The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz Volume III Part 13

The First President left his Speech in Writing, that the King might be able to answer it; and it was not long before the said Answer was return'd. The Deputies of the Parliament being sent for to the _Tuilleries_, on the 2d of _July_ 1718, the Keeper of the Seals said to them in his Majesty's Presence, _The King has caus'd the Remonstrances of his Parliament to be examin'd in Council, and his Majesty will always be dispos'd to give them a favorable Hearing, when they have not a Tendency to the splitting or the cramping of his Authority._ He added, _That the Edict in question had been maturely examin'd; and that 'twas the best Remedy for paying off the Debts of the State; that the said Edict was not such a Burden upon the Public; and that it was only so to those who should make advantageous Contracts by obligatory Deeds._ He concluded with saying, _That the King prohibited every a.s.sembly tending to the neglect of Submission_; and that he had given Orders for registring the Letters Patent in pursuance of the Arret of Council whereby his Majesty claims the Cognizance of the Disputes already risen or that may arise relating to the Edict. This Answer being reported to the Parliament, Commissioners were appointed to examine it; and at the same time to search the Registers if there was any Precedent for Letters Patent of that sort, in order to conform to it. The Commissioners having made their Report, the Company came to a Resolution to represent to the Duke Regent, _That nothing had been determin'd on that Subject, because the Company desired that they might first of all make new Remonstrances to the King; and that they intreated his Royal Highness to procure them an Audience_. The Regent was nettled at the Parliament's Importunity, and he made answer to the King's Council, who were sent to him with the Message, _That he should have thought that the Parliament would have rested satisfy'd with the Answer which the King had before given; but that since he saw they were not, he would venture, notwithstanding the Dislike that his Majesty expressed to Remonstrances, to give them the Liberty of presenting them, but no otherwise than in Writing_.

The Parliament was not discouraged, but still continu'd to demand an Audience, which was at length granted for the 26th of _July_; when all the People of Distinction in _Paris_ flock'd to Court to hear the Remonstrances. The first President spoke for nearly three quarters of an Hour, tho' his Discourse was nothing more than a Recapitulation of what he had said before. His Majesty made answer, _My Keeper of the Seals will explain my Intentions to you_. But the Keeper of the Seals said no more than this, _The King has already explained his Intentions to you, and he will explain them to you farther hereafter_.

The Parliament dissatisfy'd with this Answer, which they thought too Laconic, as Affairs then stood, fell in a Rage with the Man whom they had good reason to look upon as the _Primum Mobile_ of the Confusion of Affairs; I mean _John Law_, whose rapid Fortune furnish'd a large Field of Discourse. They were very sensible that a Director of the Bank could not easily acquire so much Wealth, but a great many People must be considerable Losers. The Parliament therefore cited this Financier to appear before them in Person, but he never went near them; and when, in a few days after, they chang'd the Summons to a Warrant for arresting him, the Duke Regent protected him by an Arret of Council. This Prince wisely judging of what Importance it was to him to make the Parliament easy, and to secure Respect to the Regal Authority of which he was the Depositary, appointed a Bed of Justice to be held at the Palace of the _Thuilleries_ for the 26th of _August_. He order'd the King's Houshold Troops to keep to their Arms, and to be every Man at his Post. The same day he sent circular Letters of Invitation to all the Dukes and Peers, to the Marshals of _France_, to the Knights of the Orders, to the Governors and Lieutenant-Generals of the Provinces, to the Secretaries, and to some of the Counsellors of State who were nominated by the Keeper of the Seals.

The Princes were also invited to this Tribunal. The Parliament walk'd thither on foot, about 11 o'clock in their red Robes. The President _de Novion_ was at the Head of their Body, because the first President was at that time very much afflicted with the Gout; however, he went to the _Thuilleries_ in a Coach.

