Mountain Democrat., 1857-05-23


the city Of the Pomtin'$. J'.,t on"-ani-
twenty, he resolved to begin in land
the Nursery of song end the arts, Il career
which to his confident ambition. should
rival the august memories Ofthc Caesars
His purpose was anchored OH the fixed
persuasion Of success, and youth and hope,
winged with iiuttcring dreams Of incXpc-
ritncc. anti' ipatrd the sure guvrlon Of
his ambition. One, later, articulatrS into
his luminous and vigorous creed this as
piring language of his prophetic will:
| I'm the lexicon Of youth which Fate reserves
| For bright mai,.OOd, there is no sucli word
| A> ft.i."
On he journcycd, resolving the problem
of earthly fame. His first achievement
in that resolution was prclacy. His adj
dress, discretion and sagaciOuS ambition 50
excited the admiration and anticipati0ns
of Pope Paul ', that at the age of twcn-
ty-+yvcn armand dc PleSSiS dc Richclicu
with viSitar'l future, alive with bcckon.
ing and applauding hands, was consccra-
ted Bishop Of Luran. For few years he
seems content with advancement. We
then find him in Paris, that restless, pal
plating heart of the civilized world,
| IISuNtlHH. hBCN OtNl tliISt anu d tIdCL iS
to the best mode of ofconfIting hcretics, we
meet with no mention ofpricStly ciIolt.-
Whether the sacred dulles ofhiS iurisdic-
ton and Office engaged his sovereign en-
trcicS, history is silent. We must infer,
however, that he was an Ambassador OF
Christ hut in name, and that his cpisco-
pal administration was indeed but lord
Ing it over Gods heritage; fr although it
was twcnty.thrcc years before he was
Prime Minister ofFrancc, yet it is ofRich
elicus. the Cardinal, ofRichelicu the States
man-not Richclicu the Christian Minis
ter and Bi.;hop-thc annals Of the age
speak.
The expired century was one Of re-
markablc Improvement in all that clcva-
ted humanity and society. In the ideal
arts, it boastcd Of Raphael and Angelo, of
TitianS and Rubcns: in astronomy, OF the
Telescope by Gallileo, Of Kcpler and Ty-
cho Brahc; it was remarkable for The or
der Of the Jc5uits hy Loyola for the I'M
tiation of the East India Company for
true system Of the Universe by Copcrni-
Gus; i'll Poetry, for Tasso in Italy, Camo-
ems in Portugal, for Spenscr, Beaumont
and Fletcher, Ben JonSon and Shaks-
pcare in England for the inluctivc logic
by Bacon; for the complete circumnavi-
I CATION Of the globe by Magellan for the
translation of the Bible into the English
tongue-for Luther and MclancLhOn7
Erasmus and Calvin in theology, and for
the Cardinal Kings Ximincs Wolscv and
RicheIi,u. Thus Richclicu stood intro.
duccd to the world and its rcmouIdina
events. The mind of the world had been
agitatcd hy the mighty and expansive and
expanding inspiration Of the Reformation,
and the light has dccpcncd and forever
cmancipatcd by the gift Of the written
words Ct the Deity to the rnclassic mind
of the husbandman and the artisan.
The world was astir all around him.
distant continents, long vciled and guard
ed by intervening oceans, had been dis
covered and colouizr1. The human mind
was Iishtng Itself in every department OF
thought and cnricling itself in every de-
partmcnt Of knowledge. The soul, aspir-
ins With Ms irrcprcsSihlc conceptions of
truth, and inspired with guesscs of its
power and rights, with car intent to the
bchests of conscience, sometimes fanatical
and sometimes sanctitied, elevated the
world above mere nursery, in which fec
bic characters might become renowned.
1t was an era Of giant events and giant
characters, and both the reign and the
character of Armand dc Richclicu filled
the measure by which Fame took the sta
turc Of human grandeur. Gifted OI.c
ed by nature with remarkable abilities,
public troubles nmSch them into maicS-
tic viSor, and the necessities of his conn
try inausuratcd and established him the
rrgcncrator Of France. 50
Rchclicu placed his country upon the
highest pinnacle of civilization-not the
highest for any and every nation, but the
highest for France. lie found her ciyili-
cation and national Importance retarded,
If not cXtinguished, by three hostile clc-
mentS: !. The spirit of revolutioniur re-
ligiouS opinion. ,. The habitand assert
cd right of resistance by the nobility. -
3. The confidence of successful aggrcSS-
ion from abroad. 1t is apparent that no
nation could expand from within, or be
secure from without, until it became mas
ter of these dcstructivcs. 4 nations
prosperity depends upon both peace at
home and respect abroad; and both of
these Richclieu achieved for France.
lie was practically Il trucr friend and
bcncfactor of French Professionalism than
her noble Chieftains or her political prca-
chers. In Richelicu's view and policy,
the glory of the Crown and the grandeur
of France were identical. To achieve
these, however, he must crush all oppo-
sing forces. One of these opposing forces
was the spirit, and, as We have seen, the
fact f revolution for religious opinion. .
1t is the custom of hasty writer's to
condemn Richelicu for cxtinguiShing the
light Of religious liberty in France, by
subjugating the IIugucnots. But he
would have opposed military religion,
whether it had been Catholic or Mahom-
mcdan, Jewish or Infidel. But if, as
some contend, the Ilugucnots struggled
for rights under violated treaties, then
they were in the field upon political, and
not religious questions The truth was,
they had become power in the State,
hostile to the State by the very princi-
pies of their society.
lie was cmincntly practical man, and
scorned the Gencvian theory in its politi-
cal element and movement, and to French
Protestants he was a wiser friend than
Calvin.
Richelicu was no bigot; he was too
much wanting in the religious clement.
Unlike Cardinal Ximines, who was eve
rywhere-in the cloiStcr, at the CONNER
cial board, at the head of the InuuiSition.