ftable of Bourbon; but his Life was fav'd, by means of this Daughter of his, who purchas'd it with her Virginity, of Francis I. King of France, when she was but fourteen Years of Age. She had been bred in the Court of the Countess of Angoulefme, Mother of Francis I. and afterwards was Maid of Honour to Queen Claude. She continu'd to be Miftrefs to that King till his Expedition to Italy, where he was taken Prisoner at Pavia. She then married Lewis de Breze, Senefchal of Normandy, and was thirty-five Years old when Henry II. Son of Francis I. fell in Love with her. 'Tis aftonishing, that fo wife and learned a Man as Monfieur de Thou, fhou'd believe the gain'd his Love by Magick and Philtres. Philtris & Magicis, ut creditur, artibus adeo fibi animum Henrici devinxit. What does he mean by Magick? The old exploded Fable of dealing with the Devil? And what by Philtres? Love Powders which Wenches, give young Fellows to make them in Love with them? 'Tis no doubt in the Power of Philtres to enflame Luft, and give a Man Defire for the next Woman he meets, but not to infpire a Paffion for any particular Woman. The well-attested Hiftory of the lewd Countess of ESSex and Mrs. Turner, in King James the First's Reign, proves that, beyond Contest. As to Magick, credat Judæus apella. Henry II. became en, amour'd of her, when he was Dauphin, in his Father's Life-time, and after fhe was Widow to Lewis de Breze, Count de Maulevrier. She hated the reform'd Religion fo heartily, that fhe difinherited her two Daughters, the Dutcheffes de Bouillon, and d'Aumale, by her Will, if ever they turn'd Proteftants. Varillas himself writes of it thus, "Tho her Confcience permitted her to "live twenty Years in a Commerce with her So

❝vereign

vereign forbidden by the Gospel, yet it was "otherwise fo delicate, that it wou'd not fuffer

her to speak to Perfons fufpected of Herefy." Henry II. created her Dutchefs de Valentinois. She heap'd up an immenfe Treasure by felling of Benefices, Pardons, and all the unjust Ways that of fer'd. 'Tis faid, the Duke de Guife, Father of that Duke who caus'd the Parifian Maffacre, intended to marry this Dutchefs, but was diffuaded by Admiral Coligny, to whom he then pretended Friendship. "The Dutchefs de Valentinois, fays "the Author of the Melange Critique, &c. was "the Caufe of the Divifion between Admiral Co

ligny and the Duke de Guife, which was the "Cause of fuch prodigious and fatal Effects. "These two Lords being one Day at Tennis, "the Admiral faid to him, He wonder'd a Man of his Wisdom and Quality wou'd think of marry"ing a Whore. The Duke de Guife took that Saying fo ill, that he ever after hated the Ad"miral, declar'd himself his Enemy, and fought

66

his Destruction; infomuch that the Whore, as "the Admiral call'd her, or the Quarrel that rose "concerning her, had greater Share of the Maf"facre of St. Bartholomew, than/Religion. This "Herodias perhaps demanded the Head of Ad"miral Coligny." She liv'd to a great Age, near Eighty, died at Anet, and was buried in the Chappel fhe built there. This Caftle was from her call'd Dianet by the Poets of thofe Times. Her Tomb is to be seen in that Chappel to this Day. Jaques de Breze, her Hufband's Father, kill'd his Wife, a Baftard Daughter of Charles VII. for Adultery with his Huntsman. Diana was of the House of Lufignan, one of which was King of Cyprus; and though fhe was fuch an abandon'd Proftitute as to lie with both Father and Son, yer

as

as I have obferv'd, fhe was a great Bigot to Popery, and fo extremely devout, that the chofe for her Device, a Tomb out of which an Arrow appear'd fhooting in the Air, and out of that fhot young green Sprigs; the Motto, Sola vivit in illo. She lives in God alone. Anet was condemn'd to be raz'd when the Duke d'Aumale her Grandson was condemn'd to be beheaded, but it escap'd that Misfortune.

