126

HISTORY OR ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XI.

1689 .

for the true religion. James sent to Vienna and Madrid piteousletters, in ivhich he recounted his misfortunes, and imploredthe assistance of his brother kings, his brothers also in thefaith, against the unnatural children and the rebellious subjectswho had driven him into exile. But there was little difficulty inframing a plausible answer both to the reproaches of Lewis andto the supplications of James. Leopold and Charles declaredthat they had not, even for purposes of just selfdefence, leaguedthemselves with heretics, till their enemy had, for purposes ofunjust aggression, leagued himself with Mahometans. Norwas this the worst. The French King, not content with as-sisting the Moslem against the Christians, was himself treatingChristians with a barbarity which would have shocked the veryMoslem. His infidel allies, to do them justice, had not perpe-trated on the Danube such outrages against the edifices and themembers of the Holy Catholic Church as he who called himselfthe eldest son of that Church was perpetrating on the Rhine.On these grounds, the princes to whom James had appealedreplied by appealing, with many professions of good will andcompassion, to himself. He was surely too just to blame themfor thinking that it was their first duty to defend their ownpeople against such outrages as had turned the Palatinate intoa desert, or for calling in the aid of Protestants against anenemy who had not scrupled to call in the aid of Turks. *

* I will quote a few lines from Leopold’s letter to James: “Nuncautem quo loco res nostra? sint, ut Serenitati vcstrae auxilium prcestaripossit a nobis, qui non Turcico tantum bello impliciti, sed insuper etiamcrudelissimo et iniquissimo a Gallis, rerum suarum, utputnbant, in Angliasecuris, contra datam fidem impediti sumus, ipsimct Serenitati vestras judi-candum relinquimus. . . . Galli non tantum in nostrum et totius Christianasorbis perniciem fosdifraga arma cum jnratis Sanctaj Crucis hostibus sociarofas sibi ducunt; sed etiam in imperio, perfidiani pei'fidia cumulando, urbesdeditione occupatas contra datam fidem immensis tributis exhaurire, cx-haustas diripere, direptas funditus exscindere aut flammis delere, PalatiaPrincipum ab omni antiquitatc inter ssevissima bellorum incendia intactaservata exurere, templa spoliarc, dedititios in servitutem more apud