won the hearts of ail at firft fight. Thcfe
qualities gained him efteem and affeftion,
k which
sSo
ELEGANT EXTRACTS,
Book III,
which ftood him in great ftcad in feveral
circumfiances of his life. For fome time he
was exceeding liberal; but at length he
grew covetous, not fo much from his na-
tural temper, as out of a neceflity to bear
the immediate, expences which his pleafures
ran him into.
Though he had a great deal of wit, and
a found judgment, he committed, however,
feveral overiights. But the crim.es Edward
is moft juftly charged with, are his cruelty,
perjury, and incontinence. The firft ap-
pears in the great number of princes and
lords he put to death, on the fcaffold, after
he had taken them in battle. If there ever
was reafon to fhew mercy in cafe of rebel-
lion, it was at that fatal time, when it was
almoft impoffible to ftand neuter, and fo
difficult to chafe the jufteft fide between the
two houfes that were contending for the
crown.
And yet we do not fee that Edward had
any regard to that confideration. As for
Edward's incontinence, one may fay, that
his whole life was one continued fcene of
cxcefs that way ; he had abundance of mif-
treffes, but eipecially three, of whom he
faid, that one was the merrieft, the other
the wittieft, and the other the holieft in the
world, fmce Ihe would not ftir from the
church but when he fent for her. — What is
moft aftonifhing in the life of this prince
is his good fortune, which feemed to be
prodigious.
He was raifed to the throne, after the
lofs of two battles, one by the duke his
father, the other by the Earl of Warwick,
who was devoted to the houfe of York.
The head of the father was ftill upon the
walls of York, when the fon was pro-
claimed in London.
Edward efcaped, as it were, by miracle,
out of his confinem.ent at Middleham. He
was reftored to the throne, or at leaft re-
ceived into London, at his return from
Holland, before he had overcom.e, and
whilft his fortune yet depended upon the
iffue of a battle which the Earl of Warwick
was ready to gi'.e him. In a word, he was
ever victorious in all the battles wherein he
fought in perfon. Edward died the 9th of
April, in the 4.26. year of his age, after a
reign of tv/enty-two years and one month.
Rci^iu.
§ 77. Edward V.
Immediately after "the death of the fourth
Edward, his fon was proclaimed king of
England, by the nanae of Edward Y. though
that young prince was but juft turned of
twelve years of age, never received the
crown, nor exercifed any fundtion of roy-
alty;^ fo that the interval between the death
of his father, and the ufurpation of his-
uncle, the Duke of Gloucefter, afterwards ,
Richard III. was properly an interregnum, ,
during which the uncle took his meafures
for wrefting the crown from his nephew.
§78. Chamber of V^icUKKXi III.
Thofe hiftorians who favour Richard,
for even i/^ has met with partizans among later ,
writers, m.aintain that he was well qualified .
for government, had he legally obtained it ; ,i
and that he committed no crim.es but fuch f
as were neceffary to procure him pofieffion ?
of the crown : but this is a very poor apo- â– '
logy, when it is confeffed, that he was ready
to commit the moft horrid crim.es which ap- I
peared neceiTary for that purpofe ; and it is .'
certain that all his courage and capacity,
qualities in which he really feems not to
have been deficient, v/ould never have made
compenfation to the people, for the danger
of the precedent, and for the contagious ex-
ample of vice and murder, exalted upon
the throne. This prince was of fmall fta-
ture, hump-backed, and had a very harfh
difagreeable vifage ; fo that his' body was
In every particular no lefs deformed than
his mind. Hume.
§ 79. Another Characler of Ki en \V^T> Til,
Such was the end* of Richard Til. the
moft cruel, unrelenting tyrant that ever fat
on the throne of England. He feems to
have been an utter ftranger to the fofter emo-
tions of the human heart, and entirely dcf-
tituteof every focial enjoyment. His ruling
pafiion was ambition ; for the gratification
of which he trampled upon e^•ery law, both
human and divine ; but this thirft of domi-
nion was unattended with the leaft work of
generofity, or any defire of rendering him-
felf agreeable to his fellow-creatures : it Vv-as
the ambition of a favage, not of a prince ;
for he was a folitary king, altogetlier de-
tached from the reft of mankind, and inca-
pable of that fiitisfadion which refults from
private friendfhip and difmterefted fociet)'.
