give him great gifts, for that is either info"lence or follie; nor to feaft him with exceffive "charge, for that is both vain and envious: and "therefore the wife Prince King Henry the "Seventh, her Majefty's grandfather, if he "chaunce had bene to lye at any of his subjects "houses, or to paffe moe meales than one, he "that would take upon him to defray the charge "of his dyet, or of his officers and household, he "would be marvelously offended with, faying, "What private fubject dare undertake a Princes "charge, or looke into the fecret of his expence ? "Her Majeftie (i. e. Queen Elizabeth) hath "bene knowne often times to mislike the fu "perfluous expence of her subjects bestowed upon "her in times of her progreffes." SINGULAR ARTICLES OF EXPENCE EXTRACTED FROM THE ACCOUNTS OF HENRY VII. IN THE 7th year. Itm to a fello with a berde*£. s. d. -to my lorde Onvy 0 40 0 Seall fole in rewarde o IO O *This was a reign of fmooth chins, a beard therefore was a fingularity. c 3 8th 8th y'. Itm to Pechie the fole in. s. d. 13thyto Maft Bray for re wards to them that brought cokkes at Shrovetide at Westminster -to the Herytik at Canterbury O 20 O o 6 8 There are many payments for writing books, which fhew the flow progrefs the art of printing made for fome years. Henry VII. feems to have been particularly fond of this diverfion, as there are other entries of this fort in his accounts. Bacon fays the King had (though he were no good Schoolman) the honour to convert a Heretick at Canterbury. ALEXANDER ALEXANDER THE SÌXTH, in paffing through the Romagna with his hopeful fon Cæfar Borgia, after a contested election for the Popedom; in which at laft he was fuccefsful, obferving the inhabitants of fome petty town very bufy in taking down the ftatue of his competitor from a pedeftal, and putting it upon a gallows, which they had erected for the purpose on the fpur of the occafion very near it, faid very coolly to Cæfar, "Vide, mi fili, quantum diftat "inter ftatuam & patibulum !—Observe, my son, "how fmall the tranfition is from a ftatue to a "gallows!" Alexander having procured his high fituation by bribing the Conclave, was by no means fcrupulous in felling the honours and privileges annexed to it. This gave rife to the following lines: Vendit ALEXANDER Claves, Altaria, Cælum : Our Pope fells Altars, Keys, nay, Heaven and Hell: CESAR BORGIA. THE portrait oppofite to the face of the fox in Baptifta de la Porta's Treatife on Phyfiognomy, is that of this monster of iniquity. Louis the Twelfth of France having occafion for the fervices of his father Alexander VI. made him Duke of Valentinois. Borgia, who should have perifhed on a feaffold, died at laft of a wound which he received in a fkirmifh near Pampeluna. Borgia's device was, "Aut Cæfar aut nihil.” The following diftich was made upon him: BORGIA CESAR erat fallis & nomine CESAR Borgia was made a Cardinal, and Archbishop of Valentia, in Spain, by his father, at the age of eighteen. He was, however, difpenfed from his holy orders, on marrying the rich heirefs of the House of Albret. On his death-bed Cæfar Borgia faid, "I had provided in the course of my life for "every thing except for death; and now, alas! "I am to die, though completely unprepared as for it." GONSALVO, GONSALVO, THE GREAT CAPTAIN, was a man of great prefence of mind. When in fome mutiny amongft his troops, one of the foldiers prefented his halberd to his breast, he gently turned it afide with his hand. "Com"rade," said he, "take care that in playing with "that weapon, you do not wound your General." On fome other mutiny for want of pay, on Gonfalvo's expreffing his inability to give it to them, one of the foldiers advanced to him, and faid in a menacing tone, "General, deliver up your "daughter to us, and then we can pay ourselves." The General affecting not to hear him amidst the clamour of the troops, took no notice of it at the time, but in the night he took care to have him apprehended, and had him hung from a window from which all the army might fee the body. Gonfalvo took Naples by ftorm in the year 1503; and when fome of his foldiers expreffed their difapprobation at not having had a fufficient share in the spoil of that rich city, Gonfalvo nobly replied, "I will repair your bad fortune; go to |