After the Council of the Regency broke up, the King went from his little Apartment upon the Terra.s.s to his Gallery, to which he was accompanied by the Duke Regent and the Princes of the Blood. Four Presidents _au Mortier_ and six Counsellors came thither to receive him, and conducted him to his Bed of Justice. The King being seated on his Throne, and all the Company having taken their Places, they began with reading the Letters Patent establishing M. _d'Argenson_ Keeper of the Seals, which were order'd to be register'd. After this an Arret of Council was read, forbidding the Parliament to take Cognizance of the Affairs of State. Upon the reading of this Arret, the first President broke Silence and said, _The Subject seem'd to him of so great Importance, that with the due Respect and Submission which the Company had for his Majesty's Orders, he desired his Majesty's Permission to withdraw, to take it into Consideration_. As little Attention was paid to this Remonstrance, as to the preceding ones.

The Regent drew near to the King and whisper'd him; and the Keeper of the Seals, after approaching his Majesty for a Minute, made answer to the Company, _The King will be obey'd, and obey'd too upon the Spot_.

Then a Declaration was read, importing, that the Dukes and Peers should have Seats in Parliament immediately after the Princes of the Blood. A second, which derogated from the Declaration of the King, dated the 5th of _May_ 1694, and restrain'd the Legitimated Princes to the meer Honors and Prerogatives of their Peerages: And a third, which re-established the Count _de Tholouse_ in all his Rights, Ranks and Prerogatives for his own Person only.

After the reading of these Declarations the Duke spoke and represented to his Majesty, _That the late King having seem'd desirous that the Duke of_ Maine _should have the Care of his Majesty's Education, tho' the Place belong'd to him by Birth-right, he did not then oppose it, because he was at that time a Minor; but as this was not the Case now, he desir'd that the Honor might be conferr'd upon him_: which Demand was granted to him, as well as that of the Dukes and Peers, who demanded to have Precedence of the Presidents _au Mortier_ in Parliament.

Thus ended the Bed of Justice, which will no doubt be famous to the latest Posterity. The Parliament was very much mortify'd at the Conduct observ'd to them, and declared next day in their a.s.sembly, by an Arret which was register'd, _That they neither could, nor ought, nor intended to have any Share in what pa.s.s'd the Day preceding in the Bed of Justice; and that Posterity might be inform'd of it, Commissioners were nominated, to draw up a verbal Account of all the Proceedings_. The Regent being inform'd of what the Parliament was doing, sent Detachments of the Gray and Black Musketeers, commanded by a Brigadier, who on the 28th at Night, took up those that had been the most zealous for this Opinion. Such were Messieurs _de Blamont_, President of the 4th of the Inquests, _Feydeau_ Counsellor of the same Court, and _St. Martin_ a Counsellor of the Grand Chamber.

They were clapp'd into three Coaches, each guarded by eight Musketeers and an Officer, and carried to Places which the Court had appointed; and at the same time the Papers of the two former were seiz'd.

As soon as the Parliament was acquainted of this Arrest, they met and made a Deputation to the King, to intreat him to permit them to enjoy the Privilege they always had of trying those of their own Body for any Crimes they may be accus'd of. The Keeper of the Seals made them answer, _The Affairs which bring this Deputation to the King are Affairs of State, which demand Silence and Secrecy: The King is oblig'd to see due Respect paid to his Authority. The future Behavior of his Parliament will determine his Majesty's Sentiments of, and Dispositions towards them._ The Deputies went next day to the Royal Palace to make fresh Intercession with the Regent for the Liberty of their Brethren; but his Royal Highness returned much the same Answer to them as they had the day before, whereupon the Parliament shut up their Tribunals, and left off decreeing Justice. Mean time the King's Council were always in Motion at the _Louvre_, and at the Royal Palace, but could not obtain a satisfactory Answer; and on the 5th of _September_ the Marquis _d'Essiat_, Master of the Horse to the Duke Regent, gave the Company notice on the part of his Royal Highness, to open the Courts again, and to continue the Sessions, a.s.suring them, that an Answer should shortly be returned to their late Instances.