We muft acknowledge, however, that after
his acceffion to thelhrone, his adminiftra-
tion in general was conduced by the rules
of juftice : that he enafted falutary laws,
and eftablilhed wife regulations ; and that,
if his reign had been protrafted, he might
* Slain ut the batth of Bofworth.
ha'.
Book III. ORATIONS, CHARACTERS, AND LETTERS. 131
have proved an excellent king to the EngUfli bition. Even among private perfons, ava-
nation. He was dark, filent, and refcrved, rice is nothing but a fprcies of ambition,
and fo much mafter of diirunulation, that and is chiefly iricited by the profpeft of that
it was almoft impoiTible to dive into his real regard, diftinclion, and confideration,,which
fentiments, when he wanted to conceal his attends on riches.
defigns. His ftature was fmall, his afpetft Died April 12th, 1509, aged 52, having
cloudy, fevere, and forbidding : one of his reigned 23 years. - Hume.
arras was withered, and one fhoulder higher , _ ^ ; ^; xt -ttt-t
than another, from which circumftance of § ^'' ^^°*^'' Charaacr ./Henrv VIT.
deformity he acquired the epithet of Crook- Henry was tall, ftraight, and well-fhaped,
backed. Smollett. though flender; of a grave afpeft, and fa-
J , j^r „ ^TT iTTT turnine complexion; auftere in his drefs, '
§ 80.^ Charaaer.fHz^^Y VII. ^^^ referved in_ converf^mon, except whea
The reign of Henry VII. was in the he had a favourite point to carry ; and thea
main fortunate for his people at home, and he would fawn, flatter, and pradife all the
honourable abroad. He put an end to the arts of infinuation. He inherited a natural
civil wars with which the nation had been fund of fagacity, which was improved by
fo long harrafled ; he maintained peace and ftudy and experience ; nor was he deficient
order to the ftate ; he deprelTed the former in perfonal bravery and political courage,
exorbitant power of the nobility ; and, to- He was cool, clofe, cunning, dark, diftruft-
gether with the friendfnip of fome foreign ful, and defigning ; and of all the princes
princes, he acquired the confideration and who had fat on the Englifh throne, the
regard of all. moft fordid, feluflTi, and ignorant. He pof-
He loved peace, without fearing war ; felTed, in a peculiar manner, the art of
though agitated with criminal fufpicions of turning all his domellic troubles, and all
his fervants and minifters, he difcovered no his foreign difputcs, to his own advantage ;
timidity, either in the conduft of his affairs, hence he acquired the appellation of th«
or in the day of battle ; and, though often Englifh Solomon ; and all the powers of the
fevere in his punifhments, he was commonly continent courted his alliance, on account
lefs aftuated by revenge than by the maxims of his wealth, wilHom, and uniritetrupted
of policy. " profperity.
The fer vices which he rendered his people The nobility he excluded entirely from.
wcre derived from his views of private in- the adminillration of public affairs, and
tereif , rather than the motives of public employed clergymen and lawyers, v.-ho, as
fpirit ; and where he deviated from felfifh they had no intereft in the nation, and de-
regards, it was unknown to himfelf, and pended entirely upon his favour, were mors
ever from malignant prejudices, or the mean obfequious to his will, and ready to concur
proje(5is of avarice ; not from the fallies of in all his arbitrary meafures. At the fame
paffion, or allurements of pleafure; ftill time it mull be owned, he was a wife legif-.
