Upload
jose-pablo-nolasco-quintero
View
218
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
1/438
E D I T I O N D E L A P A C I F I C A T I O N
T H E W O R K S O F
VOLTAIRE A CONTEMPORARY VERSION
W ITH NOTES BY TOBIAS SMOLLETT, R EVISED AND MODERNIZED
NEW TRANSLATIONS BY W ILLIAM F. FLEMING, AND AN
INTRODUCTION BY OLIVER H. G. LEIGH
A CRITIQUE AND BIOGRAPHY
BY
T H E R T . H O N . J O H N M O R L E Y
F O R T Y - T H R E E V O L U M E S
ONE HUNDRED ANS SIXTY-EIGHT DESIGNS, COMPRISINGS REPRODUCTIONS
OF RARE OLD ENGRAVINGS, STEEL PLATES, PHOTOGRAVURES,
AND CURIOUS FAC-SIMILES
VOLUME XXVIII
AKRON, OHIO
THE WERNER COMPANY
1!"
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
2/438
I am a heritage because 1
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
3/438
brln you years of tboupbt
and the lore of time *~~
I Impart yet I can pot 5peal
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
4/438
m&!!!!!
'(O')(+ O'
yt, ./(0()/O
he 2O(34 of O/I()
)6IIO7 6) / '/8I9I8/IO7
imited to one thousand sets
for /merica and 0reat :ritain
;:et"een t"o servants of .umanity, "ho appeared
eighteen hundred years apart, there is a mysterious relation
* * * * et us say it "ith a sentiment of
profound respect &)4=4 2)' O/I() 4>I)6
Of that divine tear and of that human smile is composed the
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
5/438
s"eetness of the present civili?ation;
I8O( .=0O
@=))7 )IA/:).
)6IIO7 6) / '/8I9I8/IO7
.) 2O(34 O9
O /I()
/ 8O7)>'O(/(+ )(4IO7
2I. 7O)4 :+ O:I/4 4>O), ()I4)6 /76 >O6)(7IA)6
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
6/438
7)2 (/74/IO74 :+ 2II/> 9 9)>I70, /76 /7
I7(O6=8IO7 :+ OI)( . 0 )I0.
/ 8(II@=) /76 :IO0(/'.+
:+
.) ( .O7 &O.7 >O()+
9O(+-.()) O=>)4
O7: .=76()6 /76 4IB+-)I0. 6)4I074, 8O>'(I4I70 ()'(O6=8IO74
O9 (/3) O6 )70(/I704, 4)) '/)4, '.OO0(/=()4,
/76 8=(IO=4 '/8-4I>I:4
O=>) BBIII
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
7/438
/3(O7, O.IO
.) 2)(7)( 8O>'/7+
1$CD
8O':I0. 1$C1
:+ ) ( 6=>O7
O27)6 :+
.) 2):7)( 8O>'/7+
/3(O7, O.IO
./6) I
.) 2)(7)( 8O>'/7+
/3.O., O.IO
4tacE
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
8/438
/nnaF
'@
GCH5
)D4D
I$OD
O/I()
/78I)7 /76 >O6)(7 .I4O(+
I7 4))7 O=>)4
O
.) /(>/6/, 15-8(O>2), 1D5
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
9/438
I4 O9 '/)4
O BBIII
'/0)
@=))7 )IA/:). 9rontispiece
.)7(+ I /76 0/:(I) 6J)4())4 $D
8/(6I7/ (I8.)I)= 1K
8./()4 II O9 )70/76 GC
/78I)7 /76 >O6)(7
.I4O(+
8./')( 8BBBII
.) I7/4IO7 6)4I07)6 /0/I74 )70/76 .)
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
10/438
I7I78I:) /(>/6/ .) 'O2)( O9 '.II' II
I7 9(/78) I7@=I(+ I7O .) 6)/. O9 6O7
8/(O4, )8
2I. this vie" 'hilip %tted out that prodigious
Leet, "hich "as to have been seconded in its opera-
tions by another armament from 9landers, and a
general rising of all the 8atholics in )ngland hese
preparations proved the ruin of >ary 4tuart, and
hurried her to the scaMold, instead of delivering her
from it 'hilip had no" nothing left but to avenge
her death by sei?ing )ngland for himself# after
"hich he looEed upon .olland as already reduced,
and punished for its rebellion
he gold of 'eru "as lavished for the pur-
poses of this eFpedition On &une N, 15, the
Invincible /rmada set sail from the port of isbon,
"ith one hundred and %fty large ships, manned "ith
t"enty thousand soldiers, nearly seven thousand
seamen "ho could be armed for %ght upon occasion,
s
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
11/438
D /ncient and >odern .istory
and mounted "ith three thousand pieces of cannon
he duEe of 'arma "as ready "ith transports and
an army of thirty thousand men, "hich he had raised
in 9landers, to join 'hilip the instant he landed in
)ngland It seemed impossible for the )nglish
ships, "hich "ere no more than small barEs in com-
parison "ith those of the 4paniards, to stand against
the force of these Loating citadels, "hose upper
"orEs "ere above three feet thicE, and impenetrable
to cannon 7evertheless, this "ell-concerted scheme
failed in almost every part he )nglish soon
appeared "ith a Leet of one hundred sail, and, not-
"ithstanding their inferiority in bulE, numbers, and
strength, stopped the progress of this formidable
Leet hey tooE several of the 4panish ships, and
dispersed the rest by the means of %reships # a storm
seconded the eMorts of the )nglish he admiralJs
ship, called the Invincible, "as very near to being lost
on the coast of Aealand he duEe of 'armaJs army,
"hich could not put to sea "ithout the assistance of
the 4panish Leet, remained inactive 'hilipJs navy,
unable to resist the )nglish and the "inds, "hich
"ere al"ays contrary to them, retreated by "ay of
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
12/438
the 7orth 4ea # some "ere "recEed on the coast of
Aealand, and others on the OrEney Islands, and the
coasts of 4cotland # and another part "as cast a"ay
on the coast of Ireland, "here the country people
massacred all the soldiers and sailors "ho had
escaped the fury of the tempest, and the viceroy had
the inhumanity to hang the rest In short, of the
'o"er of 'hilip II H
"hole /rmada, only %fty ships returned to 4pain,
and of thirty thousand men, "ho had sailed on this
eFpedition, not more than siF thousand escaped
from ship"recE, and the s"ord and %re of the enemy
he duEe of 'arma, "ith his %ne army of thirty
thousand men, had no better success in subduing the
7etherlands, than the /rmada had in its attempt on
)ngland he .ollanders, "ho found a ready
defence in their canals, sluices, and narro" cause-
"ays, "ho "ere fond of liberty to a degree of idol-
atry, and "ere all generals under their princes of
Orange, "ere in a condition to have resisted a much
more formidable force
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
13/438
'hilip "as the only prince "ho could have con-
tinued formidable after so great a disaster # but /mer-
ica and /sia still supplied him "ith riches, "hich
made all his neighbors tremble# and, after having
failed in his design on )ngland, he sa" himself upon
the point of reducing the Eingdom of 9rance to a
province of 4pain /t the same time that he "^s
maEing the conuest of 'ortugal, carrying on the
"ar in 9landers, and engaged in the eFpedition
against )ngland, he raised that faction in 9rance,
Eno"n by the name of the .oly eague, "hich
subverted the throne, and distracted the nation #
and after"ard, by so"ing dissension in that very
eague "hich he had protected, he "as thrice
on the point of being declared sovereign of
9rance, undeJr the title of protector, "ith an unlim-
ited po"er of conferring all posts .is daughter,
/ncient and >odern .istory
the infanta )ugenia, "as to have been ueen,
under his direction # and the cro"n of 9rance
"as to have been transferred in do"ry "ith her to
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
14/438
the person she should marry his proposal had
been actually made by the cabal of siFteen, in the
year 15$, after the murder of .enry III he duEe
of >ayenne, "ho "as head of the eague, had no
other "ay of eluding it, than by saying that, as the
eague had been formed on account of religion, the
title of 'rotector of 9rance could belong only to the
pope 'hilipJs ambassador had carried this nego-
tiation to a great length, before the holding of the
)states of 'aris, in 15$N# insomuch that the aboli-
tion of the 4alic a" "as a long time in deliberation,
and, at length, the infanta "as proposed as ueen of
the states of 'aris
'hilip had insensibly accustomed the 9rench to a
dependence upon him # for, on one hand, he supplied
the eague "ith suPcient aid to prevent its falling,
and, oh the other, he assisted his son-in-la", )man-
uel, duEe of 4avoy, "ith forces against 9rance .e
Eept troops in pay for him, and assisted him in get-
ting himself declared protector by the 'arliament of
'rovence # so that the 9rench, gro"n familiar "ith
these proceedings, might acEno"ledge 'hilip as pro-
tector of the "hole Eingdom
It is more than probable, that 9rance in the end
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
15/438
"ould have been forced to do it 'hilip, in fact,
already reigned in 'aris by his ambassador, "ho
lavished pensions upon all "ho "ere in his interest
'o"er of 'hilip II $
.e had the 4orbonne, and all the religious orders on
his side .is scheme "as not to maEe 9rance a
conuered country, as he had done 'ortugal, but to
oblige that nation to reuest him to govern it It
"as "ith this in vie" that he, in 15$C, despatched
the duEe of 'arma from the farther end of the 7eth-
erlands to relieve 'aris, "hen pushed by the victo-
rious arms of .enry III # recalled him again, "hen
by his judicious marches he had delivered that capi-
tal, "ithout striEing a blo" # and after"ard, in 15$1,
"hen .enry I sat do"n before the city of (ouen,
sent the same general to oblige him to raise the siege
It "as very surprising, that, "hile 'hilip could thus
determine the fate of "ar in 9rance, >aurice, prince
of Orange, and the .ollanders should be suPciently
po"erful to cross his designs, and send aid to .enry
I they, "ho, not ten years before, had been
considered in 4pain only as a parcel of obscure
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
16/438
rebels, "ho could not possibly escape the punishment
intended for them .o"ever, they sent a reinforce-
ment of three thousand men to the Eing of 9rance #
but the duEe of 'arma nevertheless delivered the
city of (ouen, as he had before done that of 'aris
/fter this 'hilip recalled him again# and thus
by alternately giving and "ithdra"ing his assistance,
he al"ays made himself necessary, and spread his
snares from the frontiers to the very heart of the
Eingdom, in order to reduce it by degrees "holly
under his dominion .e had already established his
po"er through the greatest part of :rittany by force
io /ncient and >odern .istory
of arms .is son-in-la", the duEe of 4avoy, had
done the same in 'rovence, and a part of 6auphiny
here "as al"ays a road open for the 4panish troops
from /rras to 'aris, and from 9ontarabia to the
(iver oire 'hilip himself "as so thoroughly per-
suaded that 9rance could not escape him, that in his
conferences "ith the president &eannin, the duEe of
>ayenneJs envoy, he al"ays used to say ; >y city
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
