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PEpin the short, sonne of Charles Martell, was crowned King of France in the beginning of the yeare 752, by Boniface Bishop of Ma∣gence. The Saxons rebelled the yeare following, but Pepin made them very feelingly sensible of their default. An.
Dom. 754. Pepin having beene againe annointed and crowned in the Church of St. Denis by Pope Stephen, successour to Zachary, who came to demand ayde of him against Astulph King of the Lom∣bards, passed over the Alpes, and two severall times put the King Astulph into such streights and extremities, that he was constrained to surrender to the Pope duties belonging to St. Peter, the Segniory of Ravenna, and all that hee could claime in Romania: whereupon the Emperour of Constantinople, to whom those Territories did belong, being much discontented, An. Dom. 759 overthrew the rebellious Saxons, and compelled them to pay tribute at every generall Parliament of France 300. Horse fit for service of Warre. From thence hee went against Waifer, Duke and Governour of Aquitaine, and en∣forced him to come to a composition, which neverthelesse had no effectuall is∣sue, untill hee had defeated him in di∣vers battailes, and taken the greatest
part of his principall Cities. Which Waifer perceiving, and the taking of his Mother, Sisters, and Nieces, was enforced to commit the rest of his for∣tunes to the hazard of a Battaile neare Perigord, where, with the day he lost his life also, and his Principality like∣wise.
Moreover Aquitaine received a go∣vernour (who in those times was styled Duke) from the appointment of the King, and was reunited to the Crowne of France. Pepin retreating with his Army, was arrested with a fit of sick∣nesse at the suite of Death, whereby he paid Nature what he was indebted, the 24. of September, in the 54. yeare of his age, Anno Domini 768, leaving by his Queene Berthe, Charles, and Char∣lemaine, to whom by a partage they made betweene them, the Occidentall part of France, together with Burgun∣dy, and Aquitaine befell to Charles, who established his Seate at Noyon: and to Charlemaine the Orientall, where∣under
the Provinces on this side the Rhine were comprised, and held his Court at Soyssons.
This King was the first of the second Race, under whose vertuous govern∣ment the happinesse of France was much improved, and in his sonnes Reigne; but Vertue being no inheri∣tance descending to posterity, the glo∣ry of the Kingdome by the vices of suc∣ceeding Kings declined, shewing that Grace and Goodnesse are the absolute free gifts of God. That which assured him of his Subjects love, and made him become gracious in their estimati∣on, was his honourable Actions, fol∣lowed by the love and obedience of his Subjects, for the attractive love of Vertue firmely obliges subjects to their Prince, and doth by a secret violence draw their affections. His last act con∣cluded in a Royall death, being happy in his honours and hopefull Children, one of his sonnes being afterward ac∣knowledg'd the worthiest and most ex∣cellent
Prince that ever reigned: And himselfe by his vertue and valour gai∣ning his subjects love, instructed Prin∣ces that the subjects love is the strongest guard, and that Vertue is the best pre∣server of Majesty, giving a good and prosperous successe unto all their acti∣ons by whom she is embraced and day∣ly followed, never leaving them hope∣lesse in any danger which may seeme to threaten them, but rather encourage and comfort their troubled spirits with assurance of overcomming and with∣standing whatsoever may prove ob∣noxious or hurtfull unto them, and lastly, it doth not onely enrich a man with all temporall blessings here in this life, but hereafter advance him to im∣mortall honour.