202 
notice of it will be neceffary, than its 
great intereft would have induced me to 
make. 
Notwithftanding the title of this cu- 
rious tract, it contains an account of all 
the moft important tranfactions of this 
turbulent reign, and of the caufes which 
ultimately produced the ruin ef the ill- 
fated and amiable Richard, as well as 
entertaining details of the manners* and. 
leading characters of the times. 
M. Gailliard, the learned editor of this 
tract, notices fome coincidences attendant 
on this unfortunate monarch, too remark- 
able to be pafled by. 
Richard the Second; fon to the Black 
Prince, and grandfon to Edward the 
Third, was the cotemporary of Charles 
the Sixth of France, and as much the 
friend of that monarch, as his father and 
his uncles had been the enemies of his 
predeceflors. Thefe two kings were of 
_the fame age; both began to reign in 
their infancy, and both were under the 
guardianfhip of three paternal uncles, 
equally ambitious and ill-difpofed. ; 
Fate feems to have given te the three 
uncles of the King of England the fame 
diftinguifhing lines of character, which 
marked the uncles of the King of France ; 
and thefe even happened in the very or- 
der of the princes of both nations. ‘The 
Duke of Lancafter, Regent of England, 
poffefied all the haughtinefs, ambition, 
and avarice of the Duke of Anjou, Re- 
gent of France; the Duke of York, in 
effemmacy and indolence clofely refem- 
bled the Duke of Berri; and the Duke 
of Gloucefter bore equal fimilarity io the 
Duke of Burgundy in turbulence and au- 
dacity. 
Although Richard was two years older 
than Charles, he married his daughter 
Tfabella, whofe tender youth prevented the 
confummation of the marriage; but fhe was 
educated in England, where the prefence 
of a French Princefs was particularly of- 
fenfive to the eyes of the nation. 
It is remarkable, obferves -M. Gail- 
liard, that all the Kings of England who 
have efpoufed Princefies of France, have 
een hated by their fubjeS%s, and their 
reigns come to an unfortunate end: wit- 
nels Edward the Second, Richard the Se- 
cond, ‘Henry the Sixth,-and Charles the 
Firft. This is not one of thofe fingular 
events, in hiftory, which we are at a lofs 
to explain; an obvious caufe readily oc- 
curs. It may be attributed to the rival- 
.fhip and national animofity between the 
two countries; to the difference of con- 
- {titution, manners, principles of govern: 
Manuferipts relating to Englifh Hiftory 
f April 1, 
ment ; and, whether well-founded or not, 
to a contmual apprehenfion, left a French 
Princefs fhould in{pire a King of England 
with the defiie. and furnish him with the 
means, of becoming abfolute. 
In the prefent inffiance, however, there 
could be no ground for alarm. Jfabel had 
quitted France in her fixth year, and had 
not attained her tenth on the death of her roy- 
alhufband: but all the Kings of England, 
who have ever cultivated the friendihip of 
Kings of France, have either been ac- 
cufed or fufpeéted of a defien to render 
themfelves deipotic by the affiftance of the 
latter. The attachment of Charles the 
Second and his brother James, to Louis 
the Fourteenth, although they had not 
married Princefies of France, was fuff- 
cient to expofe the former to continued 
oppofition, and contributed greatly to de- 
prive the latter of his crown. 
Henry the Fifth is the only exception to 
this remark which hiftory afiords ; and he 
took advantage of his marriage to oppre/s 
and invade France, which flattered the 
ruling paffion of the Englifh, who did not 
fee, that, in gracing him with the title 
of Conqueror, they rendered him much 
more abfolute than if his conguefis had 
never been made. 
It is by no means an eafy tafk to draw 
the character of Richard. He has been 
much more harfhly treated by hiftorians 
than he deferves: fome have defcribed 
him as a weak and fickle prince; but 
might not this imputed weakue/s be little 
more than indulging too warmly in the 
moft amiable of all propenfities—a deli- 
cate, yet unbounded, friendfhip ; which, 
however, expofed him to the charge of 
being furrounded with court minions? 
And the complaint of ficklene/s refts prin- 
cipally upon a fuppofed readinefs with 
which he facrificed his favourites to the 
refentment of the parliament; but this 
only fhews how anxious he was to conci- 
liate and poffefs the good opinion of his 
fubjeGs. Befides an inconfiftency in thiefe 
charges, there are too fhining pericds in 
the life of Richard, which ftrongly nega- 
tive the exiftence of either, by any means 
to the extent in which he is accufed. The 
firft is the fuppreflion of Wat Tyler’s In- 
farrection at the age of fixteen; and the 
fecond is, the afluming the reins of fo- 
vereignty, openly before the parliament, at 
the age of twenty-one... 
M. Gailliard, however, feems to coin- 
cide in opinion with the majority of hifto- 
rians ; and thinks that thereft of Richard’s 
life anfwered too little to the two brilliant 
moments I have mentioned. 
The 