17/438
of 'aris, my city of Orleans, my to"n of (ouen;
he court of (ome, though it feared him, "as
nevertheless obliged to assist him, and he had al"ays
the arms of religion in his favor his cost him only
the outside sho" of a great ?eal for the 8atholic
religion, "hich served him liEe"ise for a preteFt
against 0eneva, "hose destruction he "as at that
time endeavoring to bring about In the year 15$
he sent his son-in-la", the duEe of 4avoy, "ith an
army to reduce 0eneva and the neighboring country
:ut this rich and po"erful monarch al"ays sa" his
designs frustrated by poor nations, "hom a love for
liberty eFalted above themselves he 0enevans,
assisted only by the t"o cantons of :erne and
Aurich, and three hundred soldiers sent them by
.enry I, bade de%ance to all his riches, and the
arms of his son-in-la" hese same people, in the
year 1DCG, rescued their city out of the hands of the
duEe of 4avoy, "ho surprised it by escalade, in a
time of profound peace, and "as giving it up to plun-
der hey had even the boldness to punish this
attempt of a po"erful monarch as a public robbery #
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
18/438
'o"er of 'hilip II n
and hanged thirteen commissioned oPcers, "ho
failing as conuerors, "ere treated liEe midnight
robbers
hus did 'hilip, "ithout uitting his closet, inces-
santly carry on a "ar at one and the same time in the
7etherlands, against >aurice, in almost all the prov-
inces of 9rance, against .enry I, at 0eneva and
in 4"it?erland, and against the )nglish and 6utch
by sea :ut "hat "ere the fruits of these mighty
projects, "hich for so long Eept )urope in perpetual
alarms In 15$D .enry I deprived him of all
9rance in a uarter of an hour, simply by going
to mass he )nglish, "hom he had himself taught
to %ght at sea, and "ho "ere no" as good sailors as
the 4paniards, plundered his possessions in /merica,
destroyed his galleons, and burned his to"n of
8adi? In short, after having once more laid "aste
the Eingdom of 9rance, and taEen the city of /miens
by surprise "hich "as retaEen again by the valor
of .enry I he found himself obliged to con-
clude a peace at ervins, and to acEno"ledge as
Eing of 9rance, a person "hom he had never called
any other than 'rince of :erne It is also partic-
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
19/438
ularly "orthy of observation that, by this treaty of
peace he restored 8alais, "hich had been taEen by
the archduEe /lbert, his governor in the 7ether-
lands, during the troubles of 9rance# and that no
mention "as made in the treaty of )li?abethJs pre-
tended right# "ho got neither this place, nor the
1G /ncient and >odern .istory
eight hundred thousand cro"ns "hich she "as
entitled to by the treaty of 8ateau-8ambresis
'hilipJs po"er might no" be compared to a
mighty Lood con%ned "ithin its banEs, after having
overLo"ed the countries far and near .e still
remained the %rst potentate in )urope )li?abeth
and especially .enry I enjoyed a greater share of
personal glory# but 'hilip retained, to the last
moment of his reign, that po"erful ascendency
"hich his great dominions and immense riches had
given him hough he had eFpended three thou-
sand millions of our livres on his despotic cruelty
in the 7etherlands and his ambition in 9rance, it
had not impoverished him he found an ineFhaust-
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
20/438
ible source of riches in /merica and the )ast Indies
It only happened that he enriched )urope by his
treasures, "ithout designing it he sums he had
lavished to carry on his intrigues in )ngland,
9rance, and Italy, and "hat his numerous armies
in the 7etherlands had cost him, by increasing the
riches of the people "hom he "anted to subdue, had
increased the value of commodities almost every-
"here, and )urope became "ealthy from the evils
premeditated against her
.e had a yearly revenue of nearly three millions
of gold ducats, "ithout being obliged to levy ne"
taFes on his subjects his "as more than all the
monarchs of 8hristendom had together # and in this
respect he "as possessed of enough to purchase
many Eingdoms, though not to conuer them he
'o"er of 'hilip II 1N
magnanimity of )li?abeth, the valor of .enry I,
and the courage of the princes of Orange triumphed
over all his treasures and his intrigues :ut if "e
eFcept the burning of 8adi?, 4pain "as, during his
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
21/438
reign, al"ays peaceable and happy
he 4paniards had at that time a distinguished
superiority over all other nations# their language
"as spoEen at 'aris, ienna, >ilan, and urin #
their fashions, their manner of thinEing and "rit-
ing, captivated the minds of the Italians # and from
the time of 8harles till the beginning of 'hilip
IIIJs reign, the 4paniards "ere held in greater
esteem than any other people
2hen 'hilip made peace "ith 9rance, he gave
the 7etherlands and 9ranche-8omte as a do"ry
to his daughter, 8lara )ugenia, "hom he had not
been able to maEe ueen, but as a %ef revertible to
the cro"n of 4pain in default of her issue
On 4ept 1N, 15$, 'hilip died at the age of sev-
enty-one, in his vast palace of the )scorial, "hich he
had made a vo" to build, in case his generals should
"in the battle of 4t @uentin # as if it "ere of any
conseuence to 0od, "hether the constable de >ont-
morency or 'hilibert of 4avoy gained the victory,
or as if the divine blessing could be purchased by
magni%cent edi%ces
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
22/438
'osterity has ranEed this prince in the number of
the most po"erful Eings of the earth, but not the
greatest .e "as called the ; 6emon of the 4outh,;
because, from the- centre of 4pain, "hich is the most
1K /ncient and >odern .istory
southerly part of )urope, he had disturbed all the
other Eingdoms on that continent
If, after vie"ing him on the greater theatre of the
"orld, "e come to consider him in the light of a
private man, "e shall %nd him a rigid and suspicious
master, a cruel lover and husband, and a merciless
father
here "as one remarEable circumstance in his
domestic life, "hich still eFercises the curiosity of
the "orld this "as the death of his son, 6on
8arlos 7o one Eno"s the manner of this princeJs
death # his body, "hich lies in the royal vault of the
)scorial, appears to have had the head severed from
it :ut this is pretended to have been done because
the leaden case "hich holds the body "as too small
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
23/438
It has been asserted, in the life of the c?ar 'eter I,
that "hen he resolved to condemn his son to death,
he sent to 4pain for the acts relating to 6on 8arlosJs
trial# but neither the trial nor sentence of this
prince have ever appeared 2e are as little
acuainted "ith his crime as "ith the nature of his
death 1 It is proved neither by facts nor probability,
1 If our author had consulted the historians, .errera,
9erreras, 8abrera, and 6iego de 8olmenare?, he "ould
have had no reason to say the crime of 6on 8arlos "as
not Eno"n .e "as a prince of a very passionate and
perverse disposition, deformed, and ungracious he had
been detected in carrying on intrigues "ith the malcon-
tents in the o" 8ountries he "as impatient to espouse
the archduchess, /nne of /ustria, and the negotiation
about this match proving tedious, he concluded that his
father thought him un%t for marriage, and incapable of
'o"er of 'hilip II 15
that his father had him condemned by the Inuisi-
tion
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
24/438
/ll that "e Eno" concerning it is that, in 15D,
his father came in person and arrested him in his
apartment, and that he "rote to the empress, his
sister, that he had never discovered any capital
vice nor dishonorable action in the prince, his son,
but that he had caused him to be con%ned for his
succession 4timulated by this opinion, he resolved to
Ly into 0ermany, and borro" considerable sums from
several noblemen hen he broached the design to 6on
&ohn of /ustria, and solicited his concurrence but 6on
&ohn refused to be concerned, and eFhorted him to lay
aside his intention # yet still persisting in this scheme,
he "as abandoned by his confessor, his letters "ere inter-
cepted by the Eing, "ho liEe"ise discovered that the post-
master had received the princeJs order to provide horses for
a long journey hese "ere the reasons "hich induced his
father to secure his person 9or this purpose he entered
the princeJs apartment at midnight, attended by several
noblemen and a party of guards 6on 8arlos, seeing him
come in, shranE under the bed-clothes, a crying ; 2ill
your majesty Eill me I am not mad, but the treatment
I have met "ith maEes me desperate; he Eing desired
he "ould maEe himself easy, declaring that everything
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
25/438
"as intended for his good .e then sei?ed all his arms and
papers, committed him to the charge of siF noblemen
of the %rst ranE, and immediately communicated to the
popeJs nuncio and all the foreign ministers, the motives
"hich had induced him to taEe this eFtraordinary step
4t )vremond, one of those "riters "ho say he "as
strangled by his fatherJs order, endeavors to thro" a
veil of ridicule over a very serious transaction .e aPrms
that the eFecutioner in going to perform his oPce, said
; 6onJt maEe any noise sir, this is all for your good; 2e
have in a former volume given an account of his death
1 D /ncient and >odern .istory
o"n good, and that of the Eingdom .e "rote at
the same time in uite contrary terms to 'ope 'ius
, to "hom he says in his letter of &an GC, 15D
;he force of a vicious disposition had from his
tenderest years destroyed in 6on 8arlos all the
eMects of his paternal instructions;
/fter these letters, in "hich 'hilip gives an
account of the imprisonment of his son, "e meet
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
26/438
"ith no others in "hich he clears himself of his
death# and this alone, joined to the rumor "hich
prevailed throughout all )urope, aMords a strong
presumption that he "as guilty of the murder of his
son .is silence in the midst of the public reports
is another foundation for justifying those "ho assert
that the cause of this shocEing aMair "as the passion
