Voltaire XXVIII

8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII

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E D I T I O N D E L A P A C I F I C A T I O N

T H E W O R K S O F

VOLTAIRE A CONTEMPORARY VERSION

W ITH NOTES BY TOBIAS SMOLLETT, R EVISED AND MODERNIZED

NEW TRANSLATIONS BY W ILLIAM F. FLEMING, AND AN

INTRODUCTION BY OLIVER H. G. LEIGH

A CRITIQUE AND BIOGRAPHY

BY

T H E R T . H O N . J O H N M O R L E Y

F O R T Y - T H R E E V O L U M E S

ONE HUNDRED ANS SIXTY-EIGHT DESIGNS, COMPRISINGS REPRODUCTIONS

OF RARE OLD ENGRAVINGS, STEEL PLATES, PHOTOGRAVURES,

AND CURIOUS FAC-SIMILES

VOLUME XXVIII

AKRON, OHIO

THE WERNER COMPANY

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2I. this vie" 'hilip %tted out that prodigious

Leet, "hich "as to have been seconded in its opera-

tions by another armament from 9landers, and a

general rising of all the 8atholics in )ngland hese

preparations proved the ruin of >ary 4tuart, and

hurried her to the scaMold, instead of delivering her

from it 'hilip had no" nothing left but to avenge

her death by sei?ing )ngland for himself# after

"hich he looEed upon .olland as already reduced,

and punished for its rebellion

he gold of 'eru "as lavished for the pur-

poses of this eFpedition On &une N, 15, the

Invincible /rmada set sail from the port of isbon,

"ith one hundred and %fty large ships, manned "ith

t"enty thousand soldiers, nearly seven thousand

seamen "ho could be armed for %ght upon occasion,

s


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D /ncient and >odern .istory

and mounted "ith three thousand pieces of cannon

he duEe of 'arma "as ready "ith transports and

an army of thirty thousand men, "hich he had raised

in 9landers, to join 'hilip the instant he landed in

)ngland It seemed impossible for the )nglish

ships, "hich "ere no more than small barEs in com-

parison "ith those of the 4paniards, to stand against

the force of these Loating citadels, "hose upper

"orEs "ere above three feet thicE, and impenetrable

to cannon 7evertheless, this "ell-concerted scheme

failed in almost every part he )nglish soon

appeared "ith a Leet of one hundred sail, and, not-

"ithstanding their inferiority in bulE, numbers, and

strength, stopped the progress of this formidable

Leet hey tooE several of the 4panish ships, and

dispersed the rest by the means of %reships # a storm

seconded the eMorts of the )nglish he admiralJs

ship, called the Invincible, "as very near to being lost

on the coast of Aealand he duEe of 'armaJs army,

"hich could not put to sea "ithout the assistance of

the 4panish Leet, remained inactive 'hilipJs navy,

unable to resist the )nglish and the "inds, "hich

"ere al"ays contrary to them, retreated by "ay of


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the 7orth 4ea # some "ere "recEed on the coast of

Aealand, and others on the OrEney Islands, and the

coasts of 4cotland # and another part "as cast a"ay

on the coast of Ireland, "here the country people

massacred all the soldiers and sailors "ho had

escaped the fury of the tempest, and the viceroy had

the inhumanity to hang the rest In short, of the

'o"er of 'hilip II H

"hole /rmada, only %fty ships returned to 4pain,

and of thirty thousand men, "ho had sailed on this

eFpedition, not more than siF thousand escaped

from ship"recE, and the s"ord and %re of the enemy

he duEe of 'arma, "ith his %ne army of thirty

thousand men, had no better success in subduing the

7etherlands, than the /rmada had in its attempt on

)ngland he .ollanders, "ho found a ready

defence in their canals, sluices, and narro" cause-

"ays, "ho "ere fond of liberty to a degree of idol-

atry, and "ere all generals under their princes of

Orange, "ere in a condition to have resisted a much

more formidable force


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'hilip "as the only prince "ho could have con-

tinued formidable after so great a disaster # but /mer-

ica and /sia still supplied him "ith riches, "hich

made all his neighbors tremble# and, after having

failed in his design on )ngland, he sa" himself upon

the point of reducing the Eingdom of 9rance to a

province of 4pain /t the same time that he "^s

maEing the conuest of 'ortugal, carrying on the

"ar in 9landers, and engaged in the eFpedition

against )ngland, he raised that faction in 9rance,

Eno"n by the name of the .oly eague, "hich

subverted the throne, and distracted the nation #

and after"ard, by so"ing dissension in that very

eague "hich he had protected, he "as thrice

on the point of being declared sovereign of

9rance, undeJr the title of protector, "ith an unlim-

ited po"er of conferring all posts .is daughter,

/ncient and >odern .istory

the infanta )ugenia, "as to have been ueen,

under his direction # and the cro"n of 9rance

"as to have been transferred in do"ry "ith her to


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the person she should marry his proposal had

been actually made by the cabal of siFteen, in the

year 15$, after the murder of .enry III he duEe

of >ayenne, "ho "as head of the eague, had no

other "ay of eluding it, than by saying that, as the

eague had been formed on account of religion, the

title of 'rotector of 9rance could belong only to the

pope 'hilipJs ambassador had carried this nego-

tiation to a great length, before the holding of the

)states of 'aris, in 15$N# insomuch that the aboli-

tion of the 4alic a" "as a long time in deliberation,

and, at length, the infanta "as proposed as ueen of

the states of 'aris

'hilip had insensibly accustomed the 9rench to a

dependence upon him # for, on one hand, he supplied

the eague "ith suPcient aid to prevent its falling,

and, oh the other, he assisted his son-in-la", )man-

uel, duEe of 4avoy, "ith forces against 9rance .e

Eept troops in pay for him, and assisted him in get-

ting himself declared protector by the 'arliament of

'rovence # so that the 9rench, gro"n familiar "ith

these proceedings, might acEno"ledge 'hilip as pro-

tector of the "hole Eingdom

It is more than probable, that 9rance in the end


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"ould have been forced to do it 'hilip, in fact,

already reigned in 'aris by his ambassador, "ho

lavished pensions upon all "ho "ere in his interest

'o"er of 'hilip II $

.e had the 4orbonne, and all the religious orders on

his side .is scheme "as not to maEe 9rance a

conuered country, as he had done 'ortugal, but to

oblige that nation to reuest him to govern it It

"as "ith this in vie" that he, in 15$C, despatched

the duEe of 'arma from the farther end of the 7eth-

erlands to relieve 'aris, "hen pushed by the victo-

rious arms of .enry III # recalled him again, "hen

by his judicious marches he had delivered that capi-

tal, "ithout striEing a blo" # and after"ard, in 15$1,

"hen .enry I sat do"n before the city of (ouen,

sent the same general to oblige him to raise the siege

It "as very surprising, that, "hile 'hilip could thus

determine the fate of "ar in 9rance, >aurice, prince

of Orange, and the .ollanders should be suPciently

po"erful to cross his designs, and send aid to .enry

I they, "ho, not ten years before, had been

considered in 4pain only as a parcel of obscure


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rebels, "ho could not possibly escape the punishment

intended for them .o"ever, they sent a reinforce-

ment of three thousand men to the Eing of 9rance #

but the duEe of 'arma nevertheless delivered the

city of (ouen, as he had before done that of 'aris

/fter this 'hilip recalled him again# and thus

by alternately giving and "ithdra"ing his assistance,

he al"ays made himself necessary, and spread his

snares from the frontiers to the very heart of the

Eingdom, in order to reduce it by degrees "holly

under his dominion .e had already established his

po"er through the greatest part of :rittany by force

io /ncient and >odern .istory

of arms .is son-in-la", the duEe of 4avoy, had

done the same in 'rovence, and a part of 6auphiny

here "as al"ays a road open for the 4panish troops

from /rras to 'aris, and from 9ontarabia to the

(iver oire 'hilip himself "as so thoroughly per-

suaded that 9rance could not escape him, that in his

conferences "ith the president &eannin, the duEe of

>ayenneJs envoy, he al"ays used to say ; >y city


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of 'aris, my city of Orleans, my to"n of (ouen;

