If the Prince de Ligne had, in his Petition, fet forth all the Titles of the Houfe of Meleun? If he had own'd, that the faid Houfe was defpoil'd only by null and illegal Confifcations, and Ufurpations obtain'd in Time of War? If he had formerly exprefs'd the Articles of all the Treaties; If he had told them, That his Agreement had been annull'd, and that the fame had been examin'd and condemn'd a fecond Time in his most Christian Majesty's Council; Could he have obtain❜d the Difpoffeffion of the Prince d'Efpinoy? No certainly, and from thence it evidently follows, that the States-General were impos'd upon. Our Adverfary conceal'd from the States, every Thing, that would have determin'd them to give a Refolution contrary to what they pafs'd. Captious Mifrepresentations and Things directly oppofite to Truth were advanc'd. The Petition of the Prince de Ligne is both Obreptitious and Surreptitious. If the States had not been impos'd upon, if they had been better inform'd, 'tis certain, they would not have deviated from the ordinary Rules, nor from the Principles of Juftice they are fo largely furnish'd with. They would have fuffer'd the then Poffeffor to remain in Poffeffion. The Laws allow a Year and Day to be fufficient; but here was a Poffeffion of Forty Years Continuance. Fraud ought not to be of any Advantage to thofe, who have us'd it; and we have Reafon to hope, that Meffieurs, the Plenipotentiaries of the States-General, will be the firft, who fhall give their Opinion for the Re-establishment of the Prince d'Efpinoy. This is not retracting a Sentence pafs'd, but fhewing to all the World, that they will only pafs fuch Sentences as are juft, and that the. War between the Powers has not been able to infpire into them, the Thought of doing Prejudice to private Perfons, against the Principles of Reason and Equity. Can the Prince de Ligne fhew any new Title, fince the Prince d'Efpinoy was re-establish'd? Can he alledge any Deed, which was not annull'd, by the fubfequent Treaties of Peace? Can he affert, that his fruitless Endeavours at Nimeguen and Ryfwick, for the the Recovery of his Ufurpation, ought to be look'd upon as a lawful Interruption? Are not thefe Two laft Treaties, on the contrary, fresh Confirmations of the precedent Treaties, and new Titles fprung up against him? It was not the fame Thing when the Prince d'Efpinoy was ré-eftablifh'd. The Treaties of Peace were pofterior to the Agreements. They annull'd the defective Titles and Deeds of the Princes of Ligne They confirm'd wlrat had been done be fore the War, and annull'd all that happen'd on Occafion of the faid War. Thefe Laws were general and abfolute, and enacted by the Concurrence of Potentates; and 'twas upon thefe Sacred Titles, that the Prince d'Efpinoy demanded and obtain'd Reftitu tion. The Congrefs then are indifpenfibly oblig'd to the like once more, except they are pleas'd to condemn all the Treaties of Peace, which have been concluded thefe 100 Years. But to remove all Pretences for Chècáning, we shall ftate the Cafe more fimply. Let us for a fhort time, wave the Orders of the moft Chriftian King, the Ordinances of his Intendants, and even the Treaties of Nimeguen and Ryfwick, and at the fame time take no Notice of the Refolution of the States-General, on the 29th of July, 1709. d let us reafcend to the Times, that preceded all thofe different Orders, Treaties and Sentences; could the Congress, in that Cafe, difpenfe themfelves from ordering the Execu tion of the preceding Treaties of Peace? Can Mesfieurs, the Plenipotentiaries decide contrary to what has been judg'd and declar'd, in all Times, in Favour of the Houfe of Meleun, by all thofe who have gone before them, in thofe important FumЄtions? If the Houfe of Ligne has any Pretenfions against that of Efpinoy: If they prove,that they have paid to the Latter, any Sum, by Vertue of fome Agreement, they have their Remedy at Law: We fhall never refufe to do them Juftice: We have offer'd it on all Occafions,to Meffieurs the Princes of Ligne; and we fhall always continue in the fame Difpofition. But ftill, the Congrefs must begin again, by giving Preference to a Title grounded on folemn Treaties of Peace: Peace: The ancient and lawful Poffeffors ought to be re-establish'd. What was done, during the War, ought to be annull'd, and the Eftates ought to remain to thofe, who poffeffed them thefe Forty Years, and would not have been difpoffefs'd, if there had not been a new War, and if the Town of Lisle had not been taken by the Arms of the Allies. This Affair concerns all Sovereigns and all private" : Perfons. All Men are equally interefted, to fee that Treaties of Peace be inviolably obferv'd; and it is not likely, that Meffieurs the Ambaffadors, who