of the Order of the Holy Ghoft, gentleman of my chamber, one of my council of ftate, prefident of that of the Orders, and first minister of war; Don Francisco Ronquillo Briceño, Count of Gramedo, governor of my council of Caftille; Don Lorenzo Armangual, Bishop of Gironda, one of my council and chamber of Caftille, and governor of that of the revenues; Don Carlos de Borja and Centellas, Patriarch of the Indies, one of my council of the Orders, my chaplain and great almoner, and vicar general of my armies; Don Martin de Guzman, Marquis of Montealegre, gentleman of my chamber, and captain of my guard of halberdiers; Don Pedro de Toledo Sarmiento, Count of Gondomar, one of my council and chamber of Caftille; Don Francifco Rodrigues de Mendarofqueta, commiffary general of the Cruzada; and Don Melchior de Avellaneda, Marquis of Valdecañas, one of my council of war, and director general of the infantry of Spain.

I the King.

I Don Manuel of Vadillo and Velafco, Knight of the Order of Saint James, and commander of Bofuelo in that of Calatrava, fecretary of ftate to his Majefty, public notary and writer in his kingdoms and dominions, who was prefent at the delivery, and at all the rest herein above contained, do teftify the fame: and in witness of the truth I have figned it, and put my name thereto, in Madrid, the fifth of November 1-712

Manuel Vadillo y Velafco.

Now in regard to the federal conventions, whereof mention is made in the faid inftrument here inferted, and to the end it may appear authentically to all the parties where it appertains, and who may pretend to make ufe of the contents thereof; and for all the ef fects which may take place in right, and which may be derived from the delivery hereof, under the claufes, conditions,

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conditions, and fuppofitions therein contained, I have commanded thefe prefents to be made out, figned with my hand, and sealed with the feal of my royal arms, and counterfigned by my underwritten fecretary of ftate, and chief notary of these my kingdoms, at Buen Retiro, the feventh of November, 1712.

(L. S.) I the King. Manuel de Vadillo y Velafco.

I Don Francifco Antonio le Quincoces, Knight of the Order of Saint James, one of his Majesty's council, and fecretary of that of the chamber, and of ftate of Caftille, public notary, and writer in his kingdoms and dominions, Do certify, that in pursuance of the propofition which the King our lord (whom God preserve) made to the kingdom affembled in Cortes, reprefented by all the knights, deputies from the cities and towns, which have a vote therein, the fifth day of this prefent month and year, in his royal palace of Buen Retiro, and upon fight of the inftrument of renunciation, delivered by his Majefty, the fame day, month, and year, before Don Manuel of Vadillo and Velafco, his fecretary of ftate, and public notary and writer in all his kingdoms and dominions, which his Majefty ordered him to prefent, and which was read, and published in the meeting of the Cortes, which the kingdom held for this alone, the ninth of this month, the following refolution was agreed upon.

That the moft humble reprefentation be made by the kingdom, laying ourselves at the royal feet of his Majefty, giving him immortal thanks for the immenfe benefits, and exceeding great favours, wherewith he has been pleased to honour and exalt the Spanish nation, by taking care of the greatest good and advantage of his moft loving vaffals, by procuring to this monarchy the ease of this defired peace and tranquillity. And that the kingdom, defiring on their part to contribute to the attaining the royal intention of his Majefty, affents to,

and

and if it were neceffary for the greater authority, validity, and ftrength, approves and confirms the renunciation which his Majefty is pleafed to make for himself, and in the name of all his royal defcendants, to the fucceffion which poffibly may happen of the monarchy of France, with this circumftance, that the like renunciation to this crown is to be executed by the princes of that royal family, and their defcendants: and likewise the perpetual exclufion of the House of Auftria from the dominions of this monarchy; and in like manner in cafe of failure (which God forbid) of the royal issue of his Majefty, the calling of the Houfe of the Duke of Savoy, and of all his fons, and male descendants, born in conftant lawful matrimony; and in default of all thefe lines, of the prince Amadeus of Carignan, his fons, and male defcendants, born in conftant lawful matrimony; and in failure thereof, of the Prince Thomas, brother of the faid Prince of Carignan, his fons, and male defcendants, born in conftant lawful matrimony; who as defcendants of the Infanta Donna Catharina, daughter of Philip the Second, and being exprefsly called, have a clear and known right, fuppofing the friendship and perpetual alliance with this crown, which ought to be fought and obtained by the Duke of Savoy, and his defcendants. And that the kingdom approves, agrees to, and ratifies all these three things, and each of them, with the fame qualities, conditions, and fuppofitions, as are expreffed, inferred, and concluded in the said inftrument of renunciation executed by his Majefty, which has been mentioned and referred to. And lastly, that for fecuring and establishing the ftrength of these treaties, thefe kingdoms oblige themfelves, with all their power and force, to caufe to be maintained the royal resolutions of his Majefty, facrificing in his royal fervice, even to the laft drop of their blood, offering to his Majefty their lives and fortunes, in token of their love. And that for the eternal remembrance and ob fervance of the royal deliberation of his Majefty, and agreement of the kingdom, it be defired in their name

