The Modern Part of an Universal History From the Earliest Account of Time Compiled From Original Writers by the Authors - new book

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: A. D. Prcfofds made by tie court e/Bruf- fels for a truce. I ' ! SECT. I. Containing prepofak for a trute between Spain and Holland; proportions concerning the re-union cf the feventeen provinces; the Jiege of Breda; and a variety of other military operations, to the death of 'the prince of Orange, and the treaty of Mu after. CONFOUNDED with the rapid coWquefts of prince Henry, and the progrefs of the Dutch con- quefts, the court of Brujfels had no other relburce than the renewal of their negotiations ror a truce with the ftates general. Neceffity rather than the love of peace dictated this meafure. The Spaniards were not yet fufficiently tumbled to grant what the United Provinces required; but they were forced to temporife, and gain a little refpite, by eftablifliing conferences, whofe fole object was to pfd- craftinate. It had been the policy of Philip H. to fet negotiations on foot whenever he found his treafurf eX- haufted, and his arms unfortunate, with no othef'tiew "than to break them off as foon as the fiota arrived froim tfre Indies, and he had recovered himfelf; this policy was imitated by his fucceffors. The archduchefs now difpatchcd a deputation to Macftricht, with propofals to the prince of Qrr.nge, which he tranfmitted and referred to the1 ftatn general. The ftates declared they could enter upon no conferences with the Spani/h miniftry; but that they were willing to begin a negotiation with the catholic provinces, on condition they would detach themfelves from the SparJ- ards. This propofa! was accepted by the archduchefs, who accorHingly fent the archbilhop of Mechlin, and the 3uke d'Arfcbit, to the Hague, to open the conferences. Seven other deputies from Brabant, Hainault, and Flanders, affifteJ. They were acknowledged as the ambafiadors of...