Tuesday, September 26. 1704.

Numb. 59.
[249]

IN the last Review, I brought the Oppressions of the Germans, and the Violences of the People, down to the very Article of Civil War, the Protestants Compos’d of and including Calvinists, Lutherans, Arians, Socinians and Greek Christians, call’d Rasciens, were all brought in, to make their Complaints rise up to a pitch, and heighten the Account of German Tyranny; these Complained their Privileges were infring’d, and taken from them; those Complain’d their Churches were taken away; and no doubt where the Soldiers prevail’d, the Priests under the Protection of the Military Power, made havock of the Protestants, and Sacrifized all to the Ecclesiastick Zeal; and Church-Tyranny as it always exceeds State-Tyranny, made the Cry of the Protestants, tho’ second to the Common Grievance, equal to it, If not Superiour in the Cause of Complaint.

We are now to suppose them up in Arms, and so universal the Insurrection, and the Emperor’s Affairs in such Disorder and Weakness, for want of Money and Management that almost on all Occasions, Count Paul Wesselini, the Palatine of Hungary, met with Success; the Germans were routed on several occasions, the Cities Revolted, and turn’d out the German Garrisons, or cut their Throats in their Quarters.

The Emperor’s Garrisons were ill provided, and worse paid; the Stores and Ammunitions embezzel’d; and in short every thing almost that was needful to oppose the Torrent of the Hungarian Success, seem’d to be wanting so that the Imperial Affairs went down on every side, and the Hungarians began to think of setting their Kingdom absolutely Independent of the House of Austria.

But Count Paul Wesselini, and the Hungarians, knew the Confusion of the Imperial Affairs, tho’ it was now their Advantage, would not always last, but that his Imperial Majesty would soon be rouz’d, and that they were not able at last to resist the German Power, when it should come on them with such Additions, as might be expected; upon these Considerations, They took Care to sollicit their Affairs at the Port, and by the help of their Agents, brought the Grand Seignor, to give all his Bassa’s and Commanders orders in their Favour, viz. To furnish them with Provisions, supply them with Arms and Ammunition; and upon all occasions, to permit ’em, if press’d by the Germans, to make their Retreat their Territories. Continue reading Tuesday, September 26. 1704.

Tuesday, September 12. 1704.

Numb. 55.
[233]

I Am now upon a Question, Concerning the Oppressions of the Hungarians, by the Emperor’s Ministers.

I am not going to lessen their Grievances, nor indeed, to enquire into the Particulars; if they have been us’d as we are told they have, ’tis bad enough.

But the Case before us, is to bring the Subject of Complaint, and the Persons complaining, to a fair Head, and make the great Relative here agree with the Antecedent.

The Question is, Have the German’s opprest the Hungarians, as a Nation, or have they Persecuted and Injur’d them as Protestants? Continue reading Tuesday, September 12. 1704.

Tuesday, September 5. 1704.

Numb. 53.
[225]

I Came in the last Review, to some Nice distinctions, which I cannot but think very necessary, in Order to make the Understanding of the Present Case easy, as to the Hungarians and the Emperor.

I have Granted as much in behalf of the Hungarians, as can in Reason be desired: I have allow’d them to be Oppress’d, Persecuted, Plunder’d and ill Treated, even more than I can heartily suppose they have been; I admit all the hard words they give the Emperor of Germany and the Jesuits; all the Blood and Rapine Committed, or pretended to be Committed, upon the poor Protestants of that Distracted Kingdom; and all this, whether true or no, I Grant, to avoid the trouble of the Argument.

This may perhaps make it justifiable for them to Depose the King of Hungaria, but it cannot make out a Reason, why they should depose the Emperor of Germany; suppose Male Administration does qualify People for the Disciplining their Governours, deposing their Princes, and the like; it does not at the same time furnish them with a Title to Invade their Neighbours; it may lead them to dismiss Tyrants, but not to meddle with any Tyrants but their own; Insurrections of People may be for the Recovery or Defence of Liberty, never for the making of Conquests –

If they proceed to Conquests and Invasions, there is certainly something else in their Design than the Recovery of their Liberty, and the settling Religion: The Grievances of the Hungarians can give them no Title to Ravage Moravia, Plunder and Destroy Austria. Continue reading Tuesday, September 5. 1704.

Saturday, August 26. 1704.