lefs from the benign motives of friendfhip lator ; chafte, temperate, and afTiduous in
and generofity. the exercife of religious duties ; decent in
h1s capacity was excellent, but fomewhat his deportment, and exaft in the adminiftra-
contrafted by the narrownefs of his heart; tion of juftice, when his private intereil was
he poffefled inhnuation and addrefs, but not concerned ; though he frequently ufed
never employed thefe talents except fome religion and juftice as cloaks lor perfidy and
great point of intercft was to be gauied ; and oppreflion. His foul was continually ac-
while he neglefted to conciliate the afFec- tuated by two ruling pafilons, equally bafe
tions of his people, he often felt the danger and unkingly, namely, the fear of lofing
of refting his authority on their fear and re- his crown, and the defue of amalfing riches ;
verence alone. He was always extremely and thefe motives influenced his whole con-
attentive to his affairs ; but pofleffed not the duft. Neverthelefs, his apprehenfion and-
faculty of feeing far into futurity; and was avarice redounded, on the whole, tothe ad-
more expert at promoting a remedy for his vantage of the nation. The firfl induced
miftakes, than judicious in avoiding them, him to deprefs the nobility, and abolifh the
Avarice was on the whole his ruling paf- feudal tenures, which rendered them equally
fion; and he Remained an inftance almoft formidable to the prince and people; and
finffular, of a man placed in a high ftation, his avarice prompted hira to encourage
and pofTeffed of talents for great affairs, in induflry and trade, becaufe it improved
whom that paffion predominated above am- his cuftoms, aad enriched his fubjeas,
k 2 wii9«
t32
ELEGANT EXTRACTS,
Book III,
whom he could afterwards pillage at dif- It may feem a little extraordinary, that
cretion. Smollett, notwithftanding his cruelty, his extortion,
^ -57-TTT ^^^^ violence, his arbitrary adminiitration,
§ 82. CharaBer 0/ H E N R y Vlll. ^^,^5 ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^,^1^ acquired the regard of
It is difficult to give a juft fummary of his fubj efts, but never was the objed of their
this prince's qualities; he was fo different hatred; he feems even, in fome degree, to
from himfelf in different parts of his reign, have pofieifed their love and affcftion. Hi^
that, as is well remarked by Lord Herbert, exterior qualities were advantageous, and lie
his hiflory is his bell charader and defcrip- to captivate the mukitude ; his magnilicence,
tion. The abfolute and uncontrouled autho- and •perfonal bravery, rendered him illuftri-
rity which he maintained at home, and the ous to vulgar eyes ; and it may be faid with
regard he obtained among foreign nations, truth, that the Englifh in that age were \o
are circumftances which entitle him to the thoroughly fubuued, that, like ealtern flaves,
appellation of a great prince ; while his they were inclined to admire even thofe acts
tyranny and cruelty feem to exclude him
from the character of a good one.
He poffefled, indeed, great vigour of
mind, which qualified him for exercifmg
dominion over men; courage, intrepidity,
vigilance, inflexibility ; and though thefe
â– qualities lay not always under the guidance
of a regular and folid judgment, they were
accompanied with good parts, and an ex
of violence and tyranny, which were exer-
cifed over theinfei\cs, and at their own ex-
pence.
Died January z8th, 1547, anno a:tatis
57, regni 37. Hume.
