to believe that with this perpetual and firm Hope this Balance will never vary, with which all the Powers hall, thus in a friendly manner have brought themselves into an equal Poife, being tir'd with the Labours and Uncertainty of Battles, no Power being left to any one Party to alter this Balance fettled by Treaty,. by the means of any Contract, Renunciation or Retrofpection; but the Reafon of its perpetual Duration is to prevail, which induces the admitting it, and framing it into a fundamental Conftitution, which, like an unalterable Law, fhall regulate the Succeffion for the time to come. I have confider'd the Premifes, and out of the Love I bear to the Spaniards, and the Knowledg I have of what I owe them, and in regard of the repeated Inftances I have receiv'd of their Loyalty, and to fhew to the Divine Providence, with the Refignation I owe to its Decrees, the Sense I retain of that great Bleffing of having plac'd and maintain'd me upon the Government of fo many Illuftrious and Well-deferving Subjects, I have refolv'd to abdicate for me and all my Pofterity any Right of fucceeding to the Crown of France, being defirous never to depart from my Refolution of Living and Dying with my Beloved and Faithful Spaniards, leaving to all my Pofterity the indiffoluble Bond of their Loyalty and Love. And that this my Refolution may have its due Effect, and an end may be put to that which has been look'd upon as one of the chief Motives of the War wherewith Europe has been hitherto afflicted, of my own Motion, free, fpontaneous and unconftrain'd Will, I Don Philip, by • the Grace of God, &c. do, by this prefent Inftrument, for my Self, my Heirs and Succeffors, for ever Renounce, Re linquish and quit Claim to all Pretenfions, Rights and Ti⚫tles which I or any of my Pofterity have at this time, or may have at any time hereafter to the Succeffion of the < Crown of France. And I declare and hold my felf excluded and feparated, my Self and my Children, Heirs and Pofterity for ever, excluded and difabled, abfolutely and without Limitation, Difference and Diftinction of Perfons, Degrees, Sex and Time, from the Action and Right of fucceeding to the Crown of France: And I Will and Confent for me and my faid Pofterity, that from this time for evermore, the fame be held to be pafs'd away and transfer'd to fuch Perfon as, thro my and their being excluded, difabled and incapaci tated, fhall be next in Succeffion, and immediately after the King, by whofe Death a Vacancy fhall happen; and the Suc ceffion to the faid Crown of France ought to be fettled upon and yielded to him, in whatever Time and Case it shall fall out; to have and to hold the fame as lawful and true Succeffor, in the fame manner as if I and my Pofterity had not

been

been born, or in being in this World; for that we were to be confider'd and reputed as fuch, to the end that neither in my Perfon nor in theirs, any Foundation may be found or had for an active or paffive Representation, Beginning or Continuation of a Line effective, or containing any Subftance, Blood or Quality, or any Pofterity may be, deriv'd, or any Pedigree from the Perfons of the Moft Chriftian King my Lord and Grandfather, or the Lord Dauphin my Father, or the glorious Kings their Progenitors, or to any other effect, for entering into the Succeffion, or anticipating the degree of Kindred, or excluding from it the Perfon who, as is abovemention'd, fhall be next in Succefhon. I Will and Confent for my Self, and for my Pofterity, that from this time forth for evermore, this Right fhall be look'd upon and confider'd as pafs'd away and transfer'd to the Duke de Berry my Brother, and his Iffue and Pofterity, Male born, in conftant lawful Wedlock; and in default of his Iffue Male, to the • Duke of Orleans my Uncle, and to his Sons and Pofterity Male born, in conftant lawful Wedlock; and in default of his Iffue, to the Duke de Bourbon my Coufin, and to his Sons and Pofterity Male born, in conftant lawful Wedlock, and fo on fucceffively to all the Princes of the Blood of France, their Sons and Pofterity, Male for ever, according to the 'Piace and Order in which they may be call'd to the Crown by virtue of their Birthright, and confequently to such of the faid Princes as (upon the foremention'd Exclufion, DifC ability and Incapacity of me and all my faid Pofterity) may happen to be next in degree, immediately after such King, by whofe Death the Crown of France fhould become vacant, and to whom the Succeffion may belong, at whatever Time and in whatever Cafe the fame may happen, that he may enjoy it as lawful and true Succeffor, in the fame manner as if I and my Pofterity had not been born.' And as a Confirmation of the greater Validity of the Act of Abdication of all the Right and Title that might avail me, and all my Pofte. rity, in regard to the faid Succeffion to the Crown of France, I depart and defit particularly from that which might be deriv'd to me from the Right of Naturalization, by the Letters Patents or Inftrument by which the King my Grandfather preferv'd and referv'd to me, and enabled me to enjoy a Right of fucceeding to the Crown of France, which Inftrument was dispatch'd at Versailles in the Month of December, in the year 1700. and pafs'd, approv'd and regifter'd by the Parliament; and I Will that it thall not ferve for a Foundation to the Purposes for which it was intended; and I refute and renounce it, and declare it null, void, and of none effect and cancel'd, and as if no fuch Inftrument had ever been exe

cuted.

