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the empire to the brink of ruin. Gafton, duke of Orleans, 

 in his retreat, with the duke of Lorraine, whofe filter he 

 had married for his fecond wife, plotted to excite a civil 

 war for the expnlfion of Richelieu, and his own return to 

 confequence. His intrigues were difcovered, and all his 

 partisans were declared guilty of treafon. The duke of 

 Lorraine was compelled to abandon liiai, and incurred the 

 lofs of fome of his Itrongcit places. Gallon entered France 

 with a fmall body of troops, accompanied by the brave 

 duke of Montmorenci, but was defeated at Caftelnaudari. 

 Montmorenci was taken prifoner, and expiated his crime on 

 the fcaffold. The queen-mother herlelf was put under 

 arrelt, her fervants were all fent to the Baltille, and (lie 

 finally ended her days in exile at Cologne. The king fup- 

 ported his minifter in all thele feverities, created him a duke 

 and peer, and gave him the government of Brittany. 



France had hitherto atted only as an ally to the Swedes 

 in their hollilities againit the houfe of Aultria ; but after their 

 defeat at Norlingen in 1634, the cardinal thought it ncccl- 

 fary to enter as a principal into the war ; and forming an 

 alliance with Holland, and the dukes of Savoy and Parma, 

 he caufed war to be declared againil the king of Spain in 

 1635. Events were at firlt unfavourable to the French 

 arms, but at length became more profperous to France, and 

 the enemy was driven from her territories ; the public finances 

 were, however, exhaulted, and recourfe was had to the 

 creation of a great number of venal offices, and other objec- 

 tionable meafures, to raife the necellary lupplies. The 

 talents of a financier do not feem to have been among Riche- 

 lieu's qualifications, and he himfelf gave an example of 

 profufion which increafed the public difcontent. No prime 

 minifter ever affect ed more ftate and fplendour. The daily 

 cxpence of his houlehold was cltimated at a thoufand crowns, 

 a prodigious fum at that period ! His guards and attendants, 

 his equipage and eltablilhment, were rather upon the fcale 

 of a fovcreign prince than of a fubjedt, and he much furpailed 

 his mailer in external pomp. Lewis betrayed a diffatisfa&ion 

 on this account, which probably induced Richelieu to make 

 him a prefent of his palace, fince called the Palais Royal. 

 He incurred great perfonal danger in 1642, from a confpi- 

 racy againit his power and life, headed by Cingmars. (See 

 his article.) Tie- duke of Bouillon, and the duke of Orleans, 

 entered into the plot, and negociations were opened with 

 Spain tor affiftance. The good fortune of Richelieu produced 

 a timely difcovery of this treafon, and Cingmars was be- 

 headed. The duke of Bouillon was arretted, but made his 

 peace by refigning his principality of Sedan. Galton fur- 

 mlhcd proofs againil his aflociates. The victim molt worthy 

 of compafiion on this occafion was the fon of the illuitrious 

 de Thou, who was capitally condemned only for not revealing 

 a confpiracy which lie disapproved. Richelieu was at this 

 time lying dangeroufly lick at Tarafcon. He proceeded to 

 Lyons by water, and was thence carried to Paris in a kind of 

 chamber, borne on the moulders of his guards, breaches being 

 made in the walls of the towns through which he palled to 

 admit him. It foon appeared that he had not long to live, and 

 he prepared tor the final change with great liniin 1 . In 

 receiving tlte tacrament he declared, that in the courfc of his 

 minillry, he had never any thing in view but the good of 

 religion and the ttate — a declaration which the public opinion 

 did not ratify. He died in December 1642, at the age of 

 58, worn out with toil and anxietv ; but he terminated his 

 career with fortitude and ferenity, that afloniflied thole who 

 had beheld the fanguinary effects of his adminiftration. 