83. Another Charaaer of Yiz^'KYNYil.
Henry VIII. before he became corpulent,
was a prince of a goodly perfonage, and
tenfive capacity; and every one dreaded a commanding afpeft, rather imperious than
conteft with a man who was never known to dignified. He excelled in ail the exercifes
yield, or to forgive ; and who, in every of youth, and pofTefTed a good underfiand-
controverfy, was determined to ruin him- ing, which was not much improved by the
felf, or his antagonift. nature of his education. Inftead of learning
A catalogue of his vices would compre- that pbilofophy which opens the mind, and
hend many of the worft qualities incident to extends the qualities of the heart, he was
human nature. Violence, cruelty, profu- confined to the ftudy of gloomy and fcholaflic
lion, rapacity, injuftice, obftinacy,
gance, bigotry, prefumption, caprice; but
neither was he fubjecT: to all thefe vices in
the moft extreme degree, nor was he at in-
tervals altogether devoid of virtues. He
was fincere, open, gallant, liberal, and ca-
difquifitJons, which ferved to cramp his
ideas, and pervert the faculty of reafon,
qualifying him for the difputant of a cloifler,
rather than the lawgiver of a people. In
the firfi: years of his reign, his pride and
vanity feemed to domineer over all his other
pable at leaft of a temporary friendfhip and pafhons; though from the beginning he was
attachment. In this refpcfi: he was unfor- impetuous, headurong, impatient of contra-
tunate, that the incidents of his times ferved diction and advice. He was rafh, arrogant,
to difplay his faults in their full light ; the prodigal, vain-glorious, pedantic, and fu-
treatment he met with from the court of perftitious. He delighted in pomp and
Rome provoked him to violence; the danger pageantry, the baubles of a weak mind,
cf a revolt from his fuperfcitious fubjedts His paflions, foothcd by adulation, rejeded
feemed to require the moll: extreme feverity. all reftraint ; and as he was an utter llranger •
Eut it muft at the fame time be acknow- to the finer feelings of the foul, he gratified
iedged, that his fituatiou tended to throw them at the expence of juffice and humanity,
an additional luftre on what was great and without remorfe or compundion.
magnanimous in his character. He wrefied the fupremacy from the bifnop
The emulation between the Emperor and of Rome, parti)' on confcientious motives,
the French King rendered his alliance, not- and partly from rcafons of ftate and con-
withilanding his impolitic condudt, of great veniency. He fupprefled the monafleries,
importance to Europe. The exten five pov/ers in order to fupply his extravagance with
of his prerogative, and the fubmifTion, not their fpoils; but he would not have made
to fay flavifh difpofition of his parliament, thofe acquifitions, had they not been pro-
made it more cafy for him to affume and duftive of advantage to his nobility, and
maintain that entire dominion, by which his agreeable to the nation in general. He was
reign is fo much dillinguilhed in Engliih frequently at war ; but the greateft conqueft
liiitory, he obtained was over his own parliament
and
Book III. ORATIONS, CHARACTERS, AND LETTERS. 133
and people. — Religious difputes had divided Ireland, by Queen Elizabeth, and did an-
. Chem into two faftions. As he had it in his Aver the hopes this excellent king had of
power to make either fcale preponderate, him. He was very merciful in his nature,
ch courted his favour with the moil obfe- which appeared in his unwillingnefs to figii
ious fubmiffion, and, in trimming the the warrant for burning the maid of Kent.
rtlance,^ he kept them both in fubjedion. He took great care to have his debts well
In accultoming them to thefe abjed corn- paid, reckoning that a prince who breaks
iVilances, they degenerated into flaves, and his faith, and lofes his credit, has throwa
irora their proltiiution acquired the moft up that which he can never recover, and
-. ipotic authority. He became rapacious, made himfelf liable to perpetual diftruft, and
k.i bitrary, froward, fretful, and fo cruel that extreme contem.pt. He took fpecial care of
he feemed to delight in the blood of his the petitions that were given him by poor
lubjeds, and oppred people. But his great zeal for
He never feemed to betray the leaft religion crowned ail the reft — it was not an
) fymptoms of tendernefs in his difpcntion ; angry heat about it that aftuated him, but
and, as we already obferved, his kindnefs it was a true tendernefs of confcience, found-
to Cranmer was an inconfiftence in his ed on the love of God and his neighbour.
charafter. He feemed to live in defiance of Thefe extraordinary qualities, fet off with
i cenfure, whether ccclefiaftical or fecular; great fweetnefs and affability, made him
he died in apprehenfion of futurity; and univerfally beloved by his people. Burnett
was buried at Windfor, with idle procef- ^
fions and childifti pageantry, which in thofe ^ ^^' Another Charaaer of Edward VI.
