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The Governours and Lieutenants for the King in the Provinces, are what the Dukes were formerly, and the Governours of Towns, what the Earls or Counts were. Under every Duke there were twelve Counts, and over all the Dukes, there was one that was stiled Duke of the Dukes, or Duke of France, who was the Mayor of the Palace: The said Quali∣ties
of Dukes and Counts became Hereditary under Hugh Capet, who having made himself King, every one of the other Great Men would needs make him∣self Master and Proprietour of the Government of which he was in Possession. Hugh Capet to have their good will, winked at this Usurpation, but yet being not willing on the other side, that the Royal Authority should remain always Clouded, he assem∣bled all these Dukes, and made an Agreement with them, by which he left them a lawful Succession to all their respective States, but with condition how∣ever, that for lack of Heirs Male to succeed in a Right Line, or when the Possessours of them should happen to be Attainted and Convinced of the Crime of Felony, they should return to the Crown.
They that are well read in History, have, without doubt, remarked the return of all these parcels to their principle by the one or the other of these rea∣sons. And because the Quality of Mayor of the Palace, or of Count of Paris in which the first was Confounded, had served him as it had done to Pe∣pin, for a step to arrive to the Throne, he supprest that too at the same time, for the better securing of the Crown to his Successours.
The Governours and Lieutenants for the King, in the Provinces, have under them the Governours of Towns, as the Dukes had the Counts; but with this difference, that the number of Governours of Towns that are under each Governour of a Province, is not determined, one Province having more Towns, and another fewer. The Power of the Go∣vernours and Lieutenants-General of Provinces, is al∣together like that of the ancient Dukes and Counts; which is, to keep in the Kings Obeysance the Pro∣vinces and Places given them in Custody, to main∣tain them in Peace and Tranquility, to have Power or Command over their Arms, to defend them a∣gainst Enemies, and against Seditious attempts, to keep the places well fortified and provided with
what is needful, and assist the Execution of Justice, every one in his respective Government. But at the beginning, when these Governours were first estab∣lished, there were none but only in the Frontier Towns; but because in the time of the Civil Wars, all the Provinces became Frontier, there was a ne∣cessity of placing Governours, not only in the Pro∣vinces, but in all the Towns.
Their Commissions are verified in the Parliaments of their respective Provinces, in which the Gover∣nours of the same Provinces have place, ordinarily next after the Chief Presidents. They are only sim∣ple Commissions, whose Continuation depends only of the Kings sole Pleasure, though some years past, there were crept in some abuses in this affair, and the Governours were become, as it were, Here∣ditary.
Note, That all the Lieutenants-General of Provin∣ces, and Lieutenants of particular Towns and Places, are stiled Lieutenants for the King, because they are put in by the King, and have no dependance on the Chief Governour, under whose Command they are.