"would be this; that good morals and good laws are recipro"cally formed by each other." No observation can be more just, or of more importance to society: for if the government neglect the manners, a relaxation of manners will lead to a neglect of laws; and the evil will go on always increasing, until the community arrive at the highest degree of corruption, when it must reform or go to ruin. "Hence adds Sully," in the affairs of men, the excess of evil is "always the source of good." In consequence of this mode of thinking, he co-operated warmly with the king's wishes, in restoring order and justice throughout all parts of his dominions, and in getting such laws enacted as were farther necessary for that purpose. But Sully's maxims, though in general excellent, were better suited in some respects to a poor and small republic than to a great and wealthy monarchy. Sensible that a fertile country, well cultivated, is the principal source of the happiness of a people, and the most solid foundation of national prosperity, he gave great encouragement to agriculture. But the austerity of his principles made him an enemy to all manufactures connected with luxury, although it is evident that a prosperous people will possess themselves of such manufactures; and that, if they cannot fabricate them, they must be purchased by foreigners with the precious metals, or with the common produce of the soil, which might otherwise be employed in the maintenance of useful artizan. A. D. 1602. Henry himself, whose ideas were more liberal, though generally less accurate than those of his minister, had juster notions of this matter. He accordingly introduced the culture and the manufacture of silk, contrary to the opinion of Sully and the success was answerable to his expectations. Before his death, he had the satisfaction see that anufacture not only supply the 4 Id. Ibid. home home consumption, but bring more money into the kingdom than any of the former staple commoditiess. Henry also established, at great expence, manufactures of linen and tapestry. The workmen for the first A. D. 1607. he drew from the United Provinces; for the last from the Spanish Netherlands. He gave high wages and good settlements to all. Hence his success. He was sensible, that industrious people would not leave their native country without the temptation of large profit; and that after they had left it, and become rich, they would be inclined to return, in order to enjoy the company of their friends and fellow-citizens, unless fixed by such advantages as should over-balance that desire. In order to facilitate commerce and promote the conveniency of his subjects, he built the point-Neuf, and cut the canal of Briare, which joins the Seine and Loire ; and he had projected the junction of the two seas, when a period was put to his life, and with that to all his other great designs. In the prosecution of these wise and salutary measures, which raised France from the desolation and misery, in which she was involved, to a more flourishing condition than she had ever enjoyed, Henry met with a variety of obstructions, proceeding from a variety of causes. A heart too susceptible of tender impressions was continually engaging him in new amours, destructive at once of his domestic peace and of the public tranquillity; and, what is truly extraordinary in a man of gallantry, the last attachment appeared always to be the strongest. His sensibility, instead of being blunted, seemed only to become keener by the change of objects. Scarce had death relieved him from the importunities of Gabriel d'Etrees, whom he had created duchess of Beaufort, and who possessed such an absolute ascendant over him, that he seemed resolved to marry her 5. Sir G. Carew's Relation of the State of France under Henry IV", 6. P. Matthieu. contrary contrary to the advice of his wisest counsellors-no sooner was he extricated from this embarrassment than he gave a promise of marriage to Henrietta d'Entragues, though not yet divorced from Margaret of Valois, his first queen, whose licentious amours had disgusted him, though perhaps as excusable as his own. That artful wanton had drawn this promise from him, before she would crown his wishes. He shewed the obligation to Sully, when ready to be delivered; and that faithful servant, transported with zeal for his master's honour, tore it in pieces. "I believe you are turned a "fool! said Henry. "I know it," replied Sully, "and "wish I were the only fool in France"." Sully now thought himself out of favour forever and remained in that opinion, when the king surprised him, by adding to his former employments that of master of the orduance. The sentence of divorce, which Henry had long been soliciting at Rome, was procured in 1599; and he married, in order