attachment of his friends, the gratitude of his countrymen, together with the fupport of the emperor, all confired to facilitate his attaining the fupreme authority, and invited him to lay hold of it. But with a magnanimity of which there are few examples, he facrificed all thoughts of aggrandizing himself to the virtuous fatisfaction of eftablishing liberty in his country, in his country, the highest object at which ambition can aim. Having affembled the whole body of the people in the court before his palace, he affured them that the happiness of feeing them once more in poffeffion of freedom, was to him a full reward for all his fer ices; that more delighted with the name of citizen than of fovereign, he claimed no pre-eminence or power above his quals; but remitted entirely to them the right of fettling what form of government they would now chufe to be established among them. The people liftened to him with tears of admiration, and of joy. Twelve perfons were elected to new-model the conftitution of the republic. The influence of Doria's virtue and example, communicated itfelf to his countrymen; the factions which had long torn and ruined the ftate, feemed to be forgotten; prudent precautions were taken to prevent their reviving; and the fame form of government, which hath fubfifted with little variation fince that time in Genoa, was citablished with univerfal applaufe. Doria lived to a great age, beloved, refpected, and honoured by his countrymen; and adhering uniformly to his profeffions of moderation, without arrogating any thing unbecoming a private citizen, he preferved a

great afcendant over the councils of the republic, which owed its being to his generofity. The authonty he poffeffed was more flattering, as well as more fatisfactory, than that derived from fovereignty; a dominion founded in love and in gratitude; and upheld by veneration for his virtues, not by the dread of his power. His me. mory is ftill reverenced by the Genoefe, and he is distinguished in their public monuments, and celebrated in the works of their historians, by the most honourable of all appellations, THE FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY, AND

THE RE

STORER OF ITS LIBERTY

The life and character of Francis the Firft, fummarily compared with thofe of his great rival and anta, gonift Charles V. From the jame. RANCIS died at Rambouillet on the last day of March, in the fifty-third year of his age, and the thirty-third of his reign. During twenty-eight years of that time, an avowed rivalship fubfifted between him and the Emperor, which involved not only their own dominions, but the greater part of Europe in wars, profecuted with more violent animoûty, and drawn out to a greater length than had been known in any former period. Many circumftances contributed to both. Their animofity was founded in oppofition of intereft, heightened by perfonal emulation, and exafperated not only by mutual injuries, but by reciprocal infults. At the fame time, whatever advantage one feemed to poffefs towards gaining the afcendant, was wonderfully balanced by fome favourable circum

ftance

fance peculiar to the other. The Emperor's dominions were of great extent; the French king's lay more compact; Francis governed his kingdom with abfolute power; that of Charles was limited, but he fupplied the want of authority by addrefs; the troops of the former were more impetuous and enterprizing; thofe of the latter better difciplined, and more patient of fatigue. The talents and abilities of the two monarchs were as different as the advantages which they poffeffed, and contributed no lefs to prolong the conteft between them. Francis took his refolutions fuddenly, profecuted them at first with warmth, and pufhed them into execution with moft adventrous courage; but being deftitute of the perfeverance neceffary to furmount difficulties, he often abandoned his defigns, or relaxed the vigour of purfuit, from impatience, and fometimes from levity. Charles deliberated long, and determined with coolness; but, having once fixed his plan, he adhered to it with inflexible obftinacy, and neither danger nor difcouragement could turn him afide from the execution of it. The fuccefs of their enterprizes was as different as their characters, and was uniformly influenced by them. Francis, by his impetuous activity, of ten difconcerted the Emperor's beft laid fchemes; Charles, by a more calm but feady profecution of his defigns, checked the rapidity of his rival's carcer, and baffled or repulfed his mot vigorous efforts. The former, at the opening of a war or of a campaign, broke in upon his enemy with the violence of a torrent, and carried all before him; the latter, waiting until he

faw the force of his rival begin to abate, recovered in the end not only all that he had loft, but made new acquifitions. Few of the French monarch's attempts towards conqueft, whatever promifing afpect they might wear at firft, were conducted to an happy iffue; many of the Emperor's enterprizes, even after they appeared defperate and impracticable, terminated in the most profperous manner. Francis was dazzled with the splendour of an undertaking; Charles was allured by the profpect of its turning to his advantage. The degree, however, of their comparative merit and reputation, has not been fixed either by a ftrict fcrutiny into their abilities for government, or by an impartial confideration of the greatnefs and fuccefs of their undertakings; and Francis is one of thofe monarchs who occupies a higher rank in the temple of fame, than either his talents or per formances intitle him to hold. This pre-eminence he owed to many different circumftances. The fuperiority which Charles acquired by the victory of Pavia, and which from that period he preferved thro' the remainder of his reign, was fo manifeft, that Francis's ftruggle againft his exorbitant and growing dominion was viewed by moft of the other powers, not only with the partiality which naturally arifes for thofe who gallantly maintain an unequal conteft, but with the favour due to one who was refifting a common enemy, and endeavouring to fet bounds to a monarch equally formidable to them all. The characters of princes, too, efpecially among their contemporaries, depend not only upon their talents for government, but upon their

