the troops are marching to him, and his poíts are attacked; to engage one Prince, by feducement, to violate this capitulation, and to hinder another by open force from executing it; to imprifon the General of the latter, and detain his troops, and take away his fon from him; to make him ferve as an inftrument to the treachery; this is trampling on the law of nations, on the laws of justice, honour, and good faith; rights of the fovereignty of the ftates of the Empire; the ties of nature and of blood; it is to fear neither the judgment of cotemporaries, or of poiterity; it is wilfully branding one's life and memory with an indelible mark of infamy

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in a word, it is daring to fet up and give a fanction to the pernicious maxim," That every means is lawful to obtain one's end." Principles and procedures fo heinous are to be attributed only to the artifices and evil councils of corrupt minifters. To fufpect Princes themselves of them, would be wanting to the respect due to them.

After the preceding faithful reprefentation of the King's conduct, and that of the King of England, Elector of Hanover, all Europe, and especially Germany, may eafily judge of the difference of the intentions of these two Princes, and it is hoped, that they will impute the blame of the confequences of this war to thofe only, who, in contempt of all laws and all rules, have again taken up arms to hinder the conclufion of it.

This is the caufe of all Sovereigns, but especially that of the Empire; it being the bad faith of the Hanoverians which has retarded the fuccefs of the King's operations for reftoring the peace of Germany; and their unjuft and violent proceedings, both towards the King and the Duke of Brunswick, are a fresh breach of the public peace, and of the treaties of Weftphalia.

The King will omit nothing to acquit himself of what he owes to his dignity, injured by the outrage done him by the court of Hanover. As to the Germanic body, his Majefty will redouble his efforts for preferving it from the new dangers with which it is threatened; and fulfil the engagements he has entered into both with his allies and the Empire. He is perfuaded that the Electors, Princes, and States, will do juftice to the uprightnefs and generofity of his fentiments;

and he with the greater confidence hopes they will fecond his measures and operations, as, agreeably to the with and refolution of the Dyet, they tend only to fuccour the allies of France, to maintain the Germanic fyftem, and to restore order and peace in Germany."

Versailles, December
the 30th, 1757.

In the appendix to the Parallel of the Conduct of the two Kings is the following letter (dated Nov. 27, 1757) to Prince Ferdinand from the reigning Duke of Brunfwic his brother, who fent a copy of it to Marshal Richelieu. It fhews that Prince Ferdinand contributed greatly to the juft refentment which hath been fhewn of the French infraction of the treaty of Clofter-Seven. It ferves, too, to discover that Duke's character, and his high esteem of his brother Ferdinand.

SIR,

I know you too well to entertain a doubt that the fituation we are in with refpect to each other gives you pain; nor can you have any doubt that it gives me concern: indeed it afflicts me greatly. Mean while, my deareft brother, I could never have believed, that it would be you who fhould carry away from me my eldest fon and how great is my mortification to find myfelf under the hard neceffity of telling you, that this ftep is contrary to the law of nations, and the conftitution of the Empire; and that if you perfift in it, you will difgrace your family, and bring a ftain upon your country, which you petend to ferve. The hereditary Prince my fon was at Hamburgh by my order; you have carried him to Stade. Could he dif

truft his uncle, an uncle, who hath done fo much honour to his house! Could he believe that this uncle would deprive him of liberty; a liberty never refufed to the lowest officer. I ordered him to make a tour to Holland: could not the lowest officer have done as much? Let us suppose for a moment, that my troops, among whom he ferved, were to have flaid with the Hanoverians, would it not ftill have been in my power to give an officer leave of absence, or even leave to refign his commiffion? And would you, my dear brother, hinder your brother, the head of your family, and of fuch a family as ours, to exercise this right with regard to a fon who is the hereditary Prince, of whofe rights and prerogatives you cannot be ignorant? It is impoffible that you could have conceived fuch defigns without the fuggeftion of others. Thofe who did fuggeft them have trampled on the rights of nature, of nations, and of the Princes of Germany: they have induced you to add, to the infraction of all thefe, the moft cruel infult on a brother whom you love, and who loves you. Would you have your brother lay his juft complaints against you before the whole Empire, and all Europe? Is not your proceeding without exam

ple! What is Germany become! What are its Princes, and what is our house, in particular become! Is it the intereft of the two Kings, the cause of your country, and my caufe, that you pretend to fupport?

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I repeat it, brother, that this defign could never have been framed by you. I again command my fon to purfue his journey, and I cannot conceive that you will give any obftruction. If you fhould (which I pray God avert !) I folemnly declare to you, that I fhall not be constrained by fuch means, and that I fhall never forget what I owe to myfelf.

As to my troops, you may fee what I have written on that head to the Hanoverian miniftry. The Duke of Cumberland, by the convention of Clofter-Seven, difmiffed them and fent them home: the faid miniftry gave me notice of this convention as what bound me : the march of the troops was fettled: an incident happening, they halted: the obftacle being removed, they were to have continued their march. The court of Hanover will no longer be bound by the convention; whilft I not only accepted it on their word, but have also, in conformity to their inftructions, negociated at Verfailles and Vienna".

After

arms

The King of England's conduct as Elector of Hanover; in answer to the Parallel of the conduct of the King of France, with that of the King of England, Elector of Hanover.

The conduct of his Majefty the King of Great Britain, Elector of Brunswick and Lunenbourg, with regard to the troubles of the Empire, gave no reason to think that France could hope to be a gainer by a parallel of that conduct with her own. She has, however, undertaken this comparison. The public has feen the memorial published by France under the title of A Parallel of the King's conduct with that of the King of England, relative to the breach of the capitulation of Clofter-Seven by the Hano

verians,

In the introduction to this piece we are affured, that it was merely from moderation, and to avoid the kindling of animofities, that the publication of it was fo long delayed. Indeed, in feveral places of this piece, the flyle and expreffions are far from being conformable to that regard which crowned heads, though at war, owe one to another. As to the things themselves, fo little regard is paid to truth, that we are certain they will not have the promifed effect.

His Britannic Majefty has too great a value for the judgement which the public forms of the actions of the greatest monarchs, and which pofterity will make with ftill greater freedom, not to let them know the motives upon which he has acted, and which render his conduct irreproachable. It is, there

fore, with the greatest readiness, that he feizes an opportunity which France furnishes him, to expose them to the view of Europe. Very different from thofe who have attacked him with animofity, he will ufe the language of moderation. The truth, fet in its proper light, carries fo ftrong conviction with it, that it lofes nothing by a fimple and difpaffionate relation. It will be fufficient fimply to relate. what is paft, to make appear which fide juflice is on, and to whom are to be imputed the torrents of blood that have been fpilt, and which in all probability will yet dye the earth.

The troubles appeafed by the late treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, are too recent to be yet forgot. France, which, notwithstanding the continual wars which Lewis XIII. Lewis XIV. and Lewis XV. made on the Empire, notwithstanding the defolations which he has caufed, and the provinces which she has taken from it, thinks, however, that she may give herfelf the title of Ancient Friend and Ally of the Empire ; France, which makes no fcruple to advance that the private ambition of Princes, who continually excited the two houfes of France and Auftria against one another, was the chief caufe of their divifions, and of the wars which fo long defolated Europe, and efpecially Germany; France, without being excited thereto, attempted, at the death of the Emperor Charles VI. to make herfelf mistress of that fuperiority of dominion which the always had in view. She would have obtained her end, had he been able to divide the eftates of the honfe of Auftria, among the different Princes who formed pretenfions to them,

and