DISCOURSES ON DAVILA.
No. xxi r
htervonit dtinde, his,cogitationiius,avitum malum, rcgni cupiioi atque
. inde pedum cercamcn coortum.
THE Queen-inothci and the Guifcs, delayed no longer the
opening of'the States. They l>. gan by the protcffion of
faith, drawn up by the Sol bonne, conformably to the do&nnes of
the Ruman Catholic Chuich. The Cardinal de Tournon, Prefi
dentof the order of the Clergy, read it with a loud voice, and
each of the deputies appiovcu ond adhered to it, upon oath , a
precaution which they judged neccffary to assure thcmfelves of the
catholicity of thole who were to have a deliberative voice, in the
general assembly. Alter this solemn a&, the Chancellor proposed,
in the pretence of the King, the matters which were to be taken
into consideration. At the instance of the, Provinces, the three orders
Jeparated, to examine the f effective demands, and make report oj their
rejtsluluns. But all this was merely theatrical : it was nothing
but farcical scenery. The Guiles knew, as well as the Contlable
«ie Montmorency, that the mioillry could govern the kingdom,
and nation at its will, as a Court or Supreme Executive alwayi
will, where it is checked pnly by a (ingle reprefetnative assembly,
cfpccially if that assembly have no authority but to advise.. Nay,
if it have Legislative authority, the majority in that assembly can
only govern, by impofiog its own men on the Executive, in other
-words, by forcing the King, to take their creatures into the minis
try. So chat the minillry and the majority in the National Assem
bly must always atl in concert, and be agreed ; and they general
ly arc so, to the intolerable oppreflion of the minority, as 111
this cafe. Reformition of government, and liberty of conscience,
and redress of grievances in religion, were fubjefb which the
court had too much cunning to biing before the Assembly. That
•would have, been, as the Constable expressed it,-to have prepared
a formidable opposition to themselves. Had the point been then
fettled, that the Sates were a Legislative affeinbly ; and had the
ijueftion of religion been brought fairly into deliberation and dis
cussion before them, it is very probable that liberty of conscience
to the Hugonots, might have been the result, even in that age.—
But these, as Davila fays, were the smallest objects they had in
view : all minds expcSed with much more solicitude, the iffueof
the detention of the Prince of Condi. Their doubts were soon
Telolved by a declaration of council signed by the King, the Chan
cellor and all the grandees, except the Guifec, who,as fufpefted of
partiality, atfcfled not to appear in this affair. Acommiffion was
eflablifhed for the trial of the Prince, with authority to render a
definitive fentencc. De Thou, prelidcnt, and Faye and Viole,
counsellors of the Parliament of Paris, were the' Judges— Bourdin,
Attorncy.Geucral, Tillot, Secretary: All the interrogations and
acts weru done in the pretence of the Chancellor L'Hopital They
heard the depositions of the prifouers of Amboifc, Lyons and
others. They made preparations to interrogate the Prince. He
refufed to answer, alledging that in quality of Prince ot the blo6d,
he acknowledged no other tribunal, than the Parliament of Paris.
He demanded an assembly of all the chambers of Parliament ;
that the King should be prcient in pn l'on, and that the twelve
Peers (hould have a voice,as well as the great officers of the crown,
according to the ancient usage. That he could not excuse himfdf,
for not. remonstrating ajainft a proceeding so unheard of, and ir
regular, and stum appealing to the King. This appeal was carri
ed to council, and appeared authorized by reason, by the ordina
ry formalities, and by the cuftoins ol the kingdom. But rhe spi
rit of rivalry, which is the spirit of party, demanded a sudden
vengcance : a party at present triumphant, but doubtful whether
it were at bottom the inotl powerful, were impelled by fear, as
well as hatred, to with a prompt dccitiun. The appeal was de
clared null. But the Prince, having renewed it, and persisting in
his protestations, the council, at the motion of lh- Attorney-Ge
neral, pronounccd that they ?ught to conlider the Prince as con
victed, fmce he refufed to answer to commissioners named by the
King. In this manner they obliged him to submit to interroga
tories, and purfucd the trial, without loss of time, to final judj-
menf,
The Princes oT Bourbon, at the summit of misfortune, wrre ve- ]
ry near expiating with their blood, the heinous crime of daring