"hich 6on 8arlos had conceived for )li?abeth of
9rance, his mother-in-la", and she for him 7othing
could appear more probable )li?abeth had been
brought up in a gay and voluptuous court 'hilip
II "as perpetually engaged in intrigues "ith the
fair seF 0allantry "as the very essence of a
4paniard, and eFamples of in%delity abounded
every"here It "as natural for 6on 8arlos and
)li?abeth, "ho "ere about the same age, to have
entertained a mutual passion for each other he
sudden death of this princess, "hich follo"ed soon
after that of 6on 8arlos, con%rmed these suspicions
/ll )urope believed that 'hilip had sacri%ced his
"ife and his son to emotions of jealousy# and this
belief "as strengthened "hen, some time after"ard,
he )nglish 7ation 1H
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
27/438
this same jealous disposition led him to resolve upon
the death of the famous /ntonio 'ere?, "ho "as
hJs rival "ith the princess of )boli
hese crimes "e %nd publicly charged against
him by the prince of Orange, in the famous mani-
festo "hich he laid before the tribunal of the public
It is very surprising that 'hilip did not at least
employ some of the venal pens of the Eingdom to
reply to these accusations # and that no one in
)urope ever oMered to refute "hat the prince of
Orange had advanced hese do not indeed amount
to absolute proofs, but they are the strongest pre-
sumptions against him # and history should not neg-
lect reporting them as such, as the judgment of
posterity is the only defence "e have against suc-
cessful tyranny
8./')( 8BBBIB
.) )70I4. =76)( )62/(6 I, >/(+, /76 )IA/-
:).
.) )nglish had not the same splendor of success
as the 4paniards, nor such inLuence in other courts,
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
28/438
nor did they possess that great po"er "hich ren-
dered 4pain so dangerous to its neighbors # but they
acuired a ne" Eind of glory from the ocean, and
the eFtensive maritime trade they carried on hey
Ene" their true element, and that alone made them
more happy than all the foreign possessions and
conuests of their ancient Eings .ad these Eings
ol GG
J
1 /ncient and >odern .istory
reigned in 9rance, )ngland "ould have beer, only a
subjected province his nation, "hich "as formed
"ith so much diPculty, and "hich had been so fre-
uently and easily subdued by the 6anish and 4aFon
pirates, 1 and the duEe of 7ormandy, "ere only the
rude instruments under )d"ard III and .enry
of the transient glory of those monarchs # but under
)li?abeth they became a po"erful, civili?ed, indus-
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
29/438
trious, laborious, and enterprising nation he
improvements made by the 4paniards in navigation
eFcited their emulation, and they undertooE three
successive voyages to discover a north"est passage
to &apan and 8hina 6raEe and 8avendish sailed
around the globe, attacEing in all places the 4pan-
iards, "ho had eFtended their conuests and trade
to both ends of the "orld 4everal private com-
panies of adventurers, "ho depended entirely on
their o"n stocE, carried on a very pro%table trade
upon the coast of 0uinea G he famous 4ir 2alter
(aleigh, N "ithout receiving the least assistance from
1 he )nglish people "ere never conuered by the
4aFons and 6anes # for they themselves are the posterity
of those very conuerors 2hat are the )nglish people
but the descendants of 4aFons, 6anes, and 7ormans 2e
might "ith the same reason say that the 9rench "ere easily
conuered by the 9ranEs under 8lovis, "ho "ere in fact
the ancestors of the 9rench people
G here "as no )nglish company that traded to the
coast of 0uinea in the reign of @ueen )li?abeth
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
30/438
N 4ir 2alter (aleigh established the colony of irginia,
"hich is uite a distance from 7e" )ngland
he )nglish 7ation 1$
the government, founded and improved the colony
of 7e" )ngland, in the southern part of /merica,
in the year 155 :y these eFpeditions they soon
formed the best marine in )urope, as suPciently
appears from their %tting out a hundred sail to
oppose the /rmada sent against them by 'hilip II,
going after"ard to insult him upon his o"n coasts,
destroying his ships, and burning his city of 8adi? #
at length, gro"n more formidable, they, in 1DCG,
defeated the %rst Leet "hich 'hilip III sent to sea,
and from that time acuired a superiority by sea,
"hich they have since maintained, eFcept on some
fe" occasions
9rom the beginning of )li?abethJs reign they
applied themselves to manufactures he 9lemish,
being persecuted by 'hilip II, removed to ondon,
carrying "ith them an increase of inhabitants,
industry, and riches his capital, "hich enjoyed
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
31/438
the blessings of peace under )li?abeth, cultivated
the liberal arts, "hich are the badges and conse-
uences of plenty he names of 4pencer and
4haEespeare, "ho Lourished in those days, are
handed do"n to other nations In a "ord, ondon
"as enlarged, civili?ed, and embellished, and in a
short time half of the little island of 0reat :ritain
"as able to counterbalance the "hole po"er of
4pain he )nglish "ere the second nation in the
"orld in industry # and in liberty they "ere the %rst
6uring this reign there "ere public companies estab-
lished for trading to the evant and the 7orth
GO /ncient and >odern .istory
/griculture no" began to be considered in )ngland
as the chief riches of the state, "hile in 4pain they
began to neglect this real good for ideal treasures
he gold and silver trade of the ne" "orld enriched
the Eing of 4pain but in )ngland the subject "as
bene%ted by the sale of the natural commodities
/ private merchant of ondon, called 4ir homas
0resham, "as at that time rich enough to build
the (oyal )Fchange at his o"n eFpense, and a col-
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
32/438
lege "hich bears his name 4everal other citi?ens
founded hospitals and public schools 4uch "ere
the glorious eMects produced by liberty in that Eing-
dom that private persons could do "hat Eings at
present can only do in the most happy administra-
tion
he royal revenues in )li?abethJs reign seldom
eFceeded siF hundred thousand pounds sterling, and
the number of inhabitants in the Eingdom "as not
more than four millions he single Eingdom o
4pain contained at least as many more /nd yet
)li?abeth defended herself "ith success, and had at
once the glory of assisting .enry I to subdue his
Eingdom, and the 6utch to establish their republic
:ut to acuire a clearer Eno"ledge of the life and
reign of )li?abeth, it "ill be necessary to taEe a
short retrospect of the reigns of )d"ard I and
>ary
)li?abeth "as born in 15NN, and "hile yet in her
cradle, "as declared the la"ful heiress to the cro"n
of )ngland# a short time after"ard, upon her
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
33/438
he )nglish 7ation G1
mother being removed from the throne to the scaf-
fold, she "as declared a bastard .er father, "ho
ended his life in 15KH, died liEe a tyrant, as he had
lived 2hile on his deathbed, he gave orders for
eFecutions, and al"ays under the sanction of justice
.e condemned the duEe of 7orfolE and his son to
lose their heads, on no other pretence than that
they had the arms of )ngland marEed on their plate
he father indeed obtained his pardon, 1 but the
son "as eFecuted It must be o"ned, that as the
)nglish are said to set little value upon their lives,
their governors have treated them according to their
taste )ven the reign of )d"ard I, son of .enry
III, and &ane 4eymour, "as not eFempt from
these bloody tragedies homas 4eymour, high
admiral of )ngland, and the EingJs o"n uncle, "as
beheaded for having uarrelled "ith his brother,
)d"ard 4eymour, duEe of 4omerset, "ho "as pro-
tector of the Eingdom during the EingJs minority#
and soon after"ard 4omerset himself suMered the
same fate he reign of )d"ard I, "hich lasted
only %ve years, and during "hich the nation "as, or
appeared to be, of the 'rotestant religion, "as a
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
34/438
scene of seditions and troubles 2hen he died he
left his cro"n to neither >ary nor )li?abeth, but
to ady &ane 0rey, a descendant of .enry II,
1 he death-"arrant "as actually signed and sent to
the lieutenant of the o"er, and the duEe "ould have
been beheaded neFt morning had not the Eing himself died
in the interim
GG /ncient and >odern .istory
and granddaughter of the "ido" of ouis BII
and one :randon, a private gentleman, "ho had
been created duEe of 4uMolE his &ane 0rey "as
"ife of ord 0uilford, son of the duEe of 7orthum-
berland, a nobleman of great po"er in )d"ardJs
time )d"ardJs "ill, by "hich he beueathed the
throne to ady &ane 0rey, only proved the means
of bringing her to a scaMold 4he "as proclaimed
ueen in ondon # but >aryJs interest and her la"-
ful rights, as being daughter of .enry III and
8atherine of /ragon, prevailed # and the %rst thing
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
35/438
"hich this ueen did after signing her contract of
marriage "ith 'hilip II "as to condemn to death
her rival, "ho "as a young lady of seventeen, full of
beauty and innocence, and "ho had been guilty of
no crime but that of being named in )d"ardJs "ill
for his successor It availed her not that she made
a voluntary resignation of her fatal dignity, "hich
she held but nine days she "as led to eFecution
"ith her husband, father, and father-in-la" his
"as the third ueen of )ngland "ho had mounted
the scaMold "ithin less than t"enty years he
'rotestant religion, in "hich she had been edu-
cated, "as the principal cause of her untimely fate
In this revolution the arm of the eFecutioner "as
much more employed than that of the soldiery # and
all these cruelties "ere committed by act of parlia-
ment )very nation has had its times of horror and
bloodshed # but more illustrious lives have been lost
upon the scaMold in )ngland than in all the test of
@ueen )li?abeth GN
)urope combined It has been the character of this
nation to commit murders by form of la"# and
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
36/438
the gates of ondon have been loaded "ith human
sEulls, liEe the "alls of the temple of >eFico
@=))7 )IA/:).