have form'd a Congrefs, in order to reftore Tranquillity to Europe, will at this Time begin to deviate, efpecially against the Intereft of a Minor, from what has been at all Times ordain'd, on fuch Occafions, in Favour of all private Perfons. For thefe Reasons the Prince d'Efpinoy concludes, that he shall be re-establish'd in the Poffeffion of the ancient Estates belonging to his Family, which enjoy'd the fame before the Reduction of Life. The PROTESTATION on the Part of their Highneffes, Meffeigneurs, the Proteftant Princes of Naffau-Dillenburg, and of Naffau-Siegen, for the Prefervation of their uncontested Rights, and thofe of the House of Catzenellenbogen, in general, to the Principality of Orange, and Eftates lying in Franche-Conté, together with all the other Rights, Titles, and Actions, of the Houfe of Chalon, incorporated in that of Naffau-Catzenellenbogen. Tefeigneurs, the The Houfe of Nassau has no manner of Right to the Principality of Orange: William of Naffau, from whom they make their Claim, was not defcended from the Houfe of Chalons, whether by Male or Female, being no Ways related to the faid Family. Neither had René de Naffau, who defcended from the fame by Claudine de Chalons, his Mother, any Right; becaufe Louis le Bon,Prince of Orange had, in Default of his own Male Iffue, intail'd the Eftates on Jeanne de Chalons, his Daughter, Countefs de la Chambre, Mother of Francois de Seiffel, from whom the Lord Marquis de Coudrée takes his Right; and Phili bert de Chalons, who was oblig'd to restore the Principality of Orange, could not make any Difpofition of the fame, in Favour of René de Naffau, nor he in Favour of William of Naffau, his Coufin, as the Parliament of Grenoble determin'd, in 1543. against René de Naffau, and the Grand Council of the King of of France, in 1552. and 1562. against William of Nafou. "Tis needlefs to relate here, That Rewe de Nafa own'd the Authority of the Parliament of Grenoble; and, though William of Naffau declin'd the fame, to avoid going before the Grand Council, no Regard was had to what he did; the Attorney-General having prov'd, that the Principality of Orange held of the Kings of France, and that its Princes had paid Homage, fworn Fealty to them, and own'd their Jurifdiction, particularly William of Nassau,_by_the Demand made by him, August 31. 1551. of a Civil Requeft against the aforefaid Arret of the Parliament of Grenoble, in 1543. the Execution whereof was order'd by the Grand Council, by their Decree, January 23. 1552. Nor have the other Pretenders any Right to the Principality of Orange, who claim by Vertue of the Will of Mary de Baux, Princets of Orange, dated May 22. 1416. and of the Will of Jean de Chalons, her Husband, made the 21st of October, 1417. Becaufe the Intail in the faid Wilt, in Favour of thofe, by Vertue of whom they claim, never happen'd to take Place; Luis le Bon having left Children, and thofe Children, others of the 3d Generation, whereby the the Intail in Favour of Alix de Chalons, in Cafe of the Deceafe of her Brothers without Iffue, becomes of no Effect or Value. Pursuant to this, the Grand Council decreed by their Arret the 23d of January, 1552, against Franceis d'Orleans, Duke of Longueville, that the Decree of the Parliament of Grenoble, in 1543. fhould be executed in Favour of Jean, Count de la Chambre; and this Sentence will be of Force, in all Times, against thofe, who take their Right from the Duke of Lengueville. Nor have they any Manner of Right, who ground the fame on Jean de Chalons, Lord de Vittaux, Son of the aforefaid Jean de Chalons and Marie de Baux by reafon of the previous Deceafe, and Default of Male Iffue of the faid Jean de Vittaux, before the Deceafe of Philibert de Chalons, who was the latt Male Defcendent from Jean de Chalons and Marie de Baux. Thus the Right fell only to Franccife de Seiffel, Daughter of Jeanne de Chalons, and after that to Jean de Seiffel, Count de la Chambre, and confequently to the Lord Marquis de Coudrée, by Vertue of the Intails made by the faid Francoffe de Seiffel. All the aforefaid has been exactly prov'd by the Wills, Decrees, and other Deeds. The PROTESTATION. The Lord Marquis de Coud Cc, d'Aix, de Lul HE under-written having Commiflion from lin, &c. for the Purposes mention'd in the Procuration, dated the ad of March laft, receiv'd and fign'd by the Notary Pafcalis, not having found the Congrefs manag'd in the ufual Forms, by the Intervention of a Mediator, to whom he might addrefs himfelf; could not take a more proper Method for proving and preferving the Rights of the faid Lord Marquis de Coudrée, than to acquaint therewith the Minifters of the Powers concern'd in the War, and affembl'd at the Congrefsfor a Peace: And to make L 3 publick |