Retrofpe of French Literature. —Mif. ellanies. 
who wifhes to bequeath a durable tran- 
quillity to his people and his fuceeffor, 
cannot too carefully reprefs this tumul- 
tvous audacity. 
« Bu (adds his Majefty) I have too 
long dweit on a reflection, which, im 
refpect ro yourfelf, feems to be ufelefs, 
and which indeed car only ferve ‘o point 
our the mif-ry cf your zeeghbours* : for 
itis bvious, that tr rfp &to the ftare 
where you Bt deftined to reign after me,’ 
you cn find no authority that will not 
deem it an nonour to look up tu you both 
for its origin and chara&ter ; no public 
bi dy the fuffrages of which dare to pre- 
{cribe ary terms fhort of refpect ; no af- 
fociation of men which does not think it- 
felf obliged to place its prim ipal gran- 
deur inthe good of your fervice, and its 
only (afety in an humble fubmiffi:n.’ 
The munificence of Louis le Grand was 
the theme o' a former age, and it will de 
here {een bh iw and forwhat vurpofes it was 
occafignally d@played. After tating that 
he had preievted the King of Poland with 
a confiderable-fum, to enble his Majcfly 
to carry on the war againit his revolted 
fubjeéts, and heftowed penfions on feve- 
ral of the nobies ot hat country, for the 
expte!s purpofe of facilitating the execa- 
tion of thofe projects which he had con- 
ceived relative to the fu cee Rlolt his Ma- 
jefty continues as follows :— 
*° | alfo gave orders to my ambaffsdor 
to difribute money among the principal 
deputies of the United ‘Provinces, ° and 
even among the chief cities, for the pur- 
pofe of rendering me matter of the deli- 
berations and the choice of their magi- 
ftrates, Ithought it my intereft to em- 
ploy my treafure in this manner, witha 
view of banifhing thofe appertaining to 
the Orange faGticn from public employ- 
ments, as I knew all its members to be 
wholly devoted to the wifhes of the King 
of England. [ at the fame time trant!- 
nitted a prefent to the Queen of Sweden, 
and knowing that the. Grand Chancellor 
poftefied the chief credit in that ftate, I 
thought fit to acquire his fuffrage by my 
liberality. I alfo caufed fim: lar. prefents 
to be tranfinitted to the Queen of Den- 
mark and the Ele&trefs of Brandenburg, 
not doubting in the leaft but. thet thete 
Princefles wouid deem themfelves ho- 
noured in confequence of the care I had 
thus taken to rivet their friendfhip, and 
believing that from ihis confideration alone 
* The whole of this paffage manifeftly al- 
ludes to the difputes between Charles II. and 
bis Parligment. . 
637 
they would willingly enter into my plans, 
But afterwards. with a view of attaching 
the Electrefs more ftrongly to my interelts, 
I cauied a ftring of pearls of great value 
to be tran{mitred to her, and failed not to 
make my eavoy adopt fimilar means to 
acquire the good-will of the Prince d’An- 
halt, and the Count de Schwerin, who 
p f-ffed the chiet influence over’ that 
court: thus at the expence of twenty~ 
two thoufand crowns diiributed between 
them, th y afterwards feived me with all 
poifiste zeal. 
‘© All thefe private expences conflitut~ 
ed a very confideiable fam total. fe 
ought not to be omitted alfo, that they 
were expended at a period when the new 
troops which I had levied, the vaffals 
whom! had equipped, the fonehentes T had 
provilioned, and the monies neceffarily 
dfburied in other negociations already al- 
lu ed to, calied for continual fupplies. 
Bat i ir be ufeful to Princes to know 
how to economic their revenues, when 
the sah fate of their affairs allows 
them the liberty to he foaring of their re- 
fources, ft is no lefs important, on the 
other hand, that they fhould learn to 
whom they fhould expend their tres/ure 
freely worn fuch a meafu e becomes ad 
van' eae to their crown,’ 
One of the moft amiable traits in the 
chara@er of this king isthe filial affetion 
evinced by him while mentioning the de- 
mife of his mother, an event which oc- 
curred duriug the hurry and buftle inci. 
dent toa ftate of war. Nor ought it to 
be omitted, that his Majefty’s attention 
to flute affairs at this period was at once 
regular and exemplary. He appears to 
have devoted certain days of the week to 
the ordonnances of juftice, and the-refor. 
mation of abufes. He alfo diitributed his 
hours of bufnefs into three diftinét pe~ 
riods. The morning was occupied with 
holding councils, and ee all the 
papers “relative to commerce and finances. 
The afternoon was caer in the ordi- 
nary avocations which the management of 
fuch an extenfive kingdom demanded, 
wie the evening was dedicated to the den 
tails relative to the campaign. Such a 
politician was this prince, even with the 
clergy, whofe flave he afterwards became, 
that in 1666 he prevailed on the aflembly 
compoled of their deputies to contribute 
eight hundred thoufand crowns, and that 
too by recurring to a ftratagem; for per 
ceiving that there was a confiderable 
numer of them at mafs in his chapel on 
the day preceding their final deliberation, 
he addrefled them in a fuitable fpeech, 
dur g 