)IA/:). "as con%ned in prison by her sister upon
her accession to the throne his princess, "ho,
after she came to be ueen, refused the hand of
'hilip II, no" "anted to espouse 8ourtney, earl of
6evonshire# and it appears by letters of hers yet
remaining that she had a strong inclination for this
nobleman / match of this Eind "ould not have
been at all eFtraordinary # "e have seen that ady
&ane 0rey, though declared heiress to the cro"n,
had married ord 0uilford >ary, ueen do"ager
of 9rance, descended from the bed of ouis BII
to that of 8harles :randon /ll the royal family
of )ngland sprang from a private gentleman, named
udor, "ho had married the daughter of .enry ,
daughter of 8harles I, Eing of 9rance# and in
9rance, before its Eings had attained their height
of po"er, the "ido" of ouis the 9at made no dif-
%culty of espousing >atthe" de >ontmorency
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
37/438
)li?abeth, "hile a prisoner, and under a state of
continual persecution from her sister >ary,
employed these moments of her disgrace to the
noblest purposes# she improved her mind, she
GK /ncient and >odern .istory
learned the languages and sciences # but of all the
arts in "hich she eFcelled, the chief "as that of
dissimulation, by "hich she Eept fair "ith her sister,
"ith the 8atholics, and "ith the 'rotestants, and
learned ho" to reign
7o sooner "as she proclaimed ueen, than she
found herself strongly solicited in marriage by her
brother-in-la", 'hilip II .ad she listened to his
proposals, 9rance and .olland "ould have been in
danger of being over"helmed # but she detested
both the religion and person of 'hilip, and resolved
to indulge the vanity of being beloved, and the hap-
piness of being independent .aving been impris-
oned by a 8atholic sister, her %rst thoughts, upon
mounting the throne, "ere to restore the 'rotestant
religion in her Eingdom .o"ever, she permitted
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
38/438
a 8atholic bishop to perform the ceremony of her
coronation, that she might not sour the minds of the
people at %rst I shall here observe, that she "ent
from 2estminster to the o"er of ondon in an
open chariot, follo"ed by a hundred others not
that coaches "ere at that time in use# it "as only
an occasional piece of state
Immediately after her coronation she convoEed a
parliament, "hich settled the religion of )ngland
such as it no" is, and vested the supremacy, %rst-
fruits, and tenths, in the sovereign
)li?abeth then had the title of supreme head of
the 8hurch of )ngland 4everal "riters, especially
the Italians, have thought this a ridiculous dignity
@ueen )li?abeth G5
in a "oman# but they might have considered that
this "oman reigned# that she "as in possession of
the rights anneFed to the cro"n by the la"s of the
country# that in former times the sovereigns of all
the Eno"n nations in the "orld had the superintend-
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
39/438
ence in religious matters # that the (oman emperors
"ere sovereign pontiMs# that although at present
there are several countries "here the 4tate is gov-
erned by the 8hurch, there are others "here the
8hurch is governed by the 4tate # and lastly, that
it is not more ridiculous for a ueen of )ngland to
have the nomination of an archbishop of 8anter-
bury, the primate of the "hole Eingdom, and to
prescribe la"s to him, than for an abbess of 9onte-
vrault to nominate priors and curates, and give them
her benediction # in a "ord, that every country has
its customs
he 8hurch of )ngland retained "hatever "as
most solemn and august in the (omish ceremonies,
and most austere in the utheran discipline I shall
observe, that out of nine thousand four hundred
bene%ced clergy, "ho "ere at that time in )ngland,
there "ere but fourteen bishops, %fty canons, and
eighty curates, "ho lost their livings for remaining
8atholics, and refusing to subscribe to the reforma-
tion 2hen "e reLect that the )nglish nation had
changed its religion four several times since the
reign of .enry III , "e are surprised that a people
"ho enjoy so great liberty, should ever have been
subdued, or that, possessed of so much resolution,
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
40/438
GD /ncient and >odern .istory
they should ever have been so %cEle he )nglish
in this resemble those 4"iss cantons, "ho "aited
for their magistrates to determine "hat should be
their creed /n act of parliament is everything
"ith the )nglish# they love the la"s, and there is
no governing them eFcept by la"s made by a parlia-
ment "hich pronounces, or seems to pronounce, by
its o"n authority
7o one "as persecuted for being a (oman 8ath-
olic # but those "ho "ent about to disturb the peace
of the Eingdom, through a principle of conscience,
"ere severely punished he 0uises, "ho at that
time made a handle of religion to establish their
o"n po"er in 9rance, made use of the same methods
to set their niece, >ary 4tuart, ueen of 4cotland,
on the )nglish throne >asters of the %nances and
armies of 9rance, they sent money and troops over
to 4cotland, under pretence of assisting the 8ath-
olics of that Eingdom against the 'rotestants >ary
4tuart, "ho "as married to 9rancis II, Eing of
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
41/438
9rance, openly tooE upon her the title of ueen of
)ngland, as being descended from .enry III /ll
the )nglish, 4cotch, and Irish 8atholics "ere in her
interest )li?abeth "as not yet so %rmly settled on
the throne, but that religious cabals might have
shaEen her authority .o"ever, she dispersed this
%rst storm# in 15DC, sent an army to the relief of
the 4cotch 'rotestants, and obliged the ueen regent
of 4cotland, >aryJs mother, to consent by treaty to
@ueen )li?abeth GH
obey la"s of her dictating, and to send the 9rench
troops home "ithin t"enty days
9rancis II dying, she obliged >ary 4tuart to
drop the title of ueen of )ngland :y her intrigues
she prevailed upon the 'arliament of )dinburgh to
establish the reformed religion in 4cotland # and by
this artful management she brought into her interest
a country from "hich she had everything to fear
4carcely "as she freed from these inuietudes,
"hen she received fresh alarms of a more dangerous
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
42/438
Eind from 'hilip II his monarch "as her friend,
so long as >ary 4tuart, as heiress to )li?abeth, had
a prospect of uniting in her o"n person the cro"ns
of 9rance, )ngland, and 4cotland # but 9rancis II
being no" dead, and his "ido" returned helpless
to 4cotland, 'hilip had only the 'rotestants to
fear, and therefore became an implacable enemy to
)li?abeth
.e no" privately raised commotions in Ireland,
"hich )li?abeth as uicEly suppressed .e pro-
tected the 8atholic eague in 9rance, "hich proved
so fatal to the royal family, and she assisted the
opposite party he republic of .olland found itself
hard pressed by 'hilipJs forces, and )li?abeth saved
it from ruin 9ormerly the Eings of )ngland "ere
"ont to drain their country of men to settle them-
selves on the throne of 9rance# but interests and
times "ere no" so changed that the ueen of )ng-
land sent repeated relief to .enry I to assist him
in conuering his patrimony 2ith this aid .enry
G /ncient and >odern .istory
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
43/438
at length laid siege to 'aris# and had it not been
for the duEe of 'arma, or the EingJs eFtreme indul-
gence to the besieged, he "ould have %Fed the 'rot-
estant religion in the Eingdom his is "hat )li?a-
beth had greatly at heart It "as natural for her
to "ish to see her endeavors succeed, and not to lose
all the fruits of the great eFpense she had been at
:esides, she had conceived a mortal aversion to the
8atholic religion ever since she had been eFcom-
municated by the t"o popes, 'ius and 4iFtus ,
"ho had declared her un"orthy and incapable to
govern # and the more 'hilip II declared himself
the protector of this religion, the more she became
its implacable enemy
7o 'rotestant divine could have been more
aQicted than )li?abeth "hen she heard that .enry
I had renounced the reformed doctrines .er let-
ter to that prince is very remarEable ; +ou oMer me
your friendship, as to your sister I am certain I
have deserved it, having paid dearly for it # but of
this I should not repent, had you not changed your
father I can no longer be your sister by the fatherJs
side, for I shall al"ays have a greater aMection for
my o"n father than for him "ho has adopted you;
his letter serves at once to sho" her heart, her
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
44/438
understanding, and her forcible manner of eFpress-
ing herself in a foreign language
7ot"ithstanding this hatred to the (oman 8ath-
olic religion, it is certain that she did not deal cruelly
"ith the 8atholics of her Eingdom, as >ary had
@ueen )li?abeth G$
done during her reign "ith the 'rotestants It is
true, that the t"o &esuits, 8reighton and 8ampian,
"ith some others, "ere hanged, at the same time
that the duEe of /njou, brother of .enry III, "as
preparing everything in ondon for his marriage
"ith the ueen, "hich at length proved abortive #
but these &esuits "ere unanimously convicted of
conspiracy and sedition, of "hich they "ere ac-
cused# and sentence "as given against them upon
the testimony of "itnesses hey might have fallen
innocent victims, but then the ueen "as liEe"ise
innocent of their death, as she acted only by the
la"s
4everal persons in 9rance still imagine that )li?a-
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
45/438
beth put the earl of )sseF to death; merely from a %t
of jealousy # and found their belief on a tragedy and
a novel :ut those "ho have read anything, Eno"
