WE Leopold, by favour of the Divine Clemency, Emperor of the Romans Elect, ever August, and King of Germany, Hun­gary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Sclavo­nia, &c. Arch-Duke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, and Wirtemberg, Count of Tyrole, &c. To all and singular, Our well-be­loved faithful Vassals and Subjects, and to those of the Sacred Roman Empire in Italy, of what State, De­gree, Order, Condition, Dignity and Pre-eminence soever they be, our Imperial Grace, and all Happiness.

Beloved! We make known and certify to you, That [Page 2]whereas the Crown of France has long since, not only several ways violated the Twenty Years Truce established, Anno 1684. in the General Diet of the Empire, between Ils and the Empire on the one part, and the said Crown of France on the other part, and contrary to the express Tenour as well of that as of the Peace of Westphalia and Nimeghen, hath usurpt di­vers Places and Profits of the Empire, hath built Bridges upon the Bank of the Rhine, not belonging to the said Crown, hath erected Forts upon the Lands of the Em­pire, hath cut down the Woods, and many other ways, hath distressed the States and Subjects of the Sacred Ro­man Empire; but at length growing even impatient of our Patience, being moved either with Envy at our Suc­cesses, against the Turks, or with an insatiable desire of enlarging its Borders, not minding its Faith so often given, and but lately renewed, despising all Law Divine, Ecclesiastical, and of civilized Nations at that very time, when our own Armies, and these of several States of the Empire (relying on publick Compacts and the Sanctimo­ny of the Royal Word) were for God's Glory besieg­ing the Infidels in Belgrade, did treacherously, and with­out any praevious Declaration of War, fall upon Us and the Empire, while we did not in the least dream of it, with all its Power took Philipsburg, destitute of the Faith of Leagues, and a necessary Garrison, invaded the Palatinate, Franconia, Suevia, and other Territories on the Rhine, pouring in men into the Country and Arch-Bishoprick of Cologne, endeavoured to obtrude upon Us, and the Roman Empire Cardinal Furstenberg, contrary to the lawful Election, rightly confirm'd by the Pope him­self, of the most serene Prince, Joseph Clement of Bavaria, for Arch-Bishop and Elector of Cologne, either by force or Treachery, hath upon certain Terms, got into its hands Mentz, Worms, Spire, Heilbrowne, Heildelberg, Frank­endale, and other Cities and strong Holds, subject, either mediately or immediately, to the sacred Roman Empire, and not sparing things sacred to Justice, hath destroy'd [Page 3]the supreme Tribunal of the Empire, which in the times of the fiercest former Wars remain'd untouch'd in the said City of Spires, carrying the Writings and Evidences belonging to the whole Empire into France, hath wickedly appropriated to its own use the Poor and Orphans Money, there deposited and kept; hath extorted vast Contributions every where, yea, whole Cities, Towns and Countries, not­withstanding they paid the Taxes laid upon them, after they had, contrary to Faith, given and confirmed by the hand of the most serene Dauphin, been plundered; it hath partly destroy'd by burning, partly by Mines; it hath with so great Fury blown them up from the very Foundations, that a stone is not left upon a stone; and not keeping its wick­ed hands from the very Temples, and the ancient Pallaces of Princes it hath levell'd them to the ground: in some places it hath violently driven the stronger sort of Our Subjects, after the manner of the Barbarians, into Slave­ry, or to bear Arms in France; others, after they were robb'd of their Corn, which was all that was left after so great exactions, it forced to Plow their own Fields, when they were Sown; and it most severely forbid them upon pain of death ever for the future to exercise hus­bandry; finally, it hath every where, as far as the beast­ly inhumanity of its Souldiers could reach, undone all, with Murder, Sword, Fire, Rapine, and other horrid instances of Rage, Cruelty, Avarice and Lust, scarce known among Barbarians, and exceeding the very cruel­ty and malice of Tartars and Turks; and it continues to undoe, and moreover it persists to stir up the sworn Ene­mies of the Holy Cross, to the utter destruction of the Christian World, and to solicit them to joyn Arms with it by a League: We, with all the Electors, Princes and States, assembled in our Imperial City of Ratisbonne, have taken into mature deliberation how to defend and vindicate the liberty of our dearest Country from present ruine, and We being with their unanimous consent and suffrages addressed by them, that not only by Decreeing and Pub­lishing an universal and most just War all over the Ro­man [Page 4]Empire, We would according to our Imperial trust, together with Them, endeavour to repel such cruel injuries, and with all