cuted. And I promise and oblige my felf on the Faith and Word of a King, that in whatever depends on me and my faid Children and Pofterity that are and fhall be, I will procure the Obfervation and Accomplishment of this Writing, without permitting or confenting that any thing be done to the contrary, directly or indirectly, in the whole or in part; and I defift and depart from all and whatever Remedies, known or unknown, ordinary or extraordinary, and that ei ther of common Right or particular Privilege might avail me and my Children, and Pofterity, to reclaim, affert or alledg any thing againft the fame. And I renounce them all, and especially that of the evident Lefion, enormous and moft enormous, which may be look'd upon to have been in the quitting Claim, and renouncing the Right of being able to fucceed at any time to the faid Crown. I Will that none of the faid Remedies, nor any other, of whatever Number, Efficacy, Importance or Quality they be, may avail or be of any ufe to us. And if in Fact, or under any Colour, we should attempt to feize the faid Kingdom by force of Arms, or fhould make an Offenfive or Defenfive War against it, that from this prefent time, and in all time to come, it be judg'd and declar'd unlawful and unjuft, and wrongfully undertaken, by Violence, Invafion and Úfurpation, againft Reafon and Confcience; and on the contrary, that may be judg'd and call'd juft, lawful and allowable, which fhall be made or undertaken in behalf of him, who, by the Exclufion of Me and my faid Children and Pofterity, is to fucceed to the faid Crown of France, whom his natural Subjects are to receive, and to obey him, and to yield and fwear to him the Oath of Homage and Fealty, and to ferve him as their lawful King and Lord: And this quitting Claim and Renunciation for Me and my faid Children and Pofterity, is to continue firm, ftable, valid and irrevocable for ever, and in all times to come: And I affert and promife, that I have not made nor will make any Proteftation, or reclaiming publickly or privately to the contrary hereof, which might hinder or leffen the Validity of what is contain'd in this Writing; and that if I fhou'd make any, tho it were upon Oath, it shall not be valid, or of any force or effect. And for the greater Validity and Certainty of what is contain'd in this Renunciation, and of what I therein affert and promife on my part, I do again engage my Royal Faith and Word, and I folemnly fwear by the Gofpels contain'd in this Miffal, on which I lay my Right Hand, That I will obferve, maintain and fulfil this Act and Inftrument of Renunciation, both for me and all my Succeffors, Heirs and Pofterity, in all the Claufes therein contain'd, according to its moft natural, literal and plain Meaning

and

⚫ and Conftruction.' And that from this Oath I will not demand to be releas'd, and if it be by any particular Perfon demanded or granted of their own Motion, I will not make ..any Ufe or Advantage of it; but in cafe the fame should be granted, I fwear another like Oath, That I will always preferve and maintain this one, againft all Difpenfations that might be granted me. And I execute this Writing before this prefent Secretary, Notary of this my Kingdom, and fign the fame, and cause it to be feal'd with my Royal Seal.

The Contract of Marriage

(1)

The Contract of Marriage of the moft Chriftian King with the most Serene Infanta, eldest Daughter of the Catholick King. The 7th of November, 1659.

L

EWIS, by the Grace of God, King of France and Navarre. To all thofe who fhall fee these prefent Letters, Greeting. Whereas the Treaty of Marriage between Us and the moft Serene Infanta of Spain Donna Maria Therefa, eldest Daughter of our moft Dear and most Beloved Brother and Uncle, Don Philip IV. of that Name, King of Spain, has been concluded, agreed on and fign'd by our moft Dear and moft Beloved Coufin, Cardinal Mazarini, on our part; and the Lord Don Lewis Mendez de Haro, on the part of the faid King of Spain, on the 7th Day of November, in the Ifle call'd the Isle of Pheasants, in the River of Bidasoa, on the Confines of the two Kingdoms of France and Spain, by virtue of their Powers and Commiflions: By the laft Article of which Treaty our faid Coufin Cardinal Mazarini, having promis'd and ftipulated in our Name, to caufe our Letters of Ratification to be furnifh'd in the ufual form and manner, and to caufe the fame to be deliver'd within thirty Days, with Derogation from any Laws, Cuf toms and Difpofitions, which might be contrary to the faid Treaty, of which the Tenor followeth.

In the Name of the moft Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, three Perfons in one only True God, to his Honour and Glory, and for the Good of these Kingdoms.

Be it known to all Perfons who fhall see these prefent Letters and Contract of Marriage. That whereas in the Ifle call'd the Isle of Pheasants, fituated in the River of Bidasoa, half a League from the Burgh (or Borough) of Audage, in the Province of Guyenne,

A

and