that we will fully maintain the faid diffidents in all the rights and prerogatives to which they are intitled by the laws of the country, particularly by the conftitution of the year 1717, &c. and by treaties.-As to the griefs of the diffidents, in refpect to the exercise of their religion, the college of the Moft Reverend Archbishops and Bishops, under the direction of the Prince Primate, will endeavour to remove thole difficulties, in a manner conformable to juftice and neighbourly love. The regulation drawn on this fubject, fhall be in: ferted in the acts of the metrique, and from thence communicated to all those who fhall require it.- -We charge the chancellors of the two nations to report this refolution to the ambafadors and minifters above mentioned." The fame day the epifcopal college figned pine articles, which were depofited among the archives, in favour of the Greeks and Proteftants. By thefe, the diffidents are allowed the free exercife of their worship in all the places where they have been allowed by the laws to have churches: they may repair thefe churches, or build them; but they are not to enlarge their extent; they are to be allowed burying-places, but the funerals must be performed without any ceremonies, except what are permitted by law. Where they have no churches, they may have divine fervice in their own houses; and the Greek priefis may baptize, marry, and bury, provided they pay the established clergy their legal fees, &c. This regulation was figned by all the prelates, except the bishop of Wilna, who refufed to do it, and the bishops of Ermoland and Samogitia, who were not present at that affembly. It is far from being probable, that the mediating powers, who claimed and expected much greater, will be at all fatisfied with thefe conceffions; nor is it well to be conceived, confidering the vicinity and power of two of them, if they perfift in their folicitations, how the Poles can avoid complying with them. The fituation of the King of Poland upon this occafion is truly pitiable; bleffed as he is with a great and enlarged mind, with extenfive parts, and a liberal education, there is little doubt, that he is in himfelf an enemy to perfe cution; and would with, without any foreign application, to be able to redrefs thofe grievances, which through his circumfcribed power, and the prejudices of his country, he is at prefent reftrained from attempting. It must add to his fenfibility, that, upon this occafion, he is obliged to differ with thofe powers whom he is under the greateft obligations to, who had a confiderable fhare in procuring him his crown, and with one of whom he has had a perfonal acquaintance and friendship. His answer to the minifter of Ruffia is remarkable: "I have not forgotten (lays his Majefty) the obligations I am under to the Emprefs of Ruffia, among the means which God Almighty made ufe of to raise me to the throne; but when I came to it, I promiled the exact obfervation of my religion throughout my kingdom. If I was weak enough to abandon it, my life and my throne would be expofed to the just relentment of my my fubjects. I am threatened with forcible means to oblige me to do what is afked of me, which would reduce me to an extremity equally unhappy. I perceive danger in whatever refolution I may take; but I had rather be expofed to fuch as my duty and honour in duce me to make choice of; and from this time I join with my country, in defence of our holy religion." A fentiment arifing, it is to be hoped, rather from the neceffity of his fituation, than from principles favourable to perfe cution. CHA P. III. Great difturbances in Madrid. The king grants the demands of the rioters, and retires privately from that city; a fresh commotion thereupon. Difturbances in many parts of the kingdom, Threat of the Marquis de la Mina at Barcelona. Marquis de Squillacci and his family quit Spain. The king returns to Madrid. Reports of a Revolution in Peru; confiderations thereupon. T has been obferved, that it is eafier to conquer half the world, than to fubdue a fingle prejudice, or error; most nations have a degree of fuperftitious attachment to thofe habitudes which they derived from their ancestors, which feemed to come along with them into the world, and with which they have been nurfed, and brought up. Wife princes have generally been very cautious how they attempted to combat these particular prejudices; though they have, without ceremony, frequently overturned the political, civil, or even religious fyftem of their countries; yet, except Peter the Great, they generally fuffered the inhabitants to wear their beards their own way. Of all the nations in Europe, the Spaniards feem the moft tenacious of their old cuftoms, and of thofe peculiarities which they inherit from their ancestors; among thefe a cloak, a long fword, and a flapped hat, have, from time immemorial, been looked upon as diftinctions, which were the birthright of every true Spaniard. The prefent King of Spain had received an early tincture