against a declared enemy, I ftrictly obey the orders of the great king my mafter, only following my own judgment, as circumftances I have the honour to be, To the Authors of the BRITISH MAGAZINE. GENTLEMEN, Never was a man that troubled myfelf much about politics; my favourite fong is, What care I' for affairs of State, Many a pleasant night have I in- them. Now, Sir, is it not very hard that I fhould be torn from my beloved apathy, and my ears diftra&ted, wherever I go to spend an evening, with the repeated din, and eternal clangor of this peace, and that war; of the uncultivated defarts of Canada, and the ceffion of the Sugarinlands. I intend, forthwith, to difcharge my hoemaker, who has kept me in the focks this fortnight. I get him the other night: and pray Mr. Double-Channel, fays I, when am I to have my pumps fent home ?Dear me, Sir, replied he, this con, founded peace is to cobbled up, that I have not had time or opportu nity to cut out leather for my men ; and if I had, my foreman is chairman at a great club who fit till break of day to heel-tap the nation; which, they say, is also run out at the toes; my very men complain of the leather, and fwear the grain works fo cross-In short, continued he, this peace has fo raised the price of leather, and fo difconcerted my workmen, that I have a mind to retire to my boarded box at Hackney, and leave the kingdom to themselves. It is but just now Mr. Foretop, my peruke-maker, left a wig for me; and would you think, this peace, Sir, has fo confounded his memory, that he left me a fine major, juft bespoke by my neighbour, a rich brewer. A worse mistake than this happened to John Trimmit, the taylor, who left a Quaker's new plain fuit with Beau Fly, and the Beau's rich laced frock with the old gentleman; for which he has loft both their work. Our church clock has been out of order this fortnight; and if we complain about it, the peace is thrown in our teeth, as if the hame mer depended upon the wheels of state. Will. Sugar, the grocer, went boue, the other night, and broke his wife's china, when he heard that we had given up Guadeloupe, and has actually debarred her from drinking any more tea, till our last India affairs are better settled. In fine, Sir, I begin to fear for Old Bedlam, left the prefent inhabitants should be turned out to make room for our tradefinen. Nay, the infection has touched some of the women; for a pawnbroker's wife vowed in my hearing, that Mr. Three-balls fhould never fign his hand to any more city fubfcriptions; and Mrs. Rufhlight, the tallow-chandler's lady, has forbid her spouse, on peril of her displeafure, to vifit the Royal Exchange; nay, my fishmonger's bill, which I pay off weekly, has raifed fifteen thillings extra in the article of foals, and all owing to this peace this peace-this peace. Tom Whet, who, by temperance, had almost got the better of a pally in his head, has redoubled his diforder, by the continual fhaking of his cupola, about this terrible monofyllable; and Grace the baker, has not only spoiled feveral batches of bread, but burnt his cuftomer's victuals for this fortnight paft. I went the other day to my ftationer's for a new day-book and ledger, when the poor man, on my afking how he did, fell into fuch convulfive fhrugs, and distortions of the muscles, that I apprehended he was going into fits, and called his wife; but he ftopt me fhort, faying, he was very well-- only this wretched peace. The hawker, who ferves me with your Magazine, and the Dailypapets, laments forely, that he fhould be thortly obliged to go up three pair of stairs with his wife and children, upon account of this devilish peace. I fhall be obliged to any of your correfpondents, either among the phyfical, or political gentlemen, if they will prefcribe fomething for this dangerous contagion, which will in a fhort time extend itfelf all over the country, as it has already taken fuch head in the metropolis. I am, Gentlemen, yours, &c. JACK INDIFFERENT. COMPENDIOUS HISTORY OF FRANCE. [Continued.] Twas now HE emperor's difpofition was now fo well known, that the Pope thought he might avail himself of it. Pafchal 1. was then feated in the papal-chair; he had caufed himself to be crowned, with out waiting for Lewis's confirmation, which he had excufed, by throwing the blame upon the clergy and people; and he had obtained, or at least this is afferted, an ex tenfion of the charters of Pepin and Charlemagne, which have made a great noife in the world, but are fulpected in feveral claufes by moft, and believed to be all a forgery by many. This pontiff thought he might take any liberties under fo good a prince, and, in this perfuafion, did many