pursued at the beginning of his reign, adds: "I must acknowledge that although I had reason before to be satisfied with my own conduct, the eulogiums which novelty now drew upon me, gave me continual subject of uneasiness, in the fears with which I was impressed, that I did not merit them sufficiently. For, in short, and I am happy in an opportunity of observing this to you, my son, praise is a very delicate thing; it is far from an easy matter to restrain ourselves from being dazzled by it; much light is necessary to know how to discern truly those that flatter, from those that really admire us.

"But however obscure in this respect may be the intentions of our courtiers, there is a certain means of profiting by all they say to our advantage, and this means is no other than to examine ourselves very severely with reference to every word of praise bestowed on us. For when we hear any praise given which we are sure we do not deserve, we shall immediately consider it, according to the disposition of those by whom it is given. either as a malignant reproach for some defect, which we shall endeavour to correct, or as a secret exhortation to the acquisition of some virtue in which we feel that we are defective."

Nothing more delicate, or more discerning, was ever said upon the subject of flatterers; a man who could so justly appreciate the value of praise undoubtedly well deserved to be praised. This passage is particularly remarkable from a certain resemblance it bears to many of the precepts in Telemachus. At this illustrious period reason inspired the prince and the subject with the same Language.

The following passage, written entirely by the hand of Louis, is not one of the least fine in the Memoirs. "It is

not only in important negociations that princes ought to be cautious what they say, the same caution ought to be

observed in the most common, in the most familiar conversation. This is undoubtedly a painful restraint, but it is absolutely necessary that persons of our condition should never say any thing lightly. We must by no means entertain the idea that a sovereign, because he has authority to do every thing, has also a licence to say every thing; on the contrary, the greater, and the more respected he is, the more circumspect ought he to be. Things which would be nothing in the mouth of a private man, often become important in that of a prince. The least mark of contempt shewn by him to any individual, inflicts on the heart of that man an incurable wound. A man can console himself for any keen raillery, even for words of contempt aimed at him by others, either in the idea that he shall soon have an opportunity of returning them in kind, or by persuading himself that what has been said did not make the same impression upon others who heard it, as upon himself. But he to whom the sovereign should have spoken in such a strain, feels the affront with so much the more impatience because he sees no hope of redress. It is true that he may speak ill of the prince from whom he has received the offence, but he can only say it in secret when it will not be heard by the offender, and that takes of all the sweets of vengeance. Neither can he flatter himself that what was said was either not heard, or not approved, because he knows with what ap plause every thing that comes from persons invested with authority is received."

The generosity of these sentiments is no less affecting than it is admirable. A monarch who could give such lessons to his son had undoubtedly the true heart of a king; he was worthy to command a people whose first blessing is honour.

The piece given in this collection entitled, On the trade of a King, had been cited in the age of Louis XIV. "It

is a testimony to posterity;" said Voltaire, "in favour of uprightness and magnanimity of soul." We are sorry that the Editor of the Memoirs, who, for the rest, seems full of candour and modesty, gave this piece such a title : On the trade of a King. Louis made use of this expression in the course of his Recollections, but it is not probable that he meant to employ it as a title; it seems indeed more probable that he would have corrected the expression if he could have foreseen that what he wrote was one day to be made public. Royalty is not a trade, it is a character; the anointed of the Lord is not an actor who plays a part, he is a magistrate who fills a function; people do not practise the trade of a king as they do that of a mounte bank. Louis XIV, in a moment of disgust, thinking of nothing but the fatigues of royalty, might call it a trade, and found it perhaps a very painful trade; but let us be cautious not to take the word in too literal a sense. This would be to teach mankind that every thing here below is a trade, that we in this world are all but a sort of empirics, mounted on stages, to sell our merchandise to any dupe whom we can persuade to buy it. Such a view of society would lead to very fatal consequences.

Voltaire has besides cited the Instructions to Philip V, but retrenching the first articles. It is distressing to find this great man, so distinguished in the literary history of the last century, often acting a part little worthy of an honest mind, and superior genius. We shall easily perceive why the historian of Louis XIV, omitted the articles alluded to. They are as follow.

1. Never fail in any of your duties, especially towards God.

2. Preserve, always, all the purity in which you were educated.

3. Cause God to be honoured wherever you have any power; promote his glory; be yourself the first to set an

example of glorifying him, it is one of the greatest goods that a king can do.

4. Declare yourself always on the side of virtue, against vice.

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Saint Louis, dying, exsended upon his bed of ashes before the ruins of Carthage, gave nearly the same advice to his son : My son-in-law, the first thing that I teach and command thee to observe is, that thou love God with all thy heart, and take care not to do any thing which may displease him. If God should send thee adversity receive it with submission and return him thanks for it; if he give thee prosperity thank him also very humbly, for we ought not to make war with God for the gifts which he bestows upon us. Cherish mildness of heart, and compassion for the poor, and do not oppress thy people with too heavy taxes and subsidies. Fly the company of the wicked."

We are pleased to see two of our greatest princes, at two epochs, so remote from each other deliver to their sons like principles of religion and justice. If the language of Joinville, and that of Racine did not instruct us that an interval of four centuries separated the reign of Saint Louis from that of Louis XIV we might believe the instruction to be of the same age. While every thing is constantly changing in the world, it is delightful to see that royal bosoms guard incorruptibly the sacred deposits of truth and virtue.

One of the things which fascinates us the most in these memoirs is, that we find Louis XIV often confessing his faults to his son. "People" says he, "attack the heart of a king, as they attack a strong place; their first care is to seize on all the posts by which it may be approached. A clever woman applies herself in the first place to keeping at a distance every thing which is not attached to her interests; she excites suspicion in one, ૨૧

disgust in another, till at length she and her friends may obtain a favourable hearing, and if we are not on our guard against these practices, we must, to please her alone, displease every one else.

"From the moment a woman is permitted to talk with us upon affairs of importance, it is impossible that she should not make us fall into errors. The tenderness we have for her gives a relish to her false reasonings and inclines us insensibly towards the side she takes, while her natural weakness making her generally prefer the interest excited by trifles, to more solid considerations, occasions her almost always to take the wrong side. Women are eloquent in their expressions, urgent in their intreaties, obstinate in their sentiments, and all this is often occasioned solely by having taken an aversion to some one which they seek to gratify, or from having made some promise, lightly, by which they are embarrassed."

This page is written with singular elegance; if the hand of Racine is any where to be discovered it is here. But, shall we venture to say it, such a knowledge of women proves that the monarch, in making his confession, was not cured of his weakness. The ancients said of certain priests of the Gods; Many carry the thyrsis, but few are inspired, and thus it is with the passion by which Louis XIV was subdued, many affect it but few feel it; yet when it is truly felt no one can mistake the inspiration of its language.

For the rest, Louis XIV had in the end learnt to know the just value of those attachments which pleasure forms and destroys. He saw the tears of Madame de La Vallière flow, and he was obliged to support the cries and reproaches of Madame de Montespan. The sister of the celebrated Count de Lautrec, abandoned by Francis I, did not suffer herself to be carried away thus by useless complaints. The king having ordered the jewels,