he court of (ome, though it feared him, "as

nevertheless obliged to assist him, and he had al"ays

the arms of religion in his favor his cost him only

the outside sho" of a great ?eal for the 8atholic

religion, "hich served him liEe"ise for a preteFt

against 0eneva, "hose destruction he "as at that

time endeavoring to bring about In the year 15$

he sent his son-in-la", the duEe of 4avoy, "ith an

army to reduce 0eneva and the neighboring country

:ut this rich and po"erful monarch al"ays sa" his

designs frustrated by poor nations, "hom a love for

liberty eFalted above themselves he 0enevans,

assisted only by the t"o cantons of :erne and

Aurich, and three hundred soldiers sent them by

.enry I, bade de%ance to all his riches, and the

arms of his son-in-la" hese same people, in the

year 1DCG, rescued their city out of the hands of the

duEe of 4avoy, "ho surprised it by escalade, in a

time of profound peace, and "as giving it up to plun-

der hey had even the boldness to punish this

attempt of a po"erful monarch as a public robbery #


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'o"er of 'hilip II n

and hanged thirteen commissioned oPcers, "ho

failing as conuerors, "ere treated liEe midnight

robbers

hus did 'hilip, "ithout uitting his closet, inces-

santly carry on a "ar at one and the same time in the

7etherlands, against >aurice, in almost all the prov-

inces of 9rance, against .enry I, at 0eneva and

in 4"it?erland, and against the )nglish and 6utch

by sea :ut "hat "ere the fruits of these mighty

projects, "hich for so long Eept )urope in perpetual

alarms In 15$D .enry I deprived him of all

9rance in a uarter of an hour, simply by going

to mass he )nglish, "hom he had himself taught

to %ght at sea, and "ho "ere no" as good sailors as

the 4paniards, plundered his possessions in /merica,

destroyed his galleons, and burned his to"n of

8adi? In short, after having once more laid "aste

the Eingdom of 9rance, and taEen the city of /miens

by surprise "hich "as retaEen again by the valor

of .enry I he found himself obliged to con-

clude a peace at ervins, and to acEno"ledge as

Eing of 9rance, a person "hom he had never called

any other than 'rince of :erne It is also partic-


19/438

ularly "orthy of observation that, by this treaty of

peace he restored 8alais, "hich had been taEen by

the archduEe /lbert, his governor in the 7ether-

lands, during the troubles of 9rance# and that no

mention "as made in the treaty of )li?abethJs pre-

tended right# "ho got neither this place, nor the

1G /ncient and >odern .istory

eight hundred thousand cro"ns "hich she "as

entitled to by the treaty of 8ateau-8ambresis

'hilipJs po"er might no" be compared to a

mighty Lood con%ned "ithin its banEs, after having

overLo"ed the countries far and near .e still

remained the %rst potentate in )urope )li?abeth

and especially .enry I enjoyed a greater share of

personal glory# but 'hilip retained, to the last

moment of his reign, that po"erful ascendency

"hich his great dominions and immense riches had

given him hough he had eFpended three thou-

sand millions of our livres on his despotic cruelty

in the 7etherlands and his ambition in 9rance, it

had not impoverished him he found an ineFhaust-


20/438

ible source of riches in /merica and the )ast Indies

It only happened that he enriched )urope by his

treasures, "ithout designing it he sums he had

lavished to carry on his intrigues in )ngland,

9rance, and Italy, and "hat his numerous armies

in the 7etherlands had cost him, by increasing the

riches of the people "hom he "anted to subdue, had

increased the value of commodities almost every-

"here, and )urope became "ealthy from the evils

premeditated against her

.e had a yearly revenue of nearly three millions

of gold ducats, "ithout being obliged to levy ne"

taFes on his subjects his "as more than all the

monarchs of 8hristendom had together # and in this

respect he "as possessed of enough to purchase

many Eingdoms, though not to conuer them he

'o"er of 'hilip II 1N

magnanimity of )li?abeth, the valor of .enry I,

and the courage of the princes of Orange triumphed

over all his treasures and his intrigues :ut if "e

eFcept the burning of 8adi?, 4pain "as, during his


21/438

reign, al"ays peaceable and happy

he 4paniards had at that time a distinguished

superiority over all other nations# their language

"as spoEen at 'aris, ienna, >ilan, and urin #

their fashions, their manner of thinEing and "rit-

ing, captivated the minds of the Italians # and from

the time of 8harles till the beginning of 'hilip

IIIJs reign, the 4paniards "ere held in greater

esteem than any other people

2hen 'hilip made peace "ith 9rance, he gave

the 7etherlands and 9ranche-8omte as a do"ry

to his daughter, 8lara )ugenia, "hom he had not

been able to maEe ueen, but as a %ef revertible to

the cro"n of 4pain in default of her issue

On 4ept 1N, 15$, 'hilip died at the age of sev-

enty-one, in his vast palace of the )scorial, "hich he

had made a vo" to build, in case his generals should

"in the battle of 4t @uentin # as if it "ere of any

conseuence to 0od, "hether the constable de >ont-

morency or 'hilibert of 4avoy gained the victory,

or as if the divine blessing could be purchased by

magni%cent edi%ces


22/438

'osterity has ranEed this prince in the number of

the most po"erful Eings of the earth, but not the

greatest .e "as called the ; 6emon of the 4outh,;

because, from the- centre of 4pain, "hich is the most

1K /ncient and >odern .istory

southerly part of )urope, he had disturbed all the

other Eingdoms on that continent

If, after vie"ing him on the greater theatre of the

"orld, "e come to consider him in the light of a

private man, "e shall %nd him a rigid and suspicious

master, a cruel lover and husband, and a merciless

father

here "as one remarEable circumstance in his

domestic life, "hich still eFercises the curiosity of

the "orld this "as the death of his son, 6on

8arlos 7o one Eno"s the manner of this princeJs

death # his body, "hich lies in the royal vault of the

)scorial, appears to have had the head severed from

it :ut this is pretended to have been done because

the leaden case "hich holds the body "as too small


23/438

It has been asserted, in the life of the c?ar 'eter I,

that "hen he resolved to condemn his son to death,

he sent to 4pain for the acts relating to 6on 8arlosJs

trial# but neither the trial nor sentence of this

prince have ever appeared 2e are as little

acuainted "ith his crime as "ith the nature of his

death 1 It is proved neither by facts nor probability,

1 If our author had consulted the historians, .errera,

9erreras, 8abrera, and 6iego de 8olmenare?, he "ould

have had no reason to say the crime of 6on 8arlos "as

not Eno"n .e "as a prince of a very passionate and

perverse disposition, deformed, and ungracious he had

been detected in carrying on intrigues "ith the malcon-

tents in the o" 8ountries he "as impatient to espouse

the archduchess, /nne of /ustria, and the negotiation

about this match proving tedious, he concluded that his

father thought him un%t for marriage, and incapable of

'o"er of 'hilip II 15

that his father had him condemned by the Inuisi-

tion


24/438

/ll that "e Eno" concerning it is that, in 15D,

his father came in person and arrested him in his

apartment, and that he "rote to the empress, his

sister, that he had never discovered any capital

vice nor dishonorable action in the prince, his son,

but that he had caused him to be con%ned for his

succession 4timulated by this opinion, he resolved to

Ly into 0ermany, and borro" considerable sums from

several noblemen hen he broached the design to 6on

&ohn of /ustria, and solicited his concurrence but 6on

&ohn refused to be concerned, and eFhorted him to lay

aside his intention # yet still persisting in this scheme,

he "as abandoned by his confessor, his letters "ere inter-

cepted by the Eing, "ho liEe"ise discovered that the post-

master had received the princeJs order to provide horses for

a long journey hese "ere the reasons "hich induced his

father to secure his person 9or this purpose he entered

the princeJs apartment at midnight, attended by several

noblemen and a party of guards 6on 8arlos, seeing him

come in, shranE under the bed-clothes, a crying ; 2ill

your majesty Eill me I am not mad, but the treatment

I have met "ith maEes me desperate; he Eing desired

he "ould maEe himself easy, declaring that everything


25/438

"as intended for his good .e then sei?ed all his arms and

papers, committed him to the charge of siF noblemen

of the %rst ranE, and immediately communicated to the

popeJs nuncio and all the foreign ministers, the motives

"hich had induced him to taEe this eFtraordinary step

4t )vremond, one of those "riters "ho say he "as

strangled by his fatherJs order, endeavors to thro" a

veil of ridicule over a very serious transaction .e aPrms

that the eFecutioner in going to perform his oPce, said

; 6onJt maEe any noise sir, this is all for your good; 2e

have in a former volume given an account of his death

1 D /ncient and >odern .istory

o"n good, and that of the Eingdom .e "rote at

the same time in uite contrary terms to 'ope 'ius

, to "hom he says in his letter of &an GC, 15D

;he force of a vicious disposition had from his

tenderest years destroyed in 6on 8arlos all the

eMects of his paternal instructions;

/fter these letters, in "hich 'hilip gives an

account of the imprisonment of his son, "e meet


26/438

"ith no others in "hich he clears himself of his

death# and this alone, joined to the rumor "hich

prevailed throughout all )urope, aMords a strong

presumption that he "as guilty of the murder of his

son .is silence in the midst of the public reports

is another foundation for justifying those "ho assert

that the cause of this shocEing aMair "as the passion

"hich 6on 8arlos had conceived for )li?abeth of

9rance, his mother-in-la", and she for him 7othing

could appear more probable )li?abeth had been

brought up in a gay and voluptuous court 'hilip

II "as perpetually engaged in intrigues "ith the

fair seF 0allantry "as the very essence of a

4paniard, and eFamples of in%delity abounded

every"here It "as natural for 6on 8arlos and

)li?abeth, "ho "ere about the same age, to have

entertained a mutual passion for each other he

sudden death of this princess, "hich follo"ed soon

after that of 6on 8arlos, con%rmed these suspicions

/ll )urope believed that 'hilip had sacri%ced his

"ife and his son to emotions of jealousy# and this

belief "as strengthened "hen, some time after"ard,

he )nglish 7ation 1H


27/438

this same jealous disposition led him to resolve upon

the death of the famous /ntonio 'ere?, "ho "as

hJs rival "ith the princess of )boli

hese crimes "e %nd publicly charged against

him by the prince of Orange, in the famous mani-

festo "hich he laid before the tribunal of the public

It is very surprising that 'hilip did not at least

employ some of the venal pens of the Eingdom to

reply to these accusations # and that no one in

)urope ever oMered to refute "hat the prince of

Orange had advanced hese do not indeed amount

to absolute proofs, but they are the strongest pre-

sumptions against him # and history should not neg-

lect reporting them as such, as the judgment of

posterity is the only defence "e have against suc-

cessful tyranny

8./')( 8BBBIB

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:).

