Politique Observation.

JT is very usual with Mothers to love their youngest better then their eldest chil∣dren, and to rely upon them, to be maintained in the greater authority. It should seem it is with Children, as with fruits, the newest are still most agreeable, so it frequently comes to passe, that the youngest are pleasures and diversions to their Parents, when as they who are older, shake off the yoke of obedience, and follow the inclinations of unbridled youth; but most especially so it is, when as mo∣thers are become Widdows, and have lost that protection of their husbands which kept their children within their bounds, that they do cast themselves upon the inte∣rest of the younger ones, whom they look on as the supporters of their old age, and as those who must uphold their Authority against the eldest, whom they look upon very often, as men do upon Creditors who come to take away their goods from them; withall, they are dependent upon them in several respects, because by the deaths of their Fathers, they are become the heads of their Families; and this dependency upon them is insupportable. If this be ordinary in private Fami∣lies, how much more is it in those of Kings? History is pregnant with relations of such Queens as have advanced their youngest children to the Government, in pre∣judice of their brother. Ptolomeus Phiseus, gave at his wifes perswasions, the Crown of Egypt to his youngest son; and to go no further then France it self, Lewis the Debonnair, did not he prefer at his Wifes entreaty, Charls the Bauld, before Lothair who was the eldest? Did not Constance wife of Robert, seeing her husband intended after the death of his eldest son, to Crown Henry her second son King, op∣pose it, in her earnest desires that he would prefer Robert her third son, whom she loved most intirely? And when she saw she could not arrive to the end of her design, did she not embroyl all things, even whilest the King yet lived; but much more after his death, by fomenting the divisions between her children, that she her self might have the more Authority? This occasioned a most sad Civil War, to the great damage of the Kingdom and that good King, both in the declining of his age and Kingdom, when as he expected repose and tranquility in his family, especially after he had suf∣fered (upon his first coming to the Crown) so great afflictions by reason of the mis∣fortunes of his first marriages, & their dissolutions which afterwards hapned; for the remedying whereof, the godly Abbot of Fleury Abby was employed. Not to seek for examples far from us, is not that of Katharine de Medicis very certain, it being yet fresh in the memory of man, for she was ever know to favour some of her children against other some? Was she not likewise suspected to have hastned the death of her eldest, that she might make way to raise the Duke of Anjou to the Crown? And was she not seen after he was attained to the Government, to enter into the Combination against him, because he did not relie enough upon her for the the Government of affairs? It is so frequent in history, that we shall need no other proofs for it; it may safely be said, that it hath alwaies been a very dangerous mat∣ter for States, that it hath caused many Civil Wars which have neer hand brought whole Kingdomes to an absolute ruine. For that the particular affection of a Mo∣ther, raising jealousies between her children, hurrieth them into all extremities whatsoever, they divide the Grandees into Factions, then they appear all in Arms, and nothing escapes ruine; in fine, they are forced to quench the fire of their pri∣vate quarrels, in the blood of their people.