our might assert the Safety and Li­berty of the Empire; but also that we would esteem those as the common Enemies of the whole Empire, who shall assist the foresaid Crown, with Men, Horse, Arms, Pro­visions, Money, or by any other means whatever; and that We would earnestly forbid, especially our own and the Roman Empire's Subjects in Italy, any way to assist the fore mentioned Crown, or either directly or indi­rectly to promote its execrable undertakings, most se­verely and upon pain of loss of their Fees and other Advantages held of Us, and the Sacred Roman Empire. Since therefore by Our Imperial Authority, We have approved the fore-mentioned unanimous Sentence of the Electors, Princes and States of the Empire as agree­able to the Divine and Natural Law, and to every ones obligation, and relying on the assistance of the Divine Justice, have taken up Arms for the necessary defence of the Empire; so We hope none of you are so destitute of Pi­ety, nor will be so forgetful of your Allegiance and Du­ty, as that you will participate of so detestable cruelty and treachery, and of those crimes which have proceeded, and will proceed from thence, nor that you will lend any assistance or aid to the accursed attempts of the Ene­mies, only tending to the ruine and subversion of Our Country. Hence it is, well-beloved! that out of the plenitude of Our Imperial Power, We kindly and seri­ously admonish you, and upon Our own, and the Sacred Roman Empire's most grievous displeasure, and upon pain of losing all Fees, Priviledges, Rights and Immunities whatever, granted to you by Us or the Roman Empire, do strictly charge you, That none of you, of whatever State, Degree, Condition, Dignity and Pre-eminence he be, who is any way related to the Roman Empire, and enjoys the Honours and Prerogatives of the same, after the time that this Our Pleasure, either by Our original Letters, or by Copies of them (which We will have to [Page 5]be of equal Authority) or otherwise shall be known; shall be assisting to the foresaid Crown of France, or to its Colleagues and Adherents, nor shall send any assi­stance, but shall recall them, if sent; if any of you serve it or its Aherents, he must quit his stipend, nor must he for the future serve under them; nor by Men, Money, Provisions, Corn, Gunpowder, Quarters, Passages, Advice, nor any other way whatever shall be aiding or assi­sting to their unjust designs, nor shall enter into any unlawful Treaties with them to the prejudice of the Empire; much less shall they voluntarily, or at the instigation of the French, those disturbers of Europe, make War either upon Our Hereditary Kingdoms and Provinces, or upon Our Liege People and Members of the Empire, or upon Our Vassalls, or those in League with us, in or without the Lands of the Empire upon any pretext whatever; nor shall he contrive any Hostilities against Us or them, nor give suspicion of such contrivances, nor shall he give his Assistance or Counsel to any others towards it. Well-Beloved! We therefore kindly Exhort you, that if per­chance any of your Children, Kindred, Clients, Vassals and Subjects, should serve in the Wars, or otherwise assist the Crown of France, its Favourers and Adherents, or any who are Enemies to Us, and the Empire, its Members and Allies, you would not only recall them under the commination of most grievous Punishments, respective­ly of loss of Goods, Feudal and Allodial, Benefits, Privi­ledges, Immunities, Honour and Life, and that forthwith you would severely proceed against the refractory; but that you would moreover chearfully employ your Power and Pains in a just cause, and for the Defence of the Empire; since by so doing, Well-Beloved! you will deserve well of Us and the Sacred Roman Empire, and of the whole Christian Common-wealth. But if any, contrary to ex­pectation and to this express Sanction of Ours and of the whole Roman Empire, shall be found to maintain the un­just pretensions of France, or to assist it or its Adherents, or their Aiders or Abbettors, or any of Our Enemies, [Page 6]or the Enemies of those in League with Us, or to act or endeavour Hostilities against any one or all the Ele­ctors, Princes and States of the Sacred Roman Empire, or other Vassals, or in League with them, know that ye shall irremissibly be deprived of all the Benefits, Rights and Priviledges which he enjoys from Us and the Sacred Roman Empire, and that he shall without delay be pro­ceeded against by Our Imperial Fiscal. Which, that it may be the more manifest to all, and that none may pretend ignorance, We kindly require you, Well-Beloved! to take care that this Our Declaration be published and affixt in your Territories, and Districts respectively; In doing whereof, Well-Beloved! you will act as be­comes You and the Cause, and agreeable to Our Pleasure and Your own Duty. Upon Credit of this Our Letters Signed with Our own Hand, and Sealed with Our Imperial Seal.

