A Seasonable Warning and Caution against the Insinuations of Papists and Jacobites in favour of the Pretender: Being a Letter from an Englishman at the Court of HanoverDefoe, Daniel
Religion
A Seasonable Warning and Caution against the Insinuations of Papists and Jacobites in favour of the Pretender: Being a Letter from an Englishman at the Court of Hanover
Defoe, Daniel
James, Prince of Wales, 1688-1766 -- Early works to 1800
From thee the confederate Hollanders[7] received encouragement to join
in that indissoluble union which has since reduced the invincible
power of the Spaniards, and from whence has been raised the most
flourishing commonwealth in the world.
[Footnote 7: Under William Henry, the first Prince of Orange, who
formed the revolt of the Dutch provinces, and laid the foundation of
the States General and their commonwealth.]
By thy assistance they are become the bulwark of the protestant
religion, and of the liberties of Europe; and have many times since
gratefully employed that force in thy behalf; and, by their help,
thou, who first gavest them liberty, hast more than once rescued and
preserved thy own.
To thee the present protestant nations[8] of Europe owe their being at
this day freed from the just apprehensions of the growing greatness of
France; and to thy power, when acting by the glorious protector of thy
liberty, King William, is the whole Christian world indebted for
depriving the French tyrant of the hopes and prospect of universal
monarchy.
[Footnote 8: The circles of Swabia and Franconia, the Palatinate, and
the countries of Hessia, Wirtemberg, and others.]
To thy blood, thy treasure, the conduct of thy generals, and the
vigour of thy councils, are due, the glory, the fame, the praises, and
the advantages of twenty years' war, for the establishing and
restoring the liberty and religion of Europe.
When posterity shall inquire into the particulars of this long and
bloody war; the battles, sieges, and stupendous marches of armies,
which, as well with loss as with victory, have been the subject of thy
history; it will for ever be frequent in their mouths; HERE the
British troops, fighting with dreadful fury, and their usual
constancy, shed their blood in defence of the protestant cause, and
left a bloody victory to God's enemies and their own; as at Steenkirk,
Landen, Camaret, Almanza, Brihenga, and the like: or, HERE the British
troops, with their usual valour, carried all before them, and
conquered in behalf of the protestant interest, and Europe's
liberties; as at Blenheim, Ramilies, Barcelona, Oudenard, Sarragossa,
Blaregnies, &c. Here the British navies triumphed over French
greatness; as at Cherburgh, La Hogue, Gibraltar, &c. There their land
forces reduced the most impregnable fortresses; as at Namur, Lisle,
Menin, Tournay, &c.
And wherefore has all this English and British blood been spilt?
Wherefore thy nation exhausted; thy trade sunk and interrupted; thy
veins opened? Why hast thou struggled thus long, and with so much
vigour, as well with French tyranny abroad, as popish factions at
home, but to preserve entire the religion and liberties of Europe, and
particularly of this nation, and to preserve our posterity from
slavery and idolatry? Principles truly noble, worthy a nation's blood
to protect, and worthy a nation's treasure to save.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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