New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-10
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
TWO FRENCH STATESMEN.

milan Co.
RICHELIEU. BY Richard Lodge NJ A. Professor $50,
of History i'm the University OF Glasgow 1or-
merry Fellow and Tutor OF Brasenose Io"eee'
oxford. PIP. X. -. Macmillan & Co
Those volumes introduce a new series. that OF
"roreign Statesmen" with the promise OF essays
upon William the Silent. Maria Theresa Charles
tho Great. Louis XII Ferdinand. Mazarn Louis
XIV. Catherine II. Mrabeau. Cavour ana
others Whether by accident or design, the
two on Philip Augustus and Richelieu are
communicable. Read together, they place
the two great French statesmen IN re-
markably close relation to each other botn
Philip whom his subjects from his very babyhood
described as the "Godsiven." and Richeneu, who
could fairly say on his deathbed Il pray Coo 10
condemn me II have had any other aim than the
welfare of God ard of the State were men TO
dea, with crisis in the affairs Of France. With
both the question was one of national unity. III
Philip had the clearer anticipation to the result
of his labors. this due to the fact that his
task was the simpler of the two. His diplomacy
was defensive II became foreign only by way OF
episodes Richeeu. on the other hand. had to
play with the affairs Of all Europe But his great
est annoyances like those of his predecessor were
all described in tho word feudalism. The barons
Of Philips time and the great mobiles of Richie
lieu's time were the real foes Of nationality. Both
men understood nationality to mean the mon
archy But Richeeu little knew how near
France was to new definition Of the term. and
how much he was himself doing to bring about
another order OF things. For Philip the mon
archv an ideal to b. realized for Richeleu ii
the historic fact that stood between social
order and anarchy.
The Frankish Kingdom 10 which Philip Au-
gustus succeeded was little more than an au-
thoritative name ONLY the boundless reVer-
ence shown in the Middle Ages for mere ideas
had kept ii in existence. Its don aims, though
they had been slowly increased. we're not to he
compared with those Of many nOblemen who
legally owed it loyal service There no ma
terial reason why ono of these more or less hos
tile rulers should not raise his family to su-
premacy in Western Europe. There some
ideals however 10 he consider cd spiritually.
the Capets had the support of the papacy and
OF the Church. This meant thet whatever legal
rights they had must be respected. Moreover.
the same iealousy among the barons which
guarded against any assumption of power on
the part Of the kings also efiicacOus
against the ambition Of others Above all there
was the tradition which nobody really ques-
toned that these kings were the direct descend
ants Of Charlemagne They had historical
title was anterior To- feudalisin and il was only
in part that they yielded 10 force which
transformed the nobility of Europe and even the
hierarchy of the Church. They were lords with
vassals but their overlordship and their royalty
were not the same thing The reigning Capet
never ceased to he sovereign as we'll
suzerain." and he never forgot the vital diff
ference that existed between these two aspects
If bic hn-if1 oh q q fDr q
and OF the age to which he belonged that he
should. like a nominalist philosopher. prize the
mere idea of kingship above the actual power
Of an overload Events in times just preceding
the reign of Philip Augustus We're of a kind TO
confirm this affection for an idea compared
with what practical men might have called the
substance OF power. Frederick l. that red
bearded Emperor. who still lives for the Ger
man peasant in tho hollow Of the Kyffhauser
had emerged from a conflict with the Italian
cities and with ROM strengthened rather than
weakened He threatened to intervene in French
politics but the danger of this was nothing
to the lesson he had given on the methods Of
increasing and soidifving the power of a mon
arch
Mr. Hutton credits Philips father. Louis VII.
only with good luck and a htful sagacity. Louis
seems never to have neglected in theory. at
feudal lord He made ono contribute to the
other The royal castellans. naughty and
turbulent class Of officials had almost dsap-
peared from the small territory which owed di-
rect allegiance to the King. The barons. big
and little in the region around Paris found it
more profitable to serve the monarchy than 10
oppose t. In this day Of small things il was.
perhaps well that Louis VII was. men said.
more monk than King. His sem-religious
character aided him in the details Of diplo-
macy where great ecclesiastical holdings were
as important as the possessions of secular chief
tains II entaed upon his successors for many
generations a troublesome war but this war.
whatever else it did. certainly helped to con-
solidate the French nation and to make II what
II Is to-day. after all its vicissitudes the most
homogeneous Power in the world. For Lous's
monkishness made him obnoxious TO his wife
Eleanor. whom he dislked for equally valid rea-
sons and when they were divorced she carried
the title of Aquitaine to her new husband. later
Henry II Of England. With Normandy and
Aquitaine and Anjou and Poitou. the red-headed
Angevins possessions hemmed in the French
monarchy on every side but one. He had the
temper of a demon. as might be expected from
the legend Of his ancestry But. after all. the
royal monk of France was more than match
for him the main -eason being that Henry's
sons inherited his disposition and. with natura
perversity. preferred fighting their rather as
long as he lived to quarrelng with either LOUIS
or Philip After Henry came the eccentric flch'
ard l. whose character has really never beeh
studied as II ought TO be from the Nahtfse
point OF an expert In morbid psychology; the"
followed the tmid self-indulgent KING Johii
and all the while there went IN an intermittent
warfare which ended in Philip taking possession
OF almost every inch of territory claimed by the
English Kings as noblemen of France. On the
other side after a long play of diplomacy Philip
had to fight the battle and win the victory oil
Bouvines. which relieved him once and for all
Of the Empe
These wars did not put France back In its old
I.~ils, fno