THE French Kings SPEECH TO THE Queen of England, At her Arrival in Paris: And the Queens Answer.
Faithfully Translated out of French by a Person of Quality.
THe Honour that Our Self, and Our Kingdom receives from the presence of so Illustrious a Personage within the Court of France, would raise in Us the most Extraordinary Transports, were not the Blessing in a great Measure lessened by Our afflicting sense of the unhappy Providence that gives it Us. However, though those peculiar Smiles of Heaven that are not alwaies pleased to shine Brightest and kindlyest on the most exalted Merit, are in so high a degree with-drawn at present from the more strenuous Protection, and nearer Care of those Soveraign Graces and Heavenly Perfections, that Perfections, that so signally adorne Your Majesty; and the popular Reflections on Your Majesties Misfortune, may with the prejudiced and unthinking (who only weigh Vertue by its Felicity, and Desert by its Success) possibly encourage some poor and ignoble Suggestions, and thereby lessen their just and due Veneration and Adoration of such transcendent Qualifications. Let it suffice, Illustrious Madam, That the Deity shines through the Cloud, and in the Eyes of the Good and Great, Your Majesty rather borrows Luster from that Foyle Your unjust Fortune has lent You. However, Our Reflections on the Barbarous, Rebellious, [Page 2]and Infidel England cannot terminate in any less Sentiments than those of Astonishment and Horrour. We look upon Your Divine Self, and that Young Prince, like a second Creusa, and her Young Darling Julus, escaped from the Conflagration of Troy; and from flaming Rebellion, Heresie, Treason, Ingratitude, that native English nest of Scorpions, I dare boldly give Your Majesty Well-come, into a Hospitable Coast of Safety and Honour; whilst Our Glory of serving You with all the highest Zeal and Fidelity, shall be ever recorded the Noblest and most Indefatigable Ambition of our Life.
His Sacred Majesty of great Britain, whose interest has ever been Inseperable with Our Own, could not repose all that is dearest and nearest to Him under a more Tutelary Roof then Our Own. The Hands, Hearts, and Lives of all France are your Wall of Brass; and We only pride Our Self in avowing our Sword and all the Arms of France the select Instruments of God to scourge the Infidelity and Arrogance of that Audatious Heretick Nation. It is enough, that their too Bold and Impudent Inquiries into the Actions, Policies, and Conduct of Crown'd Heads; and their more Impudent Sawcy prying into the Veins of this Royal Infant, Speculations so far elevated above the insolent Scrutiny of Homagers, Subjects, and Vassals, call down all that just Vengeance that the most dreadful Vials of the Almighty Wrath, either by the more immediate Bolts of Heaven, or the Arm of Man can pour upon them.
As these Considerations were of themselves alone sufficient to awaken all the Imperial Swords, Axes, and Fasces of Christendom; nay, even Poysons and Poynjards too to Your Revenge. Besides, the Duty of a true Son of the Church, that common and more Universal Tye, Our Self lye under a more particular Obligation; the uninfringible Bonds of that most Holy League solemnly Signed, Sealed, and mutually Sworn to, between Our Brother of Great Britain, and our Royal Self. I can only add, Dear Sister, That your Self, and equally dear Cause are lodged in the hand of your Avenger, and that Royal Infant is our Adoption: And as the Extirpation of the Northern Heresie has been Our Own, and Our Royal Brothers most sacred Engagement, and his present Wrongs and Indignities have opened a fairer Gate for the blessed Work, under the Covert and Umbrage of righting his Injuries. Doubt, Royal Madam, neither the Alacrity nor Swiftness of our Revenge; to the Execution of which we shall fly so winged and so pleased, as if Commission'd by the peculiar Mandate of a God, and with the Arm of a destroying Angel.
The QUEENS Answer.