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(as in effect they have defired and petitioned by their representation and confultation, made the fame ninth day of this month) that his Majesty would be pleased to order, that by annulling all that fhall be found to the contrary, it be established as a fundamental law, as well the aforefaid renunciations, as the perpetual exclufion of the House of Auftria from the dominions of this crown, and the calling of that of Savoy to the fucceffion of these kingdoms, in default (which God forbid) of defcendants from his Majesty; which the kingdom, with the approbation of his Majefty, does even now agree to, as the foundation, whereon depends the greatest good and advantage of this monarchy, fo much purfued, favoured, and exalted by the royal benevolence of his Majefty.

And the King our lord, having agreed to this unanimous and uniform refolution and representation of all the knights deputies in the Cortes of the kingdom, he has been pleased, by his royal decree of the feventh of this month, to command it to be remitted to his fupreme council, jointly with the writing of renunciation, ordaining that the tenor of the law be forthwith formed, extended, and difpofed, with all the circumftances of clearness and ftrength, for its more inviolable and perpetual obfervation.

As all that is abovefaid does more largely appear from the aforementioned inftruments, the refolution, and fupplication of the kingdom, which are cited, and to which I refer. And this certificate figned with my hand, fealed with the feal of the royal arms of his Majefty, I give by virtue of his royal order, in the paper of the Marquis of Mejorada and of Breña, one of his council, gentleman of his chamber, his fecretary of ftate, and of the univerfal dispatch. At Madrid, the ninth of November, 1712.

(L. S.) Don Francifco de Quincoces.

DON PHILIP, by the grace of God, King of Caftille, Leon, Aragon, and both Sicilies, Jerufalem,

Navarre,

Navarre, Granada, Toledo, Valentia, Galicia, Majorca, Seville, Sardinia, Corduba, Corfica, Murcia, Jaen, the Algarves, Algezira, Gibraltar, the Canaries, the Eaft and West Indies, the iflands' and continent of the ocean, Archduke of Auftria, Duke of Burgundy, Brabant, and Milan, Count of Hapfburg, Flanders, Tirol, and Barcelona, Lord of Biscay and Molina, &c. The earnest desires, which moved the Moft Christian King my grandfather, and myfelf, to procure an end to the bloody and obftinate war, which has afflicted Europe fo many years, and to give a due relief to our vaffals, who were overwhelmed with fuch labours and fatigues, as were not to be fupported but by their invincible courage and conftant love and fidelity, made us ufe all poffible endeavours to obtain a general peace with the powers confederated against the two crowns, preferring that to our intereft: and whereas, having begun to treat of peace with the Queen of England, it was agreed between the three crowns of Spain, France, and England, that I fhould, in my own and my descendants name, renounce the right which we have or might have to the crown of France, together with the reft and in the form contained in the act, the tenor whereof is as follows:

"Don Philip, by the grace of God," &c.

[The Renunciation is inferted above.]

And whereas the renunciation and the ac above inferted, being by my command communicated to the States of my kingdom, who, for the greater validity of the faid renunciation and act, were affembled in this place, were received and approved by them in all its parts, and they, by their reprefentation of the ninth of November laft, did defire me, in my royal wifdom, to command that the exclufion of the Houfes of France and Auftria, and the order of fucceffion in the House of Savoy after all my defcendants (which are contained in the abovementioned act of renunciation) fhould be eftablished as a fundamental law: and whereas, be