The war between France and the Dutch--The campaign of 1672--Refusal of reasonable terms--Coalition against France--The campaigns of 1674–1675--Exhaustion of France--The peace of Nimwegen--Virtual defeat of Louis’s policy--The character and influence of William III.--The quarrel of Louis with the Papacy--The four resolutions of 1682--Analogy to the English Reformation--Settlement of the dispute--Policy of religious uniformity--Influence of Madame de Maintenon--Persecution of the Huguenots--Revocation of the Edict of Nantes--Aggressions of Louis--Formation of the league of Augsburg--Quarrel between Louis and James II.--The war of the league of Augsburg--Importance of the naval operations--Exhaustion of France--Peace of Ryswick. [Sidenote: =Grandeur of Louis XIV., 1672.=] The year 1672 saw Louis XIV. at the height of his glory, and France at the summit of the prosperity to which she attained under his guidance. He was in the prime of life, his court was the most magnificent and distinguished in Europe, his palace the most splendid, his throne the most assured. As yet no breath of domestic or national misfortune had visited the complexion of his fortunes too roughly. Alone among the monarchs of Europe, thanks to the thrifty administration of Colbert, he enjoyed the supreme satisfaction of a well-filled treasury; and if since the war of devolution occasional grumblings made themselves heard about the reimposition of taxes once remitted, yet few of the tax-payers would not be constrained on examination to admit that if the taxes had risen, their power of paying them had doubled. Through the willing service of able negotiators his diplomacy was triumphant in all quarters of Europe. There was not a state which did not dread his displeasure, which was not prepared to sacrifice something for his friendship. The watchful diligence of Louvois had given to him as the champion of his honour, and the instrument of his ambition, a professional army, superior in discipline, in organisation, in leadership to all the other armies of Europe put together. His navy, already more powerful than that of Spain, threatened soon to rival the English and the Dutch on their own element. England was already his vassal, Sweden Poland and half the petty sovereigns of Germany his subsidised allies, Spain his defeated enemy. Only the upstart merchants of Amsterdam ventured to assert their independence of him and to dispute his authority. He had but to stretch forth his hand and seize the fruit of supremacy over Europe thus temptingly lying open to his grasp. He had but to ‘travel’ in the United Provinces to reduce them to due submission. [Sidenote: =The Dutch war, 1672.=]