New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-09-05

ond humiliation The Fronde, however, had but
one object and that was to get controi Oh 'no
! TREASURY 1t hated and fought Mazarin because nc
stood between il aud This goal. and when ne WAS
Gone its rampant greed speedily frustrated IT'S pur
pose by breaking up the unholy alliance iherc y
| hardly member of the Fronde whose chaiao'o'
| s NOT contemntibie or detestape The best OF them
we're no better than the larger clrnivora' anu '"o
worst were no better than many jackais or vui-
turos Rut civilization had made little real progress
then Society was IN an IncOhcrent state. Even the
bourocoise had not developed acumen enough 10 per-
ceye that their interest lay in standing out lot the
rights of the whole people. Like the MOBILES nut Ill
humber way, the men OF the robe, the hlercnah's
the shop-keepers were absorbed In seli-aggrandlZe-
ment As a result the third estate was desplsed
and buied both by the crown and the nobes
Once indeed the Parliament of Paris got the upper
hand. but it could not retain the position it had
assumed and IN the end lost more than 1t had
gained by its spasmodc endeavors to assert Its al
legged privileges.
The fact stands clearly out that nowhere among
the French was the passion for freedom developed.
The individualism and the persistent pursuit OF
potical Justice which hal already cost Charles l.
his crown and life and which had made the Rcnub-
lie of England under Cromwell the most powerful
nation in Europe, had no parallel Ill France. Inc
masses in the latter country had not even attained
to a sense of the capacity for vengeance which
unity would have given their numbers and the
patriotism of Richeleu and Mazarln took the form
of devotion to the monarchy. not concern Tor the
welfare of the people. One marked difference De-
tween the two races shown when body OF
CromweIrs Ironsides was sent, under treaty stpu-
lations. to assist the French king against SPAIN
These English troops had to be furnished much
larger and more subs iantlal ration than Their
French allies received. just as IN the present CEN
fury the commissarat of the English navvles EN-
ployed upon the construction of French railways
had to be much plentiful than that OF the
native workmen. The Ironsides might perhaps
have subsiscd upon the pot du-feu with chicken
in #. which Henry ". wanted to On every
French hearth, but such abundance could be found
only in the houses of the mobiles during the admin
istration of the two Cardinals and though the
troops Jared better than the peasantry, as rule,
the prevalence of plumber accounts for the
fact, for it was seldom That the Govern
ment that employed them was not deeply
in arrears for pay and subsistence. The whole
social and political system was indeed little else
than round of robberles and the people, as al
WAYS bore the burden. The tax-gatherer aimed
at stripping the taxpayer of all but a bare living
What he left the roaming soldiers often took No
peasant dared to appear prosperous for every sign
of abundance was a challenge to cOnfscatlon. The
misery but the chiefs cared nothing for that.
Brgandage was kept alive by the instability OF
society," The man who had been robbed OF every
thing and utterly discouraged from the resumption
of industry, took to the road himself and be-
came terror to Others. Sometimes the people of
a particularly ll-treated town village joined tor
mutual protection. and sucn organizations, operat-
ing much after the manner OF a modern vigilance
committee, gave short shrift to all depredators
caught III the act and cleared the country round
about for time But no relief measures. however
drastic, produced lasting cool effects. The times
were ont of Joint. The final contest between the
nobes and the crown was being fought out. and
all other interests sub)rdinated to that.
None then living could foresee that the result of
the overthrow of the mobiles and the firm establish
ment of the autocratIc power to simplify and
facilitate the democratic movement at the
close of the eighteenth century. Rich ellen
and Mazarin alike tOIled and struggled for
Capitalization. In the reign of Louis XIV that
principle was carried to uneXamDled lengths. and
instead of roofing the monarch meraficably 1t
prepared the way for a republic.
There are few more interesting historical prob
lens than the relation thar existed between Anne
of Austria and Mazarin. Mr. Perkins has been able
TO throw new light upon many questions through the
recent discovery of the Cardinals crHets, or note
books in ich he wont to set down his PR
vate thoughts and memoranda. Bat though these
notebooks help to clear up other obscure points,
they do not settle the minister's relation with the
Regent. 1t is true that they give fresh probability
to the theory which was current during their lives
that the Queen loved the Cardnal-and the evil
dence in support of this theory Is so abundant
that it is quite safe to accept 1t. But whether Anne
married to Mazarn, as was generally rumored
at the time, or whether the relation between them
| hi, Il Il.
scarcely ANYTHING to show There many strong
considerations both for and against the marriage
theory On the one hand 1t is difficult to believe
that Mazarin would have consented to a tie which
was not only doubly unlawful in his case, but the
discovery of which must have been very diff |
cult to prevent and fatal probably to both if
It occurred. On the other hand, the cor
rcspondence of the Queen and the Cardinal
IS full of expressions betokening the existence
of a mutual affection and respect far sugges-
tive of confidential communications between loyal
and loving husband and wife than of any less
stable and honorable connection. Mr. Perkins |
after careful research. however, feels compelled 10
leave the question open one, he found it, IL can
oay be said with confidence that Mazarins career |
owed more to Annes affection for him than TO his |
own wisdom, for several times his reluctance TO |
adopt decided measures put him in such ficultles
as only the power and faithfuness of the Regent |
could have extrcated him from.
Mr. Perkins has bestowed great pains upon his |
researches True to the modern theory of history |
he has ransacked the archives for fresh material. |
besides going carefully over the work of his many |
predecessors in the same field. We could have |
wished that at times he had used somewhat more
of his material as. for example, in illustration OF
the swarm OF pasquinades and libes issued during
the Fronde Perhaps. too, he might have added an
interest to his work by entering a little more into
description of the private life of the two Cardinals.
We all want to know all that can be gathered con-
corning the everyday habits and manners of great
men, and the further they removed from our
generation the more necessary is such knowledge |