of French manners, together with a ftrong predilection for every thing belonging to that nation. By his long refidence in Italy, he had alfo acquired a great affection for the natives, as well as modes of that country; though there is a wide difference between the manners of the two nations; yet as they agree in being oppofite to thole of the Spaniards, it is no wonder if the peculiarities of the latter appeared difgufting to him. Upon his acceffion to the crown of Spain, he was attended by a number of his Italian favourites, who were followed by fhoals of their dependants. It was foon found, that the foreigners had an entire poffeffion of the King's ear; one of them the Marquis of Squillac-.. ci, became prime minifter: and others fucceeded to places of lefs confequence. Foreign councils produced foreign measures; the 1 nation was precipitated, much against the fenfe of all true Spaniards, into a destructive war (in which it had no manner of concern) with England; the confequences were as difgraceful, as the manner of entering into it had been rash and unadvised. The fame counfels ftill prevailed; the foreigners, not content to rule the Spaniards, wanted to metamorphofe them into a new people, to make them Frenchmen, or Italians. Intoxicated by the power which they poffeffed over the fovereign, they blindly split upon the rock which has been fo generally fatal to favourites, by letting the collective body of the nation at nought; and vainly imagined that a whole people may be offended with impunity. A fevere edict was published against the wearing of flapped hats, and long cloaks; which was put in execution with an ill-judged rigour. The minifter had alfo granted a monopoly in favour of a certain company, who were allowed an exclufive right to fupply the city of Madrid with provifions, by which means the prices of bread, oil, &c. were confiderably augmented; and these commodities making the principal part of the food of the poorer people, the confequences were feverely felt, and excited a general diffa tisfaction. It must be observed, in justice to the Italian minifter, that fome of his regulations deferved praife; among which was that for lighting the ftreets of Madrid, for which purpose he had above 5000 lamps fixed in that metropolis. And if the invincible averfion of the people to the minifter, and at tachment to their own cuftoms, could have been got the better of, the prohibition of concealed weapons, and difguifes, would have prevented many of those diforders, which fo much difgrace the police of that city. On the 23d of March, about four o'clock in the afternoon, 1766. a young gentleman dreffed (in defiance of the edic) in a long cloak, and broad bever, was ftopt near the palace by a centinel, whom the gentleman attempted to ftab for intercepting him; the centinel prefented his mufket at him, but did not fire. The gentleman thereupon immediately gave a whittle which feems to have been a concerted figna!, and fome hundreds of people came in a few minutes to his affiftance, who were fired upon by the Walloon guards, and after feveral were killed, the reft were difperfed. They foon affembled, however, again in prodigious bodies, and overpowered the guards, after an obftinate engagement, in which it is faid 70 or 80 of the foldiers were killed. They then proceeded to the houfe of the Marquis de Squillacci, who efcaped out of it by a back-way, having fent his carriage, with the blinds up, a contrary road, in order to deceive the populace; which ftratagem taking effect, they purfued the carriage in hopes of finding the minifter in it, and were fo enraged at the difappointment on coming up, that they tore it to pieces.. They then demolished the Marquis's houfe; after which they purlued him to the Dutch ambaffador's, whether he had filed for refuge; but from whence he alfo efcaped on the appearance of the the rioters. The Dutch ambaffador having affured them, that the Marquis was not at his houfe, they proceeded to break all the lamps, and obliged every body they met in the ftreets, whether on foot or in carriages, to let down the brims of their hats. They alfo dragged the bodies of the Walloon guards, fome of whom it was faid were not quite dead, with great cruelty and barbarity through the fireets, and offered them nuinberlefs indignities; thefe guards had fired upon, and killed many of the populace. Towards midnight, they quietly difperfed, and the city feemed to have recovered its former tranquillity. mands, and the rioters retired from the palace. In their return they happened to meet the Earl of Rochford, the English ambassador, in his coach, whom they faluted with the general acclamation of Vivad la libertad; fome of them then defired that his Lord@hip would put on his cloak and bea ver, which he having readily com plied with, they cried out, No French fashions; peace with Eng land, and war with all the world befide. The mutineers having difperfed, and retired quietly to their refpective homes, the city of Madrid was as