River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-08-22
THE DUKE OF SULLY.
One of the Great Mbntsters of France and
Trusted Counselor OF Henry Nv.

THE DUKE OF SULLY.
One of the Great Ministers of France and
Trusted Counselor of IIenryAv
James Parton in the New York Ledger.
The Paris Exposition recalls to mind
the men of the past who founded the in
dustries, and promoted the arts, the
products of which now challenge the ad-
miration of the world. During the last
three centuries France has had several
great ministers, who spent their lives in
undoing and preventing the mischief
caused by thoughtless and luxurious
kings. Among these, six are conspicuous;
Sully; Richelieu, Mazarin, Colburt,
Fleury, and Turgot; each OF whom had
his special work, or line of policy, which
he pursued, usually to the advantage OF
France. How capriciorsly fame dis
tributes her favorsl Almost every child
knows something of the King whom these
ministers served bur few even of educat-
ed men have a tolerable acquaintance
with the ministers.
OF those Just mentioned, only one had
master at all worthy of hir1 for the
Duke of Sully served Henry ", who
was by no means a perfect character, but
upon the whole, the best King France
has had during recent centuries. Sully
was the second of several children of the
Baron de Rosny,a nobleman of high line
age and slender fortune. When the boy
was 1 years of age, Henry of Navarre,
passing near his fathers abode, he was
presented to the prince, who received
MIN into his family as page, and took
him to Paris. When the massacre OF
Bartholomew occurred, be was school
boy in Paris ~ years of age. Reused at
in the morning. and being informed
OF the slaughter which was going on in
the streets, he put on his scholars gown,
and, thus equipped, be went unmolested
to his college, the principal of which
concealed him for three days. He re-
joined his prince, and fought by his side
during all the bloody campaign which
ended in placing Henry upon the throne of
France. For about thirty years France
was torn by religious wars, which are
the most envenomed and desolating of all
the conflicts in which man destroys man.
I suppose there never was Drawer
soldier than this young nobleman. Hen
ry, vino was himself the bravest of the
brave, often rebuked him for his rashness
in the field. In the decisive battle of Ivri
he had two horses killed under him
received lance thrust In the calf of his
| leg, a sword wound on one of his hands,
and another in his head Besides three
balls In his body. He remained long
time on the field of battle insensible, and
almost without armoT, for he had lost
most of it in the fight. Getting to his
feet at length, as he was reeling from
the field. He had the good luck to find
the white banner of the Duke of M
onne. He was carried half dead to hls
castle; his esquires, too, all wounded
ard bleeding. On the way he met the
King, who embraced him, saying:
Brave soldierl True and perfect
Knight Get we'll, my friend, and, rely
upon it, you have a good master"
These balefuI wars ended at length,
leaving some provinces of fair France al
most depopulated and desolate, roads
obliterated, bridges destroyed, houses IN
ruins, villages deserted. In other dis
tricts, parties were still embittered and
irreconcilable. Sully, now one of the
Kings trusted counselors, relates in his
memoirs a conversation which he had
with the King in 1898, a conversation so
important as TO affect for centuries the
destinies OF his country. Sully was then
but 33 years of asc, by no means the
grave and experienced person whom, we
should think, the King would have con-
suited at so important a crisis. The
King himself was only 40. and the two
men talked together more like comrades
than king and minister. Late one even
ing Sully received message that the
King wished to see him in his bedroom.
He found the King in bed, whO ordered
a hassock to be brought, and told Sully
to knoel upon it and lean against the
bed that they could converse conven
iently.
"My friend" said the King, ~ have
sent for you so late to talk with you upon
what is going on about us, and to get
your opinion upon it; which / have often
found better than that of men who make
greater pretensions to wisdom"
He then explained what it was that he
had particularly in his mind whether it
was possible to do something to end the
strife and bitterness existing in France
81 know" added the King, "that when
ever / seek your advice, you ask me for a
time to consider the matter. In three
or four days shall send for you again.
Upon this the King said goodnight,
and the young counselor withdrew. Three
nights after the King sent for him at the
same hour, when once more the hassock
was placed at the bedside, and Sully pro-
ceeded to answer the Kings question.
The substance of his opinion was that
there were two modes Of giving peace to
France. One was by the way CT violence
and the other by the way of policy. He
told his self-induigent and pleasure-loy-
ing master that if he adopted the system
of force, he would have endless pain and
difficulty; would have to live with
horse always between his legs armor on
his back, helmet on his head, pistol in
fist, and sword in hand. He would have
to say farewell to pleasure, to love, to
hunting, to building. But if he took the
way Of policy, he would have much
easier time in this world.
"As to the next world, said Sully, II
don't answer for you"
The King burst out laughing, SAT up in
bed, scratched his head several times,
and then said:
"All you say is true, but see so many
rhorns on every side, that some of them,
| am sure, will prick me sorely enough.
They continued TO converse at great
ength, sometimes seriously, sometimes
iocularly: and the result was, as all the
world knows, that the King adopted the
religion, secured freedom of wor-
ship to the Protestants, and so gave
France eightT-seyen years Of intern a
peace.
Tie Duke of Sully was peculiarly useful
as restraint upon the expenditures of the |
King. He so often objected to expensive
projects that he acquired the nickname |