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that muft arife from the encroachments of any clafs of men, under whatever denomination, on the rights of humanity, on the one hand, or the prerogatives of the executive government on the other; and how much the intereft of every branch of government, and every order in fociety, is connected with fentiments of moderation and juftice. Had the Polith nobles underflood their own intereft, they would neither have weakened the natural ftrength of the country, by oppreffing and enflaving the peafints, on the one hand, nor the energy of government, by endlefs attacks on the powers of the crown, on the other; but it seems unfortunately to be incident, and almoft infeparable from a fpirit of liberty, to puth its clairis beyond a juft and reasonable degree of freedom. No fooner have men ceafed to be slaves, than they afpire to be mafters: liberty is fill the pretence; but power is the real object. It has happened in our own country, that the privileges of the people have generally been only a popular cry, for the power of their leaders. The fame thing has happened in the late truggles in France between contending factions; and perhaps it will always happen in all human focieties. To fecure the liberty of the fubjects, against the tyranny of the crown, was the pretence for the fucceffive changes which took place in Poland; but the real defign was, to throw the whole

power of the ftate into the hands of the ariftocracy. While, with one hand, they feized almoft every branch of the royal prerogative, with the other, they bound harder the fetters of the people. While they raised themselves above the controul of the law, they funk the people below its protection. But in carrying on this double attack on both their king and country, they cut the ground under their own feet: and king, nobles, and the whole Polh nation were involved in one common ruin.

The partitioning powers, in their fucceffive attacks on the independence of Poland, have not been acuated by a fpirit of greater liberality, or more profound political witdom, than thofe of the Polish ariftocracy on the rights of the crown, and thofe of the great mass of the people, the actual cultivators of the foil. The partition of Poland, which was the cement of temporary agreement, muft one day be the fource of conteft. The world is taught to reflect, that the fame powers that were hoftile to the French republic, were also hostile to the liberties of Poland; and the partitioning fyftem, forming a deplorable ara in the hiftory of Europe, fupplanting public law, and fanctioning, through their example, a contempt at once of morality and fovereign authorities, prepares difrefpect and fubverfion to the thrones of kings, as well as to the rights of nations.*

There was greater wifdom, as well as juftice, in the conduct of a Polish king, Ladislaus Jaghello, who, when a powerful party in Bohemia, difgufted with their own king, made a tender of their crown, to the Polith monarch, faid, "You are not your "king's judges; and by attempting to feize upon rights which do not belong to you, you would introduce a contufion into your government, infinitely more fatal "than the evils you pretend to remedy. I am, therefore, lefs fenfibly affected by this mark of your efleem, than offended at your prefumption, in propofing that I fhould ❝ commit an act of injustice fo contrary to my character."

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If it might be permitted to interrapt the course of our narrative, yet a little longer, to deplore an event fo common in hiftory, as the triumph of the wrong over the right, we fhould exprefs the regrets of humarity, that the Poles, reafonable, moderate, and capable of regulated freedom, fhould have been abandoned, to appearance, by heaven and earth, while the French, arrogant, furious, and atrocious, were triumphant

It is to be afcribed to the natural good temper of the Poles, that, with all the feeds of faction and mifrale, fo profoundly fown in their political conftitution, they vet hung together fo long as they did, as one nation. The new confiitution of 1791 was ftill a greater proof of temper and moderation, and appears to be the happieft medium that had hitherto been adopted between monarchy and popular go

vernment. For moderation, equity, and found political wisdom, it formed a contraft with the precipitation, violence, and impracticable complexity of the French revolution, or rather revolutions. In the former, the ground-work of the constitution remained the fame; refpect was paid to the rights and privileges of all the orders of the fubjects; and the reform begun, but not confidered as finished, was to be carried on, as the way to perfection fhould be pointed out by times and circumstances. In France, as a preliminary to reformation, all things were moved from their centre, and thrown into the completeft chaos and confufion. On the whole, as the hiftory of the old Polif, conftitution warns men of many things to he avoided, fo the new conftitution, though firangled at its birth, exhibits others worthy of imitation.

CHAP.

CHA P. III.

Action and Re-action of Meafures and Events.-A Majority of the Dutch inclined to Peace add Amity with the French Republic.-Efforts of the Dutch Government for the Suppreffion of this Spirit.-But the French Faction increafes.- French Army invades the United Provinces.-Departure of the Duke of York from Holland.-Boldness of the French Faction.-Propertionable Dejection of the Stadtholderian Party.-Actions between the British and French.-Retreat of the Former towards the Leck-Hofile Behaviour of the Dutch to the English.—Extreme Hardships fuffered by the English Army in its Retreat from Holland.—Rage of the Amperdammers against the Prince of Orange.-Escape of this Prince to England.-The French invited to Amfierdam.-Other Pieces declare alfo for the French.Thefe admitted in all the Provinces.—Affembly of the Provisional Reprefentatives of the People of Holland.-Conquesis of the French.-AAlarm of the Princes of the Coalition.-Continued and increafing Miseries of the English Army-Tranfactions of the French Armies on the Rhine.-The French Republic entertains the most extenfive Views of Conqueft.-Pruffia deferts the Coalition, and forms a jeparate Peace with France.—A feparate Peace concluded alfo between France and Spain.

