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The Emperor of Germany's Account of K. James's Misgovern∣ment in joyning with the King of France, (the Common Ene∣my of Christendom) in his Letter to King James, viz.
LEOPOLD, &c.
WE have received your Majesties Letters, dated from St. Germans the sixth of February last, by the Earl of Carlingford, your Envoy in our Court: By them we have understood the Condition your Majesty is reduced to; and that you being deserted after the Landing of the Prince of Orange, by your Army, and even by your Domestick Servants, and by those you most consided in, and almost by all your Subjects, you have been forced by a sudden Flight to provide for your own Safety, and to seek Shelter and Protection in France: Lastly, that you desire Assist∣ance from us for the recovering your Kingdoms. We do assure your Majesty, that as soon as we heard of this severe turn of Affairs, we were moved at it, not only with the common sense of Humanity, but with much deeper Impressions suitable to the sincere Affection which we have always born to you. And we were heartily sorry that at last that was come to pass, which (tho we hoped for better things) yet our own sad thoughts had suggested to us would ensue. If your Majesty had rather given Credit to the Friendly Remonstrances that were made you, by our late Envoy, the Count de Kaunitz, in our Name, than the deceitful Insinuations of the French, whose chief aim was, by fomenting continual Divisions between you and your Peo∣ple, to gain thereby an Opportunity to insult the more securely over the rest of Chri∣stendom: And if your Majesty had put a stop, by your Force and Authority, to their many Infractions of the Peace, of which by the Treaty at Nimegen you are made the Guarantee, and to that end, entred into Consultations with us, and such others as have the like just Sentiments in this matter; We are verily persuaded that by this means you should have in a great measure quieted the Minds of your People, which were so much exasperated through their aversion to our Religion, and the publick Peace had been preserved as well in your Kingdoms as here in the Roman Empire. But now we refer it even to your Majesty, to judg what condition we can be in to afford you any Assistance, we being not only Engaged in a War with the Turks, but finding our selves, at the same time unjustly and barbarously Attacked by the French, contrary to, and against the Faith of Treaties, they then reckoning themselves secure of England. And this ought not to be concealed; that the greatest Injuries which have been done to our Religion have flowed from no other than the French themselves; who not only esteem it lawful for them, to make perfidious Leagues with the sworn Enemies of the Holy Cross, tend∣ing to the destruction both of us and of the whole Christian World, in order to the checking our Endeavours which were undertaken for the glory of God, and to stop those Successes which it hath pleased Almighty God to give us hitherto; but further have heaped one Treuchery upon another, even within the Empire it self. The Cities of the Em∣pire which were Surrendred upon Articles, signed by the Dauphin himself, have been exhausted by excessive Impositions; and after their being exhausted, have been Plundred, and after Plundring have been Burned and Razed. The Palaces of Prin∣ces, which in all times, and even in the most destructive Wars, have been preserved, are now burnt down to the ground. The Churches are Robbed, and such as submit∣ted themselves to them are in a most Barbarous manner, carried away as Slaves. In short, It is become a Diversion to them to commit all manner of Insolences and Cruelties in many places, but chiefly in Catholick Countries, exceeding the Cruelties of the Turks themselves; which having imposed an absolute necessity upon us to secure our selves and the holy Roman Empire by the best means we can think on, and that no less against them than against the Turks; we promise our selves from your Justice ready assent to this, That it ought not to be imputed to us, if we endeavour to procure, by a just War, that security to our selves which we could not hitherto obtain by so many Treaties; and that in order to the obtaining thereof, we take measures for our mutual De∣fence of Preservation, with all those who are equally concerned in the same Design with us. It remains that we beg of God that he would Direct all things to his glory, and that he would grant your Majesty true and solid Comforts under this your great Calamity; we embrace you with tender Affections of a Brother.
At Vienna the 9th of April, 1689.