P. 17, 18.

Folio.

who were unacquainted with him, to be lieve that he had a more than ordinary de

gree

(b) Ufher's" ftate of Chriftendom, with bis dat qui citò dat (b).' life and let This kind of talk would have fuited well enough ters by Parr, the mouth of fome honeft, well-meaning ecclefiaftic, Lond. 1686. and edified, no doubt, very much thofe who heard it. But it founds ftrange from James, who was addicted to fo many vices, and whose oaths and imprecations were fo common. Shall we fuppofe him wholly hypocritical in these speeches, and entirely unconcerned about the things he talked of; though from other parts of his behaviour, one might be led to make this conclufion, yet, perhaps, we should be mistaken in fo doing. For, however it be, men's characters are too often inconfiftent, and they strangely blend what they call religion, with the practice of the moft odious and deteftable vices. By a concern for the one, they excufe to themfelves the other, and fo come at length to imagine, that they are acceptable to the deity, though they break the moft facred of his laws. Thus we read of John Bafilides, great duke of Mufcovy, the most wicked of men, the most deteftable of tyrants, that he would pray and fast in a most extraordinary manner, and be as devout as (c) See Ca poffible himself, and make others fo too (c). And, in the faubon of fame manner, numbers of cruel perfecutors, and ambiP 2-9, 8vo, tious, felfish, avaritious wretches, are éxceedingly zealLond. 1656. ous and exact in their devotions, and come not behind,

enthusiasm,

in these things, the moft fincere and virtuous perfons. So that 'tis not improbable fames might be in earnest when he talked in thefe ftrains, and, please himself to think, that he was both fo wife and fo religious a king. Amazing delufion! terrible deceit! To the all-piercing eye of heaven all is naked and open, no difguifes can conceal from, no artifices impofe on it; and therefore men should look well to it, that they are what they would feem to be.A prince openly vicious and profane, only hurts the intereft of religion, by appearing, on occafion, its votary. Standers-by will look with ri

gree of fanctity. Hunting (MM) was a fa

vourite

dicule and abhorrence on his interefting himself in its affairs, and will not be prevailed on to believe that he is in earnest about it.. -Hence poffibly it has come to pass, that courts have been fo little famed for the practice of religion. For the manners of the generality of princes being not over good, thofe about them think they fhall pay their court to them more by conforming to their example, than by obeying their edict. When they speak therefore of religion, they are not liftened unto; when they command, by thofe about them, they are not obeyed for they are confidered as only acting a part, and therefore having no real concern about what they seem to engage in.

(MM) Hunting was a favourite diverfion with him, &c.] Let us hear Sully. "From this fubject [the in"fincerity of the Spaniards] the king of England paffed "to that of the chace, for which he fhewed me an ex"traordinary paffion. He faid he knew very well that "I was no great lover of the chace; that he had at

tributed the late fuccefs of his fport to me, not as "marquis of Rofny, but as ambassador from a king, "who was not only the greateft prince, but the greatest "hunter in the world; to which, with the greatest "politeness, he added, that Henry was in the right "not to carry me to the chace, because I was of "greater service to him elfewhere; and that if I pur

fued the chace, the king of France could not. "I replied, that Henry loved all the exercifes; but "that none of them ever made him neglect the care "of his affairs, nor prevented him from a close infpection into the proceedings of his minifters (a)." (a) Suily, Vol. II. P. Had James imitated his brother of France in attending his affairs, and infpecting the proceeding of his minifters, he might have enjoyed the pleafure of hunting without cenfure. For'tis but reafonable that princes fhould have a relaxation from bufinefs as well as other men.

But,

29.

favourite diverfion with him, which he

practifed

But fays Mr. Chamberlaine to Mr. Winwood, in a letter dated Jan. 26, 1604, “ the king finds that felicity "in that hunting life, that he hath written to the coun"cil, that it is the only means to maintain his health, "which being the health and welfare of us all, he defires them to take the charge and burden of affairs, "and foresee that he be not interrupted nor troubled with "too much business (b)." A man who preferred hunting to the affairs of ftate, was unworthy of the crown he wore, and undeferving the regard of his people. For fuch a one neglected the end of his appointment, and therefore merited the contempt he met with. James never loved bufinefs. "In Scotland, fays Melvil, "the earl of Arran defired him to recreate himself at "hunting, and he would attend the council, and re66 port again at his majesty's return, all our opinions "and conclufions (c)." He hearkened to his advice, or rather followed his own inclinations, and thereby numberless mifchiefs enfued. He was never the wifer for this we fee; for his averfion to business was the fame, and fo was his paffion for hunting: fo that he had lived to no purpose, and was incapable of being taught by experience.

