While the queen was not willing to give as much as she had agreed to bestow, the greedy King of Sardinia was grasping at more than she had promised.  At last the king, in a rage threatened, that if she did not immediately comply with his demands, he would unite with France and Spain and the emperor against Austria.  This angry menace brought the queen to terms, and articles of agreement satisfactory to Sardinia were signed.  During the whole of this summer of 1743, though large armies were continually in motion, and there were many sanguinary battles, and all the arts of peace were destroyed, and conflagration, death and woe were sent to ten thousand homes, nothing effectual was accomplished by either party.  The strife did not cease until winter drove the weary combatants to their retreats.

For the protection of the Austrian possessions against the French and Spanish, the queen agreed to maintain in Italy an army of thirty thousand men, to be placed under the command of the King of Sardinia, who was to add to them an army of forty-five thousand.  England, with characteristic prodigality, voted a million of dollars annually, to aid in the payment of these troops.  It was the object of England, to prevent France from strengthening herself by Italian possessions.  The cabinet of St. James took such an interest in this treaty that, to secure its enactment, one million five hundred thousand dollars were paid down, in addition to the annual subsidy.  England also agreed to maintain a strong squadron in the Mediterranean to cooeperate with Sardinia and Austria.

Amidst these scenes of war, the usual dramas of domestic life moved on.  Prince Charles of Lorraine, had long been ardently attached to Mary Anne, younger sister of Maria Theresa.  The young prince had greatly signalized himself on the field of battle.  Their nuptials were attended in Vienna with great splendor and rejoicings.  It was a union of loving hearts.  Charles was appointed to the government of the Austrian Netherlands.  One short and happy year passed away, when Mary Anne, in the sorrows of child-birth, breathed her last.

The winter was passed by all parties in making the most vigorous preparations for a new campaign.  England and France were now thoroughly aroused, and bitterly irritated against each other.  Hitherto they had acted as auxiliaries for other parties.  Now they summoned all their energies, and became principals in the conflict.  France issued a formal declaration of war against England and Austria, raised an army of one hundred thousand men, and the debauched king himself, Louis XV., left his Pare Aux Cerfs and placed himself at the head of the army.  Marshal Saxe was the active commander.  He was provided with a train of artillery superior to any which had ever before appeared on any field.  Entering the Netherlands he swept all opposition before him.