New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-11-29
KING HENRY OF NAVARRO.

AS. c. +. Putnam B SOns
That was a splendid historic drama In which
Henry Of Bourbon. King Of Navarro. was the
foremost figure. While France formed. so to
sneak. the centre Of the scene. Spain. England
and the Low Countries were in view throughout
almost the whole Of his reign. From Spain came
most of the energy with which he had to con-
tend from the Low Countries came the support
that he needed from Elizabeth of England came
aid-but more frequently advice. The conf1ict
was fought out on the fields Of France smiling
once but during this long struggle beaten by the
tread of armies into barren desert. The scene
was filled with a ragged, starving mop Vi
peasantry. among whom the bodies OF armed
men moved with iron indifference. with cues
enduring the horrors Of siege. with misery III
every shape. The country was the ASCENDING
place Of mercenary troops from Switzerland ana
from Germany, OF Spanish veterans from the
Low Countries and of native soldiers Ihe ma
ton was exhausted the population reduced TO
the last degree of wretchedness. 1t was from
this condition that Henry Of Navarro raised
France.
Aside from the problems brought out by the
, Reformation with which Mr. Wert pegins'
the time was, as he shows here and there' one
of evolution from feudal customs The great
provincial rulers still remembered the Gays
when their ancestors could defy the royal
power and even in Henry's own reign tney not
only plotted to increase their authority Out
even went so far as to speak through a 1oolsh
mouthpiece the wishes which they wouid nave
liked to convert into demands. Thus wnen the
war with Spain in 1886 seemed to be going
against the King. THE Duke OF Montpenser a
parsonage less ill-meaning than foolish, was put
forward to suggest as excellent plan Tor
keeping an army on foot that the King should
grant the hereditary possession OF their offices
to all governors whether of provinces or town.
on condition that they should constantly keep
a certain number of men under arms ior MS
service. Henry asked his cousin whether ne
had taken leave of his senses. but this orlhaht
suppestion was a straw which showed clearly
enough from what quarter the wind was dow
ing" Sieges were delayed, battles were drawn
wars were prolonged simply because the race
NJ these old feudal lords had not unlearned the
privileges Of the past. Henry was just the man
to give a fatal blow to this tendency of the old
aristocracy Though France was slow on the
whole to learn his character, yet as fast as the
people became acquainted with this restless.
iovial good -humored monarch so frank ana
free with high and low, so chivalrous in battle
so kindly in peace, they instantly loved MIN. ne
was the embodiment of much that was most ad-
mirable in the French character. wherever ne
came face to face with his fellow countrymen
whether friends or foes. he felt that they under
stood him.
Possibly it was this frankness which SEEM
ingly but not actually took the world into con-
fdence that carried off so we'll what few other
t,nps could have succeeded in; namely. the
change from the Huguenot religion, IN which
as King of Navarro he had grown up, to the
Catholic Church, favored by the vast majority
of his subjects For the people Of France felt
the motive of the monarch in receiving in
struction," as the cant Of the day ran. They
saw that he had yielded for the sake OF peace
and they saw. too. that he had yielded In such
a way as to make the whole world conscious OF
his real convictions Mr.. Wiert points out
that later events. such as took place. for ex-
ample in the reign of Louis XIV prove Henry's
complasance to the old Church mistake But
It must be remembered that Henry could not
foresee the characteristics Of his descendants.
nor could he have imagined that the France
which he found ready to fall to pieces In the
feudal fashion should be so welded together
in two generations as to make reign like that
of Louis XIV possible Though he knew that
in his own case the assassin was constantly
lying in wait for him. yet he must surely nave
felt that the lessons of those wars which he
brought to an end, and of the peace and toera-
ton which he and his most trusted advisers
preserved for twelve years. would have been
long remembered by France He must have
hoped against hope, perhaps. that the sangui-
nary quarrels of Catholic and Huguenot had be-
come wearisome to both.
1t took but a little time for Sully as manager
of the finances under Henry to show how quickly
France could recover from the misery and desti-
tuition of war. He even proved at the siege of
Amiens in 1897 that a capable fnancier could
make an army profitable to the people who had
It to feed-an achievement accomplished Their
probably for the first time in the history OF
Europe After the Spanish war. which was
really only tag to the long civil strife by which
Henry had forced his way to the throne, peace
gave Sully the opportunity that he required. He
was as sullen as his master was smiling and
tovial; but between them they managed to
squeeze the dishonest farmers OF the taxes as In
a vice and to make the burden OF the revenues
less unequal and yet more productive than they
had been. Sully treats ell alike" wrote Casau-
bon worthy or unworthy. good and bad, de.
c,rvng and undeserving, great and small; he
receives, or rather scorns all. with the same
scowling face" He introduced order into the
same public accounts he provided good roads
and he reused an agriculture which war had
seemingly put to death. In all these things he
had Henrys approval The King himself, ad-
miring the economy of his minister. was stricken
with remorse at his own spendthrft ways Yet
ne saw further into the future than Sully. The
latter with all the unreason Of modern free
trader. thought that France must always be ag-
rcultura and must buy her manufactures from
other countries But Henry determined to
encourage the trades and soon had the satisfac- |
ton Of seeing the silks Of Lyons and Tours, the
cloth Of gold of Paris the tapestry Of Gobelins,
In successful competition with the products Of |
Italy and Flanders He overruled the prejudice |
Of his financial minister against maritime enter
prise and shortly the ambassador Of Venice de- |
scribed Marseillcs the rival Of his own city. |
He gained advantages for his country In the |
commerce Of the Mediterranean He forced |
England and Spain to yield equality In trade.
OF the private life of Henry Nv much could be |
said in disprase but his career as king showed .
that few men Of royal rank were better con- |