Retrofpec? of French Literature,—IM feellanies. 
fingular that I fhould have made ute of 
him, whenit is mentioned that his rogueries 
were known to me even then; but I was 
not ignorant, at the fame time, that he 
' ~pofleffzd talents, together with an exten- 
five knowledge of domeftic affairs, which 
made me fuppofe that, provided he would 
acknowledge his patt faults, and promife 
me to correét them, he could render me 
effential fervice. However, that I might 
act with greater fafety, I made Colbert* 
comptroller of the finances, a man in 
whom I had all imaginable confidence, 
becaufe E knew that hé pofleffed much ap- 
plication, intelligence, and probity. 
“« J have learned fince, that the choice 
of thefé three minifters has been different- 
dy confidered by the public, according to 
the different interelts by which it has been 
actuated: but in order to determine whe- 
ther I could have dene more wilely, it is 
neceflary. to pafs fuch other men in re- 
view as J might have recurred to. The 
chancellor¢ was in truth very able, but 
he was more eminent for his {kill in the 
bufinefs of the law, than in fiate-affairs. 
“I knew him, indeed, to be much attached 
to my fervice, yet he poffefled the repu- 
tation, at the fame time, of not exhibit- 
ing a neceflary degree of firmnefs: in ad- 
dition to this, the infirmities of age, 
and the continual occupation of fo great 
a truft, might have rendered him lefs 
afliduous, and alfoJefs calculated to have 
foilowed me to wherefoever the neceflities 
of the fiate might have demanded my at- 
tention. . 
«© The Count de Brienne, fecretary of 
fiate, and to whom the foreign department 
had been intrufed, was old, prefumed 
much on his own knowledge, and in ge- 
neral neiiher contemplated bufinefs ac- 
cording to my ideas, or thofe of any man 
of commop fenfe. His fon, who poffefled 
the revetfion of his place, had good in- 
tentions; but he was ftill fo young that, 
inflead of taking his epinion relative to 
my other concerns, I could not even con- 
fide toa him the exercife of his own func- 
tions, the greater part of which were car- 
ricd on under the infpeéticn of Lionne. 
The two other fecretaries of. ftate, La 
Vrilliere and Dupleflis, were good fort of 
people enough, and their knowledge ap- 
peared fully equal to the exercile ot their 
* Jean. Baptifte Colbert, Marquis de Seig- 
melai, was bora at Paris in 1619, ; 
+ Pierre Séguier, the chancellor, was then 
more than 72 years of age, notwithftanding 
which he lived until 1672. 
Montu.y Mac., No, 145. 
\ 
633 
refpective offices, which had not any 
thing very important annexed to them. 
‘* J night, indeed, have caft my eyes: 
on perfuus of {till higher confideratiog 5 
but the three minifters I had chofen ap. 
peared to me to be fuilicient to execute 
whatfoever. I chofe to entrult them with, 
under my own immediate diregtion. And, 
to tell you the truth, Idid not confider, 
if in exact conformity with my interett. 
to fearch for men of higher rack, becaufe 
deeming it proper, above all things, to 
eftablifh my own reputation, it becanie, 
important that the public fhould know by 
a reference to thofe to whofe aid I recur. 
red, that I did nor intend to divide my 
authority with them; while they them. 
felyes, fully concious of what they were, 
might not conceive any higher hopes than 
fuch as I wifhed to infpire them .withs 
This was a receflary precaution, and, 
notwithftanding I adopted it, the world 
was a confiderable time without being able 
tocevelope my character,’ 
_ After this account of his minilters, 
Louis endeavours to make his fon acquaint. 
ed with himfelf. He begins by obferving 
that he was uniform in his proceedings, 
and that he always followed the fame 
mode of doing bufinefs. Above all things. 
he became defirous of knowing the withes 
and the complaints of the meanef of his 
fubjeéts, the number of his troops, and 
the condition of his fortifications. He 
himfelf treated immiediately with foreign 
minifters, received difpatches, wrote pare 
of the anfwers with his own hand, and 
communicated the fubitance of the re& 
to his fecretaiies. He himfelf,, allo, dif- 
tributed favours, preferved all authority 
in his own power, and teok care that no 
one fhould be able to overtop him, by any 
{pecies of pre-eminence whatfoever. His 
Majeliy remarks, that his condu& in re- 
fpest to thele particulars began early in 
life to make a proper impreffion on. the 
public ; and he obferves, with gteat truth, 
that nothing is produtiive of fuch great 
effects as_the good or bad reputation of 
princes. Hence he infers, that the opi- 
nion then formed of him contributed ngt 
a'jittle to the fuccefs of thofe plane after- 
wards undertaken in his name, 
«¢ But it is neceflary I thould frankly 
avow to you,’’ adds the monarch, ¢ that 
notwithftanding I hada right to be 
content with, my own conduct, the eu- 
logiums which the novelty of my pro- 
ceedings drew forth imfufed into me a 
continual uneabwefs, arifing out of the 
fear that IT had not f{pfficieutly merited 
4M them, 
