1 fuccin Account of France, and the Manners, Language, &c. of the Inhabitants. With a very correa Map of that Kingdom. S the definitive treaty of peace with France is now figned, we are perfuaded that our readers will not be displeased with seeing a map of that kingdom in the British Magazine. Many of our countrymen, doubtless, will now vifit that nation, and we hope to entertain the public with many curious and pleafing anecdotes from thence. In the mean time, it may not be amifs to observe, that it owes its prefent name to the Franks, who came from Germany in the fifth century, and fettled the whole country from the Rhine to the mouth of the Loire. The The air is healthy, neither fubject to great cold, or exceffive heat; but the degree of each is different in the different provinces. feafons, however, are in all more regular than in England, and the winters, tho' generally pretty fharp, of fhorter continuance. The French are defcended from a variety of ancestors, as the ancient Gauls, the Romans, the Franks, the Vifigoths, and the Burgundians. Cæfar tells us that the Gauls were witty, but rafh and unfteady; a character that agrees pretty well with the modern French; though with fome exceptions, as France has produced many learned men in all the arts and sciences. They abound in compliments, and are very civil, especially to ftrangers; and have a natural freedom in their converfation, frequently mixed with levity, if not hypocrify. Their drefs is often fantaftical, but always genteel. The original language of the Gauls was the fame with that of the ancient Britons; but was foon mixed with the Gothic and Latin, from their respective invaders, till the primitive was almoft loft by fo many foreign mixtures. The prefent language of France is voluble, and very much refined by the labours of the French academy, and feveral modern writers; but at the fame time is extremely enervated, by exploding a great variety of cold, but very expreffive words, which has rendered it at once less copious, and lefs proper for lofty compofitions. But tho' the French language has nothing very majestic or manly in its compofition, it is at prefent used in most courts of Europe, and more generally underftood than any other modern language. He was The crown of France is hereditary only in the male-line, the female being excluded by the Salique law. The prefent royal family is that of Bourbone, which began in the reign of Henry of Navarre, furnamed Henry the Great. a proteftant when he afcended the throne, but foon after publicly renounced his religion, and embraced that of the Roman Catholic. The Jesuits, however, suspected his fincerity, and are faid to have hired Ravillac, who affaffinated him foon after. COM COMPENDIOUS HISTORY OF FRANCE. [Continued.] ΤΗ HE malcontents acted in con- Judith promifed all that he could junction with the emperor's defire; but, in her interview with three fons, though, as yet, they did the emperor, is fuppofed to have not affect to appear. Count Ber- advised him not to renounce his nard was no stranger to this; and dignity. However, he permitted under colour of reducing the Bre- that the fhould go and take the veil, tons, who were again revolted, af- as fhe did; and, for himself, defembled an army, which the em- manded a conference with the peror was to command in perfon, peers and prelates. His army havand in which Lewis, king of Bava- ing abandoned him, he fell, with ria, likewife ferved, and Pepin, king his fon Charles, into the hands of of Aquitaine, was directed to join the rebels, who treated him very the army on the frontiers of Bre- coarfely; caufing a small affembly tagne, with his forces. But when to be held at Compiegne, in which they came to march, part of the they expected he thould have reforces refused to obey orders; not- figned the crown. He appeared withstanding which, Lewis, by the therein confufed and difconfolate, advice of the count, advanced with made a kind of apology for his the rest. Pepin, with a great army, conduct, protefted the rectitude of marched out of Aquitaine, and the his intentions, and promifed to act malcontents having offered him with more circumfpection for the their service, he made no fcruple of future. He ftood while he was declaring against his father; upon. fpeaking, though there was a throne which, Lewis quitted the emperor's in the hall; but when he had finishcamp, and joined him. In this fied his difcourfe, the bishops and tuation the emperor fent his con- great lords, who were prefent, fort, for fafety, to the abbey of Poi- obliged him to fit thereon. tiers, and Bernard, apprehending he should be the victim, demanded leave to retire to his government of Catalonia, which he obtained. Pepin, by the advice of the malcontents, fent a detachment to the abbey of Poitiers to feize the emprefs; having her in his power, he loaded her with reproaches, and told her, that, if she meant to preserve herself, the must go and perfuade his father to two things; that the should take the veil as a nun in the monaftery from which she came, and that he, refigning his dignity, fhould become a monk. February, 1763: This difconcerted the fchemes of Pepin, and the abbot of Corbie. Lothaire arrived foon after with an army from Italy; and as it was upon him the malcontents principally depended, Pepin and Lewis found themselves fo little confidered, that they thought it their best way to retire each into his dominions. Lothaire ufed his father with much exterior refpect, but did not allow him the smallest share of power; and tho' he did not talk of depofing him, yet he put certain monks about him, who were inftructed to perfuade him to quit the world, K They They were fo far from fucceeding in their commiffion, that the emperor difcourfing with them very gracioutly, they entered thoroughly into his intereft; and one of them, whofe name was Gombaud, undertook to negotiate a reconciliation with Lewis and Pepin, in which he fucceeded. At the great affembly held at Nimeguen, the emperor, finding himself furrounded by feveral German princes, attended by their guards, began to refume his He fent for Hilduin, abbot of St. Denis, who had been very active during the whole affair, and afked him, what he meant by bringing fo many men armed in his train, ordered him to difinifs them immediately, and to retire to Paderborn. He treated Walla, abbot of courage. Corbie, in the fame manner. 