Mean time the Rumor of the Violence us'd to the President and the Counsellors that had been apprehended, put a great many People out of Temper: These Exiles were consider'd as Martyrs to the public Liberty, and every Man made their Case his own. Several Parliaments seem'd inclinable to support that of _Paris_. The Parliament of _Bretagne_ discover'd more Zeal than any other, and wrote a fine Letter to the Parliament of _Paris_, offering to join with them in the Demand of the Exiles Liberty; they also wrote another on the same Subject to his Majesty, which they addressed to M. _de la Vrilliere_ Secretary of State.

At the same time a very important Event happened, which took off the Attention of the _French_, in a great measure, from their own Affairs, and rais'd the Speculation of all _Europe_. This was the _Spanish_ Expedition to _Sicily_. To let you fully into the Secret of this Affair, I must go farther back, and give you a general Account of the State of Affairs of _Europe_ in the preceding Year. The Emperor, in pursuance of his Alliances with the Republic of _Venice_, from whom the _Turks_ had taken a Part of the _Morea_, was sollicited to declare War against those Infidels. The Pope, on his part, dreading that the _Turks_ should land in _Italy_, caus'd Instances to be made to his Imperial Majesty to persuade him to the War. The Emperor could not determine with himself for a good while to break with the _Turks_, for fear lest _Spain_ should take an Advantage of such Rupture, and fall upon his Provinces in _Italy_. The Pope encourag'd the Emperor, by acquainting him, _That the King of +Spain+ had given him his solemn Promise that he would undertake nothing in +Italy+._ He also gave him to understand, _That instead of having any reason to be afraid of +Spain+, he might expect all manner of a.s.sistance from that Crown in the present War; since it had engag'd to send him a powerful Squadron; and that the better to enable him to do this, he (the Pope) had given him leave to raise the Tenths upon the Clergy of +Spain+._ These Representations made an Impression upon the Emperor; but the Thing which absolutely determin'd him, was the Treaty of Guaranty, that he had concluded with _England_, by which that Crown engaged to a.s.sist him with its Navy, in case that his Dominions were invaded. He therefore declared War against the _Turks_, and sent a numerous Army against them, under Command of Prince _Eugene_ of _Savoy_. The Campaign prov'd very glorious for this Prince. He began it with a Victory near _Temeswaer_, after which he laid Siege to that Place, and in a very little time reduc'd it. Mean while _Spain_ prepar'd a Naval Armament, under Pretence of sending Succours to the _Venetians_. But how was all _Europe_ surpriz'd, when it was known that the Prime Minister of _Spain_, the Cardinal _Alberoni_, heretofore Chaplain to the Duke _de Vendome_, afterwards Agent of _Parma_ at the Court of _Madrid_, and finally, by the Queen's Favour, promoted to the Summit of Grandeur and Prosperity, had prevail'd on the King of _Spain_ to employ the Sums that were levied upon the Estates of the Clergy, and appropriated for the Support of the Honor of the Christian Name, in the Conquest of _Sardinia_! The Reduction of it was attended with no great Difficulty, because the Island, in reliance upon the Faith of Treaties, was at that time but indifferently furnish'd with Troops. The Emperor made his Complaints to the Pope, and to _France_ and _England_ as Guaranties of the Neutrality of _Italy_. These Powers did their utmost to engage the King of _Spain_ to desist from his Pretensions. The Duke Regent order'd the Duke of _St. Aignan_, Amba.s.sador of _France_ at the _Spanish_ Court, to represent to the King all the Inconveniencies into which this War might plunge him; but the _Spanish_ Minister, who rely'd upon the secret Correspondence he had in _France_, refused all Proposals of an Accommodation, tho' they were so very advantageous to the King of _Spain_: For it was propos'd to him, that the Emperor should recognize him the lawful Possessor of _Spain_ and the _Indies_; and moreover, that he should consent to the securing of the Successions of _Parma_ and _Placentia_ to the Queen of _Spain_'s Children; Terms infinitely more advantagious than those that had been granted to him by the Peace of _Utrecht_, and of which the King, of _Spain_ so earnestly desir'd to see the Confirmation the Year that _Lewis_ XIV. died.

The End of the Third Volume.