Memoirs of Louis XIV, vol 3 | Page 5

the King
was so much in his favour, that he had made a will bequeathing his
succession to the Archduke. Everything therefore seemed to promise
success to the Emperor.
But just at this time, a small party arose in Spain, equally opposed to
the Emperor, and to the propositions of the King of England. This party
consisted at first of only five persons: namely, Villafranca, Medina-
Sidonia, Villagarcias, Villena, and San Estevan, all of them nobles, and
well instructed in the affairs of government. Their wish was to prevent
the dismemberment of the Spanish kingdom by conferring the whole
succession upon the son of the only son of the Queen of France, Maria
Theresa, sister of the King of Spain. There were, however, two great
obstacles in their path. Maria Theresa, upon her marriage with our King,
had solemnly renounced all claim to the Spanish throne, and these
renunciations had been repeated at the Peace of the Pyrenees. The other
obstacle was the affection the King of Spain bore to the House of
Austria,--an affection which naturally would render him opposed to any
project by which a rival house would be aggrandised at its expense.
As to the first obstacle, these politicians were of opinion that the
renunciations made by Maria Theresa held good only as far as they
applied to the object for which they were made. That object was to
prevent the crowns of France and Spain from being united upon one
head, as might have happened in the person of the Dauphin. But now
that the Dauphin had three sons, the second of whom could be called to

the throne of Spain, the renunciations of the Queen became of no
import. As to the second obstacle, it was only to be removed by great
perseverance and exertions; but they determined to leave no stone
unturned to achieve their ends.
One of the first resolutions of this little party was to bind one another to
secrecy. Their next was to admit into their confidence Cardinal
Portocarrero, a determined enemy to the Queen. Then they commenced
an attack upon the Queen in the council; and being supported by the
popular voice, succeeded in driving out of the country Madame Berlips,
a German favourite of hers, who was much hated on account of the
undue influence she exerted, and the rapacity she displayed. The next
measure was of equal importance. Madrid and its environs groaned
under the weight of a regiment of Germans commanded by the Prince
of Darmstadt. The council decreed that this regiment should be
disbanded, and the Prince thanked for his assistance. These two blows
following upon each other so closely, frightened the Queen, isolated
her, and put it out of her power to act during the rest of the life of the
King.
There was yet one of the preliminary steps to take, without which it
was thought that success would not be certain. This was to dismiss the
King's Confessor, who had been given to him by the Queen, and who
was a zealous Austrian.
Cardinal Portocarrero was charged with this duty, and he succeeded so
well, that two birds were killed with one stone. The Confessor was
dismissed, and another was put in his place, who could be relied upon
to do and say exactly as he was requested. Thus, the King of Spain was
influenced in his conscience, which had over him so much the more
power, because he was beginning to look upon the things of this world
by the glare of that terrible flambeau that is lighted for the dying. The
Confessor and the Cardinal, after a short time, began unceasingly to
attack the King upon the subject of the succession. The King, enfeebled
by illness, and by a lifetime of weak health, had little power of
resistance. Pressed by the many temporal, and affrighted by the many
spiritual reasons which were brought forward by the two ecclesiastics,

with no friend near whose opinion he could consult, no Austrian at
hand to confer with, and no Spaniard who was not opposed to
Austria;--the King fell into a profound perplexity, and in this strait,
proposed to consult the Pope, as an authority whose decision would be
infallible. The Cardinal, who felt persuaded that the Pope was
sufficiently enlightened and sufficiently impartial to declare in favour
of France, assented to this step; and the King of Spain accordingly
wrote a long letter to Rome, feeling much relieved by the course he had
adopted.
The Pope replied at once and in the most decided manner. He said he
saw clearly that the children of the Dauphin were the next heirs to the
Spanish throne, and that the House of Austria had not the smallest right
to it. He recommended therefore the King of Spain to render