Lustra Ludovici, or, The life of the late victorious King of France, Lewis the XIII (and of his Cardinall de Richelieu) divided into seven lustres / by Iames Howell, Esq.

Of his Nativitie and Dauphinage.

LEwis the thirteenth (second French King of the Bourbon line) had for his father Henry the great, and the great Duke of Toscanies daughter for his mother; The first we know was sent out of the world by Ravaillac, the second by Ri∣chelieu, as some out of excesse of passion doe sug∣gest: For this great Queene having conceived a deep displeasure, and animositie against him, and not liking his counsels, and course of policy to put quarrels, and kindle a war betwixt her children, in a high discontentment she abandon'd France, and so drew a banishment upon her selfe, which expos'd her to divers encumbrances, removes and residences abroad, and this some thinke accelerated her end: For great spirits have this of fastnesse and constancie in them, that where their indignation is once fixed, for ha∣ving their counsels cross'd, their authoritie lessen'd, and the motions of their soules resisted, they come ofttimes to breake, rather then bow: As we see the huge Cedars, who, scorning to comply, with the windes and stormes, fall more frequently, then the Willow and poore plying Osier, who yeeld and crouch to every puffe. But to our chiefe taske.

When the sixteenth Christian centurie went out, Lewis the thir teenth came into the world, and he began the seventeenth, being borne in the yeere sixteene hundred and one, about the Antumnall Equinoctiall, which was held to be a good presage, that he would prove a good Iusticer: The Queene had a hard delivery, her bo∣dy having beene distemper'd by eating of fruit too freely, so that when the Midwife brought him forth to the King, and to the Princes of the blood in the next roome, who, according to the cu∣stome of France, use to be present for preventing of foule play for an Heire apparant of the Crown, his tender body was become black and blue with roughnesse of handling, and the Midwife thinking to have spouted some wine out of her mouth into his, the King tooke the bottle himselfe, and put it to the Dauphins lips, which reviv'd his spirits. His publique Baptisme was not celebrated till five yeers after at Fontainebleau because the plague was in Paris, and the solemnitie was greater in preparation and expectance, then it was in performance. The King would have had him nam'd Charles, but the Mother over∣rul'd, and gave the law in that point, and would have him called Lewis. Paul the fifth was his godfather notwithstanding that the Spa∣nish faction did predominate in the Conclave at his election, which happen'd about the time the Dauphin was borne: And the French Ambassadour then at Rome meeting with the Spanish, at Saint An∣gelo, and telling him Ilmio Rè há fatto un maschio, my King hath made

a sonne: The Spanish Ambassadour answer'd, & il mio Rè há fatto un Papa, and my King hath made a Pope.

It seemes that Mercury the father of eloquution, and who hath the powerfullest influence ore the tongue, was oppressed by a disad∣vantagious conjunction with a more praedominate planet at his Birth, which appear'd by that naturall slownesse he had in his speech, as Lewis the sixt his predecessor (and last Emperour of the six French Kings) had. But a rare thing it was, and not to be paralleld in any age, that two of the greatest Kings of Europe, I meane the Dauphin we now write of, and His Majesty of England now regnant, should come both into the world within lesse then ten moneths compasse, the one in November, the other in September next following; I say a most rare thing it was that it should so fall out, that as they were con∣temporaries in yeares and raigne, the same kinde of utterance should be coincident and connaturall to them both, though the haesitation be lesse in Him of November: Besides, it seemes he is richly requited with the advantage of an incomparable imperious pen, wherein na∣ture joyning hand with Art, hath made him so rich a compensation, that he may well claime the palme of all his progenitors.

But now againe to our Infant Dauphin, which the English with other call Dolphin commonly, but very corruptly; for 'tis not from a fish, but a faire Province that he derives this appellation the very in∣stant he comes into the world; the ground whereof was this. Humbert last Dauphin of Viennois having lost his eldest sonne in that famous battaile of Crecy against the English, and his tother sonne having died of a fall from betwixt the Fathers armes as he was dallying with him; The said Humbert being oppressed by the Duke of Savoy and others, transmitted and bequeathed as free gift the brave Province of Dauphinè unto Philip of Valois then King of France, with this proviso that his eldest sonne (and so of all successive Kings) should beare the title of Dauphin to perpetuity during their fathers lifes, holding it, as he did and his progenitors had done, in fee of the Empire.

This was the sixteenth Dauphin since the first, who was Charles the wise in the yeare 1349. whereby I observe that the precedent title of the presomptif Heire of the Crowne of France, is not so ancient by halfe a hundred of yeares, as the title of Prince of Wales to the Heire apparant of England, which begun in Edward the firsts time, who conferred that honour upon his sonne Edward of Caernarvon 1301. But this title of Dauphin seemes to have a greater analogie with the Dukedome of Cornwall, which title was confer'd first upon the black Prince, because this as that of Dauphin needes no creation, for ipsissimo instante, the very moment that any of the King of Englands sons come to be Heire apparant of the Crowne, he is to have liverie and seisin given him of the Dutchy of Cornwall, with all the honours and lands annexed for his present support.

Touching those publike passages of State that happened during the Dauphinage of Lewis the thirteenth, while Henry the fourth lived,

we will nor meddle with them, because we would not confound the actions of the father with those of the sonne; He was educated with that speciall care and circumspection wherewith the Dauphins of France are wont to be bred, as also with that freedome from over∣much awe, and apprehensions of feare, which is observed in the French breeding generally, because the spirits may not be suppressed and cowd while they are ductible and young, and apt to take any im∣pression: He was not much taken with his booke, nor any sedentary exercise, but with pastimes abroad, as shooting at flyes and small hedge birds, to which end his Father put to him Luynes who had ma∣ny complacentious devices to fit his humour that way, for which petty volatill sports he soard at last to the highest pitch of honour that a French subject could flie unto, for of a gentleman in decimo sexto, he was made Duke, Peer, and Lord high Constable of all France; But he had the advantage to have the managing of his masters affection while it was green and pllable, and he did it with such dexterity, that those stamps which he made upon it then, continued firme and fresh to the last, as will appeare hereafter.