.) )nglish had not the same splendor of success

as the 4paniards, nor such inLuence in other courts,


28/438

nor did they possess that great po"er "hich ren-

dered 4pain so dangerous to its neighbors # but they

acuired a ne" Eind of glory from the ocean, and

the eFtensive maritime trade they carried on hey

Ene" their true element, and that alone made them

more happy than all the foreign possessions and

conuests of their ancient Eings .ad these Eings

ol GG

J

1 /ncient and >odern .istory

reigned in 9rance, )ngland "ould have beer, only a

subjected province his nation, "hich "as formed

"ith so much diPculty, and "hich had been so fre-

uently and easily subdued by the 6anish and 4aFon

pirates, 1 and the duEe of 7ormandy, "ere only the

rude instruments under )d"ard III and .enry

of the transient glory of those monarchs # but under

)li?abeth they became a po"erful, civili?ed, indus-


29/438

trious, laborious, and enterprising nation he

improvements made by the 4paniards in navigation

eFcited their emulation, and they undertooE three

successive voyages to discover a north"est passage

to &apan and 8hina 6raEe and 8avendish sailed

around the globe, attacEing in all places the 4pan-

iards, "ho had eFtended their conuests and trade

to both ends of the "orld 4everal private com-

panies of adventurers, "ho depended entirely on

their o"n stocE, carried on a very pro%table trade

upon the coast of 0uinea G he famous 4ir 2alter

(aleigh, N "ithout receiving the least assistance from

1 he )nglish people "ere never conuered by the

4aFons and 6anes # for they themselves are the posterity

of those very conuerors 2hat are the )nglish people

but the descendants of 4aFons, 6anes, and 7ormans 2e

might "ith the same reason say that the 9rench "ere easily

conuered by the 9ranEs under 8lovis, "ho "ere in fact

the ancestors of the 9rench people

G here "as no )nglish company that traded to the

coast of 0uinea in the reign of @ueen )li?abeth


30/438

N 4ir 2alter (aleigh established the colony of irginia,

"hich is uite a distance from 7e" )ngland

he )nglish 7ation 1$

the government, founded and improved the colony

of 7e" )ngland, in the southern part of /merica,

in the year 155 :y these eFpeditions they soon

formed the best marine in )urope, as suPciently

appears from their %tting out a hundred sail to

oppose the /rmada sent against them by 'hilip II,

going after"ard to insult him upon his o"n coasts,

destroying his ships, and burning his city of 8adi? #

at length, gro"n more formidable, they, in 1DCG,

defeated the %rst Leet "hich 'hilip III sent to sea,

and from that time acuired a superiority by sea,

"hich they have since maintained, eFcept on some

fe" occasions

9rom the beginning of )li?abethJs reign they

applied themselves to manufactures he 9lemish,

being persecuted by 'hilip II, removed to ondon,

carrying "ith them an increase of inhabitants,

industry, and riches his capital, "hich enjoyed


31/438

the blessings of peace under )li?abeth, cultivated

the liberal arts, "hich are the badges and conse-

uences of plenty he names of 4pencer and

4haEespeare, "ho Lourished in those days, are

handed do"n to other nations In a "ord, ondon

"as enlarged, civili?ed, and embellished, and in a

short time half of the little island of 0reat :ritain

"as able to counterbalance the "hole po"er of

4pain he )nglish "ere the second nation in the

"orld in industry # and in liberty they "ere the %rst

6uring this reign there "ere public companies estab-

lished for trading to the evant and the 7orth

GO /ncient and >odern .istory

/griculture no" began to be considered in )ngland

as the chief riches of the state, "hile in 4pain they

began to neglect this real good for ideal treasures

he gold and silver trade of the ne" "orld enriched

the Eing of 4pain but in )ngland the subject "as

bene%ted by the sale of the natural commodities

/ private merchant of ondon, called 4ir homas

0resham, "as at that time rich enough to build

the (oyal )Fchange at his o"n eFpense, and a col-


32/438

lege "hich bears his name 4everal other citi?ens

founded hospitals and public schools 4uch "ere

the glorious eMects produced by liberty in that Eing-

dom that private persons could do "hat Eings at

present can only do in the most happy administra-

tion

he royal revenues in )li?abethJs reign seldom

eFceeded siF hundred thousand pounds sterling, and

the number of inhabitants in the Eingdom "as not

more than four millions he single Eingdom o

4pain contained at least as many more /nd yet

)li?abeth defended herself "ith success, and had at

once the glory of assisting .enry I to subdue his

Eingdom, and the 6utch to establish their republic

:ut to acuire a clearer Eno"ledge of the life and

reign of )li?abeth, it "ill be necessary to taEe a

short retrospect of the reigns of )d"ard I and

>ary

)li?abeth "as born in 15NN, and "hile yet in her

cradle, "as declared the la"ful heiress to the cro"n

of )ngland# a short time after"ard, upon her


33/438

he )nglish 7ation G1

mother being removed from the throne to the scaf-

fold, she "as declared a bastard .er father, "ho

ended his life in 15KH, died liEe a tyrant, as he had

lived 2hile on his deathbed, he gave orders for

eFecutions, and al"ays under the sanction of justice

.e condemned the duEe of 7orfolE and his son to

lose their heads, on no other pretence than that

they had the arms of )ngland marEed on their plate

he father indeed obtained his pardon, 1 but the

son "as eFecuted It must be o"ned, that as the

)nglish are said to set little value upon their lives,

their governors have treated them according to their

taste )ven the reign of )d"ard I, son of .enry

III, and &ane 4eymour, "as not eFempt from

these bloody tragedies homas 4eymour, high

admiral of )ngland, and the EingJs o"n uncle, "as

beheaded for having uarrelled "ith his brother,

)d"ard 4eymour, duEe of 4omerset, "ho "as pro-

tector of the Eingdom during the EingJs minority#

and soon after"ard 4omerset himself suMered the

same fate he reign of )d"ard I, "hich lasted

only %ve years, and during "hich the nation "as, or

appeared to be, of the 'rotestant religion, "as a


34/438

scene of seditions and troubles 2hen he died he

left his cro"n to neither >ary nor )li?abeth, but

to ady &ane 0rey, a descendant of .enry II,

1 he death-"arrant "as actually signed and sent to

the lieutenant of the o"er, and the duEe "ould have

been beheaded neFt morning had not the Eing himself died

in the interim

GG /ncient and >odern .istory

and granddaughter of the "ido" of ouis BII

and one :randon, a private gentleman, "ho had

been created duEe of 4uMolE his &ane 0rey "as

"ife of ord 0uilford, son of the duEe of 7orthum-

berland, a nobleman of great po"er in )d"ardJs

time )d"ardJs "ill, by "hich he beueathed the

throne to ady &ane 0rey, only proved the means

of bringing her to a scaMold 4he "as proclaimed

ueen in ondon # but >aryJs interest and her la"-

ful rights, as being daughter of .enry III and

8atherine of /ragon, prevailed # and the %rst thing


35/438

"hich this ueen did after signing her contract of

marriage "ith 'hilip II "as to condemn to death

her rival, "ho "as a young lady of seventeen, full of

beauty and innocence, and "ho had been guilty of

no crime but that of being named in )d"ardJs "ill

for his successor It availed her not that she made

a voluntary resignation of her fatal dignity, "hich

she held but nine days she "as led to eFecution

"ith her husband, father, and father-in-la" his

"as the third ueen of )ngland "ho had mounted

the scaMold "ithin less than t"enty years he

'rotestant religion, in "hich she had been edu-

cated, "as the principal cause of her untimely fate

In this revolution the arm of the eFecutioner "as

much more employed than that of the soldiery # and

all these cruelties "ere committed by act of parlia-

ment )very nation has had its times of horror and

bloodshed # but more illustrious lives have been lost

upon the scaMold in )ngland than in all the test of

@ueen )li?abeth GN

)urope combined It has been the character of this

nation to commit murders by form of la"# and


36/438

the gates of ondon have been loaded "ith human

sEulls, liEe the "alls of the temple of >eFico

@=))7 )IA/:).

