STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE COURT AND PARLIAMENT UNDER LOUIS XIV.

NDER Louis XIV. the liberties of France were extinguished; but during the early part of his reign, while Anne of Austria was regent, and Mazarin minister; the parliament maintained a manly struggle against oppression. The chambers were united by one common interest, by a spirit of hatred against the minister. Mazarin was compel

led to seek other means than those on which, till now, he had relied to uphold his authority. He had the young king brought to the parliament to hold a bed of justice, and in his name certain fiscal edicts were registered. In the august presence of royalty, singular and irrational as was the course pursued, the parliament were not as yet bold enough to complain.

New financial embarrassments compelled the minister to have recourse to fresh expedients. D'Emery resolved to impose an octroi on all articles of consumption brought into the city of Paris. The duty was to be paid by every one without distinction of persons, conformably to a tariff which was prepared at the same time. This measure had in it nothing that could be denounced as illegal or arbitrary; and the Court of Aids had no difficulty in registering it. The parliament, however, was startled at seeing a novel impost established, and one over which they had no jurisdiction. They in consequence solicited and obtained a conference with the minister, in August, 1647. The president Lecoigneux, on the occasion, very skilfully sustained the interests of the magistracy; and in the end the cardinal declared himself ready to adopt preferable measures, if such could be pointed out to him, and to abandon the octroi of the tariff. The parliament thus prevailed against the minister, and took from him all the money which had been desired for replenishing the treasury.

Driven to extremities by the difficulties of his situation, Mazarin at length established dissension in the bosom of that body which had so sternly opposed his measures, by creating new offices of judicature for sale; and, in particular, twelve masters of requests. To insure the success of the measures, he determined to procure their registration by a bed of justice. On this occasion Matthew Molé himself, and Omar Talon, leagued themselves with the rest of the magistrates against the cardinal. The advocate-general, obliged, by virtue of his office, to require the registration, did not perform his task without addressing some bitter remonstrances to the government. "Such a despotic and sovereign

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administration,” said he, speaking in reference to Mazarin, might be endured among the Scythians and the barbarians of the north, who possess but the forms of men; but in France, sire, the most enlightened country in the world, the people have always claimed to be free; born free, they claim the privilege of living free, as true Frenchmen." Notwithstanding this, Mazarin carried his point. His triumph, however, was but momentary. On the very next day the chambers again assembled; and, to vindicate their character, declared against that proceeding which had so recently received their solemn sanction. The first president gave his opposition to "that which had been made law after due deliberation." The queen was not a little incensed at conduct so inconsistent, and ordered those attached to the king to wait at the Louvre, as Mary de Medicis had previously done under like circumstances. There the chancellor Seguir, the Duke of Orleans, and the Prince of Condé overwhelmed the of fenders with sharp reproaches; and the carried away queen, by passion, declared her great contempt for the robe, and was indignant that such rabble (canaille) should take upon themselves to meddle and reform the state. This occurred on the 15th of February, 1648. Intimidated by such severity, the parliament manifested a disposition in some measure to retrace its steps, and to make important concessions; but it was too late, and the edicts were held to be formally set aside. The course which had been pursued," to use the words of Cardinal de Retz, "had raised the veil which ought ever to cover all that they might say, and all that they might think, of the rights of the people, and of those of kings, who can never be so well protected as by silence. The hall of the palace had profaned the mystery."

Mazarin, wishing to repair the errors into which his weakness had caused him to fall, committed a fault still more serious by venturing on a display of audacity. He demanded from all the sovereign courts, with the exception of parliament, the amount of four years' salary, in the form of a loan. Upon this, the court of aids, the court of accounts, and the

grand council, united with the other magistrates in the chamber of St. Louis, and voted the celebrated order or resolution of union (May 13th, 1648). It did not touch private interests, but interfered with matters of much greater importance-with the reformation of the state, the administration of public business, and the dilapidations made by courtiers. Outraged at this, the queen declared her minister "too good." Mazarin, in his turn, replied to her majesty, "You, madame, are valiant as a soldier who knows not the danger in which he stands." All the orders of the court were inoperative. The assembly, in the chamber of St. Louis, continued its sittings, sustained and encouraged by the public voice. Many members of the parliament boldly asserted the principles of liberty. "There is no one," said De Retz, "but God, who can subsist alone. The firmest monarchies, the most despotic of kings, can only be supported by men and laws united." The kingly authority, he asserted, had ever been limited in France, being held in check by the aristocracy and the parliament. “Each counsellor," says Motteville, "appeared to the people an angel descended from heaven, to save the nation from the tyranny of Cardinal Mazarin. Matthew de Molé was charged to notify to the queen the resolutions adopted by the parliament. Anne of Austria was overpowered. She passed the night in tears; and the next morning submitted to their decision. "My God," she exclaimed, "I am arrived at that point when every one seeks to gain honour for himself by overwhelming me with dishonour." D'Emery was removed from the superintendence of the finance, and his situation was given to the Marshal de la Meilleraye, with whom was joined the counsellors of state, D'Aligre and Morangies.

The few friends who remained to the queen exacted numerous sacrifices as the price of their fidelity. The Duke of Orleans claimed the government of Languedoc; the Duke d'Enghien, from the death of his father become Prince of Condé, that of Champagne. He moreover made for himself a party which received the name of the petits maitres. To complete the queen's misfortunes, the Duke de Beaufort, the

idol of the people, "the king of the halls," at this period escaped from the Chateau de Vincennes.

Indignant at the language held by the body assembled in the chamber of St. Louis, the queen demanded, "Did it believe itself to possess the right of setting limits to the king's authority?" They replied to this by steadily pursuing their political inquiries, with a view to effect the reforms which they deemed essential to the well-being of the nation. Between the 30th of June and the 25th of July, twenty-seven articles demanding administrative reforms were voted. The passions of the populace were inflamed and flattered by propositions worthy of the proudest days of the republic. The queen appeared to submit; but secretly she caused the regiments of guards to be reinforced. In the plan of reform submitted to her, the reduction of the taille, an impost levied on the poorer classes, was called for; all taxes were declared illegal, unless sanctioned by the sovereign courts of law; and every state prisoner from thenceforth to be interrogated within twenty-four hours after his arrest, and brought before his

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proper judges for trial. Bold claims like these," says De Retz, "touched the court in the apple of its eye." The queen could not refrain from new expressions of rage, while she seemed to acquiesce in such demands. "I am about," said she, "to strew roses on their heads; but having done that, if they do not return to their duty, I shall know how to make them repent their conduct." The minister, fearing to deny, determined, by every means in his power, to avoid complying with the claims advanced. A bed of justice was resolved upon. The evening before, the young king rode on horseback through the principal streets of Paris. He was every where received with gloomy and portentous silence. On the following morning, the. chancellor read to the chambers a declaration which remitted a fourth of the taille for the ensuing year, revoked the edict relative to the sites in the faubourgs on which houses had been erected, and many of the duties which had been successively imposed on merchandise; and it suppressed the twelve offices of masters of