to please his subjects, Mary of Medicis niece to the great duke of Tuscany. But this step did not put an end to his gallantries, which continued to embroil him perpetually either with the queen or his mistress, created marchioness of Verneuil. And Sully, whose good offices were always required on such occasions, often found the utmost difficulty in accommodating these amorous quarrels, which greatly agitated the mind of Henry-8. But Henry's most alarming troubles proceeded from the intrigues of the court of Spain. By these the duke of Savoy was encouraged to maintain war against him; and, after that prince was humbled, the duke of Biron was drawn into a conspiracy, which cost him his head. Other conspiracies 7. Mem. de Sully, tom. ii. 8. Ibid. tom. iv. lib. xxv. It was a satirical survey of this weak side of Henry's character which induced the sage Bayle to say, that he wound have equalled the greatest heroes of antiquity, if he had been early deprived of his virility were were formed through the same instigation: the A. D. 1608. queen herself was induced to hold a secret correspondence with Spain, and a Spanish faction began to appear in the king's councils. Those continued attempts to disturb the peace of his kingdom, and sap the foundation of his throne, made Henry resolve to carry into execution a design, which he had long meditated, of humbling the house of Austria, and circumscribing its power in Italy and Germany. While he was maturing that great project, a dispute concerning the succession to the duchies of Cleves and Juliers afforded him a pretext for taking arms: and this circumstance naturally leads us to cast an eye on the state of the empire. We have already brought down the affairs of Germany to the death of Maximilian II. His son, Rodolph II. who inherited, as has been observed, the pacific disposition of his father, succeeded him on the imperial throne in 1576; and, although more occupied about the heavens than the earth (being devoted both to astronomy and astrology, which he studied under the famous Tycho Brahe), the empire during his long reign enjoyed almost uninterrupted tranquillity. The equity of his administration compensated for its weakness. The chief disturbances which he met with proceeded from his brother Matthias, whom we have seen governor of the United Provinces. The Turks, as usual, had invaded Hungary; Matthias had been successful in opposing their progress; and a peace had been concluded, in 1606, with sultan Achmet, successor of Mahomet III, The Hungarians thus relieved, became jealous of their religious rights, conferred their crown upon Matthias, their deliverer, who granted them full liberty of conscience, with every other privilege which they could desire". Matthias afterwards became master of Austria and Moravia, on the 9. Dupleix. Mezeray. 11. Heiss, Hist, de L'Emp. liv. iii. chap. vii. 10. Letter LXVIII. same same conditions: and the emperor Rodolph, in order to avoid the horrors of civil war, confirmed to him those usurpations, together with the succession to the kingdom of Bohemia, where the Lutherian opinions had taken deep root'2. A. D. 1609. In proportion as the reformed religion gained ground in Hungary and Bohemia, the protestant princes of the empire became desirous of securing and extending their privileges; and their demands being refused, they entered into a new confederacy called the Evangelical Union. This association was opposed by another, formed to protect the ancient faith, under the name of the Catholic League. The succession to the duchies of Cleves and Juliers, roused to arms the heads of the two parties, who may be said to have slumbered since the peace of Passau. John William, duke of Cleves, Juliers, and Berg, having died without issue, several competitors arose for the succession, and the most powerful prepared to support their title by the sword. In order to prevent the evils which must have been occasioned by such violent contests, as well as to support his own authority, the emperor cited all the claimants to appear before him, within a certain time, to explain the nature of their several pretensions. Meanwhile he sequestered the fiefs in dispute, and sent his cousin Leopold, in quality of governor, to take possession of them, and to rule them in his name, till the right of inheritance should be settled. Alarmed at this step, John Sigismund, elector of Brandenburg, and the duke of Neuberg, two of the competitors, united against the emperor, whom they suspected of interested views; They were supported by the elector Palatine, and the other princes of the Evangelical Union, as the emperor was by the elector of Saxony, one of the claimants, and the princes of the Catholic League; and in or 12 Id. ibid. Barre, Hist. d'Allemagne, tom. ix, der |