)IA/:). "as con%ned in prison by her sister upon

her accession to the throne his princess, "ho,

after she came to be ueen, refused the hand of

'hilip II, no" "anted to espouse 8ourtney, earl of

6evonshire# and it appears by letters of hers yet

remaining that she had a strong inclination for this

nobleman / match of this Eind "ould not have

been at all eFtraordinary # "e have seen that ady

&ane 0rey, though declared heiress to the cro"n,

had married ord 0uilford >ary, ueen do"ager

of 9rance, descended from the bed of ouis BII

to that of 8harles :randon /ll the royal family

of )ngland sprang from a private gentleman, named

udor, "ho had married the daughter of .enry ,

daughter of 8harles I, Eing of 9rance# and in

9rance, before its Eings had attained their height

of po"er, the "ido" of ouis the 9at made no dif-

%culty of espousing >atthe" de >ontmorency


37/438

)li?abeth, "hile a prisoner, and under a state of

continual persecution from her sister >ary,

employed these moments of her disgrace to the

noblest purposes# she improved her mind, she

GK /ncient and >odern .istory

learned the languages and sciences # but of all the

arts in "hich she eFcelled, the chief "as that of

dissimulation, by "hich she Eept fair "ith her sister,

"ith the 8atholics, and "ith the 'rotestants, and

learned ho" to reign

7o sooner "as she proclaimed ueen, than she

found herself strongly solicited in marriage by her

brother-in-la", 'hilip II .ad she listened to his

proposals, 9rance and .olland "ould have been in

danger of being over"helmed # but she detested

both the religion and person of 'hilip, and resolved

to indulge the vanity of being beloved, and the hap-

piness of being independent .aving been impris-

oned by a 8atholic sister, her %rst thoughts, upon

mounting the throne, "ere to restore the 'rotestant

religion in her Eingdom .o"ever, she permitted


38/438

a 8atholic bishop to perform the ceremony of her

coronation, that she might not sour the minds of the

people at %rst I shall here observe, that she "ent

from 2estminster to the o"er of ondon in an

open chariot, follo"ed by a hundred others not

that coaches "ere at that time in use# it "as only

an occasional piece of state

Immediately after her coronation she convoEed a

parliament, "hich settled the religion of )ngland

such as it no" is, and vested the supremacy, %rst-

fruits, and tenths, in the sovereign

)li?abeth then had the title of supreme head of

the 8hurch of )ngland 4everal "riters, especially

the Italians, have thought this a ridiculous dignity

@ueen )li?abeth G5

in a "oman# but they might have considered that

this "oman reigned# that she "as in possession of

the rights anneFed to the cro"n by the la"s of the

country# that in former times the sovereigns of all

the Eno"n nations in the "orld had the superintend-


39/438

ence in religious matters # that the (oman emperors

"ere sovereign pontiMs# that although at present

there are several countries "here the 4tate is gov-

erned by the 8hurch, there are others "here the

8hurch is governed by the 4tate # and lastly, that

it is not more ridiculous for a ueen of )ngland to

have the nomination of an archbishop of 8anter-

bury, the primate of the "hole Eingdom, and to

prescribe la"s to him, than for an abbess of 9onte-

vrault to nominate priors and curates, and give them

her benediction # in a "ord, that every country has

its customs

he 8hurch of )ngland retained "hatever "as

most solemn and august in the (omish ceremonies,

and most austere in the utheran discipline I shall

observe, that out of nine thousand four hundred

bene%ced clergy, "ho "ere at that time in )ngland,

there "ere but fourteen bishops, %fty canons, and

eighty curates, "ho lost their livings for remaining

8atholics, and refusing to subscribe to the reforma-

tion 2hen "e reLect that the )nglish nation had

changed its religion four several times since the

reign of .enry III , "e are surprised that a people

"ho enjoy so great liberty, should ever have been

subdued, or that, possessed of so much resolution,


40/438

GD /ncient and >odern .istory

they should ever have been so %cEle he )nglish

in this resemble those 4"iss cantons, "ho "aited

for their magistrates to determine "hat should be

their creed /n act of parliament is everything

"ith the )nglish# they love the la"s, and there is

no governing them eFcept by la"s made by a parlia-

ment "hich pronounces, or seems to pronounce, by

its o"n authority

7o one "as persecuted for being a (oman 8ath-

olic # but those "ho "ent about to disturb the peace

of the Eingdom, through a principle of conscience,

"ere severely punished he 0uises, "ho at that

time made a handle of religion to establish their

o"n po"er in 9rance, made use of the same methods

to set their niece, >ary 4tuart, ueen of 4cotland,

on the )nglish throne >asters of the %nances and

armies of 9rance, they sent money and troops over

to 4cotland, under pretence of assisting the 8ath-

olics of that Eingdom against the 'rotestants >ary

4tuart, "ho "as married to 9rancis II, Eing of


41/438

9rance, openly tooE upon her the title of ueen of

)ngland, as being descended from .enry III /ll

the )nglish, 4cotch, and Irish 8atholics "ere in her

interest )li?abeth "as not yet so %rmly settled on

the throne, but that religious cabals might have

shaEen her authority .o"ever, she dispersed this

%rst storm# in 15DC, sent an army to the relief of

the 4cotch 'rotestants, and obliged the ueen regent

of 4cotland, >aryJs mother, to consent by treaty to

@ueen )li?abeth GH

obey la"s of her dictating, and to send the 9rench

troops home "ithin t"enty days

9rancis II dying, she obliged >ary 4tuart to

drop the title of ueen of )ngland :y her intrigues

she prevailed upon the 'arliament of )dinburgh to

establish the reformed religion in 4cotland # and by

this artful management she brought into her interest

a country from "hich she had everything to fear

4carcely "as she freed from these inuietudes,

"hen she received fresh alarms of a more dangerous


42/438

Eind from 'hilip II his monarch "as her friend,

so long as >ary 4tuart, as heiress to )li?abeth, had

a prospect of uniting in her o"n person the cro"ns

of 9rance, )ngland, and 4cotland # but 9rancis II

being no" dead, and his "ido" returned helpless

to 4cotland, 'hilip had only the 'rotestants to

fear, and therefore became an implacable enemy to

)li?abeth

.e no" privately raised commotions in Ireland,

"hich )li?abeth as uicEly suppressed .e pro-

tected the 8atholic eague in 9rance, "hich proved

so fatal to the royal family, and she assisted the

opposite party he republic of .olland found itself

hard pressed by 'hilipJs forces, and )li?abeth saved

it from ruin 9ormerly the Eings of )ngland "ere

"ont to drain their country of men to settle them-

selves on the throne of 9rance# but interests and

times "ere no" so changed that the ueen of )ng-

land sent repeated relief to .enry I to assist him

in conuering his patrimony 2ith this aid .enry

G /ncient and >odern .istory


43/438

at length laid siege to 'aris# and had it not been

for the duEe of 'arma, or the EingJs eFtreme indul-

gence to the besieged, he "ould have %Fed the 'rot-

estant religion in the Eingdom his is "hat )li?a-

beth had greatly at heart It "as natural for her

to "ish to see her endeavors succeed, and not to lose

all the fruits of the great eFpense she had been at

:esides, she had conceived a mortal aversion to the

8atholic religion ever since she had been eFcom-

municated by the t"o popes, 'ius and 4iFtus ,

"ho had declared her un"orthy and incapable to

govern # and the more 'hilip II declared himself

the protector of this religion, the more she became

its implacable enemy

7o 'rotestant divine could have been more

aQicted than )li?abeth "hen she heard that .enry

I had renounced the reformed doctrines .er let-

ter to that prince is very remarEable ; +ou oMer me

your friendship, as to your sister I am certain I

have deserved it, having paid dearly for it # but of

this I should not repent, had you not changed your

father I can no longer be your sister by the fatherJs

side, for I shall al"ays have a greater aMection for

my o"n father than for him "ho has adopted you;

his letter serves at once to sho" her heart, her


44/438

understanding, and her forcible manner of eFpress-

ing herself in a foreign language

7ot"ithstanding this hatred to the (oman 8ath-

olic religion, it is certain that she did not deal cruelly

"ith the 8atholics of her Eingdom, as >ary had

@ueen )li?abeth G$

done during her reign "ith the 'rotestants It is

true, that the t"o &esuits, 8reighton and 8ampian,

"ith some others, "ere hanged, at the same time

that the duEe of /njou, brother of .enry III, "as

preparing everything in ondon for his marriage

"ith the ueen, "hich at length proved abortive #

but these &esuits "ere unanimously convicted of

conspiracy and sedition, of "hich they "ere ac-

cused# and sentence "as given against them upon

the testimony of "itnesses hey might have fallen

innocent victims, but then the ueen "as liEe"ise

innocent of their death, as she acted only by the

la"s

4everal persons in 9rance still imagine that )li?a-


45/438

beth put the earl of )sseF to death; merely from a %t

of jealousy # and found their belief on a tragedy and

a novel :ut those "ho have read anything, Eno"