things that occafioned loud complaints. Lewis, hearing thefe murmurs, directed his fon Lothaire re Lothaire to go to Rome, to inquire into the causes of thefe diforders, and to rectify what was amifs. Lothaire, in obedience to his father's commands, went thither, and, after proper inquiry, made a decree in virtue of his imperial dignity, by which many grievances were moved, and all diforders appeafed. The Pope fhewed him great refpect, crowned him with his own 'hands, and teftified great fatisfaction in his prefence. In a fhort time, however, after his departure, two noble Romans, Theodorus and Leo, who had diftinguifhed themfelves by their adherence to the young emperor, were feized, their eyes put out, and at length they were beheaded in the patriarchal palace of Lateran. This alarmed the emperor exceedingly, who fent an abbot and a nobleman, his commiffaries, to Rome, in order to make a ftrict inquifition into this affair. The Pope made a ftrange apology; he infifted that the execution was done without his privity; but at the fame time declared those great men had fuffered juftly. He went farther, and, in imitation of his predeceffor Pope Leo, purged himself by oath, and procured thirty-four bishops to fwear with him; which, with the excufes made by his ambaffadors, induced the emperor, through an excefs of good-nature, fays the French hiftorian, to reft fatisfied. However, he was speedily called to anfwer at another tribunal, which was not to be impofed upon; and, on his demife, Eugenius II. was elected, but with so much diforder, that Lothaire made another journey to Rome, where, with fovereign authority, he examined into and corrected many errors in the adminiftration, occafioned by the avarice, pride, and private refentments of the Popes: having, by a new decree, confisting of nine articles, restored the public tranquility, he took an oath of the Romans, not to proceed to the coronation of any future Pope, till confirmed by the emperor, and left also an imperial judge at Rome, to prevent things from running again into confufion, promifing that, in cafe he was threatened or corrupted, to fend commiffaries to hear appeals in the last resort. While his fons were thus employed in Italy, the emperor adminiftered affairs at home, with equal facility and dignity. The Wilfes, a tribe of the numerous nation of the Sclavonians, to prevent a civil war, defired Lewis to hear and determine the caufe between two brothers, who both claimed to be their king. The elder had been depofed, but had ftill a party; the younger had the good graces of the people in general. Both appeared before the emperor, and faid what they could in fupport of their respective titles: Lewis decreed in favour of the latter, but affigned a revenue, and an honourable establishment, to the former, with which he was fatisfied. He restored Heriolt to his fhare of the kingdom of Denmark, caufed him to be baptized, and fent Ebbo, archbishop of Rheims, into Denmark, to convert his fubjects: these his endeavours might have been very fuccessful, if it had not been for the imprudence of this prince, on whom he chiefly relied for fupport. The emperor also chaftifed the Bretons, and entered their country with three armies, commanded by himself, 824 1 himself, and his fons Pepin and Lewis, kings of Aquitaine and Bavaria. On the fide of Spain, indeed, his forces had received a check from the Gafcons, which gave him fome uneafinefs; but this was foon removed by the joy he felt on the birth of his fon Charles. It was preceded by an earthquake, which was interpreted as an omen of the misfortune that had happened in Spain, but was afterwards applied to this event, with equal reafon indeed, as having no reference to either. But it was the failing of this monarch to be ftrangely affected by whatever happened out of the ordinary courfe of things; eclipfes, inundations, famines, were all prodigies alike to him; and the memoirs of his reign were compofed by one who, because he held that poft in the court of this emperor, is known to pofterity by no other title than that of the aftronomer. At the affembly held in the fpring at Aix la Chapelle, Viomarque, who had been at the head of the rebellion in Bretagne, came with the principal lords of that country to pay their refpects to the emperor, and to give him the ftrongeft affurances of their fubmiffion and fidelity. Lewis, with his ufual goodnature, received them with great affability and kindness, and difimiffed them, more efpecially Viomarque, with rich prefents. They were no fooner returned into their own country, than the rebellion broke out afresh, and Viomarque particularly, made an inroad into France, in