dispensation from Mecca, about which Turk and Hun might be permitted to
continue their struggle on the crepuscular limits of civilization.
Everywhere else there should be toleration only for the churches of
Peter, of Luther, and of Calvin. The house of Austria was to be humbled
--the one branch driven back to Spain and kept there, the other branch to
be deprived of the imperial crown, which was to be disposed of as in
times past by the votes of the princely electors. There should be two
republics--the Swiss and the Dutch--each of those commonwealths to be
protected by France and England, and each to receive considerable parings
out of the possessions of Spain and the empire.

Finally, all Christendom was to be divided off into a certain number of
powers, almost exactly equal to each other; the weighing, measuring, and
counting, necessary to obtain this international equilibrium, being of
course the duty of the king and queen when they should sit some day
together at table.

Thus there were five points; sovereigns and politicians having always a
fondness for a neat summary in five or six points. Number one, to
remodel the electoral system of the holy Roman empire. Number two, to
establish the republic of the United Provinces. Number three, to do as
much for Switzerland. Number four, to partition Europe. Number five, to
reduce all religions to three. Nothing could be more majestic, no plan
fuller fraught with tranquillity for the rulers of mankind and their
subjects. Thrice happy the people, having thus a couple of heads with
crowns upon them and brains within them to prescribe what was to be done
in this world and believed as to the next!

The illustrious successor of that great queen now stretches her benignant
sceptre over two hundred millions of subjects, and the political revenues