that the ueen "as at that time seventy-eight years

of age, and that the earl of )sseF, %nding the ueen

gro"n old, and hoping that her authority "ould

decline "ith her years, had been guilty of an act

of open rebellion, for "hich he "as after"ard tried

by his peers, "ho passed sentence of death upon him

and his accomplices

he more eFact administration of justice during

)li?abethJs reign than under that of any of her

predecessors proved one of the %rmest supports of

her government he revenues of the state "ere

employed only in its defence

4he had favorites, but she enriched none of them

NC /ncient and >odern .istory

at the eFpense of the nation .er people "ere her

chief favorites # not that she really loved them, for

"ho can love the people :ut she "as sensible that


46/438

her glory and safety depended solely upon behaving

to"ard them as if she did love them

)li?abeth "ould have enjoyed an unblemished

fame had she not sullied a reign, in other respects

so glorious, by the murder of her rival, >ary 4tu-

art, a murder "hich she ventured to perpetrate "ith

the sacred s"ord of justice

8./')( 8BI

>/(+,, @=))7 O9 48O4

I is a diPcult matter to come at the "hole truth in

disputes bet"een private people, and ho" much

more so in those of cro"ned heads, "here so many

secret springs are employed, and "here both parties

eually maEe use of truth and falsehood, as best

suits their purpose 8ontemporary "riters are in

these cases generally suspected of partiality, and are

for the most part rather advocates on one side, than

the faithful depositaries of history I must then

con%ne myself to authenticated facts only, amidst

the perpleFed accounts given of this important and

fatal event


47/438

>ary and )li?abeth "ere rivals in all respects

they "ere rivals in nations, in cro"ns, in religion, in

understanding, and in beauty >ary "as far less

po"erful, and not so much mistress of herself as

>ary, @ueen of 4cots N 1

)li?abeth, nor had she her unshaEen resolution and

depth of politics # in a "ord, she "as superior to her

only in the charms of her person, "hich contributed

not a little to her subseuent misfortunes >ary,

@ueen of 4cots, encouraged the 8atholic faction in

)ngland, and the ueen of )ngland still more po"-

erfully supported the 'rotestant party in 4cotland

)li?abeth gained so much the ascendency by her

intrigues that for a long time she prevented >ary

from concluding second nuptials "here she had an

inclination

.o"ever, >ary, in spite of the cabals of her

rival, and of the 4cottish parliament, "hich "as

"holly made up of 'rotestants, and headed by her

brother, the earl of >urray, married .enry 4tuart,

earl of 6arnley, "ho "as her cousin, and a 8atholic


48/438

liEe herself )li?abeth upon this tampered in private

"ith >aryJs principal 'rotestant subjects, and

eFcited them to taEe up arms >ary pursued the

rebels in person, and obliged them to retreat into

)ngland hus far everything seemed to favor

her and confound her rival

>ary had a soft and tender heart# this "as the

beginning of all her misfortunes /n Italian musi-

cian, named 6avid (i??io, had insinuated himself

too far into her good graces .e played "ell upon

several instruments, and had a very agreeable bass

voice / proof that the Italians "ere at that time

in possession of the empire of music, and eFercised

their profession "ith a Eind of eFclusive right in all

NG /ncient and >odern .istory

courts, is that >aryJs "hole band "as Italian

/nother proof that foreign courts maEe an indis-

criminate use of anyone "ho is in credit, is, that

this (i??io "as a pensioner to the pope .e "as

greatly instrumental in the ueenJs marriage "ith

ord 6arnley, and not less so in that disliEe she


49/438

after"ard tooE to him 6arnley, "ho had only the

name of Eing, and sa" himself despised by his "ife,

gre" incensed and jealous# and one evening "hen

he Ene" the ueen "as in her apartment, he tooE

"ith him a fe" armed men, and going up a pair of

private stairs, entered her chamber, "here she "as

at supper "ith (i??io and one of the ladies of her

court hey overturned the table, and sle" (i??io

before the ueenJs eyes, "ho in vain attempted to

cover his body "ith her o"n >ary "as at that

time %ve months gone "ith child the sight of the

naEed and bloody "eapons made so strong an

impression on her, that it "as communicated to the

infant in her "omb his "as &ames I, after-

"ard Eing of )ngland and 4cotland, "ho "as born

four months after this melancholy aMair, and "ho

all his lifetime trembled at the sight of a dra"n

s"ord, in spite of his utmost endeavors to overcome

this disposition of his organs 4o great is the force

of nature, and so po"erfully does she act by "ays

impenetrable to us R

he ueen soon resumed her authority, "as recon-

ciled to the earl of >urray, prosecuted the mur-

derers of (i??io, and entered into a fresh engage-


50/438

>ary, @ueen of 4cots NN

ment "ith the earl of :oth"ell hese ne" amours

produced the death of her husband It is said an

al tempt "as made to poison him, but that the

strength of his constitution got the better of the

drugs they had given him# ho"ever, it is certain

that he "as murdered in )dinburgh, in a lone house,

from "hich the ueen had previously removed most

of her valuable eMects /s soon as the murder "as

committed, the house "as blo"n up "ith gunpo"-

der, and the body "as deposited near that of 6avid

(f??io, in the vault belonging to the royal family

he parliament and the "hole nation openly

charged :oth"ell "ith this murder# and, in the

midst of the general cry for justice, >ary contrived

to have herself carried oM by this assassin, "hose

hands "ere yet stained "ith her husbandJs blood,

and "as after"ard publicly married to him 2hat

"as most eFtraordinary in this horrid adventure

"as that :oth"ell had at that time a "ife # and, in

order to bring about a separation, he obliged her to

accuse him of adultery, and made the archbishop

of 4t /ndre"Js pronounce sentence of divorce


51/438

bet"een them, agreeable to the custom of the

country

:oth"ell "as possessed of all that insolence

"hich attends great "icEedness .e assembled the

principal noblemen of the Eingdom, and made them

sign a "riting, by "hich it "as declared, in eFpress

terms, that the ueen could not dispense "ith marry-

ing him, as he had carried her a"ay, and had lain

ol GN

NK /ncient and >odern .istory

"ith her /ll these facts are authenticated the let-

ters "hich >ary is said to have "ritten to :oth"ell

have indeed been disputed, but they carry such

strong marEs of truth that there is hardly any

doubting their reality hese complicated villainies

eMectually roused the 4cots # >ary "as abandoned

by her army, and obliged to yield herself prisoner to

the confederates :oth"ell Led into the OrEneys#

the ueen "as compelled to resign the cro"n to her

son, but "as allo"ed to appoint a regent during

his minority 4he named her brother, the earl of


52/438

>urray this nobleman, ho"ever, reproached her

in the bitterest manner "ith her past conduct /t

length she escaped from her con%nement # >urrayJs

harsh and severe temper had procured her a ne"