Numb. 50.
[213]

I Am told a very strange piece of News of this Review, lately, viz. That it does not please every body; I never set up for a Degree of Understanding above other People, but without Vanity, I hope I may say, I never Merited to be thought so much a Coxcomb, as to expect it should.

If I write Instructive Truth, I am sure to please Wise Men; and I have been always unconcern’d for the Opinion of the rest — But since Mankind are pleased to distinguish themselves so very plainly, I ought to let the World know who I do not write to please, as well as who I do.

And first, Those that will believe nothing but what they would have be True.

Secondly, Those who would have the Swede be fighting the Lord’s Battle in Poland, and aiming at Planting the Protestant Religion. Continue reading Saturday, August 26. 1704.

Tuesday, August 15. 1704.

Numb. 47.
[201]

I Have done with the Swedes fighting for the Liberty of Poland — .

The next thing, which as ’tis alledg’d the Swedes fight for, is Religion, to pull down Popery and the Whore of Babylon.

Some Honest People, who are very Angry with the King of Poland for changing his Religion, and very willing to have the Swedes be Masters of Poland, because they hope they will plant the Protestant Religion there, are very much out of Humour with our late Reviews, which have dwelt so long upon the Matter, and so earnestly press’d the reducing the Swede to Terms of Peace.

These well-meaning Religious Gentlemen, shew their Zeal goes a great deal beyond their Understanding, as to the Publick Affairs of Europe; and of such I would ask, whether it is worse, that the Protestant Religion should not be replanted in Poland, or should be supplanted in England, Holland, and Germany? Continue reading Tuesday, August 15. 1704.

Saturday, August 12. 1704.

Numb. 46.
[197]

POssibly they that call’d the Author of these Papers French Pensioner before, will call him Polish Pensioner now — And ’tis all one — The Thread of this Undertaking must describe it self; and according to the first pretence, I shall keep an unbarras’d freedom, without any regard to Censure, Foreign or Domestick; neither afraid of unjust Oppression, nor Courting Partial Favour, equally defying Fear and Hope, and every thing but Truth.

The Author pretends to no extraordinary Gift of Instruction, but while detecting the Contradictions in the Politicks of this hoodwink’d Age, is the Work before him; he thinks himself in his proper Duty, and hopes no People, either abroad or at home, will think themselves concern’d, in his saying, he resolves to go thro’ with it.

He presumes so much on the Convictive Invincible Power of Truth, that he expects it will bear it self up, and him upon it, above the Waves and Storms of all the Seas of Faction and Parties, he may be obliged to Steer thro’; and if not, he resolves to venture the Shipwreck.

He doubts not to force, even those People that will not Practise what his Arguments move to, yet at the same time to confess they are just, and to own the reason of them. Continue reading Saturday, August 12. 1704.

Saturday, July 22. 1704.

Numb. 40.
[173]

The Affairs of Sweden, which lay before me, had gone on in a due Chain of things in this Review —- But the Author has been diverted by a Terrible Attack, made upon the Intrenchments of his Honesty, as to Story.

This has been a bloody Battail, the Action of Schellenbergh is a Fool to it; the Author of the Daily Courant with his 20 Regiments of Booksellers, Storm’d Our Counterscarp, and tho’ they have formerly attempted it, and were beaten off as in the Review 17. and 18. yet having now Muster’d up all their Forces, they came on with an assurance Peculiar to News-Writers ——- and gave all the World Notice of the victory they thought certain; Inviting them three Days together to come and see the Sport.

I hope the Readers will bear the disappointment of what they expected this time in course, as to the King of Sweden, and accept of the short History of this Pen and Ink War as follows.

The Author of the Review Printed a Letter, Directed to the Club; concerning a wrong Quotation of the Leiden Gazette, see Review N˚ 37. Continue reading Saturday, July 22. 1704.

Saturday, July 15. 1704.

Numb. 38.
[165]

I Hope, when the Readers of these Sheets expect me to make good the last Paragraph of the former Review, they do not at the same time look for an Indictment against the King of Sweden fill’d with all the long Scroul of Adverbs, that the Lawyers Croud into their Forms of Process, the Malitiouslys, Ambitiouslys, &c.

Or if they look for ill Language from me on that Head, and think I shall treat the King of Sweden with less respect than becomes me, to a Crown’d Head; such People will be equally mistaken.