qualities

1

qualities as men. Francis, notwithstanding the many errors confpicuous in bis foreign policy and domeftic adminiftration, was nevertheless humane, beneficent, generous. He poffeffed dignity without pride; affability free from meannefs, and courtefy exempt from deceit. All who had accefs to him, and no man of merit was ever denied that privilege, refpected and loved him. Captivated with his perfonal qualities, his fubjects for got his defects as a monarch, and admiring him as the most accomplished and amiable gentleman in his dominions, they never mur. mured at acts of mal-adminiftration, which in a prince of lefs engaging difpofitions would have been deemed unpardonable. This admiration, however, muft have been temporary only, and would have died away with the courtiers who bestowed it; the illufion arifing from his private virtues muft have ceafed, and pofterity would have judged of his public conduct with its ufual impartiality; but another circumftance prevented this, and his name hath been tranfmitted to pofterity with increafing reputation. Science and the arts had, at that time, made little progrefs in France. They were just beginning to advance beyond the limits of Italy, where they had revived, and which had hitherto been their only feat. Francis took them immediately under his protection, and vied with Leo himfelf, in the zeal and munificence with which he encouraged them. He invited learned men to his court, he converfed with them familiarly, he employed them in bufinefs, he raised them to offices of dignity, and honoured them with his confidence. That race of

men, not more prone to complain when denied the refpect to which they fancy themfelves entitled, than apt to be pleafed when treated with the distinction which they confider as their due, thought they could not exceed in gratitude to fuch a benefactor, and ftrained their invention, and employed all their ingenuity in panegyric. Succeeding authors, warmed with their defcriptions of Francis's bounty, adopted their encomiums, and re fined upon them. The appellation of Father of Letters bestowed upon Francis, hath rendered his memory facred among historians, and they feem to have regarded it as a fort of impiety to uncover his infirmi ties, or to point out his defects. Thus Francis, notwithstanding his inferior abilities, and want of fuccefs, hath more than equalled the fame of Charles. The virtues which he poffeffed as a man, have entitled him to greater admiration and praife, than have been bestowed upon the extenfive genius, and fortunate arts of a more capable, but lefs amiable, rival.

original in the pofeffion of the late earl of Gran ile.It is now Mr. Walpole's-On the right hand of the duke of Suffolk is his lance, appendant to which is a label, infcribed,

"Cloth of gold, do not defpife, "Tho' thou be match'd with cloth of frize:

Cloth of frie, be not too bold, "Tho' thou be match'd with cloth of gold." Large fh.

Mary queen of France, youngest fifter to Henry VIII. was one of the moft beautiful women of her age. It is pretty clear that Charles Brandon gained her affections before he was married to Lewis XII. as, foon after the death of that monarch, which was in about three months after his marriage, fhe plainly told him, that if he did not free her from all her fcruples, within a certain time, the would never marry him. His cafuiftry fucceed ed within the time limited, and the became his wife. This was probably with the king's connivance. It is however certain, that no other fubject durft have ventured upon a queen of France, and a fifter of the implacable Henry the Eighth. Ob.

Sir THOMAS CHALONER.

THI

HIS gallant foldier attended Charles V. in his wars; particularly in his unfortunate expedition to Algiers. Soon after the fleet left that place he was fhipwrecked on the coaft of Barbary, in a very dark night; and having exhaufted his ftrength by fwimming, he chanced to ftrike his head against a cable, which he had the prefence of mind to catch hold of with his teeth; and with the lofs of feveral of them, was drawn up by it into the fhip to which he belonged. The duke of Somerfet, who was an eyewitnefs of his diftinguished bravery at Muffelburgh, rewarded him with the honour of knighthood.

So various were the talents of Sir Thomas Chaloner, that he excelled in every thing to which he applied himself. He made a confiderable figure as a poet. His poetical works were published by William Malim, mafter of St. Pauls's fchool, in 1579. His capital work was that Of reftoring the English Republic, in ten books, which he wrote when he was ambaffador in Spain, in the reign of Elizabeth. It is remarkable that this great man, who knew how to tranfact, as well as to write upon the most important affairs of flates and kingdoms, could defcend to compofe a dictionary for chil dren, and to tranflate from the Latin a book of the office of fervants, merely for the utility of the fub. jects. Ob. 7. Cat. 1565. He was father of Sir Thomas Chaloner, tutor to prince Henry.

SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.

IR Philip Sidney was governor

horfe under his uncle the earl of Leicester. His valour, which was efteerned his moft fhining quality, was not exceeded by any of the heroes of his age: but even this was equalled by his humanity. After he had received his death's wound at the battle of Zutphen, and was overcome with thirst from exceffive bleeding, he called for drink, which was prefently brought him. At the fame time, a poor foldier was carried along defperately wounded, who fixed his eager eyes upon the bottle, juft as he was lifting it to his mouth; upon which he inftantly delivered it to him, with these words; "Thy neceflity is yet greater than mine*.

SIR WALTER RALEIGH.

She was in the Low Countries, IR Walter Raleigh ferved in and in Ireland; and was afterwards employed in difcoveries in the WeftIndies, and in the improvement of navigation, to which his genius was strongly inclined. In 1584, he difcovered Virginia, to which he made no lefs than five voyages. He was one of the moft diftinguifhed officers on board the fleet which engaged the Armada. He was conftantly employed in literary purfuits at fea and land. His learning was continually improved into habits of life, and helped greatly to advance his knowledge of men and things; and he became a better foldier, a better fea-officer, an abler ftatefman, and a more accomplished courtier, in proportion as he was a better fcholar.

Sir Walter Raleigh was author of "The Hiftory of the World;" the defign of which was equal to the greatnefs of his mind, and the execution to the ftrength of his parts,

and

POPE.