that the ueen "as at that time seventy-eight years
of age, and that the earl of )sseF, %nding the ueen
gro"n old, and hoping that her authority "ould
decline "ith her years, had been guilty of an act
of open rebellion, for "hich he "as after"ard tried
by his peers, "ho passed sentence of death upon him
and his accomplices
he more eFact administration of justice during
)li?abethJs reign than under that of any of her
predecessors proved one of the %rmest supports of
her government he revenues of the state "ere
employed only in its defence
4he had favorites, but she enriched none of them
NC /ncient and >odern .istory
at the eFpense of the nation .er people "ere her
chief favorites # not that she really loved them, for
"ho can love the people :ut she "as sensible that
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
46/438
her glory and safety depended solely upon behaving
to"ard them as if she did love them
)li?abeth "ould have enjoyed an unblemished
fame had she not sullied a reign, in other respects
so glorious, by the murder of her rival, >ary 4tu-
art, a murder "hich she ventured to perpetrate "ith
the sacred s"ord of justice
8./')( 8BI
>/(+,, @=))7 O9 48O4
I is a diPcult matter to come at the "hole truth in
disputes bet"een private people, and ho" much
more so in those of cro"ned heads, "here so many
secret springs are employed, and "here both parties
eually maEe use of truth and falsehood, as best
suits their purpose 8ontemporary "riters are in
these cases generally suspected of partiality, and are
for the most part rather advocates on one side, than
the faithful depositaries of history I must then
con%ne myself to authenticated facts only, amidst
the perpleFed accounts given of this important and
fatal event
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
47/438
>ary and )li?abeth "ere rivals in all respects
they "ere rivals in nations, in cro"ns, in religion, in
understanding, and in beauty >ary "as far less
po"erful, and not so much mistress of herself as
>ary, @ueen of 4cots N 1
)li?abeth, nor had she her unshaEen resolution and
depth of politics # in a "ord, she "as superior to her
only in the charms of her person, "hich contributed
not a little to her subseuent misfortunes >ary,
@ueen of 4cots, encouraged the 8atholic faction in
)ngland, and the ueen of )ngland still more po"-
erfully supported the 'rotestant party in 4cotland
)li?abeth gained so much the ascendency by her
intrigues that for a long time she prevented >ary
from concluding second nuptials "here she had an
inclination
.o"ever, >ary, in spite of the cabals of her
rival, and of the 4cottish parliament, "hich "as
"holly made up of 'rotestants, and headed by her
brother, the earl of >urray, married .enry 4tuart,
earl of 6arnley, "ho "as her cousin, and a 8atholic
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
48/438
liEe herself )li?abeth upon this tampered in private
"ith >aryJs principal 'rotestant subjects, and
eFcited them to taEe up arms >ary pursued the
rebels in person, and obliged them to retreat into
)ngland hus far everything seemed to favor
her and confound her rival
>ary had a soft and tender heart# this "as the
beginning of all her misfortunes /n Italian musi-
cian, named 6avid (i??io, had insinuated himself
too far into her good graces .e played "ell upon
several instruments, and had a very agreeable bass
voice / proof that the Italians "ere at that time
in possession of the empire of music, and eFercised
their profession "ith a Eind of eFclusive right in all
NG /ncient and >odern .istory
courts, is that >aryJs "hole band "as Italian
/nother proof that foreign courts maEe an indis-
criminate use of anyone "ho is in credit, is, that
this (i??io "as a pensioner to the pope .e "as
greatly instrumental in the ueenJs marriage "ith
ord 6arnley, and not less so in that disliEe she
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
49/438
after"ard tooE to him 6arnley, "ho had only the
name of Eing, and sa" himself despised by his "ife,
gre" incensed and jealous# and one evening "hen
he Ene" the ueen "as in her apartment, he tooE
"ith him a fe" armed men, and going up a pair of
private stairs, entered her chamber, "here she "as
at supper "ith (i??io and one of the ladies of her
court hey overturned the table, and sle" (i??io
before the ueenJs eyes, "ho in vain attempted to
cover his body "ith her o"n >ary "as at that
time %ve months gone "ith child the sight of the
naEed and bloody "eapons made so strong an
impression on her, that it "as communicated to the
infant in her "omb his "as &ames I, after-
"ard Eing of )ngland and 4cotland, "ho "as born
four months after this melancholy aMair, and "ho
all his lifetime trembled at the sight of a dra"n
s"ord, in spite of his utmost endeavors to overcome
this disposition of his organs 4o great is the force
of nature, and so po"erfully does she act by "ays
impenetrable to us R
he ueen soon resumed her authority, "as recon-
ciled to the earl of >urray, prosecuted the mur-
derers of (i??io, and entered into a fresh engage-
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
50/438
>ary, @ueen of 4cots NN
ment "ith the earl of :oth"ell hese ne" amours
produced the death of her husband It is said an
al tempt "as made to poison him, but that the
strength of his constitution got the better of the
drugs they had given him# ho"ever, it is certain
that he "as murdered in )dinburgh, in a lone house,
from "hich the ueen had previously removed most
of her valuable eMects /s soon as the murder "as
committed, the house "as blo"n up "ith gunpo"-
der, and the body "as deposited near that of 6avid
(f??io, in the vault belonging to the royal family
he parliament and the "hole nation openly
charged :oth"ell "ith this murder# and, in the
midst of the general cry for justice, >ary contrived
to have herself carried oM by this assassin, "hose
hands "ere yet stained "ith her husbandJs blood,
and "as after"ard publicly married to him 2hat
"as most eFtraordinary in this horrid adventure
"as that :oth"ell had at that time a "ife # and, in
order to bring about a separation, he obliged her to
accuse him of adultery, and made the archbishop
of 4t /ndre"Js pronounce sentence of divorce
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
51/438
bet"een them, agreeable to the custom of the
country
:oth"ell "as possessed of all that insolence
"hich attends great "icEedness .e assembled the
principal noblemen of the Eingdom, and made them
sign a "riting, by "hich it "as declared, in eFpress
terms, that the ueen could not dispense "ith marry-
ing him, as he had carried her a"ay, and had lain
ol GN
NK /ncient and >odern .istory
"ith her /ll these facts are authenticated the let-
ters "hich >ary is said to have "ritten to :oth"ell
have indeed been disputed, but they carry such
strong marEs of truth that there is hardly any
doubting their reality hese complicated villainies
eMectually roused the 4cots # >ary "as abandoned
by her army, and obliged to yield herself prisoner to
the confederates :oth"ell Led into the OrEneys#
the ueen "as compelled to resign the cro"n to her
son, but "as allo"ed to appoint a regent during
his minority 4he named her brother, the earl of
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
52/438
>urray this nobleman, ho"ever, reproached her
in the bitterest manner "ith her past conduct /t
length she escaped from her con%nement # >urrayJs
harsh and severe temper had procured her a ne"
party In 15D she found means to raise siF thou-
sand men, but she "as soon defeated and obliged
to taEe shelter on the )nglish borders )li?abeth
at %rst gave her an honorable reception at 8arlisle,
but privately intimated to her that, as she "as
accused by the public voice of the murder of her
husband, it behooved her to vindicate herself, and
that she might depend upon her protection, if she
should be found innocent
)li?abeth no" made herself arbiter bet"een >ary
and the 4cottish regency he regent came in per-
son to .ampton court, and consented to deposit the
papers containing the proofs against his sister, in the
hands of commissioners to be appointed by the ueen
of )ngland he unfortunate >ary, on the other
>ary, @ueen of 4cots N5
hand, "ho "as still detained prisoner in 8arlisle,
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
53/438
accused the earl of >urray himself as author of that
murder "hich he had laid to her charge# and eF-
cepted to the )nglish commissioners, unless the
ambassadors of 9rance and 4pain "ere joined "ith
them 7evertheless, )li?abeth still caused this unac-
countable trial to be carried on, and indulged herself
in the cruel pleasure of seeing her rival pine a"ay in
con%nement, "ithout coming to any determination
concerning her fate 4he "as not >aryJs judge, she
o"ed her an asylum, but she caused her to be
removed to e"Eesbury, "here she "as little better
than a prisoner
hese disasters of the royal house of 4cotland
"ere reLected upon the nation, "hich "as rent by
factions that arose from anarchy he earl of >ur-
ray "as murdered by one of these factions, "hich
sheltered itself under the authority of >aryJs name
/fter this murder, the insurgents entered )ngland,
and laid "aste the borders "ith %re and s"ord
In 15HC )li?abeth sent an army to chastise these
disturbers of the peace, and Eeep 4cotland in a"e
4he liEe"ise had the regency of that Eingdom given
to the earl of enoF, brother of the murdered Eing
hus far she acted according to the rules of justice
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
54/438
and true greatness /t the same time a conspiracy
"as formed in )ngland for delivering >ary from
her con%nement, and 'ope 'ius very indiscreetly
caused a bull to be published in ondon, by "hich