calm in a few hours, as if no fuch disturbance had happened. This quiet however was not of a long continuance; the king and royal family having thought proper to quit that city, to at one o'clock the 25th March. fucceeding morning, retired Aranjuez; whither they were followed by the Walloon guards, who had fuffered feverely in the late fcuffle, and were mortally hated by the people. Next day the rioters aflembled in greater bodies than before; and marched to the royal palace, to the number as was faid of thirty thoutand, where they infifted on Speaking to the king. This being at length complied with, the king appeared to them about five in the evening, in the great balcony in the middle of the palace. The mutineers then made the following propofitions to his Majefty; that he thould discharge his Italian minifters, as they were determined to be governed only by their own Countrymen that the feveral of fenfive edicts lately paffed, fhould be repealed, the prices of bread and oil reduced, and the monopoly for fupplying the city with provifions totally fupprefled; and laftly, that his Majefty fhould give his royal word, never after to call any perfon to an account for what A large body of the populace, had paled on the prefent occafion; confifting of 10,000 men, then and that, upon thefe conditions, furrounded the city, and fuffered they would difperfe, and continue neither carriage, mule, or, man to good fubjects. The king thought go out; while the Spanish guards proper to comply with thefe de- kept clofe in their quarters, and Nothing could equal the furprife and rage of the people, when they difcovered in the morning, that the king and royal family had retired from the palace. They cried out, their fidelity was ful pected; and running immediately together in large bodies, they stript the invalids of their arms, who quietly fuffered them to be taken, without making the smallest resist ance. re remained all the time quiet fpecta- many thoufand people; except tors of what palled. Some of the populace broke open the drinking houfes, and inflamed themfelves with fpirituous liquors; which made the scene the more terrible to fuch foreigners as knew the dangerous confequences that attend mobs in other countries even without intoxication. The danger appeared greater at night; the women, who were particularly outrageous, carrying lighted torches and palm branches through the streets. The general cry was Viva Efpagna. In the mean time, the rioters fent a deputation to Aranjuez to the king, complaining of his doubt of their fidelity, and defiring that the court may come back, in order to walk about the town as ufual on Holy Thursday. The deputation returned with an account, that his Majefty was greatly indifpofed, had been twice bled, and therefore could not come; but that he granted them a general pardon, would fend away Squillacci and his family for ever, and would appoint Moufquiz minifter of the finances; and that the only means to induce the king to return to Madrid, would be their immediate difperfing and obeying his orders. This meffage had a moft happy effect; the people were thoroughly fatisfied with it, gave up their arms, and having retired to their respective homes, every thing refumed its former ftate of quiet. There were many circumstances attended thefe commotions, that serve strongly to mark the charader of the nation concerned in them. Not a fingle individual fuffered in his perfon or property, by the lawlefs affembling of fo VOL. IX. the Walloon guards, who had violently oppofed them, and thofe particular persons whose obnoxious conduct had made them the avowed objects of the people's refentment. On the contrary, they refufed money from all thofe that offered it, and faid they wanted nothing but the blood of Squillacci. When the affair was over, the people went of their own accord, and, haking hands with the foldiers they had taken them from, returned them their arms. Others who were not known, went in copas to the different public-houfes, and paid for the liquors that had been confumed. It was a rare example that an enraged, tumultuous, and numerous populace, during fo many days disturbance in a great city, fhould preferve an order, conduct, and attention to juftice, which could fcarcely be equalled by the best difciplined army. The behaviour of the Spanish guards, and the invalids, is a letion to princes, that national forces are not to be depended on, when the fervice appointed them is againft the common intereft or opinion of their country. The Marquis of Squillacci and his family had fet out immediately for Carthagena, under the guard of a ftrong efcort, from whence he embarked as foon as poffible for Naples. Two officers who had attended him upon this route, faid at their return, that they found the people every where in commotion, and crying out, Long live the King, deftruction to Squil lacci. Several diforders happened in different parts of the kingdom; libels of an atrocious nature were difperfed and pafted up. [C] and |