LXXIV. ست BUT, independent of fuch political forecast, and of LETTER his amorous quarrel with Richelieu, the English minifter had powerful motives for such a measure. A. D. 1627. That profound ftatesman had engaged the duke to fend fome fhips to act against the Rochelle fleet, under promife that after the humiliation of the Hugonots, France fhould take an active part in the war between England and Spain. This ill-judged compliance roufed the refentment of the English commons againft Buckingham, and had been made one of the grounds of an impeachment. He then changed his plan; procured a peace for the Hugonots, and became fecurity to to them for its performance; but finding the cardinal would neither concur with him in carrying on the war against Spain, nor obferve the treaty with the Hugonots, he had no other courfe left for recovering his credit with the parliament and people (efpecially after the mifcarriage of the expedition against Cadiz) but to take arms against the court of France, in vindication of the rights of the French Proteftants 27. BUCKINGHAM'S views, in undertaking this war, are lefs cenfurable than his conduct in carrying them into execution. He appeared before Rochelle with a fleet of an hundred fail, and an army of feven thoufand men; but fo ill-concerted were his measures, that the inhabitants of that city fhut their gates against him, and refufed to admit allies of whofe coming they were not previously informed. They were but a part of the Proteftant body, they observed, and must confult their brethren before they could take fuch a step. This blunder was followed by another. Instead of attacking Oleron, a fertile inland, and defencelefs, Buckingham made a defcent on the ifle of Rhé, which was well garrifoned and fortified. All his military operations 27. Clarendon. Dupleix. I 2 28: Rushworth, vol. i. PART I. A.D. 1627. fhewed equal incapacity and inexperience. He left behind him the fmall fort of Prie, which covered the landing place; he allowed Thorias, the governor, to amufe him with a deceitful negociation, till St. Martin, the principal fort, was provided for a fiege; he attacked it before he had made any breach, and rafhly threw away the lives of his foldiers; and he fo neg. ligently guarded the fea, that a French army ftole over in fmall divifions, and obliged him to retreat to his fhips. He was himself the laft man that embarked; and having loft two thirds of his land forces, he returned to England, totally difcredited both as an admiral and a general, bringing home with him no reputation but that of perfonal courage. THIS il concerted and equally ill-conducted enterprize proved fatal to Rochelle, and to the power of the French Proteftants. Cardinal Richelieu, under pretence of guarding the coaft against the English, fent a body of troops into the neighbourhood, and ordered quarters to be marked out for twenty-five thoufand men. The fiege of Rochelle was regularly formed and conducted with vigour by the king, and even by the cardinal in perfon. Neither the duke of Rohan nor his brother Soubife were in the place; yet the citizens, animated by civil and religious zeal, and abundantly provided with military ftores, determined to defend themfelves to the laft extremity. Under the command of Guiton, their mayor, a man of experience and fortitude, they made an obftinate refiftance, and baffled all attempts to reduce the city by force. But the bold genius of Richelieu, which led him to plan the greateft undertakings, alfo fuggefted means equally great and extraordinary, for their execution. Finding it impoffible to take Rochelle, while the com 29. Clarendon. Rushworth, munication LXXIV. munication remained open by fea, he attempted to LETTER thut up the harbour by ftakes, and by a boom. Both thefe methods, however, proving ineffectual, he recollected what Alexander had performed in the fiege of Tyre, and projected and finished a mole of a mile's length, across a gulf, into which the fea rolled with an impetuofity that feemed to bid defiance to all the works of man. The place being now blockaded on all fides, and every attempt for its relief failing, the in- A. D. 1628. habitants were obliged to furrender, after fuffering all the miferies of war and famine, during a fiege of almoft twelve months. They were deprived of their extenfive privileges, and their fortifications were detroyed; but they were allowed to retain poffeffion of their goods, and permitted the free exercife of their religion. CARDINAL Richelieu did not ftop in the middle of his career. He marched immediately toward the other provinces, where the Proteftants poffeffed many cautionary towns, and were still formidable by their numbers. The duke of Rohan defended himself with vigour in Languedoc; but seeing no hopes of being able to continue the ftruggle, England, his only natural ally, having already concluded a peace with France, and Spain, he at laft had recourfe to negociation, and obtained very favourable conditions, both for himself and his party. The Proteftants were left in poffeffion A. D. 1629. of their eftates, of the free exercife of their religion, and of all the privileges granted by the edit of Nantes;' but they were deprived of their fortifications or cautionary towns, as dangerous to the peace of the Rate". PART I. A. D. 1629. FROM this æra we may date the aggrandifcment of the French monarchy, in latter times, as well as the abfolute dominion of the prince. That authority which Lewis XI. had acquired over the great, and which was preferved by his immediate fucceffors, had been loft during the religious wars; which raifed up, in the Hugonots, a new power, that almoft divided the ftrength of the kingdom, and at once expofed it to foreign enemies and domeftic factions. But no fooner was this formidable body humbled, and every order of the state, and every sect, reduced to pay fubmiffion to the lawful authority of the fovereign, than France began to take the lead in the affairs of Europe, and her independent nobles to fink into the condition of fervants of the court. RICHELIEU's fyftem, however, though fo far advanced, was not yet complete. But the whole was ftill in contemplation: nor did he ever lofe fight of one circumftance that could forward its progrefs. No fooner had he fubdued the Proteftants in France than he refolved to fupport them in Germany, that he might be enabled, by their means, more effe&tually to fet bounds to the ambition of the house of Auftria. And never was the power of that house more formidable, or more dangerous to the liberties of Europe. FERDINAND II. whom we have feen triumphant over the Palatine and the Evangelical Union, continued to carry every thing before him in Germany. The king of Denmark, and the league in Lower Saxony, were unable to withstand his armies, under Tilly and Walftein. After repeated defeats and loffes, the Danifh monarch was obliged to fue for peace; and the em peror peror found himself, at length, poffeffed of abfolute LETTER authority 31. BUT, fortunately for mankind, Ferdinand's ambition undid itself, and faved Europe, as well as the empire, from that defpotifm with which both were threatened. Not fatisfied with an uncontrolled fway over Germany, he attempted to revive the imperial jurifdi&tion in Italy. Vincent II. duke of Mantua and Montferrat, having died without iffue, Charles de Gonzaga, duke of Nevers, his kinsman, claimed the fucceffion, in virtue of a matrimonial contract, as well as the vicinity of blood. But Cæfar de Gonzaga, duke of Guastalla, had already received, from the emperor, the eventual inveftiture of thofe ancient fiefs. The duke of Savoy, a third pretender, would have fupplanted the two former, and the king of Spain hoped to exclude all three, under pretence of fupporting the latter. Ferdinand's defire of aggrandifing the house of Auftria was well known, aɛ well as his fcheme of extending the imperial jurifdiction: and both were now made more evident. He put the difputed territories in fequeftration, till the caufe fhould be decided at Vienna; and while the Spaniards and the duke of Savoy ravaged Montferrat, a German army took and pillaged the city of Mantua 33. FERDINAND now thought the time was come for realizing that idea which he had long revolved, of reducing the electoral princes to the condition of grandees of Spain, and the bishops to the state of imperial chaplains. Senfible, however, of the danger of alarming both religions at once, he refolved to begin with the Protestants; and accordingly iffued an edit, ordering them to reftore, without lofs of time, all the benefices and 32. Barre, tom. ix. Annal. de l' Emp. tom. ii. 33. Niger. Difquifit, de Mank Ducat. LXXIV. A. D. 1629 |