in competition with the Guises, to patronize liberty of
confcience,and to (heller Irom p rfecution the diftrrffed Hugonots :
as Manlius was precipitated from the Tarpeian Rock, for being
the friend of the opprellcd debtors, and the Hval of Camillus and
theQuintian family. Both wereaccufed, it is true, with crimes
against the state. The l'plendor of the birth of the two Bourbons,
and their personal merit, inrercftcd all France. Even their ene
mies pitied their dcltiny. The Gu'.fcs alone, naturally enterpriz
ing, pursued constantly their designs, without regard to the merit
or quality of thofc Princes, whether they judged such an ast of fc
vci ity absolutely neccifdi y, to the lafety and tranquility of the
kingdom, or whether, as their enemies iuppofed, th y had no
thing in view but the deflru&ion of their rivals, and the ,*(bbliih
mcnt of their own grandeur. They declared openly, that it was
necefTdi yby two fti okes, at the fame time,to flrike off the heads of
Heresy and Rebellion. Such is thefpint of fophijlry : and such is
the spirit of party. The Queen-mother, although she confcnted fe
cretlv, and wilhed that the resolution taken at Amboife, of dc
ftroying the Princes, (hould be executed, defned nevertheless, that
' all the odiuin of it fhoitld fall upon th. Guiles, as (he had always
had the address, to accomplish. She proposed to manage the two
parties, for tear of those unforefeen events, which the inconstancy
of fortune might produce ; and .-tfedted much grief and melan
cho'ly in hef behaviour, and reserve in her discourse. She had
even frequent conferences with the two Ciiatillons, the Admiral
and Cardinal, in which (he appeared disposed to seek some expe
dient, to extricate from danger the Princes of the blood. She
amused in the fame manner, the Dutchefs of Montoenfier, a Prin
ce fl full of the best inreutions, an enemy of all diliimulation, and
who judged of i he chara&ers of others by the re&itudc of her own.
■Her inclination to Calvinism, and her intimate connexions with
the King of Navarre,»had enabled her to commence and continue
between that Prince and the Queen, a secret correfpondefrce.
These intrigues, although oppofice to the condu& which
the court held in public, were palliated with so much artifice,that
the most could not unravel their genuine deli m,even
when thev reflettcd on the depths of the secrets ofinankind, and
the diversity ot interests and pailions which serve as motives to
their a£hons.
Already the comraiflirmers had rendered their judgment against
the Prih'cc of Conde. They had condemned him, as convi&ed
of high treason and rebellion, to be beheaded, before the palace
of the King, at the hour of the aflem bly of the States General.
They delayed the execution, only to draw into the fame {dare
the Con liable; who, in fpight of the repeated inftanccs of the
court, still delayed his journey to the States. They wished to
involve in the fame prolcriprion the King of Navarre, but they
had not proofs agaiuft him, fufficient to fatisfy their own crcaturcs
when one morning the King, in drefling himfelf, fell all at once
into a swoon, so deep and violent, that his officers believed him
to be dead. He recovered his senses, it is true : but his malady
was judged to be mortal, and his life was despaired off This fa
tal mischance terrified the Guiles. They pressed the Oueen mo
ther, to execute the sentence against the Prince of Conde, while
the breath remained in the bodv of the King, and to take the fame
resolution against the Kino; of Navarre, to prevent :>ll the revolu
tions which they might have to fear, in cafe of the King's death.
They represented to her, with warmth, that this was the sole
means of prelcrving the crown to her other infant children, and
of diflipaling the storm which menaced France : that, although
the Couftablc was uot arretted, and ia the present dclicau cTr
cumftaiioe«, it would not be prudent to seize hint, yet >\hen
they (hould have no longer tp fear, neither the credit, nor the
prctenfions of the Princes of the blood, the ConlUble would be
less formidable, as he would neither have the nobility in his ln
terells nor the Hugonots of his party : that to deliberate in the
moment of execution, and fulpend it in this critical lituation o
the King, would be to lose thelruitof so many projefls cm.-
du3ed to their end, with so much artifice and patience : that
even the death of the King ought not to be an obstacle, becaule
that b.others succeeding him of right, the fame reasons and the
fume intcrefts dill fubfilUd, both for them and their mother.