182 As Henry had just form'd fome grand Defign. In the French,

Le Roy pret d'en partir pour un plus Grand deffein.

I have more than once hinted, that my Author is sometimes too profaick, and that I am excuseable when I am fo, having the Original for my

Plea.

183 Her Name d'Eftree,

Gabrielle d'Eftree, commonly call'd la belle Gabrielle. She was Daughter of the Marquis d'Ef tree, the fame, as I take it, who was Master of the Ordnance, as was his Father before him, and a zealous Proteftant, which endear'd him to the Admiral Coligny.

184 Nor the Queen

Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, of whom Plutarch writes, that having given Affiftance to Caffius in his War with Octavius and Anthony, when that War was over, and Anthony came into the Eaft, he fent Cleopatra a Command to make her perfonal Appearance in Cilicia, to anfwer that Charge, which after fome affected Delay fhe did in this Manner: She embark'd in a fmall Galley in the River Cydnus, the Head of the Barge fhin'd with inlaid Gold, the Sails were of purple Silk, the

Oars

Qars of Silver, which beat Time to the Flutes and Hautboys; fhe her felf lay all along under a Canopy of Cloth of Gold, curiously embroider'd, drefs'das Venus is ordinarily reprefented, and beautiful young Boys, like Cupids, ftood on each Side to fan her. Her Maids were drefs'd like Sea Nymphs and Graces, fome fteering the Rudder, fome working at the Ropes. The Perfumes diffus'd themselves from the Veffel to the Shoar, which was all cover'd with Multitudes, meeting and following the Galley, &c.

185 Among the Tents of Calvin's Sons

The Proteftants. If the reform'd Religion is a damnable Herefy, as the Bishop of Meaux, and the very best of the Popish Bishops fay it is, how comes it that the good Angel of France defcends from Heaven to infpire a Proteftant for the Preservation of the King; and how came St. Lewis not to direct his Flight otherwife? If it is not a damnable Herefy, but in the Favour of Heaven as this Flight of the Angel intimates, how came it that St, Lewis is fo follicitous about the King's deferting it, and how came Voltaire to make his Desertion the Subject of an Epick Poem? This is not very confiftent.

386 Marcus Aurelius

Antoninus, furnam'd Philofophus, Emperor of Rome, about the Year 160. He was a Prince of great Virtue and Learning, as appears by his Works; but he publish'd fevere Edicts against the Chriftians, to whom he became favourable at the latter End of his Reign, occafion'd, as it is faid, by a Miracle which their Prayers for him wrought, in obtaining Rain when his Army was ready to perifh for Want of Water. It is no

Wonder

Wonder it had fuch an Effect on a Prince of his Understanding and Goodness. This Miracle is, however, contested by some Writers.

187 Plato

Surnam'd the Divine. He was born at Athens, a little before the Time of Alexander the Great. His Master Socrates was chief of the Sect of the Academicks. He was one who travell'd as well as ftudied for Knowledge. Plutarch gives the History of his Reception by Dionyfius, Tyrant of Sicily. His Works are in the highest Esteem with the Learned and the Virtuous.

188 Fair Arethufa,

The Fable fays, she was a Nymph, Daughter of Nereus and Doris, one of Diana's Companions, belov❜d of Alpheus, whofe Violence when fhe cou'd not escape, Diana turn'd her into a Fountain of that Name, whofe Waters, that they might not mix with Alpheus's Stream, ran under Ground by fecret Channels, and broke out again by Syracufe in Sicily, whither Alpheus also purfu'd her.

189 Paphos,

A City of Cyprus, fabled to be fo call'd from Papbius, Son of Pygmalion, who built it. Venus had a Temple there, much frequented by her Vo

taries.

190 But Turenne prevails.

The Hiftory of Henry IV. being fo recent and fo well known in France, this Variation from it is contrary to the Rules of Criticism, and indeed to good Senfe, which is the fame Thing. Every one that knows any Thing of the Story, knows there was no fuch Duel as this between d'Aumale

and