Folios 267-268. [The Duke of Savoy] to the Swiss Cantons, dated at Baden. Pressing...

Folios 267-268. [The Duke of Savoy] to the Swiss Cantons, dated at Baden. Pressing them regarding the sincere, prompt and vigorous execution of declarations as they find themselves in immediate peril, with their borders threatened by and exposed to an invasion. A large Imperial army is approaching, with troops which have long been camped in the neighbourhood. It is therefore for them to protect their subjects from the disorder of war and to uphold the essential rights of their sovereignty, and show once and for all that they can conserve the freedom they inherited from their ancestors in accordance with the reputation also handed down by them. He reminds them that the King renounced for them control over the Forest Towns, and in so doing closed the only entry into the country available to the Germans; that he also suspended all acts of hostility towards those places and Constance and Fricktal, due to his firm confidence in the promises and declarations they made to him to defend against any comers the "passages de Suisse". They will understand the logical conclusion of the foregoing being that should any passage be opened to the King's enemies, all of Europe will have the basis to believe that, despite all their declarations, the Cantons had no serious desire to defend them and reproach them their eternal ingratitude towards the King, the manifest non-observance of Treaties, and an inexcusable lack of probity. He is under orders to report on their actions to the Dauphin, who is marching towards Upper Alsace with his army, and therefore asks them for their prompt decisions commensurate with the peril faced. He alludes to the measures (set out in his letter of 22 July) that their armies will be forced to undertake should the conduct of the Cantons not be as expected.