he eFcommunicated )li?abeth, and released her sub-
ND /ncient and >odern .istory
jects from their oath of allegiance his step, "hich
"as intended to deliver >ary, only hastened her
do"nfall he t"o ueens entered into mutual
negotiations# the one from her throne, and the
other from a prison >ary does not seem to have
behaved "ith that LeFibility "hich the situation of
her aMairs reuired 4cotland at this time "as
"eltering in blood# the 8atholics and 'rotestants
had raised a civil "ar in the Eingdom he 9rench
ambassador and the archbishop of 4t /ndre"Js
"ere made prisoners, the latter of "hom "as hanged
upon the evidence of his o"n confessor, "ho s"ore
that this prelate had accused himself to him of
being an accomplice in the murder of the late Eing
It "as >aryJs greatest misfortune to have a num-
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
55/438
ber of friends in her disgrace he duEe of 7or-
folE, "ho "as a 8atholic, "anted to marry her in
hope of a revolution, and recEoning on >aryJs right
of succession to )li?abeth 4everal parties "ere
formed in her favor in ondon, "hich "ere "eaE
indeed, but "ere capable of being strengthened by
forces from 4pain, and the intrigues of the court of
(ome hese machinations, ho"ever, cost the duEe
of 7orfolE his head, in 15HG .e "as sentenced
to die by his peers for having solicited aid from
the pope and the Eing of 4pain, in >aryJs behalf
he duEe of 7orfolEJs death rivetted this unhappy
princessJs chains # her long misfortunes had not yet
discouraged those of her party in ondon, "ho "ere
>ary, @ueen of 4cots NH
strongly supported by the princess of 0uise, the
pope, the &esuits, and the court of 4pain
he great point in vie" "as to set >ary at liberty,
and place her on the )nglish throne, and "ith her
restore the 8atholic religion / conspiracy "as
formed against )li?abeth 'hilip had already begun
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
56/438
to prepare for his invasion he ueen of )ngland
caused fourteen of the conspirators to be put to
death, and brought >ary, "ho "as her eual, to a
public trial, as if she had been her subject 9orty-
t"o members of parliament and %ve of the judges
"ere sent to eFamine her in 9otheringay castle # she
protested against their proceedings, and refused to
maEe any reply 7ever "as trial so irregularly
carried on, nor sentence so cruelly passed # she "as
presented only "ith copies of her letters, and no
originals hey made use of the depositions of her
secretaries, "ithout confronting them "ith her # they
pretended to convict her upon the evidence of three
conspirators, "ho had been eFecuted, though their
sentence should have been deferred till they had
been eFamined in >aryJs presence In a "ord,
though they had even proceeded "ith all the forms
"hich justice reuires for the lo"est of the peo-
ple, had they proved that >ary solicited for aid and
revenge "herever she had a prospect o succeeding,
they could not "ith euity have pronounced her
criminal )li?abeth had no other jurisdiction over
her than that of the strong over the "eaE and unfor-
tunate
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
57/438
N /ncient and >odern .istory
/t length, after eighteen yearsJ imprisonment, in
a country "hich she had imprudently chosen for an
asylum, >ary "as beheaded, on 9eb G, 15H, in
an apartment of the prison hung "ith blacE )li?a-
beth "as sensible that she had committed a base act,
but she added to the odium of it by attempting to
impose upon the public "ho "ere not, ho"ever,
to be so deceived "ith an aMectation of sorro"
for a person "hom she had put to death, by pretend-
ing that her ministers had eFceeded her orders, and
by imprisoning the secretary of state, "ho, she said,
had been too precipitate in eFecuting a "arrant
signed by herself )urope detested her cruelty and
dissimulation .er reign "as esteemed, but her
character "as held in abhorrence :ut "hat renders
her still more condemnable is her not having been
forced to this barbarity It may even be said, that
in >aryJs person she had a security against the
attempts of her adherents
hough this action be an indelible stain upon the
memory of )li?abeth, it is a fanatical "eaEness to
canoni?e >ary 4tuart as a martyr to religion# she
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
58/438
"as only a martyr to adultery, to the murder of her
husband, and to her o"n imprudence In her
failings and misfortunes she perfectly resembled
&oan of 7aples# they "ere both handsome and
sprightly, both, through the frailty of their seF,
dra"n to commit an atrocious deed, and both put to
death by their relatives .istory freuently pre-
sents us "ith a repetition of the same misfortunes,
9rance =nder 9rancis II N$
the same Lagitious deeds, and one crime punished
by another
8./')( 8BII
9(/78), O2/(6 .) )76 O9 .) 4IB))7. 8)7-
=(+, =76)( 9(/78I4 II
2.I) all )urope "as alarmed at the eFcessive
po"er of 4pain, and )ngland made the second %g-
ure by opposing that monarchy, 9rance had gro"n
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
59/438
"eaE, divided into factions, and in danger of being
dismembered, so that it "as far from having any
inLuence or credit in )urope he civil "ars of this
Eingdom had reduced it to a state of dependence on
all its neighbors hose times of fury, abjectness,
and misery have furnished more matter for history
than is contained in all the (oman annals /nd
"hat "ere the causes of all those misfortunes
(eligion, ambition, the "ant of good la"s, and a
maladministration
.enry II, by his severity against the sectaries,
and especially by the condemnation of the counsellor
of parliament, /nne du :ourg, "ho "as eFecuted
after the EingJs death by order of the 0uises, made
more 8alvinists in 9rance than there "ere in all
4"it?erland and 0eneva .ad these people made
their appearance in a time liEe that of ouis BII,
"hen the court of 9rance "as at "ar "ith the papal
see, they might possibly have met "ith some indul-
gence # but they appeared precisely at the time "hen
KC /ncient and >odern .istory
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
60/438
.enry II stood in need of 'ope 'aul I, to assist
him in disputing possession of 7aples and 4icily
"ith 4pain, and "hile these t"o po"ers "ere in
alliance "ith the urE against the house of /ustria
It "as therefore thought necessary to sacri%ce them
he clergy, "ho "ere po"erful at court, and "ere
in fear of losing their temporalities and authority,
persecuted them # and policy, interest, and ?eal, con-
curred in their ruin he state might have tolerated
them, as )li?abeth tolerated the 8atholics in )ng-
land, and have preserved a number of good subjects
by allo"ing them liberty of conscience It "ould
have been of little concern to the government in
"hat manner they performed their devotion, pro-
vided they submitted themselves to the established
la"s "hereas, by persecuting them, they made
them rebels
he untimely fate of .enry II "as the signal
of thirty years of civil "ars /n infant Eing gov-
erned by foreigners, and the jealousy of the princes
of the blood and high oPcers of the cro"n against
the family of 0uise, on account of their great
credit in the Eingdom, began the subversion of
9rance
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
61/438
he famous conspiracy of /mboise "as the %rst
of the Eind "e hear of in this country o form
leagues, and then breaE them, to pass hastily from
one eFtreme to another, to be violent in their pas-
sions and sudden in their repentance, seemed hith-
erto to have formed the character of the 0auls, "ho,
9rance =nder 9rancis II K1
"hen they tooE the name of 9ranEs, and after"ard
of 9rench, did not change their manners :ut in
this conspiracy there "as a degree of boldness "hich
eualled that of 8atiline, "ith an artful manage-
ment, a depth of contrivance, and a profound secrecy
liEe that of the 4icilian espers, or the 'a??i of
9lorence ouis, prince of 8onde, "as the soul that
secretly animated this plot, but in so artful a man-
ner, that though all 9rance "as convinced that he
"as at the head of it, no one could positively convict
him of being so
It "as peculiar to this conspiracy, that it "as in
one sense eFcusable, as being undertaEen to "rest
the government out of the hands of 9rancis, duEe
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
62/438
of 0uise, and his brother, the cardinal of orraine,
"ho "ere both foreigners, and held the Eing in sub-
jection, the nation in slavery, and the princes of the
blood and oPcers of the cro"n at a distance # and in
another highly criminal, as it attacEed the rights of
a Eing "ho "as at age, and empo"ered by the la"s
to choose the depositaries of his authority
It has never been proved that there "as any
design of Eilling the 0uises# but as they "ould
doubtless have made a resistance, their deaths "ere
inevitable 9ive hundred gentlemen, all "ell sec-
onded, and a thousand resolute soldiers, headed by
thirty chosen captains, "ere all to assemble from
the several provinces of the Eingdom on an
appointed day at /mboise, "here the court then Eept
its residence 3ings "ere not in those times sur-
KG /ncient and >odern .istory
rounded by so numerous a guard as they are at pres-
ent he regiment of guards "as not formed till the
reign of 8harles IB "o hundred archers "ere
the most that attended 9rancis II, the other Eings
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
63/438
of )urope had no more 2hen the constable of
>ontmorency came to Orleans, "here the 0uises
had placed a ne" guard about the court upon the
death of 9rancis II he dismissed the ne"ly raised
soldiers, and threatened to have them all hanged as
enemies to the state, "ho planted a barrier bet"een
the Eing and his people
he simplicity of the ancient times still continued
