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gratitude, refpect, or regard of her; but also with contempt, to the amazement of standers

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Vol. II.

P. 19.

"o'clock in the afternoon; I perceived from the fatis"faction which he expreffed at the new orders which "I had given, that it was indifpenfably neceffary to "vanquish my repugnance: nevertheless, it publickly gained me as much honour as if I had perfifted in "it throughout, because none were ignorant I had "complied only through abfolute neceffity." (a) I(a) Sully's make no apology for the length of this quotation; memoirs, readers of taste will be glad to find it here, and will not fail of remarking on the unaccountable ingratitude, and weakness of James. His obligations to Elizabeth were great; fhe had fupplied him conftantly with money when in Scotland, and though fhe had a power, with confent of parliament, fhe gave not away the crown of England from him; on her death-bed the declared him her heir, and in confequence thereof he took peaceable poffeffion of the throne. Ought he not then to have retained a respect for her memory, and treated her name with honour fhould he not have owned his obligations, and celebrated her fame? fhould he have forbid his fubjects mourning for the loss of so excellent a princess, or refufed compliments of condolance from foreigners on the account of it? What! should the memory of fuch a princess be obliterated in a few months, even in her own court, and the glory of all her great actions be forgotten? Muft her humbling Spain, her fupporting the Proteftant intereft abroad, and establishing it at home; her attention to the national interest and honour, and raifing the English crown to be the envy and admiration of Europe; muft these be unfpoken, uncelebrated? fuch was the intention of James. But pofterity more grateful, more juft than that court, has mentioned her name with honour, and founded forth the glories of her reign. To refemble her, has been thought honourable to princes, and her government has been fet forth as a model for their imitation.-So that

(a) Sully, Vol. II. p.

26.

by (EE). He was exceffively addicted to

ease

envy, ignorance, fpite, revenge and malice, with their united force, avail little against the reputations founded on great and beneficent actions; and the true hero, the patriot prince, may defpife their efforts, and rest secure that in the annals of after-ages, their characters fhall fhine with the greatest luftre, and their actions be celebrated as they deserve. A noble motive this to generous minds to pursue the public good with earneftnefs! and a motive, which, if well confidered, will cause them to be unwearied, and perfevering in the pursuit.

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(EE) He spoke with contempt of her.] Sully giving an account of his first audience at court, tells us, that after James had spoken feveral things to him, "the "late queen (Elizabeth) was mentioned, but without one word in her praife." (a) In another converfation he had with the king, he obferves," that an opportu "nity prefenting for the king to fpeak of the late queen "of England, he did it, and to my great regret, adds "he, with fome fort of contempt. He even went fo "far as to fay, that in Scotland, long before the death "of that princefs, he had directed her whole council, "and governed all her minifters, by whom he had been (b) Id. p.89. "better served and obeyed than her." (b) I doubt not compare this Sully filed inwardly at the vanity of James, and faid in note heartily detefted his bafeness with regard to the memory (H). of Elizabeth; for no one better knew her worth than this ambaffador, no one fet a greater value on it. With. what indignation then may we fuppofe him filled, when he heard her name thus treated by her fucceffor? and what a defpicable opinion muft he entertain of him? but he fuppreffed his fentiments on this head, and fet himself to please him, of whom 'tis plain from his memorials, he had but a poor opinion. I fhall only add here, that the highest merit cannot efcape the tongues of the ignorant and malicious, though, for the most part, it is unhurt by them.

with what is

ease and pleasure (FF), and indulged himfelf in drinking, even fo far as to render himself

"And his (a) Sully,

(FF) He was exceffively given to ease and pleasure.] Sully relates, that "James quitted the company to go 86 to bed, where he ufually paffed part of the afternoon, "fometimes the whole of it (a).”. "thoughts were intent on ease and pleasure, fays Of Vol. II. "born (b)." This would have been far enough from a P. 92. (b) Ofbotns virtue in a private man, but in a prince it must be looked p. 470. on as a vice. For the love of ease and pleasure enervates the mind, and tends to render it incapable of what is great. And there are but few princes who have indulged this difpofition, that have made any greater figure in history than the prince of whom we are difcourfing. Alexander, Cefar, and Henry IV. of France, loved pleasure as well as any men; but then they had nothing indolent in their temper, and had fo much ambition, that they could not poffibly abftain from ftriving to render their names glorious. But James not only loved pleasure, but ease, and therefore was incapable of being more fignificant in life, than are the generality of eastern princes, immured in feraglios, and ftrangers to every thing but what their viziers or eunuchs please to inform them of, for their entertainment or amusement. So that princes of this indolent difpofition neglect the affairs of government, and are ruled by minilters and favourites, and the people are left to be flceced and oppreffed, to fupply the calls of luxury and pleasure. Unhappy princes! unhappy people! the former deftitute of true worth, the latter groaning under vile bondage.How much then does it concern those who are advanced to dominion, to exert themselves, and employ their time and talents in examining the ftate of thofe under them, and promoting their welfare? how much does it behove them to be diligent in bufinefs, fkilful in affairs, and attentive to the reprefentations and complaints of their fubjects? By thefe means alone can they answer the end of their advancement, obtain reputation, pro

