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THE

HIBERNIAN MAGAZINE,

OR,

Compendium of Entertaining Knowledge,

For JANUARY,

1774.

Memoirs of the celebrated Duke de Sully.

TAXIMILIAN de BeMthune, baron de Rofny, and duke de Sully, was a marhal of France, and first minifter to Henry IV. He was born at Rofny in 1559, and died at his castle of Villebon, in Chartrain, Sept. 21, 1641, aged 82 years.

The military virtues of Sully, placed him upon an equality with the first captains of his age. Pofterity, nevertheless, feems to have forgot the warrior, to celebrate alone the statesman. He was the friend of Henry IV. and that title alone is fufficient to form his elo gium. "Some complain, faid that good king, and even I am myfelf fometimes among the number, that he is abrupt, impatient, and prone to contradiction. He is accufed of having an enterprizing fpirit, be ing opinionated and prefumptive, and of holding the opinions and conduct of others in contempt; January, 1774.

ambitious of advancing his fortune, and of obtaining wealth and honour. Now, though I am perfectly acquainted with fome of his defects, and am fometimes compelled to carry it with a high hand towards him, when I am out of temper, or he is vexed, and lets himfelf be hurried away by chimeras; I nevertheless cannot help loving him, I look over many of his foibles, efteem him, and avail myfelf of his fervices; as I am convinced he loves me perfonally, that he is interested in my welfare, and that he paffionately endeavours to promote the glory, honour, and grandeur of me and my kingdom. I alfo know that his heart is perfectly good, and that his genius is induftrious and fertile in expedients; that he is a great œconomist of my revenues, laborious and diligent, who endeavours to gain a knowledge of every thing, and to make himself capable of going

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through all business of ftate, whether in peace or war. He writes and fpeaks in an agreeable, pleafant ftyle, efpecially on military and ftate affairs, with both which he is perfealy acquainted. In a word, I must acknowledge, that notwithftanding his caprices, and the warmth of his temper, that no one affords me fo much confolation in all my difquietudes and unea finefs."

Perefixe, the hiftorian, fays of him: "He was a regular man, exact and œconomical, tenacious of his word, no way extravagant, or fond of pageantry, not inclined to make any fuperfluous expences; neither was he addicted to play or to women, but in every circumftance difplayed the minifter of ftate. He was moreover vigilant, industrious and expeditious, employing almost all his time in bufinefs, and very little in amufements. He had also the gift of penetrating things to their depth, and to trace the intricacies and windings of financiers, when they endeavour to delude the curfory obferver by art and chicane.

Sully had the glory of preparing the century of Lewis XIV. and of forming Colbert. If we compare the characters and talents of thefe two great men, one fhall find, fays an eloquent orator, that their judgment was extenfive and enlightened, that there was always a great nefs in their projects, and order and activity in the execution of them: But, perhaps, Sully feized better the entire mafs of government, Colbert penetrated farther into the minutia. The one poffeffed more of modern politics, which confifts in calculation: The other that polity of ancient legislators, who faw every thing in one great principle. Colbert's plan was a vaft complicated machine, where you muft inceffantly mount upon fresh wheels:

Sully's plan was as fimple and uniform as nature herself. The one created refources unknown to France, the other employed those refoures fhe had to the best advantage.

Colbert's reputation was more brilliant; that of Sully more folid. With regard to character, they both poffeffed great courage and vigour, without which neither much good or harm was ever done in a state; but the politics of the one breathed the aufterity of his manners; thofe of the other the luxury of the age he lived in. They were alike in one misfortune-that of being hated;-but the one was by the great-the other by the people. Colbert was reproached with being oppreffive, Sully with being haughty; but if they were both offenfive to individuals, they both loved their country In fine, if we examine their parallels, with the kings they ferved, we fhall find that Sully gave law to his mafter, and that Colbert received his from his fovereign; that the first was more the minister of the people, and the other the minifter of the king. In a word, to judge from the character of the two princes, we may conclude, that Sully owed fome of his glory to Henry IV. and that Lewis XIV. was beholden for much of his to Colbert...

Sully, after having paffed his youth in the fervice of arms, was raifed to the administration, and preferved, even at court, the ancient frugality of the camp, His table confifted feldom of more than ten covers, and none but the most fimple difhes were introduced. He was fometimes upbraided for his economy, when he conftantly replied in these words: "If the guests are wife, there is a fufficiency for them; if they are not, 1 can eafily difpenfe with their company."