830 At length, he fent for his fon Lothaire, to whom he reprefented, in fo ftrong a light, the folly, as well as wickednefs, of this behaviour, that he burst out into tears, and intreated his pardon. At that inftant the two parties were on the point of coming to blows; but the two emperors appearing together, all things were pacified, and the dyet, which met to depofe the emperor, confirmed his authority. The first ufe he made of it was, to arreft the chiefs of the defection, whom he brought to a trial at the winter affembly held at Aix-laChapelle; where they were fen-tenced to fuffer death, but he was content to fend them into exile. The emperor was refolved to recall his confort to court; but, as he had taken the veil, it was thought requifite to have the advice of the bishops, and the conEnt of the Pope. Gregory the 4 Fourth, then in poffeffion of the fee of Rome, declared, that, as the had taken the veil by force, her vows were not binding. Soon after her return, count Bernard was recalled; but first it was judged expedient, that the emprefs fhould purge herfelf, by oath, with refpect to the heavy crimes laid to her charge. The return of count Bernard created fresh murmurs; the monk Gombaud thought, that being made prime minifter was the leaft that could be done for one who had reftored the emperor ; the kings Pepin and Lewis were for governing likewife; and the emprefs judged every attempt of this kind an intrufion upon her province. The exiles were recalled, or, at leaft, as many as were content to acknowledge their errors, and fubfcribe to the provifion made for the emperor's youngest fon. Lothaire was depofed 831 from being emperor, but was allowed to keep the title of king of Italy, provided he did nothing of confequence, without receiving his father's inftruction. Before the end of the year, count Bernard, perceiving that the emprefs was conducted by other councils, reconciled himfelf to Pepin, king of Aquitaine, and, by his intrigues, the three brothers were more clofely united than ever, in a league against their father. The king of Aquitaine having made his escape from court, made all the hafte poffible into his own dominions, and where he no fooner arrived than he took up arms. The emperor, being acquainted with this, affembled an army, and declared, that he would hold his great court at Orleans: but his forces forces were scarce in motion before he had intelligence of the revolt of his fon Lewis, which conftrained him to return, and to appoint the affembly at Mentz. The king of Bavaria made no doubt but the Saxons and Allemans would have joined him, more efpecially when he knew they had taken up arms; but they marched directly to the emperor's army, which was of the laft confequence to his affairs; for it gave him fuch fuperiority, and raifed his courage fo much, that he compelled Lewis to come and throw himself at his feet; from whom he exacted an oath, that he would never swerve from his duty any more. Upon his return from this expedition, Lothaire met his father at Francfort, affuring him of his fidelity, and that he had no correfpondence with the rebels; tho', in reality, he was to have been at the head of the revolt. 832 Lewis marched next against the king of Aquitaine, held an affembly at Orelans, and obliged him to surrender himself, and then fent him, under an escorte, prisoner to Treves. On the road he found means to escape, returned into his own dominions, and raised a new rebellion; which fo provoked the emperor, that he declared the kingdom of Aquitaine forfeited, and in that light gave it to his fon Charles, who was then about nine years of age. This revived the murmurs of the people, and created a general difcontent amongst the nobility. Lothaire, who was returned into Italy, where he had a numerous army, applied himself to Pope Gregory the Fourth; reprefenting to him, that, having been crowned em peror by one of his predeceffors, and the act, by which himself and his brother were declared kings, being in the papal archives, he ought in juftice to. efpoufe their caufe. Gregory, won by these folicitations, though he had been confirmed in the papal fee by the emperor Lewis, yet confented to come with Lothaire, and his army, into France; where the very name of the Pope brought many bishops, and other ecclefiaftics, to join them, and amongst the reft Walla, abbot of Corbie. On the other hand, fome of the bishops, and particularly Dreux, bishop of Mentz, the emperor's natural brother, tho' he had not been kindly used, adhered firmly to that monarch, and wrote in very ftrong terms to the pontiff; in which they went fo far, as to reproach him with entering France without the emperor's leave, and being in a camp where fons had difplayed their banners against their father. The Pope replied in very high terms to them; but had afterwards an interview with the emperor, in which he endeavoured to excufe himself. In the mean time, Lothaire and his friends corrupted the emperor's army, so that he fell into their hands, with his emprefs and his fon Charles; and, in an affembly held battily on the fpot, Lewis was depofed, the throne declared vacant, and Lothaire placed thereon. As for the em- . prefs, they fent her to Tortona, and put her into a nunnery, the young prince, Charles, being fent to a cattle in the foreft of Arden. The Pope being returned to Rome, and Lewis and Pepin, who had joined their brother, being retired into their refpective kingdoms, Lothaire, H in another affembly, compofed chiefly of ecclefiaftics, caufed a long charge to be exhibited against his father, degraded him with many ceremonies, caufed his fword to be taken from him at the altar, and put him into a habit of penitence, after the model of king Wamba's ufage in Spain. He likewife caufed falfe news to be told him, that the emprefs, having taken the veil, died foon after; and that his fon Charles, being fhaved, was put into a monastery, in hopes that this would have determined him 833 to become a monk. All thefe contrivances had effects the very reverse of those that were expected from them. The em peror behaved with great humility, but at the fame time with much firmness: he acknowledged the chaftisement to be just from the hand of God, but he conceived that the notions he had formerly entertained of becoming a monk, and abandoning the rank to which Providence had called him, had brought these misfortunes upon him. On the other hand, the people in general, and the Monks in particular, began to alter their fentiments, and to cry out, that the ufage of fo good a prince, by an unnatural fon, was not to be endured. While things took this turn in the heart of his dominions, Dreux, bishop of Mentz, went to the court of his nephew, Lewis, king of Bavaria, and represented to him, in the moft pathetic terms, the weak- |