laid the Prince under obligations to him; for that himself had always loved thofe perfons with more affection who were obliged to him, than "thofe perfons (whoever they were) to whom he was obliged; fo difficult it is to live happily in *this world." The Emperor Charles the Fifth was so pleased with Comines' Hiftory, that he used to take it with him whenever he travelled, and feemed to feel the force of another obfervation of this hiftorian: God," fays he, "God," fays he, "cannot fend a greater plague upon a country, than to give it an ignorant and an unlearned Prince; for," adds he, "a man learns more in one book in three months, than twelve men can learn living one after the other.?? LOUIS THE ELEVENTH, KING OF FRANCE. THE homage which vice is obliged to pay to virtue was, perhaps, never better exemplified than in the inftructions this artful and fanguinary tyrant drew up for the ufe of his fon Charles the Eighth, "The "The greatest care of a Sovereign," fays he, is to free his fubjects from all oppreffors, and to "take particular care of the widow and of the " orphan. "If a Prince wishes to lift up his hands pure "and fpotless to Heaven, he fhould be contented "with his own domain, and with the old taxes. "He fhould ever be afraid to raise new impofts, unlefs in cafes of the extremeft neceffity, and for " the good of the State. "Princes are not, in general, fufficiently fen fible of the value of friendship. They fhould <<endeavour to have about them perfons no less attached to them by perfonal regard than by « intereft, "War is a fcourge to a Nation. It brings "with itfelf dangers and evils, the deftruction of "the country, of its inhabitants, and of its wealth, "Favours and emoluments were never intended "for the idle and the indolent, for perfons who "are ufelefs, and a burthen upon the State. "A Prince fhould be very circumspect in his "converfation, as well as in his actions. My "tongue," adds he, "has perhaps done me as much harm as good." MAXIMILIAN THE FIRST, EMPEROR OF GERMANY, failed in general in all his projects for want of money. This procured him the title of Poco"denario," or Lack-money. Amongst his other projects, this Emperor had that of becoming Pope. The following letter to his daughter, the Archduchefs of Flanders, preferved by Godefroi, will fhew upon what good grounds his project rested. TRES CHIERE & TRES AMZE FYLLE, Sept. 18, 1512. JE entendu l'avis que vous m'avez donné par "Guyllain Pingun, noftre garderobes vyefs, dont avons encore mius penfé defus. "Et ne trouvons point pour nulle refun bon, "1 que nous nous devons franchement marier, maes avons plus avant mys notre deliberation & vo"lonté de james plus hanter faem nue. "Et envoyons demain Monf. de Gurce Evefque " à Rome devers le Pape pour trouver fachon que "nous puyffins accorder avec ly de nous prenre pour ung coadjuteur, afin que apres fa mort "pouruns efire affuré de avoer le Papat & devenir "Preftre & eftre Saint & que yl vous fera de ne** ceffité ceffité que apres ma mort vous 'feres contraint de m'adorer, dont je me trouveré bien gloryoes. Je envoye fur ce ung pofte devers le Roi "d'Arragon, pour ly prier quy nous voulle ayder «Ε pour à ce parvenir dont yl eft auffi content moyitant que je refingue l'Empire à noftré " commun fyls Charl, de fela auffi je me fuis con❝ tenté. "Je commence auffi practicer les Cardinaux dont ijc. ou iijc. mylle ducats me ferunt ung "grand fervice aveque la partialité qui eft inter "Faet de la main de voftre bon Pere Maxi milianus, futur Pape, le xvii. jour de Sep"tembre." Maximilian was a Scholar and a Poet. He left behind him in MS. a volume of Poems, and fome Memoirs of his Own Life. The latter are to be found in a scarce German book, of which there is a copy in the College Library of Manchefter. It is intitled, "The Wonderful Adventures and Peer"lefs Exploits of the Noble Knight Sir Tewr« danimaf." It was printed at Nuremberg in 1517, and contains, in German verfe, an account of his various adventures, which conclude with his marriage with Mary of Brabant. It is divided into a great number of Cantos, each of which is adorned with an Engraving from a brass plate, remark remarkably well defigned; and moft probably by that great Artist Albert Durer, to whom Maximilian was a very generous and a very steady patron. His hatred to the French Nation was fo great, that he always carried about with him a book, which he called his Livre Rouge, or Red Book, in which were infcribed the injuries he had received from that formidable Nation. The foundation of the Houfe of Auftria was laid by this Emperor when he married the Heiress of the Houfe of Burgundy. His fon Philip married the Heirefs of the Spanish Monarchy. fioned the following diftich: Bella gerunt alii, tu felix Auftria nubas Nam quæ Mars aliis, dat tibi regna Venus. This occas Auftria, dire wars whilft other Monarchs wage, LOUIS XII. OF FRANCE. WHEN this excellent Prince afcended the throne of France, many of the great men of the Court, who, when he was merely Duke of Orleans, had behaved to him with neglect, were afraid to prefent |