The Queen who had known'how topieferve herielf neuter, at
least in appearance, and who had not motives so urgent to pre
cipitatcmcalures, confidcred th.it under a minority, Kings might
change their afpeft, and that the excLflive grandeur of the Guiles
remaining without opposition, might become to her as forimda
ble as the ambition of the Princes of the blood. Thus lome
times by supposing the distemper ol the King to be leis d.mgei °" s '
sometimes by spreading favorable reports of a Ipeedy cure, lhe
gained time, delayed the execution of the Prince and rcferved
the liberty of acting according to circumlbnces, conformably to
those views, in which {he was confirmed by the councils ol the
Chancellor de L'Hofpital. As soon as !he had known that the
Kings life was in danger, (he requclled the son of the Dukede
Montpenfier, to conduit her fecretlyone night into the apartment
of the King of Navarre, and in a long convention which ilie had
with him, foe endeavoied, with her orainary diflimulation, to
pcrfuade him, that (he wasvery far from approving all that had
palled, and wiftied to ast in concert with him, to oppose the am
bition of Ihe Guises. The Prince depended little on the finceritv
of these protections : they had however an effect in the sequel.—
On the fifth of December the King died.
Charles the ninth, second son of the Queen, succeeded to Fran
cis the second his brother.—He was but eleven years of age, and
mutt have a tutor, and the Kingdom a regent.
TO ALL WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME.
BE IT KNOWN, That Robert Yates, John
Lanfing, jun. Gulian Verplanck, Simeon De
Witt, Egbert Benfon,and Melan<fton Smith, Com
miflioners appointed by an ast of the Legillature
of the State of N'ew-York, entitled " An A«sl ap
pointing coimnilHoners with power to declare the
consent of the Legillature of this State, that a
certain territory within the jurifditftion thereof
should be formed into a new State," pafled the
lixth day of March last, DO hereby by virtue of
the powers to them granted for the purpole, de
clare the consent o/the Legillature of the State of
New-York, that«the community now actually ex
ercising independent jurifdi&ion, as the STATE
OF VERMONT, be admitted into the United
States of America, and that immediately from
such admiilion ullclaipiof jurifdiifton of the State
of New-York within the Stare of Vermont shall
cease, and thenceforth, the'perpetual boundary
line between the State of New-York and the State
of Vermont shall be as follows, viz. Beginning
at the northwest corner of the State of Mafia
chufetts, thence westward along the south boun
dary of the towhfliipof Pownall to the foulliwelt
corner thereof, thence northerly along the welt
ern boundaries of the townfhipof Pownall, Ben
nington, Shaftfbury, Arlington, Sandgate, Ru
pert, Pawlett, Wells,- and Poultney, as the laid
townships are now held or poflelfed to the river
commonly called Poultney river, thence down
tbe fame through the middle of the deepest
channcl thereof to East Bay, thence through the
middle of the deepest channel of East Bay and
the waters thereof to where the fame communi
cate with Lake Chnniplain ; thence through the
middle of tl;e deepi-lt channel of Lake Cham
plain to the eastward of tbe islands called the
Four Brothers, and the westward of the islands
called Grand Isle and Long IJle, or the Two He
roes, and to the westward of the lile LaMotte to
the forty-fifth degree of north latitude. And
the fanl Coinmiflioners do hereby declare the will
of the Legillature of the State of New-York, that
if the Legillature of the State of Vermont shall
on or before tliefirft day of January, in the year
one thousand f'even hundred and ninety-two, de
clare, that the State of Vermont shall, on or be
fore the firft day of June, in the year one thou
fand»feven hundred and ninety-four, pay to the
State of New-York the sum of thirty thousand
dollars, that immediately from such declaration
by the Legillature of the State of Vermont, all
rights and titles to lands within the State of Ver
mont, under grants from the government of the
late colony of New-York or from the State of
New-York, except as herein after excepted, shall
cease ; or, if the Legislature of the State of Ver
morit (kail not c'.eiSt to make such declaration,
then that, except in cases where the grants from
New-York were, intended as confirmations of
grants from New-Hampshire, all rights and ti
tles under grants from the government of the late
colony of New-York, or from the State of New-
York to lands within the State of Vermont which
may have been granted by the governor of the
late colony of New-Hampshire shall cease, and
the boundaries according to which such grants
from the government of the late colony ot New-
Hampshire have been held or pofl'efled shall be
deemed to be the true boundaries ; and the said
commilfionei s do hereby further declare the will
of the Legillature of the State of New-York, that
all rights and titles to lands within the State of
Vermont under grants from the government of
the late colony of New-York, or from the State
ot New-York and not granted by the govern
ment of the late colony of New-Hampshire, shall
be suspended until the expiration of three years af
ter the governor of the State ot Vermont for the
626
NEWYORK.
