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 STATE PAPERS.

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would the Proteftant dates have, expreAly affured it that he would fhoald they after this fuffer thera- fupport the liberty of the three re- feives to be drawn into real calami- ligions jointly with Sweden, which ties by an imaginary fear ; a fear has always been the moll declared fug^eiied to them merely as a veil protedtrefs of the Proteilant reli- to fuch ambitious views as are gion : and his majefty made all the highly, detrimental to the whole necelTarv preparations for fulfilling empire ? his engagements by fending a con- After this difcufiion, let us re- fiderable body of troops to the affume the thread of the events.

When the war, which had been meditated by the King of England, Eledor of Hanover, in concert with

Lower and Upper Rhine.

The King of England was con- fcious, that every kind of reafoa authorifed his majefly not to make

the King of PruiEa, had broke out the chimerical diftiniSlion he was for

in Germany; the ideas which tliefe edablifhing betwixt his quality of

two princes had formed from the king and that of eieftor, efpecially

king's fidelity to his engagements, when one raifes a war and pays the

were not miftaken. The ftates of cofls, and the other takes upon him

the empire attacked by the King of the execution of it. It was a cri-

Pruffia, together with the princes, tical conjuncture for that prince,

who had moil at heart the Germanic as great part of the Hanoveriaa

fyftem, applied for afTiftance to his troops, by the allurement to the

majeuy, both a? an ally of the em- ample fubfidie^ which the eleiftor

pire and guarantee of the treaty of had got from the parliament, and

Weftphalia, as in viirtue of his alii- under the colour of defending the

ances merely defenfive with feveral Britith nation, had been drawn

courts of Germany; and tho' the over to England; but this natica

king was engaged in a perfonal and fending them back, the elector was

onerou? war with England, he did afraid that France would march a

not hefitate to form the generous detachment of its army into the

refolutian of employing thegreatefi: eledlorate of Hanover, before the

part of his forces in the defence of Hanoverian?, who were to retura

his allies, and the maintenance of into Germany, (hould get back,

the laws of the empire, and of the It was in thefe momehtscf incer-

Germanic fyftem, threatened with titude and dread, that the eleftor

a total fobvsriion from their Britan- nic and Pruffian majeilies, both as kings and eleftors.

Sweden being joint guarantee of the peace cfWeilphalia, together

caufed fomeinfinuations to be made for a neutrality of his German do- minions.

The king and the emprefs- queen, animated with an equal

with the king, was required to zeal for the good of the empire,

fliake good its guaranty ; and fuch were defirous that the war fhould

was its magnanimity, its regard to not fpread to the flates forbearing

honour and good faith, that imme- to affilt the infradlor of the public

diateJy it formed the fame refolu- peace, and with this view her im-

tion. ^ perial majefty folicited the king to

The king at the fame time figni- grant a ntur.rality for the eleftor of

fied to the empire, thit he would aft Hanover, up to his quality of guarantee; he The