party In 15D she found means to raise siF thou-

sand men, but she "as soon defeated and obliged

to taEe shelter on the )nglish borders )li?abeth

at %rst gave her an honorable reception at 8arlisle,

but privately intimated to her that, as she "as

accused by the public voice of the murder of her

husband, it behooved her to vindicate herself, and

that she might depend upon her protection, if she

should be found innocent

)li?abeth no" made herself arbiter bet"een >ary

and the 4cottish regency he regent came in per-

son to .ampton court, and consented to deposit the

papers containing the proofs against his sister, in the

hands of commissioners to be appointed by the ueen

of )ngland he unfortunate >ary, on the other

>ary, @ueen of 4cots N5

hand, "ho "as still detained prisoner in 8arlisle,


53/438

accused the earl of >urray himself as author of that

murder "hich he had laid to her charge# and eF-

cepted to the )nglish commissioners, unless the

ambassadors of 9rance and 4pain "ere joined "ith

them 7evertheless, )li?abeth still caused this unac-

countable trial to be carried on, and indulged herself

in the cruel pleasure of seeing her rival pine a"ay in

con%nement, "ithout coming to any determination

concerning her fate 4he "as not >aryJs judge, she

o"ed her an asylum, but she caused her to be

removed to e"Eesbury, "here she "as little better

than a prisoner

hese disasters of the royal house of 4cotland

"ere reLected upon the nation, "hich "as rent by

factions that arose from anarchy he earl of >ur-

ray "as murdered by one of these factions, "hich

sheltered itself under the authority of >aryJs name

/fter this murder, the insurgents entered )ngland,

and laid "aste the borders "ith %re and s"ord

In 15HC )li?abeth sent an army to chastise these

disturbers of the peace, and Eeep 4cotland in a"e

4he liEe"ise had the regency of that Eingdom given

to the earl of enoF, brother of the murdered Eing

hus far she acted according to the rules of justice


54/438

and true greatness /t the same time a conspiracy

"as formed in )ngland for delivering >ary from

her con%nement, and 'ope 'ius very indiscreetly

caused a bull to be published in ondon, by "hich

he eFcommunicated )li?abeth, and released her sub-

ND /ncient and >odern .istory

jects from their oath of allegiance his step, "hich

"as intended to deliver >ary, only hastened her

do"nfall he t"o ueens entered into mutual

negotiations# the one from her throne, and the

other from a prison >ary does not seem to have

behaved "ith that LeFibility "hich the situation of

her aMairs reuired 4cotland at this time "as

"eltering in blood# the 8atholics and 'rotestants

had raised a civil "ar in the Eingdom he 9rench

ambassador and the archbishop of 4t /ndre"Js

"ere made prisoners, the latter of "hom "as hanged

upon the evidence of his o"n confessor, "ho s"ore

that this prelate had accused himself to him of

being an accomplice in the murder of the late Eing

It "as >aryJs greatest misfortune to have a num-


55/438

ber of friends in her disgrace he duEe of 7or-

folE, "ho "as a 8atholic, "anted to marry her in

hope of a revolution, and recEoning on >aryJs right

of succession to )li?abeth 4everal parties "ere

formed in her favor in ondon, "hich "ere "eaE

indeed, but "ere capable of being strengthened by

forces from 4pain, and the intrigues of the court of

(ome hese machinations, ho"ever, cost the duEe

of 7orfolE his head, in 15HG .e "as sentenced

to die by his peers for having solicited aid from

the pope and the Eing of 4pain, in >aryJs behalf

he duEe of 7orfolEJs death rivetted this unhappy

princessJs chains # her long misfortunes had not yet

discouraged those of her party in ondon, "ho "ere

>ary, @ueen of 4cots NH

strongly supported by the princess of 0uise, the

pope, the &esuits, and the court of 4pain

he great point in vie" "as to set >ary at liberty,

and place her on the )nglish throne, and "ith her

restore the 8atholic religion / conspiracy "as

formed against )li?abeth 'hilip had already begun


56/438

to prepare for his invasion he ueen of )ngland

caused fourteen of the conspirators to be put to

death, and brought >ary, "ho "as her eual, to a

public trial, as if she had been her subject 9orty-

t"o members of parliament and %ve of the judges

"ere sent to eFamine her in 9otheringay castle # she

protested against their proceedings, and refused to

maEe any reply 7ever "as trial so irregularly

carried on, nor sentence so cruelly passed # she "as

presented only "ith copies of her letters, and no

originals hey made use of the depositions of her

secretaries, "ithout confronting them "ith her # they

pretended to convict her upon the evidence of three

conspirators, "ho had been eFecuted, though their

sentence should have been deferred till they had

been eFamined in >aryJs presence In a "ord,

though they had even proceeded "ith all the forms

"hich justice reuires for the lo"est of the peo-

ple, had they proved that >ary solicited for aid and

revenge "herever she had a prospect o succeeding,

they could not "ith euity have pronounced her

criminal )li?abeth had no other jurisdiction over

her than that of the strong over the "eaE and unfor-

tunate


57/438

N /ncient and >odern .istory

/t length, after eighteen yearsJ imprisonment, in

a country "hich she had imprudently chosen for an

asylum, >ary "as beheaded, on 9eb G, 15H, in

an apartment of the prison hung "ith blacE )li?a-

beth "as sensible that she had committed a base act,

but she added to the odium of it by attempting to

impose upon the public "ho "ere not, ho"ever,

to be so deceived "ith an aMectation of sorro"