I shall never forget when I mention that Prince, that I am speaking of, Charles the XIIth. King of Sweden, whose Glorious Ancestors have done such great Things for the Protestant Religion, as all the World cannot Parallel; that his Father was the general Mediator of the Peace of Riswyck: That he was the true Preserver of the Glory and Valour of his great Progenitors, that he charg’d at the Head of his Horse-Guards in the Battail of Bremen, and fir’d his Pistol in the Face of a Danish Collonel, when we was not above 16 years of Age, and gain’d the Victory by his extraordinary Courage.

I cannot forget that Carolus Gustavus the first King of this immediate Race, over-ran all Poland, drove King Cassimire quite out of his Kingdom, and being Invaded by the Dane, in a manner not much unlike the Present King of Poland’s Invading Livonia; viz. when the Swede was engag’d at a great distance with other Enemies; he quitted Poland after having ravag’d it in a dreadful manner, and in the depth of Winter, with an Army of old Iron-fac’d Swedes, as hard as the Ice they March’d on; began such a March as never was attempted in the World before; he March’d from Cracow in Poland, to Fredricksode in Holstein, and was upon the Dane before he had time to Examine, whether he flew through the Air, or march’d over Land; his very Approach frighted the Dane from the Continent, and presuming the Swede could not fly over the Sea, nor swim thro’ the Water, he took Sanctuary in the Isles of the Baltick, with his whole Army. The Swede, whom neither Winter by Land, nor want of Vessels by Sea, were capable of stopping, in the fury of his Undertaking; Assaulted the strong Frontier Town of Fredricksode, carried it Sword in hand, his Dragoons swimming thro’ the River, among the flakes of Ice, and put the Garrison to the Sword. Continue reading Saturday, July 15. 1704.

Saturday, July 1. 1704.

Numb. 34.
[149]

AS our Folly appear’d in not Relieving and Supporting the King of Bohemia, and the French made their Advantage of it, to lay the Foundation of their rising Greatness: So all the Decrease of the Protestant Interest, both in Germany and afterwards in France, is a double Proof of this Truth, that our Error has been their Advantage.

The not Relieving the Protestants in France, laid the Foundation of their Destruction, and their Destruction Cemented the French Power.

They that say King Charles I. did not Relieve Rochel, say true, and more may be said on that Head hereafter; King Charles I. was ill serv’d in that Affair; I make no Question, but that Prince was very hearty in his own Desires, of Relieving Rochel, and I believe he spent as much Money in the several Enterprises to that purpose, as would effectually have brought it to pass; and therefore they mistake me very much, who expect I should reflect upon his Memory in this Article; but I can no more excuse the Managers of it, than accuse the King. His Majesty parted with large Summs for the Relief of the Protestants, and that at a Time when Money was not very Plentiful, nor easy to come at; but the Misapplication of the Summs, or the ill Conduct Abroad, left his Majesty disappointed, the Nation Buffoon’d and Contemn’d by the French; the Protestants in the utmost Distress, at the Mercy of their Enemies, and drove the King to make a Dishonourable Peace.

This the French fail’d not to make their Advantage of, and treated the English with all the Haughtiness and Insult, that ’twas possible for one Nation to shew, or the other to bear. Continue reading Saturday, July 1. 1704.

Saturday, June 24. 1704.

Numb. 32.
[141]

THE French Power in America was the Subject of our last; and as this could not be maintain’d without their extraordinary Conduct, as well as Success at Sea, there needs no other Satyr upon the rest of the World.

I promis’d in this Article to take Notice of their Sea Affairs; but since Experience has confirm’d what has already been said upon that Point, I leave those Gentlemen to Reflect on themselves and their Judgment now, who have Censur’d what I have already said on that Head.

We are told by the News-Papers, that Sir G—R— is in the Streights, with 45 Sail of English and Dutch Men of War, and yet we are told, that Count de Tholouse, with 29 ventured to follow into the Mediterranean; Wiser Heads than mine, say Sir G— was strong enough to fight him, and most Men say, 45 is more than 29; and yet the Paris Gazette insultingly tells us, That the Count de Tholouse was arriv’d safe at Thoulon, after having in vain, endeavour’d to fight the Confederate Fleet.

’Tis true, most People take this for a French Bluster, and so do I; But what Country bluster must this pass for, that 29 Men of War should venture into the Streights, when 45 of the Enemy were just gone before them? and all Men that know that part of the World, must know there is no Port to have secur’d himself from the Confederates, if they had been too strong for him, and it was not probable he could reach Thoulon, before Sir G—, with his Confederate Fleet, should be upon him. Continue reading Saturday, June 24. 1704.