The Works of M de Voltaire Author:Voltaire Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Wduld difcard his minifter ; he was delivered by the king of Spain to the French troops, which condudted him to the frontiers of Italy. Thfs very man being after... more »wards fent as legate to Boulogne, and having it no longer in his power to ruin kingdoms, employed his leifure in an attempt to deftroy the republic of San Marino. However, the refult of all his great projects was an agreement to give up Sicily to the emperor Charles VI. and Sardinia to the dukes of Savoy, who have remained in pone/Eon of it ever llnce, and who upon that account have refumed the title of kings of Sardinia ; but the houfe of Auftria has fince loft Sicily. CHAP. CLXXXVIII. Continuation of the General View of Europe. Regency of the Duke of Orleans. Law's Syftem. AL L the courts of Europe were aftonifhed to fee, fometime after, in 1724 and 1725, Philip V. and Charles VI. formerly irreconcile- able enemies, now united in bonds of the ftn3?- eft friendfhip; and affairs diviated from their natural courfe to fuch a degree, that the minifhy of Madrid governed the court of Vienna duiing a whole year. That court, whofe intention had conftantly been to exclude the French branch which reigned over Spain, from all accefs to Italy, fo far loft fight of its firft views as to admit a fon of Philip V. and Elizabeth of Parma his fecond wife, into that very country B 5 fromfrom which they formerly intended to exclude every Frenchman and every Spaniard. The emperor beftowed upon this younger fon of his competitor the inveftiture of Parma and Pla- centia, and the grand dutchy of Tufcany. Though the fucceffion of thefe ftates was not made public, Don Carlos was introduced with fix thoufand Spaniards ; and it coft Spain only twenty thoufand piftoles, which were paid at Vienna. This imprudent ftep of the emperor's counc...« less