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himself fometimes contemptible (GG). And

(a) Weldon, P. 166.

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cure fuccefs, and have the love and affection of thofe over whom they bear rule. To which let me add, that indolent princes are very infecure; they become victims frequently to the ambition of their own fervants, and fall, though not unpitied, yet quite unlamented. For the people have fenfe enough to know, that a life devoted to eafe and pleasure, is of no importance to them, and therefore, with indifference, fee it deftroyed, though by those who ought to have defended it.

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(GG) Indulged himself in drinking, &c.] Weldon obferves, that "James was not intemperate in his drinking;" but he adds, " however in his old age, and "Buckingham's jovial fuppers, when he had any turn "to do with him, made him fometimes overtaken, "which he would the very next day remember, and

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repent with tears: it is true, he drank very often, "which was rather out of a cuftom than any delight,

and his drinks were of that kind for ftrength, as "frontiniack, canary, high-country wine, tent wine, "and Scotifh ale, that had he not had a very strong brain, "might have daily been overtaken, although he fel"dom drank at any one time above four spoonfuls,

many times not above one or two (a).”- -This is very modeft in Weldon. But other authors go a little farther, and make James fhew himself beneath a man by his intemperance. "The king was exceffively ad"dicted to hunting and drinking (fays Coke) not ordi

nary French and Spanish wines, but strong Greek "wines; and though he would divide his hunting from "drinking thefe wines, yet he would compound his "hunting with drinking thefe wines, and to that pur"pose he was attended with a fpecial officer, who was as much as could be always at hand, to fill the king's cup in his hunting, when he called for it. I have "heard my father fay, that being hunting with the

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from his known love of mafculine beauty, his exceffive favour to fuch as were pof

feffed

"king, after the king had drank of the wine, he also drank of it, and though he was young and of an "healthful conftitution, it so disordered his head, that "it fpoiled his pleasure, and difordered him for three "days after. Whether it was from drinking these

wines, or from fome other caufe, the king became "fo lazy and unwieldy, that he was truft on horfe"back, and as he was fet, fo would he ride, without

otherwife poifing himself on his faddle; nay, when ❝his hat was fet on his head, he would not take the

pains to alter it, but it fat as it was upon him (b).” (b) Coke's I doubt not but this account is true, Sully taking no- detection, Vol. I. p.427 tice, that "James's custom was never to mix water "with his wine (c)." And therefore, though Sir Edward (2) Sully, Vol. II, Peyton be a partial writer, and prejudiced much against P. 90, the Stuart race, yet I believe the following story from him will not be deemed improbable. "When the kingd) Peyton's of Denmark [brother-in-law to James] was firft of divine cata all in England, both kings were fo drunk at Theo- ftrophe of the kingly "bald's, as our king was carried in the arms of the family of the courtiers, when one cheated another of the bed- houfe of chamber, for getting a grant from king James, for Stuarts, p. that he would give him the beft jewel in England for Lond. 1731, a jewel of a hundred pound he promifed him; and Thefe quo"fo put king James in his arms, and carried him to tations from "his lodging, and defrauded the bed-chamber man, Coke, and who had much ado to get the king into his bed. Peyton, are “And Denmark was fo difguifed, as he would have very oddly

Weldon,

and inaccu

must take

lain with the countess of Nottingham, making horns rately ex"in derifion at her husband, the high admiral of Eng- preffed; but "land (d)." I said juft now, this ftory, I believed, the reader would not be thought improbable; and I doubt not the them as they reader by the following letter of the countess of Not- are, and not tingham to the Danish ambaffador, will readily affent to expect them it, feeing it confirms fo chief a part of it as the rude to be altered behaviour of the Danish king to that lady. 'Tis wrote please, F2

with

in order to

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