for a person "hom she had put to death, by pretend-

ing that her ministers had eFceeded her orders, and

by imprisoning the secretary of state, "ho, she said,

had been too precipitate in eFecuting a "arrant

signed by herself )urope detested her cruelty and

dissimulation .er reign "as esteemed, but her

character "as held in abhorrence :ut "hat renders

her still more condemnable is her not having been

forced to this barbarity It may even be said, that

in >aryJs person she had a security against the

attempts of her adherents

hough this action be an indelible stain upon the

memory of )li?abeth, it is a fanatical "eaEness to

canoni?e >ary 4tuart as a martyr to religion# she


58/438

"as only a martyr to adultery, to the murder of her

husband, and to her o"n imprudence In her

failings and misfortunes she perfectly resembled

&oan of 7aples# they "ere both handsome and

sprightly, both, through the frailty of their seF,

dra"n to commit an atrocious deed, and both put to

death by their relatives .istory freuently pre-

sents us "ith a repetition of the same misfortunes,

9rance =nder 9rancis II N$

the same Lagitious deeds, and one crime punished

by another

8./')( 8BII

9(/78), O2/(6 .) )76 O9 .) 4IB))7. 8)7-

=(+, =76)( 9(/78I4 II

2.I) all )urope "as alarmed at the eFcessive

po"er of 4pain, and )ngland made the second %g-

ure by opposing that monarchy, 9rance had gro"n


59/438

"eaE, divided into factions, and in danger of being

dismembered, so that it "as far from having any

inLuence or credit in )urope he civil "ars of this

Eingdom had reduced it to a state of dependence on

all its neighbors hose times of fury, abjectness,

and misery have furnished more matter for history

than is contained in all the (oman annals /nd

"hat "ere the causes of all those misfortunes

(eligion, ambition, the "ant of good la"s, and a

maladministration

.enry II, by his severity against the sectaries,

and especially by the condemnation of the counsellor

of parliament, /nne du :ourg, "ho "as eFecuted

after the EingJs death by order of the 0uises, made

more 8alvinists in 9rance than there "ere in all

4"it?erland and 0eneva .ad these people made

their appearance in a time liEe that of ouis BII,

"hen the court of 9rance "as at "ar "ith the papal

see, they might possibly have met "ith some indul-

gence # but they appeared precisely at the time "hen

KC /ncient and >odern .istory


60/438

.enry II stood in need of 'ope 'aul I, to assist

him in disputing possession of 7aples and 4icily

"ith 4pain, and "hile these t"o po"ers "ere in

alliance "ith the urE against the house of /ustria

It "as therefore thought necessary to sacri%ce them

he clergy, "ho "ere po"erful at court, and "ere

in fear of losing their temporalities and authority,

persecuted them # and policy, interest, and ?eal, con-

curred in their ruin he state might have tolerated

them, as )li?abeth tolerated the 8atholics in )ng-

land, and have preserved a number of good subjects

by allo"ing them liberty of conscience It "ould

have been of little concern to the government in

"hat manner they performed their devotion, pro-

vided they submitted themselves to the established

la"s "hereas, by persecuting them, they made

them rebels

he untimely fate of .enry II "as the signal

of thirty years of civil "ars /n infant Eing gov-

erned by foreigners, and the jealousy of the princes

of the blood and high oPcers of the cro"n against

the family of 0uise, on account of their great

credit in the Eingdom, began the subversion of

9rance


61/438

he famous conspiracy of /mboise "as the %rst

of the Eind "e hear of in this country o form

leagues, and then breaE them, to pass hastily from

one eFtreme to another, to be violent in their pas-

sions and sudden in their repentance, seemed hith-

erto to have formed the character of the 0auls, "ho,

9rance =nder 9rancis II K1

"hen they tooE the name of 9ranEs, and after"ard

of 9rench, did not change their manners :ut in

this conspiracy there "as a degree of boldness "hich

eualled that of 8atiline, "ith an artful manage-

ment, a depth of contrivance, and a profound secrecy

liEe that of the 4icilian espers, or the 'a??i of

9lorence ouis, prince of 8onde, "as the soul that

secretly animated this plot, but in so artful a man-

ner, that though all 9rance "as convinced that he

"as at the head of it, no one could positively convict

him of being so

It "as peculiar to this conspiracy, that it "as in

one sense eFcusable, as being undertaEen to "rest

the government out of the hands of 9rancis, duEe


62/438

of 0uise, and his brother, the cardinal of orraine,

"ho "ere both foreigners, and held the Eing in sub-

jection, the nation in slavery, and the princes of the

blood and oPcers of the cro"n at a distance # and in

another highly criminal, as it attacEed the rights of

a Eing "ho "as at age, and empo"ered by the la"s

to choose the depositaries of his authority

It has never been proved that there "as any

design of Eilling the 0uises# but as they "ould

doubtless have made a resistance, their deaths "ere

inevitable 9ive hundred gentlemen, all "ell sec-

onded, and a thousand resolute soldiers, headed by

thirty chosen captains, "ere all to assemble from

the several provinces of the Eingdom on an

appointed day at /mboise, "here the court then Eept

its residence 3ings "ere not in those times sur-

KG /ncient and >odern .istory

rounded by so numerous a guard as they are at pres-

ent he regiment of guards "as not formed till the

reign of 8harles IB "o hundred archers "ere

the most that attended 9rancis II, the other Eings


63/438

of )urope had no more 2hen the constable of

>ontmorency came to Orleans, "here the 0uises

had placed a ne" guard about the court upon the

death of 9rancis II he dismissed the ne"ly raised

soldiers, and threatened to have them all hanged as

enemies to the state, "ho planted a barrier bet"een

the Eing and his people

he simplicity of the ancient times still continued

in the palaces of our Eings, but they "ere by this

means more eFposed to resolute attempts It "as

an easy matter to sei?e the royal family, the min-

isters, and even the Eing himself there "as almost

a certainty of success he secret "as Eept invio-

lable by all the conspirators for nearly siF months #

at length it "as discovered by the indiscretion of one

of the chiefs, named de la (enaudie, "ho divulged it

in con%dence to a la"yer of 'aris, "ho eFposed the

"hole plot, "hich, nevertheless, "as carried into

eFecution In 15DC the conspirators met at the place

appointed as if nothing had happened # religious

enthusiasm furnished them "ith a desperate obsti-

nacy hese gentlemen "ere for the most part

8alvinists, "ho made a duty of avenging their per-

secuted brethren ouis, prince of 8onde, had

openly embraced the ne" doctrine, because the duEe


64/438

of 0uise and the cardinal of orraine "ere 8ath-

9rance =nder 9rancis II KN

olics his attempt "as set on foot to bring about a

revolution in 8hurch and 4tate

he 0uises had hardly time to get together a body

of troops here "ere not %fteen thousand men

enrolled in all the Eingdom but they soon mustered

a suPcient number to eFterminate the conspirators,

"ho, as they arrived in detached parties, "ere easily

defeated 6e la (enaudie "as Eilled %ghting, and

many others died liEe him, "ith their arms in their

hands hose "ho "ere taEen died by the hands of

eFecutioners, and, for a "hole month nothing "as

to be seen in 'aris but bloody scaMolds, and gibbets

loaded "ith dead bodies

he conspiracy thus discovered, and the authors

of it punished, only served to increase the po"er

it "as meant to overthro" 9rancis de 0uise "as

invested "ith the authority of the ancient mayors

of the palace, under the title of lieutenant-general


65/438

of the Eingdom :ut this very authority, and the

restless ambition of his brother, the cardinal, "ho

endeavored to introduce the Inuisition into 9rance,

stirred up all ranEs in the Eingdom against them,

and proved the sources of fresh troubles

he 8alvinists, "ho "ere still privately encour-

aged by the prince of 8onde, tooE up arms in several

provinces he po"er of the 0uises must certainly

have been very formidable, seeing that neither

8onde nor his brother, /nthony, Eing of 7avarre,

father of .enry I, nor the famous admiral 8ol-

igny, nor his brother dJ/ndelot, colonel-general of

KK /ncient and >odern .istory

the infantry, dared to declare themselves openly

he prince of 8onde "as the %rst head of a party

that ever seemed to "age civil "ar "ith fear and

apprehension# he seemed ready to striEe a blo",

and "ould after"ard dra" bacE again # and, imag-

ining that he could al"ays Eeep fair "ith a court

that he meant to destroy, he "as so imprudent as to

go to 9ontainebleau in the character of a courtier,


66/438

"hen he should have been in that of a general at

the head of his party he 0uises caused him to

be arrested at Orleans, and arraigned before the

privy council and commissioners chosen out of the

parliament, not"ithstanding his privilege as a prince

of the blood eFempted him from being tried by any

but the court of peers, and the parliament assembled

:ut "hat avails privilege against superior strength #

or "hat indeed "as privilege of "hich there had

been no precedent but in the violation of it, in the

case of the criminal process formerly issued against

the duEe dJ/lengon

he prince of 8onde then "as condemned to be

beheaded he famous chancellor de J.DpRtal, a

noble legislator, at a time "hen good la"s "ere

most "anted, and an intrepid philosopher, in an age

of enthusiasm and fury, refused to sign the sen-

tence his eFample of undaunted courage "as

follo"ed by the count de 4ancerre, one of the

privy council 7evertheless the decree "as going

to be published, and the prince of 8onde "as on

the point of falling by the hand of the eFecutioner,


67/438

9rance =nder 8harles IB K5

"hen suddenly the young Eing, 9rancis II, "ho

had been ill for a long time, and "as in%rm from

his cradle, died at the age of seventeen, leaving

his brother 8harles, "ho "as then only ten, an

eFhausted Eingdom, rent in pieces by factions

he death of 9rancis proved the deliverance of

8onde # he "as presently released from his con-

%nement, after a feigned reconciliation had been

eMected bet"een him and the 0uises, "hich "as no

more than the seal of revenge and hatred, as indeed

"hat else could it be he estates "ere no" assem-

bled at Orleans, "ithout "hom nothing could be

done in such a situation of aMairs hese estates

conferred the guardianship of the young Eing,

8harles IB, and the government of the Eingdom on

8atherine de >edici, but not under the name of

regent # they did not even give her the title of

majesty, "hich had but very lately been assumed

by Eings here are several letters from 4ieur de

:ourdeilles to .enry III, in "hich he styles that

prince ; +our highness;

