pendance of their crowns, against the ora tion Secondly, "The cardinal's fpeaking as one repre"fenting the clergy and nobility." Thirdly, "Because he himself had been represented by him as a fower of diffention, and a perfecutor, "under whom the church is hardly able to fetch her "breath; yea, for one by whom the catholics of his "kingdom are compelled to endure all forts of punish"ments." Laftly, 66 By reason that France was reduced to fo "miferable terms, that it was become a crime for a "Frenchman to stand for his king, it was a neceffary "duetie of her neighbours to speak in her behalf (d).” (d) King 390. -Thefe are the reafons alledged by James for en- James's gaging against Perron. After this he proceeds to his works, P. defence of the right of kings, and endeavours to fhew "that what the cardinal had advanced in fupport of his "doctrine, that it was abfurd and incongruous to con"demn, or wrappe under the folemn curfe, the abetters "of the pope's power to unking lawful and fovereign "kings: he endeavours to prove that what was faid by the cardinal in behalf hereof, was meer nullity, "matter of imagination, and built upon false presup pofitions (e). To enter into a minute detail of (e) Id. p1 James's arguments would be tiresome to the reader. 396. Let it therefore fuffice to fay, that he quotes fathers, councils and schoolmen; and that hiftory and scripture are alledged by him, and sometimes not impertinently. -It appears from this defence of the right of kings, that James had had a correspondence with Perron for years before; that he had fent him a difcourfe in writing, to which in three years the cardinal had not replied, which is attributed not to a want of capacity, but to "well advised agnition of his own working and "building upon a weak foundation (f)." If one knew (ƒ) Id. p. nothing more of James than what might be gathered 470. from this book, one thould be tempted to imagine that he was a moft zealous proteftant. For he attributes all K 3 the tion of the most illuftrious cardinal of Per ron. 393 the miseries of France and Great Britain to the Romish (g) Id. p. clergy (g), whom he paints out in no very agreeable colours; and at the fame time praises the French proteftants in an extraordinary manner. He tells us he could never "learn that thofe of the religion in France, took arms "againft their king. In the firft civil wars, fays he, 66 they ftood only upon their guard; they armed not, nor "took the field before they were purfued with fire and (b) Td. p. 480. fword, burnt up and flaughtered. They were a re66 fuge and fuccour to the princes of the blood; in re"gard of which worthy and honourable fervice, the "French king hath reafon to have the proteftants in "his gracious remembrance. He then fets forth their great merit with refpect to the third and fourth Henry, "to whom they flood in all their battles, to bear up "the crown then tottering and ready to fall (b)." This is a very remarkable teftimony to the fidelity and loyalty of the Hugonots, as it comes from one who hated their principle of parity in the church, looked on fuch as held it as very pefts in church and commonwealth, and who, fpoke more bitterly of them than of See note the papifts (i). For the French proteftants differed no[M]. thing at all from the English and Scotch puritans, either in difcipline or doctrine. This remonstrance against Perron, was written firft in French by his majefty, afterwards by his leave tranflated into Englifh, as alfo into Latin, anno 1616, in 4to. for I remember to have (Charac- feen fuch an edition of it in that language.- -Perron ters hiftori though he had neglected James's private writing recal and pa- turned an anfwer to this public remonftrance, for in the negyrical, account of the faid cardinal's writings in Perrault's characters (k), and in Collier's dictionary (1), I find a work intitled," a reply to the king of Great Britain's an"fwer." Whether this is the whole of the title I know not, any more than I do what the anfwer contained, for both thefe authors are by much too fuperficial in their accounts of the most eminent writers, and their per formances. ron. This was his laft controverfial work. But befides the pieces already mentioned, he published also a counterblafte to tobacco (FFF), began a tranflation of the pfalms of king formances (m).As this remonftrance is the laft pole- (m) Vid. mical work of James which we have to mention, Lord appendix. Shaftsbury's defcription of him as a prince-writer, will not improperly conclude this note. As to which, from what has been seen by the reader already, he may in a good measure be able to judge of its truth and propriety. "A prince of a pacific nature and fluent thought, fub"mitting arms and martial difcipline to the gown; and "confiding in his princely fcience and profound learn"ing, made his ftyle and speech the nerve and finew "of his government. He gave us his works full of "wife exhortation and advice to his royal fon, as well "as of inftruction to his good people; who could not "without admiration obferve their author-fovereign, "thus ftudious and contemplative in their behalf. 