THE Constant reports of some by past Years have undoubtedly informed your Majesty, how, under the specious, but vain and rapacious pretence of dependence, after the Peace of Nimeghen, the Roman Empire, urged by the French with Invasions, Seizings, and Devastation of Cities and Countries, and infinite Injuries, [Page 8]was at length Anno 1684. compell'd to yield to the no less hard, than unjust Terms of a Truce for Twenty Years, with renouncing the Soveraignty over some Provinces for a time. The State of publick affairs at that juncture made it necessa­ry to submit to them, being then intent upon a War with the Turks, as also did the care of Defending the Christian Faith and Our Country, nor was a prosperous Success of Affairs wanting, and the grateful and firm hope of doing greater things, and of procuring Ease and Security to Your Ma­jesty and to the Kingdom of Poland was Vigorous, till slight­ing the Established Articles of the Peace of Westphalia and Nimeghen, and the Twenty Years Truce; the French King envying the Victories of the Christians, and (as is plainly ap­parent) favouring the Interests of the Turks and Tartars, and endeavouring to repair their losses without declaring War, or any previous Commemoration of Grievances or Complaints, basely and Treacherously in a Hostile manner falls upon the back of the Emperour and the Roman Empire, when they were engaged in a War with the Turks, and lit­tle dreamt of it, the frontier Garrisons on the Rhine, being in Confidence of Peace, naked of sufficient Provisions, he either takes by immane fury and violence, or by direful threats and menaces, or by colloguing fawning; when he had no hopes to gain Coblentz, by reason of the Fidelity shewn to the Empe­rour and Empire by his Eminence the Elector of Treves, out of stark madness to do mischief, he burns it with Bombs and such like inventions; He depopulates Provinces, he oppres­ses the unwary and innocent Subjects of the Empire far and near, and spoils them of all their Fortunes: First, after a barbarous manner, he drags them that are set apart for the Divine Ministry, into captivity, and by stealing from the rest their food, necessary to sustain Life; some he starves, others he murders. Every mans heart akes to think how wickedly the profidious Nation did at the Kings Command, utterly destroy with Fire Heidelberg, founded by Emperors, an Electoral, and among Mountainous Fortifications, the Chief Seat of all Europe, when it was spontaneously surren­dred upon Terms of Immunity, Confirmed and Subscribed [Page 9]by the Dauphin; Manheim, the sinest Mart of that district, after a few days Siege, when it was surrendred upon good Terms, having fouly violated his promise, he not only le­vell'd it with the ground, but with Gun-powder blew up from the very Foundation both private Houses and Churches, even such as served for the Exercise of the Catholick Re­ligion; he took away the Palatine Archive, by taking away the Acts and Evidences of the Supream Judicature of the Imperial Chamber, which in all by-past Wars whatever were taken care of by the Enemy, to the irreparable damage of many Thousands that were at Law; he hath extirpated the administration of Sacred Justice, and whatever wicked­ness or villany the cruellest of Enemies could invent in ages long time past, to destroy Countries to that very death; that all this has been exercised by a wicked and villainous Nation in the most fruitful and beautiful Region of all Germany, the Province that is defaced with its own Ruines may testify: So that indeed the most Sacred Emperour, and the Electors, Princes and States of the Roman Empire being provoked with so perfidious devastations and robberies, (for indeed it deserves not the name of a War) and being tired out with so often repeated cruelties, as also be­ing mindeful of the safeguard of the Empire, and its Sub­jects committed to them by God, and of their own duty, have declared War against the French, and having part­ly drawn (to the great damage of the Christians) Soul­diers from the Turkish expedition, and having partly drawn and raised them in other places, relying on the High Justice of our Cause, and upon the Divine Assistance, have decreed to give check to this first most unjust effort, and with Councels and Force linck'd by an indissoluble tie to advance our Arms against the Enemy, for the repa­ration of such heinous injuries and damages sustained, and to procure perpetual