8./')( 8BII


68/438

9(/78) 6=(I70 .) >I7O(I+ O9 8./()4 IB /76

.) ()I07 O9 .)7(+ III

6=(I70 every royal minority, the ancient constitu-

tion of a Eingdom al"ays recovers some part of its

vigor, at least for a time, liEe a family assembled

together upon the death of the father / general

KD /ncient and >odern .istory

assembly of the states "as held at Orleans, and

after"ard at 'ontoise these estates deserve to

have their memories preserved, for the perpetual

separation they made bet"een the s"ord and the

long robe his distinction "as unEno"n in the

(oman )mpire, even to the time of 8onstantine^

their magistrates understood ho" to conduct armies*

and their generals could decide causes he s"ord

and the la" "ere, in liEe manner, lodged in the

same hands in almost all the nations of )urope, till

to"ard the beginning of the fourteenth century

ittle by little these t"o professions "ere separated

in 4pain and 9rance# though not absolutely so in


69/438

the atter, not"ithstanding the parliaments "ere

composed only of the gentlemen of the long robe

he jurisdiction of the bailiMs, "ho "ere s"ords-

men, still continued the same as it "as in several

of the provinces of 0ermany, and on the frontiers

of that empire he estates of Orleans, convinced

that the s"ordsmen could not con%ne themselves

to the study of the la", tooE from them the admin-

istration of justice, and conferred it on the go"ns-

men, "ho "ere before only their lieutenants, or

deputies hus they, "ho from their original institu-

tion had al"ays been judges, ceased to be so any

longer

he famous chancellor de J.opital had the

principal share in bringing about this change, "hich

"as eMected at the time of the nationJs greatest

"eaEness, and has since contributed to strengthen

9rance =nder 8harles IB KH

the hands of the sovereigns, by dividing forever

t"o professions "hich might, if united, have formed

a po"erful counterpoise to the authority of the min-


70/438

istry 4ome have thought since, that the nobles

could not preserve the charge of the la"s intrusted

to them# but they should reLect that the )nglish

house of lords, "hich is composed of the only nobles

properly so called in that Eingdom, is a %Fed body

of magistracy, "ho maEe the la"s and administer

justice 2hen "e see these great changes in the

constitution of a state, and observe other neighbor-

ing governments "ho have not undergone these

changes in the same circumstances, "e may evi-

dently conclude that the manners and genius of

these people must have been diMerent from those of

the former

/t this assembly of the general estates, it

appeared ho" very faulty the administration had

been he Eing "as indebted for over forty millions

of livres# money "as "anted, and there "as none

to be had # this "as the true cause of the troubles

of 9rance .ad 8ath^ine de >edici had "here-

"ithal to purchase good servants, and pay an army,

the diMerent factions "hich distracted the state

might have been easily Eept under by the royal

authority he ueen-mother found herself placed

bet"een the 8atholics and the 'rotestants, the

8ondes and the 0uises 8onstable de >ontmorency


71/438

"as at the head of a separate faction 6ivision

reigned in the court, the city, and the provinces

K /ncient and >odern .istory

8atherine could only negotiate, instead of reigning

.er maFim of dividing all parties, that she might

be sole mistress, increased the troubles and misfor-

tunes of the state 4he began by appointing a con-

ference to be held bet"een the 8atholics and the

'rotestants at 'oissy, "hich "as subjecting the old

religion to arbitration, and giving a great degree of

credit to the 8alvinist party, by setting them up

as disputants against those "ho thought themselves

rather entitled to be their judges

/t this time, "hen heodore :e?a and other

'rotestant divines came to 'oissy, in order to main-

tain their doctrines in a public manner before the

ueen and a court "ho as publicly sang >arotJs

psalms, 8ardinal 9errara arrived in 9rance as legate

from 'ope 'aul I, but being a grandson of

/leFander I, by the motherJs side, he "as more

despised on account of his birth, than respected for


72/438

his place and merit # insomuch, that his cross-bearer

"as insulted even by the lacEeys of the court 'rints

of his grandfather "ere %Fed up in the public places

through "hich he "as to pass, "ith an account of

the "icEed and scandalous actions of his life he

legate brought "ith him one aine?, general of the

order of &esuits, "ho did not understand a "ord

of 9rench, and disputed at the conference in Italian,

"hich tongue 8atherine de >edici had made famil-

iar to the court, and it began to have a considerable

inLuence on the 9rench language itself his &esuit

had the boldness to tell the ueen at the conference,

9rance =nder 8harles IB K$

that she had no right to call this assembly, and that

in so doing she had usurped the popeJs authority

7evertheless, he disputed in this assembly "hich

he found fault "ith, and said, in speaEing of the

eucharist, that 0od "as in place of the bread and

"ine, liEe a Eing "ho maEes himself his o"n ambas-

sador his childish comparison eFcited a smile

of contempt, as his insolent behavior to the ueen

did the general indignation riLing things some-


73/438

times occasion great mischiefs # and in the situation

of minds at that time, everything helped the cause

of the ne" religion

he conseuence of this conference, and of the

intrigues that follo"ed it, "as the issuing of an

edict, in &anuary, 15DG, permitting the 'rotestants

to have preaching places "ithout the city, and this

edict of paci%cation proved the source of the civil

"ars he duEe of 0uise, though removed from

his post of lieutenant-general of the Eingdom, still

"anted to be its master he "as already connected

"ith 'hilip II, and "as looEed upon by the people

as the protector of the 8atholic religion he

grandees in those times never travelled "ithout a

numerous retinue# and not as they do no", in a

post-chaise "ith t"o or three footmen only# they

"ere al"ays attended by a hundred horsemen this

"as all their magni%cence, for three or four of them

lay in one bed# and "hen they "ere in "aiting at

court, they had only a sorry apartment to live in,

"ithout any other furniture than a fe" chests he

ol GK


74/438

5C /ncient and >odern .istory

duEe of 0uise, as he "as going through assy, a

to"n on the borders of 8hampagne, came upon some

8alvinists, "ho, in conseuence of the privilege

granted them by the edict, "ere singing psalms after

their manner, in a barn .is servants fell upon

and insulted these poor people, Eilled about siFty of

them, and "ounded and dispersed the rest =pon

this there "as a general rising of the 'rotestants in

almost every part of the Eingdom, and the nation

became divided bet"een the prince of 8onde and

the duEe of 0uise 8atherine de >edici Luctuated

bet"een both # nothing "as seen on all sides but

Eilling and plundering he ueen "as then at

'aris "ith the Eing, her son, "here, %nding herself

deprived of all authority, she "rote to the prince

of 8onde to come to her deliverance his fatal

letter "as an order for continuing the civil "ar,

"hich "as prosecuted "ith the greatest inhumanity

)very to"n "as a forti%ed post, and every street a

%eld of battle

On one side "ere the duEe of 0uise and his

brother, united by convenience "ith the faction of


75/438

8onstable de >ontmorency, "ho "as master of the

EingJs person on the other, the prince of 8onde,

joined by the 8oligny party /nthony, Eing of

7avarre, the %rst prince of the blood, a "eaE and

irresolute man, "ho Ene" not of "hat religion or

party he "as# jealous of his brother 8onde, and

obliged to serve against his "ill the duEe of 0uise,

"hom he detested, "as dragged to the siege of

9rance =nder 8harles IB 51

(ouen, together "ith the ueen-mother, 8atherine de

>edici # he "as Eilled at this siege, and deserves a

place in history on no other account than that of

being father of the great .enry I

he "ar, "hich continued "ithout interruption

till the peace of ervins, "as carried on after much

the same manner as in the times of anarchy, at the

decline of the second race, and the beginning of

the third here "ere fe" regular troops on either

side, eFcepting some companies of men at arms,

belonging to the principal chiefs 'lunder "as their

only pay# and all that the 'rotestant faction could


76/438

scrape together they employed in bringing over

0erman troops to complete the destruction of the

Eingdom he Eing of 4pain on his side sent some

fe" soldiers to the 8atholics, in order to feed a

Lame "hich he hoped to turn to his o"n advantage,

and thirteen 4panish companies marched to the

relief of >ontlu in 4aintonge hese "ere, "ith-

out contradiction, the most fatal times that the

9rench monarchy had ever eFperienced

he %rst pitched battle bet"een the 8atholics and

the (eformed "as fought near 6reuF in 15DG,

"herein not only 9renchman engaged against

9renchman, but the royal infantry "as chieLy com-

posed of 4"iss, as the 'rotestant army "as of 0er-

mans his battle "as remarEable by both gen-

erals being made prisoners# >ontmorency, "ho

commanded the EingJs army in uality of con-

and the prince of 8onde, "j^p "as at the hearS

5G /ncient and >odern .istory

of the reformed army he duEe of 0uise, "ho "as

second in command to the constable, gained the bat-


77/438


78/438

and "atched an opportunity to stab the duEe of

0uise in the bacE .e had the impudence to charge

/dmiral de 8oligny and heodore de :e?a "ith hav-

9rance =nder 8harles IB 5N

ing at least connived at his design # but he varied so

much in his depositions that he destroyed his o"n

imposture 8oligny even oMered to go to 'aris to

be confronted "ith this miscreant, and reuested the

ueen to suspend the eFecution till the truth could

be cleared up It must be acEno"ledged that the

admiral, though the leader of a faction, had never

been guilty of the least action that could "arrant

a suspicion of such blacE treachery

It "as not suPcient that the 4paniards, 0ermans,

and 4"iss "ere called in to help the 9rench destroy

each other# the )nglish "ere also sent for to join

in the general ruin hree thousand of them had

been introduced by the .uguenots into .avre-de-

0race, a seaport to"n built by 9rancis I, but 8on-

stable de >ontmorency, "ho had been eFchanged for

the prince of 8onde, after great diPculty drove


79/438

them out again hese troubles "ere no" suc-

ceeded by a momentary peace# 8onde "as recon-

ciled to the court, but his brother, the admiral, still

continued at the head of a po"erful party in the

provinces

In the meantime 8harles IB, having attained the

age of thirteen years and one day, held his court of

justice, not in the 'arliament of 'aris, but in that

of (ouen# and it is remarEable that his mother,

"hen she resigned her commission of regent,

Eneeled to him

here "as a scene on this occasion "hich is

entirely "ithout eFample Odet de 8hatillon, car-

5K /ncient and >odern .istory

dinal bishop of :eauvais, had, liEe his brother,

changed to the reformed religion, and had taEen a

"ife he pope strucE him out of the list of car-

dinals, and he himself eFpressed a contempt for the

title# but, in order to brave the pope, he assisted

at the ceremony in his cardinalJs habit# his "ife


80/438

"as allo"ed to be seated in presence of the Eing and

ueen, as the "ife of a peer of the realm # and "as

sometimes called ;the countess of :eauvais,; and

sometimes ; the cardinalJs lady;

9rance "as full of absurdities eually great he

confusion of the civil "ars had destroyed all Eind

of government and decency he church livings

"ere almost all in the possession of laymen# an

abbey or a bishopric "as given as a marriage por-

tion "ith a daughter but these irregularities, no"

gro"n customary, "ere all forgotten in the bosom

of peace, the greatest of all blessings he .ugue-

nots, "ho "ere allo"ed the eFercise of their religion,

though they "ere still upon their guard, remained

uiet # and the prince of 8onde joined in the diver

sions of the court :ut this calm "as of short dura-

tion# the .uguenot party insisted on too many

sureties, and the government granted them too fe"

he prince of 8onde "anted a share in the admin-

istration # the cardinal of orraine, chief of a po"-

erful and numerous house, aimed at holding the

%rst post in the state# 8onstable de >ontmorency,

"ho "as an enemy to this family, retained his

po"er, and shared in the authority of the court#


81/438

9rance =nder 8harles IB 55

the 8oligny and other .uguenot chiefs prepared

to oppose the house of orraine )veryone strove

to have a share in dismembering the state# the

8atholic clergy on one side, and the 'rotestant min-

isters on the other, set up the cry of religion 0od

"as their pretence# a thirst for rule, their 0od#

and the people, intoFicated "ith fanaticism, "ere at

once the instruments and the victims of the ambi-

tion of all these opposite factions

he prince of 8onde, "ho had attempted to res-

cue young 9rancis II from the hands of the 0uises

at /mboise, no" endeavored to get 8harles IB

into his o"n po"er, and taEe the city of >eauF from

8onstable de >ontmorency his ouis of 8onde

made eFactly the same "ar, "ith the same strata-

gems and on the same pretences religion

eFcepted "hich his namesaEe, ouis the 0reat,

prince of 8onde, did after"ard during the disputes

of the eague On 7ov 1C, 15DH, the prince and

the admiral fought the battle of 4t 6enis against

the constable, "ho "as mortally "ounded, in the


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eightieth year of his age .e "as a man eually

intrepid at court and in the %eld, possessed of great

virtues and great faults, unfortunate as a genera

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Voltaire XXVIII