whereas in Holland one must negotiate with merchants who never Awerve from their interefts. He added, that the fituation of Holland was fuch, that, in the wars of France with England, fhe might draw advantage from the one, and make the other contribute. Great address is therefore required in him who negotiates with the Dutch, to make them declare when their fuccour is neceffary; and he has also occafion for great abilities, to keep them in an exact neutrality, when their arms may be hurtful.

I did not know that M. de Bonac had all thofe qualities; for every thing is disfigured at court, and perfons are not there known till tried, when it is too late to form a judgment which may be profitable. M de Bonac was an officer; and that alone made me doubtful concerning the choice I fhould make. I never had much faith in military negotiations: thofe gentlemen have feldom that fupple turn of mind that is neceffary for fucceeding in foreign courts: but this is the age of military minifters. Lewis XV. has employ ed none but them during his reign; and this, perhaps, is one of the reafons why our affairs in foreign courts have generally turned out fo unfuccessful.

The churchmen, who make a vow of poverty, but are more greedy after riches than feculars, were alfo very affiduous in making their court to me, whenever any abbey or bishopric fell vacant, There were many poftulants for the abbey of Anchin, but the king difpofed of it in favour of Cardinal York, the younger fon to the Che

valier de St. George, who, by the enjoyment of this benefice, together with the poffeffion of feveral thers, was richer than the effective poffeffor of the duchy of York. This opulence, which the fons and brothers of the king rarely enjoy in England, made a courtier lay, on this occafion, that Cardinal York was very happy in the house of Stuart's lofing the crown of Great Britain, because, were it not for that mishap, he would have been a poor English citizen, whereas now he is a rich Roman prince.

Some complaints were made that the king had not granted this benefice to a Frenchman, who would have spent its revenues in the state; whereas by that nomination they paffed into Italy. But thofe who fpoke in this manner, did not know, that the kings who wage war against reigning families, give alms to thofe that have ceased to

reign. He was, befides, under fome obligations to that unfortu nate family: France, in her wars, had made the pretender appear and disappear, just as an actor is made to enter and go off the stage. In policy, one is obliged to pay thofe who have been put upon playing fome part; and I have elsewhere mentioned, that France thought feriously of placing the pretender on the throne of Eng land.

never

I would do nothing without confulting the king, who approved my defign and plan.

It is well known that, after I had purchased Bellevue, I lavished upon it whatever was moft exquifite in art for making it an agreeable abode to the king. Thofe feftive sports must be allegorical, elfe they would not be expreffive of the fubject of the rejoicing.

My decoration reprefented grottoes furrounded by a piece of water, in the midft of which was feen a luminous dolphin. Several monfters attacked him, by difgorging flames against him but Apollo, who kept him under his protection, darted thunder at them from the upper region of the air, and a confiderable quantity of hire-works, played off foon after, completed their deftruction, with that of their abode. The fcene, changing all of a fudden, became the bright palace of the fun, where the dolphin appeared again in all his fplendor, by a magnificent illumination, which lafted all night.

Though the king, by an effect of that goodnefs which is fo natural to him, often paffed out of his character to make our fociety agreeable, yet I cannot help faying that melancholy made a confiderable progrefs in my mind. There were moments wherein every thing became infipid to me. I often experienced, what Madam de Maintenon once faid, that in all flates of life there was a frightful void ; and what increafed my trouble was, that there was a neceflity for my appearing with an air of gaiety, at a time when the pangs of dejection preyed on my mind."

And I may fay here, to the hame of human grandeur, that,

in fpite of my favour, and the fplendor of my fortune, I had feveral times a defire to quit the court. It was undoubtedly ambition that diffuaded me from this purpofe; for we always make a facrifice of every thing to the predominant paffion. It was this fame ambition that, having raised me to grandeur, made me fpend lefs happy days than I might, if I had been placed in a lefs diftinguished rank. All envied my lot, and all fancied I was the happiest woman in the world; but my felicity was far from anfwering the notion the world entertained of it.

Those who afpire to a more elevated rank than what virtue has allotted them, imagine that riches, titles, and grandeur contribute to felicity; and that happiness confifts in thofe pretended advantages. This is a deceitful notion; the objet, once becoming familiar, no longer affects the idea of it before enjoyment is more fenfible than the poffeffion. I had fuperb palaces, magnificent furniture, and perhaps the fineft jewels in Europe; yet all thefe did not make me the more happy; and, if at any time I tafted happiness, it was in my rural retreat of Belle-vue, fequeftered from the embarraffment of public affairs, and the tumultuous noife and hurry that always attend on the exercife of power from the throne.