And now must we passe from his Dauphinage to his minoritie, his Father being now defunct; And tis a sad tale to relate the manner how his Father was forcd out of the world, but told it must be, be∣cause it is a necessary appendix to our storie.

There was gentle calm through all Christendome, and France had not the least share of it, having continued twenty yeares together in a constant repose without the least tintamar or motion of arms (a rare thing amongst so spritefull and quicksilverd people to whom peace becomes a surfet any longer then they have pickt up their crumbs for a new warre) I say there was a catholick peace throughout Europe, when Henry the fourth of France would needs get a horseback upon a great martiall designe, which was a mysterie for the time, for all men stood at a maze what he meant, the businesse was carried so closely; where∣upon he raiseth a potent Armie of horse and foot.

But behold the greatest example of the lubricity and instablenes of mundane affaires, and of the sandie foundation whereon the highest pomp and purposes of men are grounded, that any age can parallell; For this great King, as I told a little before, having a most potent and irresistible armie compos'd of 40000. combatants, all choise men, led by veteran Commanders, and the most expert Europe could affoord, in a perfect equipage; Having also a mount of gold as high as a lance estimated at sixteene millions to maintaine this armie; Having assured his Confederates abroad, settled all things at home, causd his Queene to be crownd in the highest magnificence that could be, and appointed her Regent in his absence, behold this mighty King amongst these triumphs of his Queens, being to go next day to his armie, when his spirits were at the highest elevation, and his heart swelling with assurances rather then hopes of successe and glory, going one afternoone to his Arsenal, he was stopd in a small street, by so

contemptible a thing as a colliers cart, and there from amongst the armes of his owne Nobles, he was thrust out of the world by one of the meanest of his owne vassals, who with a prodigious hardinesse putting his foot upon the coach wheeles, reachd him over the shoul∣ders of one of his greatest Lords, and stabd him to the very heart, and with a monstrous undauntednesse of resolution making good his first stab with a second, dispatchd him suddenly from off the earth, as if a mouse had strangled an elephant.

—Sic parvis pereunt ingentia rebus.

The French stories speake of divers auguries and predictions of his death; But I will insert here a passage or two that are not found in any printed Author, therefore not vulgar, and our intent is to refrain from stuffing this piece with any thing that hath bin too much blown upon; The first is a prophecie in an Italian manuscript from a good hand, written above an hundred yeares since, which runnes thus. Vn gran Ré di Francia havendo le spalle al Papa voltate, s'inchinera poi a Roma, & al piu alto della sua' gloria

Li taglierá la vita, Vn coltel feroce, Che n'andará la voce Per tutto'l mundo.

Thus rendred into English.

A great French King, having his face Turn'd from the Pope, shall then embrace The Roman Faith, but after, He At highest pitch of Majesty Shall by a fatall knife be rent, To all the worlds astonishment.

To this may be added the speech of Francisco Corvini a Toscan Astrologer, who the night before Henry the fourth was slaine leaning upon a Balcon in Florence, which is neer upon 600. miles from Paris, and prying into the motions of the starres, he suddenly broke out of his speculation into these words; Tomorrow one of the greatest Monarchs of Christendome will be slaine; And the very next day the mortall stab was given by Ravaillac, who had been seen often a little before at Brussels, and was observd to have frequent accesse, and much privacie with Marquis Spinola, which many wondred at being so plaine a man; A melancholy odde Humorist he was, one who had at times some flashes of illuminations, as his friends gave out: Now, such is the strength of imagination, and force of fancie, that having let in false ideas into the braine, and being fomented by some fatuous zeale, it hurles a man headlong oftentimes upon desperate attempts, and undertakings of inevitable danger, making him misprize his owne life, so that he may be master of ano∣thers, especially when the enterprize is heated with hope of fame, revenge, or merit.

Thus fell one of the compleatest Kings under which the flower de luces ever flourishd, a sprightfull and well tempred Prince, excel∣lently versd in the studie of men, alwayes well disposd, pleasant and

wittie, close in his counsels, and constant in his purposes, parsimoni∣ous, yet open handed to Cadets whom he lovd to see about him ra∣ther then elder brothers whom nature had already advanced. And lastly (though this be but a quarter character of him) a great discerner and rewarder of worth and vertue, a brave qualitie and one of the prime requisits in a King; for subjects are industrious, or dissolute, they aspire to vertue and good parts according as their Prince hath judgement to distinguish and value their worth, and so to employ and advance them. The memory of this King is yet as fresh in France, as if he had been ta'ne away but yesterday, and his death was resented abroad as well as at home, being universally honourd by all nations, for the worst that his very enemies reported of him was, that he was a great Courtier of Ladies, whereupon this petulant Anagram was made of him.

Henricus Borbonius. Hircus in orbe bonus.

But take the aspiration away (and with it let the aspersion go) this befits him better.

Cyrus in orbe bonus.

Having spoken this little of the Fathers death, tis time now to re∣turne and pursue the life of the Sonne, and bring him to his minoritie; yet though a Minor, he is absolute King, He is already regnant, though his mother be Regent: And in regard method is a mighty advantage to memorie, and that the Logician gives us a good Rule, Qui benè di∣vidit, benè docet, A good Divider makes a good Disciple: we will make a quinquenniall partition of his raigne, we will divide it to so many lustres of yeares, and in the first his minoritie shall be included.