THe Sanctuary that Your Majesties inviolable Friendship (I was so well assured) had set open to the Protection and shelter of Greatness in Distress, was enough to invite the stragling Shipwracks of a Royal Family, to put in to this Favourable Harbour with that absolute Resignation and Trust, that all Your Majesties too generous Expressions of Succour and Defence, are meerly a work of Supererrogation. Our Confidence in Your unparallel'd Goodness, especially, to any thing tho meanlier related to the Crown'd Head of England, was both Pasport and Hostage sufficient for our Security under the protection of the Great Lewis of France; and since this fatal Storm has so cruelly and deplorably shaken the Throne of three Kingdoms, with the same Assurance is my unhappy Lord and King following for a shelter under the same Guardian Goodness. Wonder not, Great Sir, that He Dares so intirely confide not only Ours, but his own more sacred Royal Person in those Hands where before He had long so absolutely resolved and engaged to trust his CROWN. But, Oh! What a sullen and dark Mist is now arising to sully the brightness of the once shineing Diadem of England? My Dearest Lord, a Prince so Excellent, so God-like good, that I may truly say, his greatest, if not only Sin, was his keeping a little too much Faith with Hereticks; forgetting, alas, His Apostolical Duty, His Sacramental Bonds, and more particularly, His Vows and Oaths to Your most Christian Majesty. However, to what Resolves, to what sublime Atcheivements did Your Majesties Pious Councils, his Holy Confessors Tears, and my own endearing Prayers and Caresses at last transport Him. But whether, Oh! whether, are we faln; what Blocks, what Bars, what Ruins, and what Precipices have stopt our Heavenly Progress?
But tho the prevailing evil Genius of England, has at least at present, broken and def [...]ated those Divine Measures and sacred Designs, so gloriously formed by my Dear James, and your truly most Christian Maesty, for the Reduction of the long revolted Heretical Britain, to her primitive Christianity and true Apostolical Obedience; nevertheless whatever ill success our failing endeavours may have hitherto met in that pious Enterprize. We shall however carry this comfort through [Page 4]Exile, nay, to Death it self, that our Conduct like true Defenders of the Faith, in but poor 4 years Reign has retrived the lost Ireland, and of 3 Apostate Kingdoms, once so near their Conversion, restored one at least to Holy Mother Church, by wresting the Soveraign Administration, Dominion, and all the Regalia of that Kingdom from the hands of Thieves and Robbers; and re-investing our Trusty and well beloved Tyrconnel, and the rest of those true Sons of the Church once more in their old Hereditary Naboth Vinyard; those dutiful and unshaken Champions of Truth, whose ever faithful Swords under the Bannors of the most Blessed Queen of Heavn and her Son Jesus, and in due Allegeance to our Holy Lord God the Pope, shall repair those yawning and gaping Breaches, Wastes and Ruins made by that Usurper and Tyrant Bess, 8th. Harrys accursed Heretical Bastard of ever infamous Memory. What ist they shall not dare or act, 'tis their hands that shall replant the long faded Flowers of the Church; and in persuance of our Soveraign Commission, water them once more with the flowing Blood of all our Anti-christian Heretick Enemies; that second Irish Glory, an Action that shall so signally eternize the Renoune of the great James the JƲST, that his Memory shall smell fragant to latest Posterity and blossom even on his Tomb.
And now, Great Sir, in tenderness for this Royal Infant, a Blessing which the United Prayers of the Church and our Offerings to our heavenly Lady have so long wrestled for, as a sanctified Vessel for the finishing that work the great James should want Years to compleat, The imploreing Injuries of this little Suppliant, beg Your Majesties most tender and indeed immediate Patronage, as being like Your self a peculiar Deodate of Heavn; the true and Legitimate Birth of this sweet Prince, whatever black False-hood and Impostures the ever lying Scandals and Calumnies of the harden'd Lutheran Infidelity and Heretick English Villany may raise to eclipse him (I assure Your Majesty, and the all-knowing Providence can witness for me) is as unquestionable, and the sweet Infant, as assuredly the true begotten Son of my Dear Lord King James the Second; As Your Majesty is of the Great Lewis the 13th. of France. Take then this Babe as an Alliance to Your Great Self, and express to the World the nearness of Your Affinity to him, by Your Industry and Zeal in righting and preserving Him.