in the palaces of our Eings, but they "ere by this
means more eFposed to resolute attempts It "as
an easy matter to sei?e the royal family, the min-
isters, and even the Eing himself there "as almost
a certainty of success he secret "as Eept invio-
lable by all the conspirators for nearly siF months #
at length it "as discovered by the indiscretion of one
of the chiefs, named de la (enaudie, "ho divulged it
in con%dence to a la"yer of 'aris, "ho eFposed the
"hole plot, "hich, nevertheless, "as carried into
eFecution In 15DC the conspirators met at the place
appointed as if nothing had happened # religious
enthusiasm furnished them "ith a desperate obsti-
nacy hese gentlemen "ere for the most part
8alvinists, "ho made a duty of avenging their per-
secuted brethren ouis, prince of 8onde, had
openly embraced the ne" doctrine, because the duEe
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
64/438
of 0uise and the cardinal of orraine "ere 8ath-
9rance =nder 9rancis II KN
olics his attempt "as set on foot to bring about a
revolution in 8hurch and 4tate
he 0uises had hardly time to get together a body
of troops here "ere not %fteen thousand men
enrolled in all the Eingdom but they soon mustered
a suPcient number to eFterminate the conspirators,
"ho, as they arrived in detached parties, "ere easily
defeated 6e la (enaudie "as Eilled %ghting, and
many others died liEe him, "ith their arms in their
hands hose "ho "ere taEen died by the hands of
eFecutioners, and, for a "hole month nothing "as
to be seen in 'aris but bloody scaMolds, and gibbets
loaded "ith dead bodies
he conspiracy thus discovered, and the authors
of it punished, only served to increase the po"er
it "as meant to overthro" 9rancis de 0uise "as
invested "ith the authority of the ancient mayors
of the palace, under the title of lieutenant-general
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
65/438
of the Eingdom :ut this very authority, and the
restless ambition of his brother, the cardinal, "ho
endeavored to introduce the Inuisition into 9rance,
stirred up all ranEs in the Eingdom against them,
and proved the sources of fresh troubles
he 8alvinists, "ho "ere still privately encour-
aged by the prince of 8onde, tooE up arms in several
provinces he po"er of the 0uises must certainly
have been very formidable, seeing that neither
8onde nor his brother, /nthony, Eing of 7avarre,
father of .enry I, nor the famous admiral 8ol-
igny, nor his brother dJ/ndelot, colonel-general of
KK /ncient and >odern .istory
the infantry, dared to declare themselves openly
he prince of 8onde "as the %rst head of a party
that ever seemed to "age civil "ar "ith fear and
apprehension# he seemed ready to striEe a blo",
and "ould after"ard dra" bacE again # and, imag-
ining that he could al"ays Eeep fair "ith a court
that he meant to destroy, he "as so imprudent as to
go to 9ontainebleau in the character of a courtier,
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
66/438
"hen he should have been in that of a general at
the head of his party he 0uises caused him to
be arrested at Orleans, and arraigned before the
privy council and commissioners chosen out of the
parliament, not"ithstanding his privilege as a prince
of the blood eFempted him from being tried by any
but the court of peers, and the parliament assembled
:ut "hat avails privilege against superior strength #
or "hat indeed "as privilege of "hich there had
been no precedent but in the violation of it, in the
case of the criminal process formerly issued against
the duEe dJ/lengon
he prince of 8onde then "as condemned to be
beheaded he famous chancellor de J.DpRtal, a
noble legislator, at a time "hen good la"s "ere
most "anted, and an intrepid philosopher, in an age
of enthusiasm and fury, refused to sign the sen-
tence his eFample of undaunted courage "as
follo"ed by the count de 4ancerre, one of the
privy council 7evertheless the decree "as going
to be published, and the prince of 8onde "as on
the point of falling by the hand of the eFecutioner,
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
67/438
9rance =nder 8harles IB K5
"hen suddenly the young Eing, 9rancis II, "ho
had been ill for a long time, and "as in%rm from
his cradle, died at the age of seventeen, leaving
his brother 8harles, "ho "as then only ten, an
eFhausted Eingdom, rent in pieces by factions
he death of 9rancis proved the deliverance of
8onde # he "as presently released from his con-
%nement, after a feigned reconciliation had been
eMected bet"een him and the 0uises, "hich "as no
more than the seal of revenge and hatred, as indeed
"hat else could it be he estates "ere no" assem-
bled at Orleans, "ithout "hom nothing could be
done in such a situation of aMairs hese estates
conferred the guardianship of the young Eing,
8harles IB, and the government of the Eingdom on
8atherine de >edici, but not under the name of
regent # they did not even give her the title of
majesty, "hich had but very lately been assumed
by Eings here are several letters from 4ieur de
:ourdeilles to .enry III, in "hich he styles that
prince ; +our highness;
8./')( 8BII
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
68/438
9(/78) 6=(I70 .) >I7O(I+ O9 8./()4 IB /76
.) ()I07 O9 .)7(+ III
6=(I70 every royal minority, the ancient constitu-
tion of a Eingdom al"ays recovers some part of its
vigor, at least for a time, liEe a family assembled
together upon the death of the father / general
KD /ncient and >odern .istory
assembly of the states "as held at Orleans, and
after"ard at 'ontoise these estates deserve to
have their memories preserved, for the perpetual
separation they made bet"een the s"ord and the
long robe his distinction "as unEno"n in the
(oman )mpire, even to the time of 8onstantine^
their magistrates understood ho" to conduct armies*
and their generals could decide causes he s"ord
and the la" "ere, in liEe manner, lodged in the
same hands in almost all the nations of )urope, till
to"ard the beginning of the fourteenth century
ittle by little these t"o professions "ere separated
in 4pain and 9rance# though not absolutely so in
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
69/438
the atter, not"ithstanding the parliaments "ere
composed only of the gentlemen of the long robe
he jurisdiction of the bailiMs, "ho "ere s"ords-
men, still continued the same as it "as in several
of the provinces of 0ermany, and on the frontiers
of that empire he estates of Orleans, convinced
that the s"ordsmen could not con%ne themselves
to the study of the la", tooE from them the admin-
istration of justice, and conferred it on the go"ns-
men, "ho "ere before only their lieutenants, or
deputies hus they, "ho from their original institu-
tion had al"ays been judges, ceased to be so any
longer
he famous chancellor de J.opital had the
principal share in bringing about this change, "hich
"as eMected at the time of the nationJs greatest
"eaEness, and has since contributed to strengthen
9rance =nder 8harles IB KH
the hands of the sovereigns, by dividing forever
t"o professions "hich might, if united, have formed
a po"erful counterpoise to the authority of the min-
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
70/438
istry 4ome have thought since, that the nobles
could not preserve the charge of the la"s intrusted
to them# but they should reLect that the )nglish
house of lords, "hich is composed of the only nobles
properly so called in that Eingdom, is a %Fed body
of magistracy, "ho maEe the la"s and administer
justice 2hen "e see these great changes in the
constitution of a state, and observe other neighbor-
ing governments "ho have not undergone these
changes in the same circumstances, "e may evi-
dently conclude that the manners and genius of
these people must have been diMerent from those of
the former
/t this assembly of the general estates, it
appeared ho" very faulty the administration had
been he Eing "as indebted for over forty millions
of livres# money "as "anted, and there "as none
to be had # this "as the true cause of the troubles
of 9rance .ad 8ath^ine de >edici had "here-
"ithal to purchase good servants, and pay an army,
the diMerent factions "hich distracted the state
might have been easily Eept under by the royal
authority he ueen-mother found herself placed
bet"een the 8atholics and the 'rotestants, the
8ondes and the 0uises 8onstable de >ontmorency
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
71/438
"as at the head of a separate faction 6ivision
reigned in the court, the city, and the provinces
K /ncient and >odern .istory
8atherine could only negotiate, instead of reigning
.er maFim of dividing all parties, that she might
be sole mistress, increased the troubles and misfor-
tunes of the state 4he began by appointing a con-
ference to be held bet"een the 8atholics and the
'rotestants at 'oissy, "hich "as subjecting the old
religion to arbitration, and giving a great degree of
credit to the 8alvinist party, by setting them up
as disputants against those "ho thought themselves
rather entitled to be their judges
/t this time, "hen heodore :e?a and other
'rotestant divines came to 'oissy, in order to main-
tain their doctrines in a public manner before the
ueen and a court "ho as publicly sang >arotJs
psalms, 8ardinal 9errara arrived in 9rance as legate
from 'ope 'aul I, but being a grandson of
/leFander I, by the motherJs side, he "as more
despised on account of his birth, than respected for
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
72/438
his place and merit # insomuch, that his cross-bearer
"as insulted even by the lacEeys of the court 'rints
of his grandfather "ere %Fed up in the public places
through "hich he "as to pass, "ith an account of