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Ofborn tells us, he faw him dreffed in colours green as the grafs he trod on, with a feather in his cap, and "a horn inftead of a fword by his fide (d)." A pretty picture this of a prince, and tending to excite much reverence in the beholders. But when men's minds are bent on diverfions, they care for nothing more than their own pleasure and amufement, and are thoughtless of what ftanders-by think or fay of them.I will give the reader fome fine obfervations on this fubject of hunting, from a writer whofe great genius and elevated rank entitle him to be heard with deference and respect, and with them conclude the note. "Hunting is one of thofe fenfual pleafures which exercife the body, without affecting the mind; it is an ardent defire of

7

"purfuing

tifed fo much, as to neglect the great and weighty business of ftate, and leave every thing

pursuing fome wild beaft, for the cruel fatisfaction of "destroying it; an amusement which renders the body "robuft and active, and leaves the mind fallow and "uncultivated. Sportsmen, perhaps, will reproach me "here with gravity and preaching, and alledge, that I "affume the prerogative of a prieft in his pulpit, who <c may affert whatever he pleafes, without being afraid " of contradiction. Hunting, fay they, is the noblest " and most antient of all amufements; the patriarchs " and many other eminent men were hunters; and by "this we continue to exercise that dominion over the "beafts, which God vouchfafed to give Adam. But

no folly is the better for being antient, especially "if it is carried to extravagance: many great men, I "own, have been paffionately fond of this diverfion; "but these had their weaknesses as well as perfections: "Let us imitate their great qualities, without copying "after their little and idle occupations. The fame pa"triarchs were not only given to hunting, but to po"lygamy, nay, would marry their own fifters, and "had many other cuftoms which favoured of the bar"barous ages wherein they lived. They were rude, igcc norant, and uncultivated idle men, who, to kill time, employed it in hunting, and threw away thofe mo"ments in useless amufements, which they had no capacity to employ in the company and conversation of men of understanding. Let me now ask whether "these are examples to be imitated; whether these bar"barous ages, or others that were more refined, ought "to be the model of the present? To enquire whether "Adam received dominion over the beafts, would be foreign to my fubject; but it is well known, that men have been always more cruel and ravenous than "the beafts themfelves, and make the moft tyrannical "ufe of that dominion they pretend to. If any thing "gives us advantage over thefe animals, it is certainly G

་

66 ' our

thing of confequence to be tranfacted by his council, to his no small dishonour.

He

"our reason; but professed hunters, for the most part, "have their heads furnished with nothing but horses, "dogs, boars, ftags, and the like. They are fome"times as wild and favage themselves as the beafts they "pursue ; and it may well be feared left they should be"come as inhuman to their fellow-creatures, as they ઃઃ are to their fellow-animals, or at leaft that the cruel " custom of perfecuting and destroying thefe, may take "away their sympathy for the misfortunes of the others. "And is this fo noble an occupation, fo worthy "of a thinking being? It may be objected that hunt"ing is an healthful exercife, and that those who are "given to it live to a great age, as appears by experi"ence; that it is a harmlefs amusement, and very pro

per for fovereigns, as it difplays their magnificence, "diffipates their cares, and in times of peace presents "them with an image of war. I would be far from

condemning a moderate use of this exercise, but let "it be remembered, that exercife in general is hardly "neceffary to any but the intemperate. Never prince "lived longer than cardinal Fleury, cardinal Ximenes, 66 or the late pope, and yet neither of the three was a "hunter. But is it neceffary to chufe an employment "which has no other merit but that of promifing long

life? Monks commonly live longer than other men; " must a man therefore become a monk? there is no "need of leading an indolent and useless life, as long as "that of Methusalem: the more a man improves his "understanding, and the more great and useful actions "he performs, the longer he lives. Hunting, befides, "is of all amusements that which is leaft proper for a "prince: he may difplay his magnificence a thousand ways, that are all more useful to his fubjects: and if "it fhould be found, that the peasants were ruined by "the too great number of wild beasts, the care of deftroying these might be committed to profeffed hun

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