T was generally expected, that ample return for her victories, and

fing fuccefles in the Netherlands would have refted fatisfied with thefe, and clofed the campaign, at the feafon when military operations are ufually interrupted in Europe; while others entertained the hope, that the republic, as well as the Auftrians, might now be inclined to a pacification, on the ground of fuch a new line of demarcation between the French and Auttrian provinces of the Netherlands, as might form a natural boundary and barrier to both; and, at the fame time, leave to France fuch an acceffion of territory, as might be an

was a time, indeed, when fuch a demarcation, and even the old boundary would, at leaft for fome time, have completely fatisfied the new French government; but all human affairs are in a fiate of uninterrupted fluctuation, and fubject, not only to the action, but to the re-action of numerous and involved circumftances, which render it extremely difficult to trace the connection between caufes and effects, and to predict the future from the patt almoft impoflible. The oppofition and refiftance, that was made to the French republic at its outfet, gave it

an

an elastic force, which not only overcame that refiftance,but fprang far beyond the boundary at which it would have been completely defeated. The invafion of France, by the duke of Brunfwick, produced the refifiance and the triumphs of Demourier in the Netherlands. France, from being invaded, became the invader; he not only pushed her conquefts to the Rhine, but crofled it, and took Frankfort, with other places beyond it. Cuftine, at the Leed of revolutionary legions, not only took Spires and Mayence, but threatened Hefle and Hanover. An union of greater force than that which had followed the councils of the French princes became neceffary, and fuch an union was formed. The incurfions of the French, into the Low Countries and Germany, produced in their turn, the combinations, which retook Frankfort and Mayence, refcued Holland, and fecured the conqueft of Landrecy, Conde, Quefnoy, and Valenciennes. The irruption of the Germans, within the frontiers of France, gave rife to thofe efforts, which not only reftored thofe places to the dominion of France, but which carried the French arms again beyond the Rhine, and stretched them into the United Provinces, and different quarters in the German territories; until, as we fhall fee in the fequel, being weakened by divifion and expantion, they were a fecond time obliged to recrofs the Rhine with the fevereft lofies,

The French government, encouraged by recent fuccefs, refolved to pirfue, without relaxation, the advantages held out to them by the fituation of that country, which was nearest to those they had already re

duced, and which feemed, indeed, by every circumftance, to invite their immediate attack.

This country was Holland. Its armies had oppofed the French in the field; but the general mass of its inhabitants was friendly to them, and openly difplayed an unfeigned fatisfaction at their victorious pro-, grefs, during the whole of the campaign. Frequent and loud were their complaints, that their rulers had involved them in a war, totally foreign to their concerns, and inimical to their interefts; and they manifefted a rooted determination to feize the firft opportunity of compelling them to enter into terms of peace, if not of friendship, with France. The nearer the French armies drew to the confines of the United Provinces, the bolder and more explicit was the avowal of the people at large, of a determined partiality in their favour.

The ftates-general of the feven united provinces, had hitherto continued firmly attached, in all appearance, to the interefts of the coalition; but the ftates of feveral of the particular provinces were decidedly averle to the continuation of the war, and refolutely infifted on its immediate termination. That which first came to a formal decifion, was the opulent province of Friefland. By a refolution of its affembled ftates, about the middle of Oct. 1794, it was decreed to acknowledge the French republic, to abandon the connection with Great Britain, and to enter into terms of peace and amity with France. This precedent was quickly adopted in other provinces; and the ancient attachment of the Dutch to the houfe of Orange gave way, in moft places, to the most violent re

fentment

fentment at its conduct. They ac- their conduct; which no upright

cufed it, in unqualified terms, of propofing, by means of the coalition, to become abfolute fovereigns of the United Provinces.

Fearful of the confequences of fuch a difpofition, the governing powers in Holland, the moft important province of the union, thought it incumbent on them to fupprefs that spirit of oppofition, which began in almoft every place to aflume a menicing afpect. It was principally at Amfterdam that the people thewed their averfion to the family of Orange, and its connections with England. They acted, at this time, with fo little difguife, and spoke of their attachment to France, as a measure fo wife and falutary at the prefent juncture, that it was thought indifpenfable to arreft the progrefs of their opinions, by formally prohibiting all meetings of the people, on any pretext. This was done to prevent their prefenting any petition or memorial relating to public affairs; which was, at the fame time, no lefs firictly prohibited. The proclamation to this intent came forth on the feventeenth of October, precifely at a time when intelligence was daily arriving of the capture of the Dutch frontier towns, one after the other, with little intermiflion.

The unpopularity of this meafure accelerated that which it was taking to prevent. Individuals met, and converfed with more freedom than ever. Emboldened by the proximity of the French, they unfolded their minds without the leaft reftraint. They plainly gave the regency of Amfterdam to underftand, that their prohibition arofe from the dread of a fcrutiny into

magiftrates would fear, and only a wicked adminiftration would strive to avert. They continued to af femble, and kept a vigilant eye on the proceedings of government, which they fufpected of being determined to employ the most ruinous and deftructive means, to accomplifh the objects they had in view.

Thefe means were of a nature

deeply to intereft the citizens of Amfterdam, and the people of Holland. It had been propofed, in the confultations of the principal commanders in the allied army, that, in order to prevent the French from penetrating into that country, it fhould be laid under water, as in the famous year 1672, when Lewis XIV. at the head of a victorious army, that had fubdued three of the feven provinces, was unable to proceed farther, and the province of Holland preferved; but the patriotic party alleged, that the prefent was very different from that former epoch. The Dutch were then literally fighting for their freedom and property, against two ambitious princes, Lewis, of France, and Charles II. of England, who fought to enslave them; but were now compelled to take up arms againft France, merely to gratify the coalition against that power, from which, had they remained peaceable, they would have had nothing to apprehend. It was, therefore, the intereft of the Dutch, to procure a reconciliation with France at any rate. No conditions, however harsh, could equal fuch a calamity as the inundation of their country, and the deftruction of all their habitations and landed poffeffions. Years muft elapfe, before they could

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