vlays palled for real talk and magnificence. All the Englilh hiftorians dwell with
Smollett. pleafure on the excellencies of this youn*
5 84. Charaaer ./Ed WARD VI. jjff '• .^'^"™ '^'' ^'''f'}'- P^«"f^« «^
â– ^ + _ â– ' hope, joined to many real virtues, had made
Thus died Edward VI. in the fixteenth an objed of the moft tender affeftions of the
3'far of his age. He was counted the public. He pofleffed mildnefs of difpofition,
wonder of his time ; he was not only learned application to ftudy and bufinefs, a capacity
in the tongues and the liberal fciences, but to learn and judge, and an attachment to
he knew well the ftate of his kingdom. He equity and juftice. He feems only to have
kept a table-book, in which he had written contraded, from his education, and from
the charaders of all the eminent men of the the age in which he lived, too much of a
^nation: he ftudied fortification, and under- narrow prepofleffion in matters of relio-ion,
ilood the m.int well. He knew the harbours which made him incline fomewhat to bigotry
in all his dominions, with the depth of the ai^d perfecution. But as the bigotry of
Vvater, and way of coming into them. He Proteftants, lefs governed by priefts, lies
underftood foreign affairs fo well, that the under more reftraints than that of Catholics,
lamhalTadors who were fent into England, the effeds of this malignant quality were the
ipu Id idled very extraordinary things of him, lefs to be apprehended, if a longer life had
in all the courts of Europe. He had great been granted to young Edward. Hume,
qu'cknefs of apprehenfion; but, being dif- , ^^ .» r ^7 i- ttt-
tiLiltful of his memory, he took notes of § ^^' Another Cmraaer ^/Edward VI.
e^.ry thing he heard (that was confiderable) Edward is celebrated by hiftorians for
in Greek charaders, that thofe about him the beauty of his perfon, the fweetnefs of
mi^^;Iit not underftand what he writ, which his difpofition, and the extent of his know-
he afterwards copied out fair in the journal ledge. By that time he had attained his
ithat he kept. His virtues were wonderful : fixteenth year, he underftocd the Greek,
ivvhen he was made to believe that his uncle Latin, French, Italian, and Spanifli lan-
vvas guilty of confpiring the death of the guages; he was verfed in the fciences of
other counfeilors, he upon that abandoned logic, mufic, natural philofophy, and mafter
him. of all theological difputes; infomuch that
Barnaby Fitz Patrick was his favourite ; the famous Cardanus, in his return from
ind when he fent him to travel, he writ oft Scotland, vifiting the Englifn court, was
o him to keep good company, to avoid aftonifhed at the progrefs he had made ia
[excefs and luxury ; and to improve himfelf learning; and afterwards extolled him in
jin thofe things that might render him capa- his works as a prodigy of nature. Not-
jble of employment at his return. He was withftanding thefe encomiums, he leems to
"terwards made Lord of Upper OfTory, in have had an ingredient of bigotry in his
k 3 dlfpoftlon.
134
ELEGANT EXTRACTS,
Book III.
dlfpofition, that would have rendered him from one end of her reign to the other,
very troublefome to thofe of tender con- Nothing {hews her capacity more, than her
iciences, who might have happened to dif- addrefs in furmountingallthe difficulties and
fer with him in religious principles ; nor troubles created by her enemies, efpecially
when it is confidered who thefe enemies
were ; perfons the moft powerful, the moft
artful, the moft fubtile, and the leaft fcru-
canwe reconcile either to his bcafted huma-
nity or penetration, his confentiug to the
death of his uncle, who had ferved him
faithfully; unlefs we fuppofe he wanted re-
â– folution to withftand the importunities of .
his minifters, and was deficient in that
pulous in Europe, The following are the
maxims which flie laid down for the rule
and meafures of her whole condufl, and
gour of mind, which often exiib indepen- from which (lie never fwerved : " To make
herfelf beloved by her people : To be
" frugal of her treafure : To keep up dif-
" fenfion amongft her neighbours."