 Three mighty and luccefsful projects immortalise tile period 

 of his government. He humbled the turbulent fpirits of 

 the great, he fubdued the Itubborti zeal of the Hugouot ;, 



and he curbed the encroaching power of the houfe of Auf- 

 tria. Undaunted and implacable, prudent and active, no 

 combinations of the powerful nobles could withltand his 

 vengeance ; no intrigues could elude his penetration ; while 

 he exalted the throne, he controlled a fovereign impatient to 

 rule, and jealous of his authority ; and while he extinguiflied 

 the liberties of the people, he euabliflied among them dif- 

 cipline and order, and opened to them the paths to learning 

 and renown. His own account of his public character is 

 this : " I venture upon nothing till I have well confidered it ; 

 but when once I have taken my refolution, I go directly to 

 my end ; I overthrow and mow down all that (lands in my 

 way, and then cover the whole witli my red mantle." He 

 was fonder of power than money, yet he amafl'ed a princely 

 fortune, which he bequeathed to the king. He was the 

 author of fome fplcndid eftablifhments 5 he rebuilt the 

 Sorbonne, founded the royal printing-houfe, the botanical 

 garden, and the French academy. As a writer, he obtained 

 fome credit in the controverfy with the opponents of 

 the Catholic church ; the molt famous of his fuppofed 

 works is, his " Teitament Politique," the authenticity of 

 which has been the fubjedt of warm controverfy .The letters 

 of Richelieu are faid to be interefting, of whicli the belt 

 edition is that of 1696, in two vols. i2mo. Gen. Biog. 

 Hift. of France, three vols. 8vo. 1790. 



Richelieu, in Geography, a town of France, in the de- 

 partment of the Indre and Loire, and chief place of a 

 canton, in the diftridt of Chinon ; 1 1 miles S. of Chinon ; 

 deriving its name from cardinal Richelieu, its founder. The 

 place contains 3600, and the canton 12,^25 inhabitants, on 

 a territory of 320 kiliometres, in 21 communes. 



Richelieu, a river of Canada, iffuing from lake Cham- 

 plain, and firft called " Chamblce," whicli name was 

 changed by the French into Richelieu at fort Chamblee, 

 and difcharging itfelf intp the river St. Lawrence, N. lat. 

 46 i'. W. long. 72 56'. 



Richelieu Ijlands, a cluiter of fmall iflands in the 

 river St. Lawrence, about 100 in number, 36 miles above 

 Trois Rivieres. N. lat. 46°22'. W. long. 71 7'. 



RICHEMONT, a town of France, in the department 

 of the Motelle, on the Orne ; 10 miles S. of Thionville. 



RICHENBURG, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of 

 Clirudim ; 10 miles S.E. of Chrudim. 



RICHENVEIR, a town of France, in the depart- 

 ment of the Upper Rhine ; fix miles N.N.W. of Colmar. 



RICHER, John, in Biography, a French aftronomer 

 and natural philofopher in the 17th century, of whom 

 little is known, till he was admitted a member of the Royal 

 Academy of Sciences at Paris in the year 1666, under the 

 title of altronomer to that body. About 1671, Lewis XIV. 

 fent him to the ifland of Cayenne 111 South America, for 

 the purpofe of making obfervations that might contribute 

 to the improvement of aftronomical fcience. After three 

 years lie returned, and gave the refult of his labours in his 



" Aftronomical and Phyfical Obfervations made at the 

 Ifland oft' ," which are inferted in the feventh volume 



of the " Memoirs" of tie- Academj 1 Cafiini 



fpcaks of him with commendation in his " Elements "I 

 Aftronomy." He died in the year 1696. 



Richer, Clai dj , a learned prieft and mathematician 



in the iStli century, was born at Auxcrrc in the year 1680. 



I [e was 1, iieu. ted for the ecclefiaftical profeffion when 

 very young fent to Paris fo cation. Here 



he diitinguifhed himfeli in 1701, when only arrived to the 

 years of manhood, by a work t hich li • publifhed, entitled 

 " Univerfal Gnomomcs, or the Science of Dialling," &c. 

 After this he wa-. ordained j 1 k ll, and remained about ten 



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