IX. 1758. minifter now requested their excellencies to ask im- CHAP. mediately the neceffary inftructions for their principals. The rest of this long memorial contained a juftification of his Britannic Majesty's conduct in deviating from the capitulation of Clofter - Seven; with a refutation of the arguments adduced, and a retortion of the reproaches levelled against the King of England, in the paper or manifefto compofed and published under the direction of the French miniftry, and entitled, "A Parallel of the Conduct of the King of France with that of the King of England, relative to the Breach of the Capitulation of Clofter Seven by the Hanoverians. But to this invective a more circumftantial anfwer was pub lished: in which, among other curious particulars, the letter of expoftulation, faid to have been written by the Pruffian monarch to the King of Great- Britain after the defeat at Colin, is treated as an infamous piece of forgery, produced by fome venal pen employed to impofe upon the public. The author alfo, in his endeavours to demonftrate his Britannic Majefty's averfion to a continental war, very juftly obferves, that "none but fuch as are unacquainted with the maritime force of England can believe, that, without a diverfion on the continent, to employ part of the enemy's force, fhe is not in a condition to hope for success, and maintain her fuperiority at fea. England, therefore, had no interest to foment quarrels or wars in Europe; but, for the fame reason, there was room to fear that France would embrace a different fyftem: accordingly she took no pains to conceal her views, and her envoys III. 1758. BOOK declared publicly that a war upon the continent was inevitable; and that the King's dominions in Germany would be its principal object." He afterwards, in the courfe of his argumentation, adds, "that they must be very ignorant, indeed, who imagine that the forces of England are not able to resist those of France, unless the latter be hindered from turning all her efforts to the fea. In cafe of a war upon the continent, the two powers must pay fubfidies; only with this difference, that France can employ her own land-forces, and afpire at conquefts." Such were the profeffed fentiments of the British ministry, founded upon eternal truth and demonftration, and openly avowed, when the business was to prove that it was not the interest of Great Britain to maintain a war upon the continent; but, afterwards, when this continental war was eagerly espoused, foftered, and cherished by the blood and treasure of the English nation, then the partisans of that very miniftry, which had thus declared that England, without any diverfion on the continent of Europe, was an over-match for France by fea, which may be termed the British element; then their partisans, their champions, declaimers, and dependents, were taught to rife in rebellion against their former doc. trine, and, in defiance of common fense and reflection, affirm that a diverfion in Germany was absolutely neceffary to the fuccessful iffue of England's operations in Afia, Africa, and America. NotwithStanding all the facts and arguments affembled in this elaborate memorial, to expofe the ingratitude of the Emprefs - Queen and demonftrate the 1X. 1758. oppreffive measures adopted by the Imperial power, CHAP. it remains to be proved, that the member of a community is not obliged to yield obedience to the refolutions taken, and the decrees published, by the majority of those who compofe this community; efpecially when re-enforced with the authority of the fupreme magiftrate, and not repugnant to the fundamental conftitution on which that community was established. § XLIV. If the Emprefs - Queen was not gratified to the extent of her wishes in the fortune of the campaign, at leaft her felf- importance was flattered in another point, which could not fail of being interesting to a princess famed for a glowing zeal and inviolable attachment to the religion of Rome. In the month of Auguft the Pope conferred upon her the title of Apoftolical Queen of Hungary, conveyed by a brief, in which he extolled her piety, and launched out into retrofpective eulogiums of her predeceffors, the princes of Hungary, who had been always accustomed to fight and overcome for the catholic faith under this holy banner. This com. pliment, however, fhe did not derive from the regard of Profper Lambertini, who exercised the papal fway under the affumed name of Benedict XIV.That pontiff, univerfally esteemed for his good fenfe, moderation, and humanity, had breathed his laft in the month of April, in the eighty-fourth year of his age; and in July was fucceeded in the papacy by Cardinal Charles Rezzonico, Bishop of Padua, by birth a Venetian. He was formerly auditor of the Rota; afterwards promoted to the purple by Pope Clement XII. at the 1752. BOOK nomination of the republic of Venice; was diftin11. guished by the title of St. Maria d'Ara Coeli, the principal convent of the Cordeliers, and nominated protector of the Pandours, or Illyrians. When he afcended the papal chair, he affumed the name of Clement XIII. in gratitude to the laft of that name, who was his benefactor. Though of a difagreeable person, and even deformed in his body, he enjoyed good health, and a vigorous conftitution. ecclefiaftic, his life was exemplary; his morals were pure and unimpeached in his character he is faid to have been learned, diligent, fteady, devout, and in every respect worthy to fucceed fuch a predeceffor as Benedict. As an § XLV. The King of Spain wifely perfifted in reaping the advantages of a neutrality, notwithstan ding the intrigues of the French partisans at the court of Madrid, who endeavoured to alarm his jealoufy by the conquests which the English had projected in America. The King of Sardinia fagaciously kept aloof, refolving, in imitation of his predeceffors, to maintain his power on a respectable footing, and be ready to feize all opportunities to extend and promote the intereft of his crown, and the advantage of his country. As for the King of Portugal, he bad prudently embraced the fame fyftem of forbearance: but in the latter end of the feafon his attention was engroffed by a domestic incident of a very extraordinary nature. Whether he had, by particular inftances of feverity, exafperated the minds of certain individuals, and exercifed his dominion in such acts of arbitrary power as excited a general IX. 1758. fpiritof difaffection among his nobility; or, laftly, by CHA P. the vigorous measures pursued against the encroaching Jesuits in Paraguay, and their correfpondents in Portugal, had incurred the refentment of that fociety, we shall not pretend to determine: perhaps all thefe motives concurred in giving birth to a confpiracy against his life, which was actually executed at this juncture with the most defperate refolution. On the third day of September, the King, according to custom, going out in a carriage to take the air, accompanied by one domeftic, was, in the night, at a folitary place near Belem, attacked by three men on horfeback, armed with mufquetoons, one of whom fired his piece at the coachman without effect. The man, however, terrified both on his own account and that of his fovereign's, drove the mules at full speed; a circumftance which in fome measure disconcerted the other two confpirators, who pursued him at full gallop, and having no leifure to take aim, discharged their pieces at random through the back of the carriage. The flugs with which they were loaded happened to pass between the King's right arm and his breast, dilacerating the parts from the fhoulder to the elbow, but without damaging the bone, or penetrating into the cavity of the body. Finding himself grievoufly wounded, and the blood flowing a-pace, he, with fuch prefence of mind as cannot be fufficiently admired, inftead of proceeding to the palace, which was at fome diftance, ordered the coachman to return to Junqueria, where his principal furgeon refided, and there his wounds were immediately dreffed. By this refolution, he |