14- happy. To the charms of perfon, {he added a noble, generous, ele- vated, magnanirnous, and leitﬁble min-l; her conltancy was equalto her ﬁrmnefst invariable in her pri- vate conduit; unmoved both in prolperity and adverlity; faithful to her pzOm-ll-CS; {lozv to believe evil, ready to pardon it; full of equity and humanity, no one had more dignity ofmanners, more can~ dour, and franknefs of character; {he would have rendered the throne adorable, if {he had had refolution enough to have governed herlelf. But indolence, which then feemed natural to every branch of Spanilh Auftria, a diliidence of her own ﬁrength, and an extravagant mo- clelly, prevented her from incum- bering herlielf with a burden, which her virtues, and the love of the peo- ple, would have rendered lighter to her. In confequence of this, {he gave hierlllfup, without referve, to there who had gained her ellecm “and conﬁdence. She adopted their paflif-ns, their prejudices, their in- tereﬁs, {o as {carce to make any ufe of her power, but in their favour. She {unmitted to be fo de- pendant on Mazarin, that {he de- prived herfelf ol the only advantage which a great mind knows on a throne, that of making others hap- py. Sh'e prowked the hatred and contempt ofthe public, affronts, and civil wars, to fupport the choice {he had made of that minilier, dif- claimed and reproached as he was by_ the nation.’ This extreme warmth was a longtime prejudicial to “her reputation; tome pretended to entertain fufpicions of her virtue. . . . But {he had the happinefs before {he died to unite all voices in her favour. To this queen the nation owes the" glory of being thought the molt polite, and the

ANNUAL REGISTER, 176s.

molt fociable in the world. 8hr! introduced at court, where {he acted with as much mnjefiy as grace, that noble, true, eafy, delicate. gallant rm, which conflitutcs the foul and clelightoffociety; and which, being communicated to the capital, and to the great cities in the provinces, makes France the molt agreeable relidence in the univerfe.

To this portrait of Anne of Auf- tria, {o true and {o well drawn, we cannot help adding that of cardinal Mazarin, as a clue to all the events is found, by knowing ithe charac- ters of the principal perfons that appear on the Rage. “ Jlulius Nlazarini, had a noble and majellic ﬁgure, an open and inﬁnuating manner, a gracefulnefs, and fweet- nefs in his temper, fupple, fly, cun- ning, full of gaiety and intrigue, with a quick {enlihility of pleafure; no one pollclledpmore than he the happy art of pleaﬁrig; but he only employed it to deceive. The molt oblique and indireet methods were

thofe that he preferred for the ac-i

complifhment of his deﬁgns, and were molt fuitctble to his faithlefs and hypocritical character. Alike infenﬁble of injuries and of favours, he knew not how to punilh or to re¢ ward, or to encourage genius and ta- lents; favours the heft defervcdmere only forced from him by threats, or by working on his fears. The cha- racleriflics ofhis ad minillration were cunning, diﬁruﬁ, patience, timidi- ty, and forecalf; however, this fame man, who feemed almoﬁ always t0 wait for a happy turn of ail-airs, from time and circumllzances, fortie- times difplaycd refolution, ‘intre- pidity, and a contempt of death. If the qualities ofhis heart had been anfwerable to thofe of his mind; if he had more ﬁudied the genius, the manners, and the laws of the

nation