'Twas "then one might have feen our nation growing young "and docile, with that fimplicity of heart which qua❝lified them to profit like a scholar-people under their "royal preceptor. For with abundant eloquence he "gracioufly gave leffons to his parliament, tutored his "minifters, and edified the greatest churchmen and "divines themselves; by whofe fuffrage he obtained the "highest appellations which could be merited by the "acuteft wit, and truest understanding. From hence "the British nations were taught to own in common a "Solomon for their joint fovereign, the founder of their Vol. I. p. late compleated union (n)." Whether this defcrip- () Charac tion of our author-fovereign, as his lordship styles him, terifticks, be too foft or severe, I leave entirely to the judgment of the reader nothing doubting but he will be pleafed to 12mo.1746. fee it, whatever he may think of it. (FFF) He published a counterblafte to tobacco] This K 4 was 192. edit. (a) King James's works, p. 221. king David; and writ a few fonnets and epitaphs. was first printed in quarto, without name or date. It lefs quantity may be brought into the realm, and 66 only fufficient for the better fort, who will use it "with moderation for their health; wherefore he au"thorifes the said treasurer to order, that from the 26th "of October enfuing, the proper officers fhould take "of all who import tobacco, the fum of fix fhillings and eight pence upon every pound weight, over and above the cuftom of two pence per pound ufually (5) Rymer's paid heretofore (b)." Excellent policy this! to dif Tom. XVI. Courage the taking of that which has fince proved one fol. 601. of the greateft revenues of the crown, and has proapud Oldys's duced vaft benefit to Britain, and her plantations. For life of Ra- two of our colonies are fupported by it; great numbers Note d. Fol. of fhips and feamen are employed in bringing it over; Lond. 1733. and the custom duties of it are counted, on a medium, Federa, Jeigh, p. 32. and acta re gia, p. 518. to amount to 169,079 1. os. 10d. per annum. But'tis Fol. Lond. no wonder " that fuch a philofopher, as could magnify "the power of witches, after the manner he has done "in one of his learned pamphlets, fhould be fuch a politician as to difcourage the taking of tobacco in an 1734. 319 "othera taphs (GGG). So fond was he of fhewing his parts, inftructing and entertaining his 86 good "other, fays Mr. Oldys (c)." But those who have (c) Oldys, "not admired, continues the fame gentleman, at his P. 32. "prejudice in this attempt to difpel the fumes of that herb with greater of his own, if I may allude to the witty title of his performance without imputation of "irreverence to his memory, may yet applaud his policy, in fo far conducing to its fuppreffion, as to ex"clude it from the body of his works, when this royal pamphleteer refolved to become an author in folio." If I understand this paragraph aright, it is afferted in it that the counterblaft to tobacco, makes no part of James's folio volume. But this is a mistake, and could proceed from nothing but trufting, I suppose, too much to memory, in a thing of fmall importance. A fault, that even the most exact authors are liable to fall into. 12mo. &c. (GGG) He began a tranflation of the pfalms of king David, &c.] In lord Anglefey's catalogue, I find king James's tranflation of the pfalms to be fung after the old tunes, 1651 (a); and I am affured by a learned (4) Bibliotheca anglefriend, from one who has feen it, that fuch a tranfla- fiana, article tion was published in his name, though I have not yet (divinity, in been so fortunate as to meet with it. But this tranfla small 8vo. tion was only begun by James, as we may learn from P. 19.) the following quotation." This tranflation he was in Lond. 1686. hand with, fays bifhop Williams, (when God called 4to. "him to fing pfalms with the angels. )—he intended ec to have finished and dedicated it to the only faint of "his devotion, the church of Great Britain, and that "of Ireland. This work was staied in the one and "thirty pfalm." *. We have two fonnets of his in * Great Britain's Salomon. A fermon preached at the magnificent funeral of the most high and mighty king James. By john lord bishop of Lincolne, lord keeper of the great feale of England. London, printed for John Bill, printer to the king's most excellent majefty. 1625. P 42. 4to. |