which his troops committed the greatest exceffes; but count Lambert, who commanded on the frontier, took his opportunity in the winter, by a quick march, January, 1753. and with a choice body of troops, and having invefted him in his houfe, after an obftinate refistance, cut him and his adherents in pieces. Things did not go 826 fo well in Catalonia, where, through fome mifmanagement, the Moors made a great impreffion; and foon after happened that revolt in Navarre, which, as we have fhewn in its proper place, gave rise to that kingdom. Things had gone ftill worfe, if Bernard, lately advanced to the honour of count of Barcelona, had not been more able, or at leaft more fortunate, in repelling the enemy; but the force he commanded was fo fmall, that preferving this city was all in his power. In the North new disturbances broke out; in confequence of which, Heriolt was again driven out of his kingdom. The Saracens made themfelves mafters of the ifland of Sicilly; upon which the people of Naples, perceiving it in vain to expect any fuccours from Conftantinople, would have put themfelves under the protection of Lewis, if the circumftances of his affairs had permitted him to have given them relief. But things were fo ill managed by Lothaire and Pepin, on the fide of Spain, that it was entirely impracticable: yet count Boniface, who commanded in Corfica, affembled a good fleet, and with a confiderable body of troops on board, made a defcent in Africa, where he defeated the Moors feveral times. This diftracted the enemy, and raised the reputation of the French arms, which in that conjuncture was of the ut moft confequence. By this feries of difafters, the enemies of the emperor's govern F ment ment obtained an opportunity of first disturbing, and next fubverting it. The emprefs Judith had gained a great afcendency over her hufband, which the employed in perfuading him to place her fon on a level with his brethren. In this the difficulty was great, as the emperor had already fettled the fucceflion to all his dominions. Aquitaine and Bavaria were finall kingdoms, out of which, therefore, nothing could be taken; fo that, whatever his share was to be, must be detached from that of Lothaire. The emprefs employed her addrefs fo effectually, that the engaged Lothaire to confent, and even to promife, with an oath, that in cafe the emperor died while Charles was under age, he would undertake the care of him and his affairs, as his guardian and protector. But the protector having removed many from their employments, on account of the late difafters, they breathed every-where a fpirit of difcontent, and, by degrees, the complaints on every fide became fo general, and fo loud, that the emperor appointed commiffioners to inquire into the errors of his own government; their title in Latin was, Missi Dominici, and Walla was at the head of them: he had a great reputation for prudence and fanctity, and he made a very ample report in a general affembly, in which he not only treated the minifters, but the emperor himself, with great freedom. Upon this feveral fresh changes enfued, and four great councils were held for the reformation of the clergy. But the emprefs, through all thefe mifts of religion and public fpirit, faw clearly that the emperor's, or at leaft her, ruin was intended: of this fhe made Lewis fo fenfible, that he fent Walla back to his convent, and after much deliberation, fent for Bernard, count of Barcelona, whofe fifter, before he became a monk, Walla had efponfed, and intrufted him with the chief management of affairs. He was indeed the fittest man he could have employed: he had great fagacity, much firmnefs, and having once embarked in any defign, purfued it without looking back. It happened unluckily, that the pott beftowed upop him in the court was that of lord-chamberlain, by which having frequent admiffion to the emprefs, and being a very handsome, and withal a very gallant man, this gave a new topic to the malecontents; who, feeing all their plots in danger of being unravelled, boldly gave out, that he was too familiar with that princefs, and, as fuch reports easily gain credit, this was fpeedily and generally believed. Count Bernard, not in the leaft moved with thefe rumours, or intimidated with the intrigues of the ecclefiaftics, planned a new kingdom for Charles, which would have rendered him a powerful fovereign. It was to confift of fo much of Germany as lies within the, Danube, the Maine, the Neckar, and the Rhine; to which were added Rhetia, or the country of the Grifons, and that part of the kingdom of Burgundy which comprehended the diftrict of Geneva, and the Swiss cantons. [To be continued.] |