Her cneaiies pretend that her abilities
confifted wholly in overilrained dilTmiula-
tion, and a profound hypocrify. In a word,
they fay (he was a perfed comedian. For
mv part, I don't deny that (he made great
ufe of difTmiulation, as well with regiird to
the courts of France and Spain, as to the
dent of learning and culture. Smollett,
^ 87. Charader 0/ Maky.
It is not neceflary to employ many words
in drawing the charatSler of this princefs.
She pofTefled few qualities either eftimable
or amiable, and her perfon was as little
engaging as her behaviour and addrefs.
Obftinacy, bigotry, \iolence, cruelty, ma-
lignity, revenge, and tyranny; every cir-
cumftance of her charaifter took a tinfture queen of Scotland and the Scots. I am alfo
from her bad temper and narrow under- perfuaded that, being as much concerned to
ftanding. And amidft that complication of gain the love and elteem of her fubjects, Ihe
vices which entered into her compofition, aftcded to fpeak frequently, and with ex-
we fhall fcarcely find any virtue but fincerity ; aggeration, of her tender affeftion for them.
a quality which fhe feems to have maintained And that fhe had a mind to make it believed
throughout her whole life, except in the that fhe did fom.e things from an exceffive
beginning of her reign, when the neceflity love to her people, which (lie was led to
of her affairs obliged her to make fome pro- more by her own intereft.
mifes to the Proteftants, which fhe certainly Avarice-is another failing which her own
never intended to perfornj. But in thefe friends reproach her with. I will not deny
cafes a weak bigoted woman, under the go- that ftie was too parfimonious, and upon
vernment of priefts, eafily finds cafuiiiry fuf- fome occafions fluck too clofe to' the maxims
ficient to juftify to herfelf the violation of fhe had laid down, not to be at any expence
an engagement. She appears, as well as but what was abfolutely neceffary. How-
her father, to have been fufceptlble of fome ever in general I maintain, that if her cir-
attachment of friendfliip; and that without
caprice and inconftancy, which were fo re-
markable in the conduct of that monarch.
To which we may add, that in many cir-
cumftances did not require her to be covet-
ous, at leail: they required that fhe fhould'
not part with her money but with great
caution, both in order to preferve the af-
cumftances of her life, fhe gave indications fetlion of her people, and to keep herfelf
of refolution and vigour of mind ; a qualit)^
which feems to have been inherent in her
familv.
Died Nov.
;>
A.D.
Hu
1558.
§ 88. Another CharaSer o/M av.y.
We have already obferved, that the cha-
racleriftics of Mary were bi^o''-v and re-
venge: we fhall only add, that'fhe was
proud, imperious, froward, avaricious, and
wholly deilitute of every agreeable qualifi-
cation. Snwlku.
§ Sg. CharaFier ^^'Elizaeeth.
Elizabeth had a great deal of wit, and
always in a condition to withftand he?
enemies.
She is accufed alfo of not being fo chafte^
ss fhe ai'ieded to appear. Nay, fome pre-
tend that there are now in England, the
defcendants of a daughter fhe had by the
Earl of Leiccfter ; but as hitherto nobody
has undertaken to produce any proofs of thi'S
accufation, one may fafely reckon it among
the flanders vvhich they endeavoured to ilain
her reputation with, both in her life-time
and after her deceafe.
It is not fo eafy to juftify her concerning
the death of the queen of Scots. Here il
muft be owned fhe facrificed equity, juftice
nat'jralU' of a found and folid judgment, and it may be her own confcience, fo he
This M-aa vilible by her whole management^ fafety,
If Mary was guilty of the murde;
Book III. ORATIONS, CHARACTERS, AND LETTERS. 135
of religious animofities, produced an uniform
judgment with regard to her conduft. Her
vigour, her conftancy, her magnanimity, her