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Among other royal cheats Mr. G. places Louis XI. of France, with Ferdinand and Charles V. of Spain, and draws fo lively a picture of Ferdinand, that nothing but our neceffary brevity

could excufe an omiffion of fome traits of it.

Mr. G. apprehends that Tacitus has contributed to make men. admire cunning rogues with crowns. He fhews that there is no greatnefs of mind in continual lying, and that if there were greatnefs in it, this could not long have fuccefs.

He recommends to all princes a maxim oppofite to Machiavelism, viz. "Who knows not how to be just and good, knows not how to reign."

May this motto be engraved not on the plate, the gold and the filver of kings, but on their hearts!

He obferves, that the unhappy effects of not applying to flates what is allowed true of individuals, viz. that " honefty is the beft policy ;" and that the defign of this work is to convince France and England, by the confequences of their ancestors' quarrels, that they fhould live like fifters. He undertakes to thew the English, that their tranfient fucceffes in France were owing to the divifions of the French, and the definitive fuccefs of the French, to their too tranfient virtues.

He affures his readers who have fuch delicacy as to be difgufted with the detail of war, that he will never enter into it when not neceffary; that he will rather infift on its causes than operations, and this only with a defign to make men love peace. He promises to have great regard to manners and arts, &c. He declares, that when he recommends peace, he is not actuated by fear for France, nor by compaffion for England, (Englishmen will fmile) but writes as a private philofopher, who thinks war not the trade of men, but of lions and tygers!

This fpirited though long preface deferved our short account of it, that the liberal Reader may judge, in general, what entertainment is prepared for him in this capital work.

A fhort advertisement informs the Reader, that Mr. G. chofe to execute his plan of recommending peace, by an history of the rivalihip of two nations, the most ancient, the most famous, and moft perfevering!

He has prefixed, to his main work, an introduction of about 180 pages, in which he fhews the two nations advancing from obfcurity to a state of fhining rivalship. This part of his work he has divided into four chapters. In the firft of thefe he traces their earliest steps towards a conftitution; in the fecond, the ravages of the Danes in England, and the Normans in France, with their effects on manners, &c. in the third, the influence of the Dukes of Normandy over France; and in the last he difplays the events preparative to the conqueft of England, by William I.

In

In this introduction, are many curious, entertaining, and interefting particulars, well felected and concifely expreffed; but the neceffary limits of this article obliges us to pass them with this general mention, as we must notice the most striking inftances of rivalfhip fpecified in the work before us.

Mr. G. very properly makes the conqueft of England by William I. the æra from whence he dates the commencement of that rivalship which he relates.

He juftly obferves the great want of policy in the regency of France, which not only oppofed not*, but even aided William's invafion of this ifland, as by these means they contributed to aggrandize a vaffal of that crown, already formidable enough, especially in a minority.

His defcription of the famous battle of Haftings is concife, juft, and lively.

Philip I. of France, become of age, quickly perceives the bad policy by which the regency, in his minority, had aided William's conqueft of England, and therefore readily gives affistance to a great rebel against William, in Bretagne, viz. Ralph de Guair, and makes the Conqueror fly before him.

On the fame principle of reducing William's greatness, and more juftly, Philip fupports his ill-ufed fon Robert.

That prince's unhorfing his father is fo well defcribed, as to create furprize in any Reader who is not acquainted with the ftory.

Philip, who oppofed William I. on principles of right policy, would have acted an abfurd part if he had not, on the fame principles, continued to oppofe William II. who grossly injured his brother Robert, the true heir to Normandy, &c.

But this French monarch proves fo indolent as to fit down content with the divifion of that dutchy between the two brothers, judging apparently that fuch divifion would create continual disturbance between them.

Nay, our Hiftorian confeffes, that Philip was fo weak as to accept the bribes of William, to connive at his continued injuries committed on Robert: which was in effect to receive bribes against himself, as Robert was much weaker, and should have been, both in justice and policy, fupported.

Mr. G. now delineates, very juftly, all the causes which contributed to produce thofe abfurd expeditions of European princes into the Holy Land, which took off their attention from their own affairs, and buried the gold and blood of Chriftians in the land which really belonged to Infidels. The caufes which he

* Mr. G. notices (p. 216.) a great error of Dr. Smollett, who fuppofes that Philip recovered the Vexin during William's minority; but William was 26 years older than Philip.

enumerates

enumerates are, ift, The fplendor of recovering the holy fepulchre, &c. from Infidels. 2. The exhortations of Peter the Hermit, an eloquent and fenfible man. 3. The inftances of popes. 4. The intrigues of monks. 5. The lure of novelty. 6. The ardour of chivalry. 7. The fuperftition of kings and people. 8. The defire of devout rafcals to gain at once fortune and abfolution. 9. Hope of extending commerce, &c.

But to look particularly to their effects on France and England, we may obferve, that Philip (or rather his fon and affociate, Louis the Fat) began to confider our William II. as a more formidable rival, when he faw that his brother Robert, impatient to be equipped for the holy war, had mortgaged to him Normandy, and that William had alfo obtained, on mortgage, both Aquitaine and Guienne. However, a violent death quickly released both Philip and Louis from all fears of William.

Louis the Fat had fenfe and vigour enough to endeavour to prevent the joining of Normandy to England under Henry I. Mr. G. afcribes his difappointment to the over-greatnefs of the vaffals of the crown, who were unwilling to help the fovereign to deprefs their brethren. There was certainly fome effect from this caufe. He deems the greatness of these chief. vaffals of the crown an ufurpation, and confequently praifes Louis for his juft policy in applying himself to reduce this feudal tyranny to what he thinks the ancient monarchical govern

ment.