the "icEed and scandalous actions of his life he
legate brought "ith him one aine?, general of the
order of &esuits, "ho did not understand a "ord
of 9rench, and disputed at the conference in Italian,
"hich tongue 8atherine de >edici had made famil-
iar to the court, and it began to have a considerable
inLuence on the 9rench language itself his &esuit
had the boldness to tell the ueen at the conference,
9rance =nder 8harles IB K$
that she had no right to call this assembly, and that
in so doing she had usurped the popeJs authority
7evertheless, he disputed in this assembly "hich
he found fault "ith, and said, in speaEing of the
eucharist, that 0od "as in place of the bread and
"ine, liEe a Eing "ho maEes himself his o"n ambas-
sador his childish comparison eFcited a smile
of contempt, as his insolent behavior to the ueen
did the general indignation riLing things some-
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
73/438
times occasion great mischiefs # and in the situation
of minds at that time, everything helped the cause
of the ne" religion
he conseuence of this conference, and of the
intrigues that follo"ed it, "as the issuing of an
edict, in &anuary, 15DG, permitting the 'rotestants
to have preaching places "ithout the city, and this
edict of paci%cation proved the source of the civil
"ars he duEe of 0uise, though removed from
his post of lieutenant-general of the Eingdom, still
"anted to be its master he "as already connected
"ith 'hilip II, and "as looEed upon by the people
as the protector of the 8atholic religion he
grandees in those times never travelled "ithout a
numerous retinue# and not as they do no", in a
post-chaise "ith t"o or three footmen only# they
"ere al"ays attended by a hundred horsemen this
"as all their magni%cence, for three or four of them
lay in one bed# and "hen they "ere in "aiting at
court, they had only a sorry apartment to live in,
"ithout any other furniture than a fe" chests he
ol GK
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
74/438
5C /ncient and >odern .istory
duEe of 0uise, as he "as going through assy, a
to"n on the borders of 8hampagne, came upon some
8alvinists, "ho, in conseuence of the privilege
granted them by the edict, "ere singing psalms after
their manner, in a barn .is servants fell upon
and insulted these poor people, Eilled about siFty of
them, and "ounded and dispersed the rest =pon
this there "as a general rising of the 'rotestants in
almost every part of the Eingdom, and the nation
became divided bet"een the prince of 8onde and
the duEe of 0uise 8atherine de >edici Luctuated
bet"een both # nothing "as seen on all sides but
Eilling and plundering he ueen "as then at
'aris "ith the Eing, her son, "here, %nding herself
deprived of all authority, she "rote to the prince
of 8onde to come to her deliverance his fatal
letter "as an order for continuing the civil "ar,
"hich "as prosecuted "ith the greatest inhumanity
)very to"n "as a forti%ed post, and every street a
%eld of battle
On one side "ere the duEe of 0uise and his
brother, united by convenience "ith the faction of
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
75/438
8onstable de >ontmorency, "ho "as master of the
EingJs person on the other, the prince of 8onde,
joined by the 8oligny party /nthony, Eing of
7avarre, the %rst prince of the blood, a "eaE and
irresolute man, "ho Ene" not of "hat religion or
party he "as# jealous of his brother 8onde, and
obliged to serve against his "ill the duEe of 0uise,
"hom he detested, "as dragged to the siege of
9rance =nder 8harles IB 51
(ouen, together "ith the ueen-mother, 8atherine de
>edici # he "as Eilled at this siege, and deserves a
place in history on no other account than that of
being father of the great .enry I
he "ar, "hich continued "ithout interruption
till the peace of ervins, "as carried on after much
the same manner as in the times of anarchy, at the
decline of the second race, and the beginning of
the third here "ere fe" regular troops on either
side, eFcepting some companies of men at arms,
belonging to the principal chiefs 'lunder "as their
only pay# and all that the 'rotestant faction could
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
76/438
scrape together they employed in bringing over
0erman troops to complete the destruction of the
Eingdom he Eing of 4pain on his side sent some
fe" soldiers to the 8atholics, in order to feed a
Lame "hich he hoped to turn to his o"n advantage,
and thirteen 4panish companies marched to the
relief of >ontlu in 4aintonge hese "ere, "ith-
out contradiction, the most fatal times that the
9rench monarchy had ever eFperienced
he %rst pitched battle bet"een the 8atholics and
the (eformed "as fought near 6reuF in 15DG,
"herein not only 9renchman engaged against
9renchman, but the royal infantry "as chieLy com-
posed of 4"iss, as the 'rotestant army "as of 0er-
mans his battle "as remarEable by both gen-
erals being made prisoners# >ontmorency, "ho
commanded the EingJs army in uality of con-
and the prince of 8onde, "j^p "as at the hearS
5G /ncient and >odern .istory
of the reformed army he duEe of 0uise, "ho "as
second in command to the constable, gained the bat-
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
77/438
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
78/438
and "atched an opportunity to stab the duEe of
0uise in the bacE .e had the impudence to charge
/dmiral de 8oligny and heodore de :e?a "ith hav-
9rance =nder 8harles IB 5N
ing at least connived at his design # but he varied so
much in his depositions that he destroyed his o"n
imposture 8oligny even oMered to go to 'aris to
be confronted "ith this miscreant, and reuested the
ueen to suspend the eFecution till the truth could
be cleared up It must be acEno"ledged that the
admiral, though the leader of a faction, had never
been guilty of the least action that could "arrant
a suspicion of such blacE treachery
It "as not suPcient that the 4paniards, 0ermans,
and 4"iss "ere called in to help the 9rench destroy
each other# the )nglish "ere also sent for to join
in the general ruin hree thousand of them had
been introduced by the .uguenots into .avre-de-
0race, a seaport to"n built by 9rancis I, but 8on-
stable de >ontmorency, "ho had been eFchanged for
the prince of 8onde, after great diPculty drove
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
79/438
them out again hese troubles "ere no" suc-
ceeded by a momentary peace# 8onde "as recon-
ciled to the court, but his brother, the admiral, still
continued at the head of a po"erful party in the
provinces
In the meantime 8harles IB, having attained the
age of thirteen years and one day, held his court of
justice, not in the 'arliament of 'aris, but in that
of (ouen# and it is remarEable that his mother,
"hen she resigned her commission of regent,
Eneeled to him
here "as a scene on this occasion "hich is
entirely "ithout eFample Odet de 8hatillon, car-
5K /ncient and >odern .istory
dinal bishop of :eauvais, had, liEe his brother,
changed to the reformed religion, and had taEen a
"ife he pope strucE him out of the list of car-
dinals, and he himself eFpressed a contempt for the
title# but, in order to brave the pope, he assisted
at the ceremony in his cardinalJs habit# his "ife
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
80/438
"as allo"ed to be seated in presence of the Eing and
ueen, as the "ife of a peer of the realm # and "as
sometimes called ;the countess of :eauvais,; and
sometimes ; the cardinalJs lady;
9rance "as full of absurdities eually great he
confusion of the civil "ars had destroyed all Eind
of government and decency he church livings
"ere almost all in the possession of laymen# an
abbey or a bishopric "as given as a marriage por-
tion "ith a daughter but these irregularities, no"
gro"n customary, "ere all forgotten in the bosom
of peace, the greatest of all blessings he .ugue-
nots, "ho "ere allo"ed the eFercise of their religion,
though they "ere still upon their guard, remained
uiet # and the prince of 8onde joined in the diver
sions of the court :ut this calm "as of short dura-
tion# the .uguenot party insisted on too many
sureties, and the government granted them too fe"
he prince of 8onde "anted a share in the admin-
istration # the cardinal of orraine, chief of a po"-
erful and numerous house, aimed at holding the
%rst post in the state# 8onstable de >ontmorency,
"ho "as an enemy to this family, retained his
po"er, and shared in the authority of the court#
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
81/438
9rance =nder 8harles IB 55
the 8oligny and other .uguenot chiefs prepared
to oppose the house of orraine )veryone strove
to have a share in dismembering the state# the
8atholic clergy on one side, and the 'rotestant min-
isters on the other, set up the cry of religion 0od
"as their pretence# a thirst for rule, their 0od#
and the people, intoFicated "ith fanaticism, "ere at
once the instruments and the victims of the ambi-
tion of all these opposite factions
he prince of 8onde, "ho had attempted to res-
cue young 9rancis II from the hands of the 0uises
at /mboise, no" endeavored to get 8harles IB
into his o"n po"er, and taEe the city of >eauF from
8onstable de >ontmorency his ouis of 8onde
made eFactly the same "ar, "ith the same strata-
gems and on the same pretences religion
eFcepted "hich his namesaEe, ouis the 0reat,
prince of 8onde, did after"ard during the disputes
of the eague On 7ov 1C, 15DH, the prince and
the admiral fought the battle of 4t 6enis against
the constable, "ho "as mortally "ounded, in the
8/20/2019 Voltaire XXVIII
82/438
eightieth year of his age .e "as a man eually
intrepid at court and in the %eld, possessed of great
virtues and great faults, unfortunate as a genera