He rofe every morning at four o'clock, winter and fummer. The

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two firft hours were employed in reading and expediting the memorials which were laid upon his dek; this he called "cleaning the tapis." At feven o'clock he repaired to the council, and paffed the remainder of the morning with the king, who gave him orders, refpecting the different objects of bunefs before him. At noon he dined. After dinner he gave a regular audience. Every one was there admitted. The ecclefiaftics, of each religion, were immediately heard. The country people, and other private perfons, who were fearful of approaching him, had their turn immediately after. Titles, fo far from taking the lead, were fure to be attended to the laft. He afterwards ufually employed himself till fupper time in bufinefs. As foon as it was ferved up, he ordered the doors to be shut, and laying afide all bufinefs, gave himself up entirely to the voluptuoufnefs of focial intercourse. He went to reft every night at ten o'clock; but when any unexpected event had interrupted the ufual courfe of his purfuits, he then by vigils recoved the loft time during the day. Such was the life he led during his whole adminiftration. Henry, upon many occafions, praised this indefatigable attention to bufinefs. One day, going to the arsenal where Sully refided, he asked where his minifter was; when the king was anfwered, he was writing in his cabinet; then turning towards two of his courtiers, he faid to

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fmiling, "Did not you imagine that I should have been told, that he was gone a hunting, or engaged with fome ladies?" Another time going to the arsenal about feven in the morning, he found Sully with bis fecretaries, employed at a table quite covered with letters and dispatches. "How long have you been here ?" said the king. "Since

three in the morning," replied Sully; when the king turning to Roquelaure, faid, "How much would you lead fuch a life for ?"

The great franknefs with which Sully fpoke to Henry IV. is known by all the world. In the time of the civil wars in 1591, Sully, at the head of the royaliits, had formed a fcheme of drawing off the duke of Maynne in the city of Mante. The chief of the league had already advanced, thinking he had certain intelligence in the place. Sully, who had prepared every thing for his reception, was defirous of acquainting the king with his plan of operations. This prince, impatient to appear on every fide where there was peril and laughter, flew to the city with only forty attendants. Sully being made acquainted with the king's rashness, went to him, and upbraided him feverely for his indifcretion, and not without reafon, for upon the arrival of the king the enemy retreated.

"So

When Henry IV. thought himfelf in peaceable poffeffion of his crown, the report of a revolt gave him much uneafinefs. He fent for Sully, and faid to him, " Well, Sir, in fpite of all your obstinacy, here we are at the eve of a war." much the better, Sire, he replied, as it can only be against the Spaniards." "No, it is against much nearer foes, fupported by all the Huguenots." "Against all the Huguenots! who has put this into your head? I will anfwer for a great number, who have no fuch intention, and as for the rest I know they dare not do it." Henry

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now turned towards the queen, faid to her, "Did not I tell you, my dear, that he would not believe a fyllable of it? He thinks that no one dare look at me without difpleafing me, and that it depends upon myself to give law to all the

world."

world." "That is very true, rejoined Sully, you may whenever you please: It is weaknefs to be intimidated by trifles; it appears by the memorial that has been prefented to you, that there are about ten or a dozen poor wretches, who have taken this phrenzy in their head. Egad, Sire, one would think that thele fellows mocked us, to endea. vour to induce us to march against them. Some needy fellow wants to raise fome hundred crowns-that is all." "You may fay what you please, but I muft either go, or you muft in two days, to regulate matters." "If you pleafe, Sire, let me go my own way, I fhall finish the matter without much noife or expence." "Faith, you are the moft headstrong man I ever met with-but let us hear your plan." "I I only require twenty archers, to give you a good account of the affair." 66 Agreed, but I expect you to be anfwerable for the event." This affair terminated as Sully had foretold.

Henry IV. in one of his moments of weakness, promised marriage to mademoiselle Entragues, his miftrefs. The king fhewed her to Sully, and asked his opinion. Sully displayed her in proper colours. "Is the man mad, or a fool ?" cried Henry. It is true, Sire, that I am a fool, and would to heaven that I were the only one in the kingdom." Notwithstanding this boldnefs of expreffion which Sully ufed towards the king, Henry did not efteem him the lefs; and this lively friendship between the monarch and the fubject, is one of the fineft fcenes that hiftory prefents us with, "My friend," faid the good king one day, "come and fee me; for there has fomething paffed in my breaft this morning, which makes me have occafion for you." Another time he wrote to him from Fontainbleau: "A domeftic mortification has ari

fep, which gives me the greatest anxiety I ever felt. Your prefence will be very dear to me, as you are the only one to whom I can open my heart, and from whofe counsel I receive any folace."

It gives one pleafure to follow fuch unfeigned friends in the midft of the festivity which the most tender familiarity can infpire. The king once faid in the queen's prefence even in bed, when Sully was prefent, "You think that Rofny flatters me; but you would think very differently, if you knew the great liberties he takes in telling me truths: He fometimes, indeed, puts me in a paffion; but I do not like him the worfe for that; on the contrary, I would think he did not love me, if he did not point out to me what he judged was for the glory and honour of my perfon, the improvement of my kingdom, and the profperity of my people, For, believe me, my dear, there is no perfon, let his judgment be ever fo penetrating, who does not fometimes err, and is not even guilty of the greatest mistakes, if not affisted by others; and thofe must be loyal. fervants, and intimate friends,"

"There is nothing," faid Sully, "fo difficult to defend one's felf against as the calumny of courtiers." This he thought he should experience in 1605. Several lords of the court, who defired nothing more than the destruction of a man, whom they found always oppofing their views, as they were feldom compatible with the interefts of the people, had planned his ruin. Libels, anonymous letters, fecret intelli. gence, were all called into play. Henry for the first time had fome fufpicion of Sully; and it is not af tonishing that it should arife in the breaft of a prince, who had experienced fo much ingratitude from mankind. However, finding that nothing which had been alledged

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