There was now, after a courfe of friendship, a perfonal and declared rivalship betwixt Louis and Henry. The former challenges the latter to fingle combat, and on his declining it, but giving a general battle, beats him, and takes under his protection William Cliton (or Criton) fon of Duke Robert.

However, if Henry had the difadvantage in this action, he gained an advantage, at least equal, in the famous rencounter of Brenneville.

Our Henry had fecretly ftimulated the Emperor Henry V. to march against France. That Emperor fcarce made his appearance on the borders, and fled.-Hereupon Louis, provoked by King Henry's conduct, propofes to lead his forces against Normandy; but the great vaffals refufe to move.

On the character of Henry's dying fon, Mr. G. makes fome fevere ftrictures +.

The death of William Cliton, or Criton (who had been made Count of Flanders) which now happened, is a great lofs

"Avoit dit plufieurs fois que fi regnoit jamais, il attacheroit les hommes les hommes, au joug comme les boeufs.-Des hiftoriens ont pretendus qu'en cette occafion [Mort du jeune Henri] l' Eau avoit puni en lui un vice qui l'avoit eté autrefois par le Feu." P. 304-5.

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to Louis, both on account of his talents, and the fpeciousness of a defence of his caufe.

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Henry, who had always his eye on his intereft, now marries his daughter Maude (widow to the Emperor) to Geoffry Plantagenet, in order to join Anjou and Maine to his other dominions in France. The picture of this tyrant's domestic fears is an useful one.

On Stephen's afcending the throne, Mr. G. explains, with the greatest precifion and clearnefs, his weak title to the crown. Louis the Fat, who would have profited by the troubles of England and Normandy, died foon after the commencement of this reign.

Mr. G. juftly remarks, that the common interests of the great vaffals of the crown, that fiefs fhould not be reunited to it, prevented the reunion of feveral to that of France. His eulogy of Louis the Fat is excellent. He was his people's father, though a bigot!

Our Author obferves, that Louis the Young followed a maxim directly contrary to that of right policy, which would have taught him to aid the weaker, whereas he always joined the fronger party. Thus he at first, invefted Plantagenet with the dutchy of Normandy, and afterwards allied himself to Stephen.

Abbé Suger and St. Bernard are well contrafted by our Hiftorian; the former as a good politician, the latter as an enthufiaft, who over-ruled Louis to join in the Croifade,-to expiate the burning of Vitry, by fpilling feas of blood in Palestine!

But Louis was guilty of another very great weakness. Though he knew that by his marriage with Eleanor he held very confiderable fiefs, he ftrove not to render himfelf agreeable to her, but even got his marriage diffolved: whereupon our Henry married her. Abbe Suger had delayed this divorce.

Yet Mr. G. thinks that Henry's accumulation of provinces in France was the occafion of lofing that kingdom; and points to this prince as a proof of his grand thefis, immoderate increase of power is the harbinger of decay."

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However, Henry now became too powerful a rival for Louis effectually to oppofe: nevertheless, he attempts in vain to fupport Geoffry, Henry's brother. Some ineffectual fkirmishes pafs betwixt the Kings on account of Thouloufe and the Vexin; but at length peace is reftored, by a marriage betwixt Henry's fon and Louis's daughter.

The principal remaining affair difcuffed in this volume, is the famous difpute betwixt our monarch Henry and Archbishop Becket, in which the King of France interpofed much, perhaps on a principle of religion, perhaps only of policy, to fupport that prelate and his friends against their King, and to APP. Rev. vol. xliv.

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create great perplexities to his formidable rival. Louis makes war on him in Normandy, but is driven thence.

At length Henry confents to give his provinces in France to his fons, and fo cut off all matter of perfonal rivalship betwixt him and Louis. And now Louis ftrives to reconcile the King and the prelate.

Our Hiftorian calls Becket a virtuous prieft.' Perhaps he had some virtues; yet when the principle on which he exercifed virtuous acts is enquired into, scarce any will stand the teft. But, by a virtuous man, we mean one who exercises all moral virtues, and by a virtuous Chriftian prieft, one who exercifes all Chriflian virtues. Now, are not humility, meekness, and their amiable train, Chriftian virtues? Had Becket these? Surely Mr. G. will not fay that he had!

To an Englishman it may juftly seem surprising that Mr. G. fhould not make one fingle remark on Lord Lyttelton's life of Henry II. when he has quoted much inferior hiftorians in almoft every age.

We cannot deem this omiffion a proof that he is impartial. Surely fome tribute was due to fo accomplished a nobleman! But Lord Lyttelton reprefents Becket as utterly undeserving the title of a virtuous prieft.

Indeed, Mr. G. feems thoroughly confcious of the true character of Becket, when he quotes a pretty long paffage from Mr. Boffuet concerning this proud prelate, and observes that Boffuet durft say no more than he did, against a man canonized by the church; and he diftinguishes, by italics, the paffages which covertly fhew his real fentiments. How dares a French Papift pretend to impartiality!

Henry was extremely fenfible how many enemies, especially in France, the affaffination of Becket would raise against him, and cunningly engaged to establish the payment of Peter-pence in Ireland, given to him by the Pope. This fcheme difarmed the Pope's fury, and Louis durft not difturb him. Henry however, to appease the clergy and people, fubmitted to a fhameful penance for Becket's death.

But Henry gave his rival Louis another great advantage against him. By his matrimonial infidelities, especially with fair Rofamond, he provoked Queen Eleanor, and the fpirited up her fons to claim the real poffeffion of the crown of England, and the provinces in France, whofe titles only he had given to

them.

"Il acheta la liberté glorienfe de dire la verité, comme il la croyoit," &c. "Il combattit jusq'au fang pour les moindres droits de Eglife," &c. "Il defendit jufq' aux dehors de cette Sainte Cité," &c.

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