The Sun.
London, England, 1823-09-23 00:00:00

ROYAL PROMOTIONS.

If the golden gate of preferment, says D'ls-
raeli, in his " Curiosities of Literature," is not
usually opened to men of real merit, persons of
no worth have entered it in a most extraordinary
manner.—Cherreau informs us that the Sultan
Osman having observed a gardener planting a
cabbage with some peculiar dexterity, the man-
ner so attracted his Imperial eye, that he raised
him to an office near his person, and shortly af-
terwards he rewarded the planter of cabbages by
creating him Beglerbeg, or Viceroy, of the Isle
of Cyprus !
Marc Anthony gave the house of a Roman
citizen to a cook, who had prepared for him a
good supper !
Many have been raised to extraordinary pre-
ferment, by capricious Monarchs, for the sake of
a jest. XI. promoted a poor Priest, whom he
found sleeping in the porch of a church, in order
that the proverb might be verified—" to lucky
men good fortune will come, even when they are
asleep."

Henry VII. of England made a Viceroy of
Ireland, if not for the sake of, at least with a
clench. When this King was told that all Ire-
land could not rule the then Earl of Kildare, he
said—" Then shall the Earl rule all Ireland."

It is recorded of Henry VIII., that he raised
a servant to a considerable dignity, because he
had taken care to have a roasted boar prepared
for him, when his Majesty happened to be in the
humour of feasting on one ! And the title of
Sugar-loaf-court, in Leadenhall-street, was pro.
bably derived from another piece of magnificence
of this Monarch.—The widow of a Mr. Corn.
wallis was rewarded by the gift of a dissolved
Priory, there situated, for some fine puddings
with which she had presented his Majesty !
When Cardinal de Monte was elected Pope,
before he left the conclave, he bestowed a Car-
dinal's hat upon a servant, whose chief merit
consisted in the attentions he paid to his Holiness's
monkey !
Louis Barbier owed all his good fortune to the
familiar knowledge lie bad of the wiltings of
Rabelais. He knew Rabelais' works, and could
recite them well. This served to introduce them
to the Duke of Orleans, who took great pleasure
in reading that author. It was for this he gave
him an Abbey, and he was gradually promoted
till lie became a Cardinal. _ _

George Villiers was suddenly raised from a
private station, and loaded with wealth and
honours, by James 'the First, merely for his per-
sonal beauty. In fact, almost all the favourites
of James became so from their handsomeness.

v.
M. de Chamillart, Minister of Finance in
France, owed his promotion merely to his being
the only man who could beat Louis XIV. at
billiards! This profligate and ambitious Minister
retired on a large pension, after ruining the fin-
ances of his country.
The Duke of Leines was originally a country-
lad, who insinuated - himself into the favour of
Louis XIII. when young, by making bird-
trips to catch sparrows! " It was little ex-
pected," says Voltaire, " that these puerile
amusements were to be succeeded by a tra-
gical revolution in the Government. De Luines,
after causing his patron, the-Marshal d'Ancree,
to he assassinated, and the Queen Mother
to be imprisoned, raised himself to a title
land to the most tyrannical power.
Sir Walter Raleigh owed his promotion to an
act of gallantry to Queen Elizabeth ; and Sir
Christopher Hatton owed his preferrnent to his
dancing !—" Queen Elizabeth," observes Gran-
ger, " with all her sagacity, could notice the fu-
ture Chancellor in the fine dancer." The same
writer says," Nothing could form a more curious
collection of Memoirs, than Anecdotes of Prefer-
ment." Could the secret history of men be
traced, it would appear that merit is rarely the
first step to advancement. It would much oftener
be found to be owing to superficial qualifications,
and even vices.