h the king of Prussia, or
that of prevailing upon the Muscovites to succour her.

A reconciliation with the king of Prussia would have been my first care,
if the honour of advising on this occasion had fallen to my lot. To have
mediated successfully between them could surely have been no difficult
task, because each party could not but know how much it was their common
interest to exclude the French from the empire, and how certainly this
untimely discord must expose them both to their ancient enemy.

As in private life, my lords, when two friends carry any dispute between
them to improper degrees of anger or resentment, it is the province of a
third to moderate the passion of each, and to restore that benevolence
which a difference of interest or opinion had impaired; so in alliances,
or the friendships of nations, whenever it unhappily falls out that two
of them forget the general good, and lay themselves open to those evils
from which a strict union only can preserve them, it is necessary that
some other power should interpose, and prevent the dangers of a
perpetual discord.

Whether this was attempted, my lords, I know not; but if any such design
was in appearance prosecuted, it may be reasonably imagined from the
event, that the negotiators were defective either in skill or in
diligence; for how can it be conceived that any man should act contrary
to his own interest, to whom the state of his affairs is truly
represented?

But not to suppress what I cannot doubt, I am convinced, my lords, that
there is in reality no design of assisting the queen of Hungary; either
our ministers have not yet recovered from their apprehensions of the
exorbitant power of the house of Austria, by which they were frighted
some years ago into the bosom of France for shelter, and which left them
no expedient but the treaty of Hanover; or they are now equally afraid
of France, and expect the _pretender_ to be forced upon them by the
power whom they so lately solicited to secure them from him.

Whatever is the motive of their conduct, it is evident, my lords, that
they are at present to the unfortunate queen of Hungary, either
professed enemies, or treacherous allies; for they have permitted the
invasion of her Italian dominions, when they might have prevented it
without a blow, only by commanding the Spaniards not to transport their
troops.

To argue that our fleet in the Mediterranean was not of strength
sufficient to oppose their