security and tranquility to the Em­pire as from the unanimous decree of the States, most gra­ciously approved by His Imperial Majesty (a Copy where­of We together with the translation, add to these) more [Page 10]fully will appear; besides, not being ignorant by what shameful shifts and tricks, unbecoming any thing call'd a King; the French King uses to involve those that are pro­voked by him, and are upon their guard against him in mutual picques and grudges, as under the false pretext of difference in Religion, the same has unsuccessfully been practised, and is at present pleaded: First of all, they have thought it material, yea absolutely necessary, setting aside all Neutrality, as they call it; whatever Power the Divine Providence has bestowed on the Emperor & Empire, to ga­ther it unanimously together, to turn our Arms with a cou­ragious and resolved mind on the Enemy, and not to de­sist from the prosecution of the War, till a sufficient re­dress of so many bitter evils (which we hope from God) shall be had, and further caution for the future, and also to de­clare him or them to be Enemies of the Empire, who shall by invasion or depredation infest any of their Teritories, even without the Empire, or that shall endeavour to turn the Arms of the Empire or of its Allies, to the side of France, and also to invite all Crowns and Republicks, who have regard to their Faith or Promise, into Our Assistance and Alliance against the Enemy of all Faith, that being banished from him. And most serene King! since an anci­ent and firm friendship hath been between the Emperors and Empire, and the Kingdom of Poland, which not long since in Friendly raising the Siege of Vienna, when Besieged by the Infidels (which benefit We at present gratefully ac­knowledg, and shall ever be acknowledged by all Posterity) Your Majesty and the Common wealth of Poland, have a­bundantly made good; and also since, by this nefarious robbing by the French, which has recalled the greatest part of our Victorious Forces out of Servia and Bosnia, the side of our Ally, the Kingdom of Poland, is not slightly wounded, and its security rendred hazardous; and especi­ally, because it is not to be doubted, but Your Majesty does abominate this villainous irruption: All these things put us in hopes, that your Majesty, to repress a power so [Page 11]immane and hurtful to the World, and insulting upon every one at its pleasure (which boasts that it wages War with all Europe, and also hath late declared War upon fri­volous pretences, by a publick Edict, against the Catholick King, contrary to the instrument of Truce made with him, reckoned only for fashions-sake to have been inserted in the Truce between the Imperialists & the French) will joyn your Counsels and Arms, and those of the Commonwealth, with those of the Emperor's and Empire: We therefore having instructions by the especial command of Our Masters, do with all submission due, beseech your Majesty, that you would extend the League entred into, with the most August Emperor against this new Enemy, therefore the more dan­gerous, because destitute of all Faith; or otherwise, that you would please to enter into a separate treaty, and what, to this purpose, we know has been signified by the most invincible Emperor to your Majesty, repeating it here, We invite You into a more close confederacy.

But however, since the War with the Turks is still on foot, if We should fall short of Our hopes of obtaining a helping Hand from Your Majesty and the Common-wealth of Poland; we are certainly assured, that you will care­fully and solicitously look to it, that by no French instigations or other evil arts, they and the Turks joyn Forces, and make depraedations upon the Emperor and States, or upon any of the Confederates in your Confines without the Empire, nor that any of their Subjects be vext in any place with Invasions and Robberies, and if (which God forbid) things should happen otherwise than well, that You would with a willing mind joyn your Arms with Ours to pursue and extirpate these Invaders. We beseech Almighty God to inspire Your Majesty with Counsels worthy a Christian Prince, by which the pride of our Enemies being represt, perpetual Peace and Tranquility may be procured to Europe: And nothing remains, but that We heartily Pray [Page 12]for a happy Success of Affairs, and prosperous Events in Your Government, and to all undertakings beneficial to the Christian VVorld.