Notwithstanding the pains we fee the celebrated memorialist takes to glofs over her actions, the following paffage will fufficiently convince our readers of the bafeness of her mind and difpofition. My husband loudly complained of my living at Verfailles, and wrote me a very paffionate letter, full of re

proaches

proaches against me, and ftill more against the king; amongst other indifcreet terms, calling him tyrant. As I was reading this letter, the king came into my apartment; I immediately thrust it into my pocket; the emotion `with which I received his Majefty, fhewed me to be under fome diforder; I was for concealing the caufe, but on his repeated inftances, I put my husband's letter into his hands. He read it through without the leaft fign of refentment. I affured him that I had no fhare in his temerity; and the better to convince him of it, defired that he would punifn the writer feverely. "No, Madam," faid he to me, with that air of goodness which is natural to him, " your hufband is unhappy, and fhould rather be pitied." Hiftory does not afford a like paffage of moderation in an injured king. My spouse being informed of it, left the kingdom to travel.

He knew men, and could make them fubfervient to his purposes; and as he was well acquainted with the genius and character of all the neighbouring nations, and could make them act in fuch a manner as best fuited the views of his ambition; he aimed, like Ferdinand, at univerfal monarchy.

Charles reigned over twenty kingdoms, over extenfive provinces, whose interests he knew how to reconcile, and whose infurrections he prevented, checked, or punished, employing gentle or violent measures, according to the exigence of affairs. The discoveries and conquefts of the Spaniards extended his dominion over the east and weft of the old and the new world. His empire was four times as extenfive as that of ancient Rome, and more than twice as large as that of the Turk, the king of Perfia, the Muscovite, and the Tartar. The fun never set upon his dominions.

This prince, this moft powerful of any that ever lived, was always in action. He over-ran Spain, Flanders, Germany, and Italy, fucceffively; commanded his armies in perfon, and triumphed over his enemies; upon his return from the field, he prefided over

the counfels of the nations that were fubject to his government; harangued his people; defended his own interests and thofe of religion before the princes affembled in the diets of the empire: and, influenced in the whole of his conduct by his ambition, he made his

fubjects warriors and politicians.

He loved and encouraged the arts and sciences, but never rewarded agreeable talents, excepting in foreigners: he seemed to have ad

opted

•pted the maxim, after the example of the Romans, of referving to the Spaniards the honour of conquering and forgiving their enemies, and of leaving to other nations the glory arifing from parts and ingenuity. He encouraged artists and merchants to fettle in his empire; and being one day reproached with this by the marquis of Aftorga, he replied, My nobles rob me, but commerce enriches me; the arts and Sciences inftruct me, and make my name immortal.

It is well known that he paid frequent visits to Titian, in order to fee him paint, and loaded him with honours and prefents. By thus honouring perfons of diftinguifhed abilities, he added a new title to his own character; and one is grieved to fee a prince, poffeffed of fuch noble qualities, and of fuch greatness of foul, facrifice every thing to his vanity, and employ fo little of his time, during the course of fo long a reign, in promoting the happiness of his fubjects. Ambi. tious, jealous, hypocritical, faithlefs, paffionate, revengeful, and terrible in his anger, he filled Europe with wars, with blood, and with calamity.

He had, in Francis the 1ft, king of France, a rival who retarded his conquefts, and gave a check to his vaft projects. Charles attacked him vigorously, and triumphed over him by means of his general, who took him prifoner: but he did not improve this opportunity of gaining over himself the most glorious of all his victories, that of generously restoring liberty to his illuftrious captive; on the contrary, he treated him harshly, and made a traffic of his ranfom. He found much more generous fenti

ments in his enemy, when he put himself in his power, and went into his kingdom, where he received the honours due to fovereignty.

Charles loved glory like an ambitious prince, and a conqueror ; Francis fought after it like a great king and a hero. Charles protected learning and the fciences out of oftentation; Francis honoured them because he loved them: Charles governed like a politician; Francis reigned like a father. Both of them had abilities, courage, and zeal for religion, were magnificent, gallant, and the greatest men of the age they lived in: Charles had a larger fhare of glory and power; Francis more real grandeur and refpect.

Charles's abdication and retreat have been admired and blamed according to the point of view in which they have been confidered: but was it a mighty facrifice for an old infirm prince, glutted with honours, and fatigued with the weight of his own power, to lay afide a burthen that was too heavy for him? He wanted to fee his fon act the fame part which he himself had done with fo much splendor. He wanted in his turn to be a quiet fpectator, after having been fo long in action, and after having received the applauses of the univerfe.

It was this idle curiofity that made him order the pomp of his own funeral to be displayed before his eyes; he placed himself under the pall, and fung the ufual prayers. The cold, with which he was feized during the celebration of this ceremony, haftened his end. It is alleged that he made his fon promise to restore Navarre. He made a will which Philip the

Second