time Ucino- (hall have been notified th at a eoni
mifiioner to "be appointed by the State of New-
York after the fir it day of January in the year
one thousand lev en hundred and ninety-two,
ana to refuleand bold a public office at the city
of Albany, (hall have entered upon the execu
tion of his office : And it within one year after
such notification there llia.ll be delivered to such
commifiioner, either the original or a certified
abltradt containing the date, the names of the
grantees, and the boundaries of a grant from
New York, and if thereupon, at any time be
fore the expiration of the said term of three years
above mentioned, there fiiail be paid to such
cominilfioner at the rate often cents per acre for
the whole or any parcel of the lands contained*
in such grant from New-York, all right ami title
under loch grant fiiail, in refpetft to the lands for
which payment f.iall be made, cease, and a re
ceipt under the hand and seal of such commissi
oner fpeci tying the lands for which payment lliall
be made fitall be evidence of the payment. And
in default of delivering the original or such certi
fied abftraCi of the grant to the commifiioner
within the said term of one year for that pur
pofo above limited, all right and title under the
grant i" respect of which there fiiail be such de
fault of delivery fiiail cease, but where the origi
nal or certified abftraft of the grant (hall be duly
delivered to the commifiioner, the right and ti
tle under the grant in refpedt to the lands for
which payment fiiail not be inajJe, fiiail remain,
and fuirs for the recovery of such lands ihny le
prosecuted 111 the ordinary course oflaw, provi".
ded the suit be commenced within ten years after
the state of Vermont fiiail have been admitted
into the union of the United States, otherwise
the right and title under the grant from New.
York, (hall in such cafealfo cease. It: testimo
ny whereof, the said commifiioners have here
unto let their hands and affixed their seals the
seventh day of October in the fifteenth yeay of
the Independence of the United Stares of Ame
rica, one thousand seven hundred and ninety.
ROBERT YATES (L. S.)
JOHN LANSING, jun. (L. S.) .
GULIAN VERPLANCK (L. S.)
SIMEON DK WITT (L. S.) '
EGBERT BENSO'N (L. S.)
MELANCTON SMITH (L. S.)
IVitnejps,
Richard Varick,
Alexander. Hamilton,
Samuel Jones,
Robert Benson.
REMARKS ON THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
IN the use of the word merchant, the people of"
this State differ from their fitter States and
from the Englifli nation. In its primitive
this word fignified any trader whatever ; that
is, any person who procured a living by buying
and felling. But etymology can not be gene
rally relied 6n, as leading to the true present lig
nification of words, which depends wholly on
national use. The word merchant, in modem
'pra<3ice, is applied only to wholesale and.
should not be confouuded with retailers or fliop
keepers. It would not be very material hbw wc
use words in Connecticut, if 110 other people
fpoke the fame language ; but this State is but
a little part of that great community, which uses
the fame language ; and no person will pretend
that we have a right to impose new meanings
upon words. At any rate it fubjedts us to-an in
convenience ; for when we use the word merchant
in our local sense, people abroad do 110 c under,
(land us, or if they do, they l'oppofe us deficient
in education.
The words Shop and Store are also confounded
in our common practice, Store being used to fig
-111 fy every kind of building where goods are
lodged for sale or security. Hence we are under
a necetfity of introducing tlie diflint'tion of
whole file Jfon and retail store. This trouble might'
be spared, by using the words according to their
true fenTe, viz. jhop for the apartment or build
ing where goods are retailed ; and store or i.-cr-e
---houfe for a building where goods are deposited
in bulk. ( American Mercury.)
LONDON, August 9
THE national colour in Ireland is green. The
national cockade begins already Co give the
green f ckne/s to government and its emiilaries.
On Saturday night laftdiedof a ferer, in New
gate, the Rev. Philip Withers, 'Who was sentenc
ed to one year's imprifonnient for a libel on Mrs.
Fitzherbert. lie had many works of geniiis in
contemplation that would have done honor to
literature—and among the reft was that much
wanted publication, aßevilion of Johnson's Dic-
tionary,
August 14 —19.
In the Svvedifh account of the two actions on
the 4th and 9th ult. the defeat and the vidtory
as ftatcd in the Gazettes of Stockholm, we are in
formed, that the Ruffians, in their firft victory,
had two ships of 100 j>uns each blown up, arid five
ihips of the line disabled. This, if it be tine, is a
considerable drawback on their triumph. In the