CHARACTERS.

llrength and prefenee of mind. But
he fuon after became fo weak, that
he perceived he was near his end.
“ Niece, (aid he to the Duchefs of
Eqttillon, l am very ill l—leave me,
I befeech you; your tears affect me:
{pare yourfelf the pain of feeing me
die.” Father Leon coming up to
the Cardinal, told him he was at the
end of his life, of which he was go-
ing to give an account to God; at
the fame time he prefented the cru-
cifix to him to kit's, and pronounced
the lall abfolution to him. The
commendatory prayers were fcarce
begun, when he expired in thefifty-
eighth year of his age, and the
eighteenth of his minillry.—Soon
after the king being informed that
his minilier was departed, (aid, very
coldly, to fume of his courtiers,
“ There is a great politician gone.”

The CardinaPs molt intimate
friend and confident was father Jo-
feph, a capuchin, who was reckon~
ed the molt able negociator in Eu-
rope. He entered into all the Car-
dinal’s views; and being lefs em-
barrafTed with the numberlefs in-
triguesofthe court and cabinet, and
not obliged like his friend to take
any [late upon him, he could think
over at leilure in his cell the fchemes
they had formed together: f0 that
our author thinks it exceeding pro-
bable that Richlieu would have been
very much at a lofs to have cott-
ducled f0 many great and fuccels-
ful negociations, without his zttfitl-
ance. Upon fomeoccafion the po~
pular clatnour being railed againllt
the Cardinal, he kept hitnfclf {hut
up in his palace, and was afraid of
being feen in the llreets. But by
Father ]ol'eph’s advice he was per-
fuadecl to go through the city with-
outhis guards, and lhetv himfelf to

the people; who inltead of offering

35

him any infult, being pleafed with
this inllance of his confidence, and
with the afiiability and condefcen-
fion he exprefled to all he met, load-
ed him with their bleflings. Upon
his return, his friend laid, “ Did,
not I tell you, that you was only
faint-hearted ; and that witha little
courage and firmnefs you would
foon raife the fpirits ofthe citizens,
and reilzore your afFairs 2”

C/aarafier of Mrr. Pritchard, tbe re~
leer-med aflrq/It ; wrote upon bar
quitting zbe jlage, fame fmall time
b/fore bar deal/z.

HOUGH it is acommon.
laying, and generally faid in
Latin, that we fhould not {peak ill
of the dead; yet, as it feems a max-
im not founded upon reafon, it will
not be regarded in the following
difquilition. How Ihould we know
what portion of efieem we ought to
pay real or theatrical heroes and.
heroines, and how far we lhould fet
them up for imitation, ifwe did not
fairly and critically (in the bell: fenfe
ofthe word) examine into theirgood.
and bad qualities? I would there-
fore change the maxim, and fay,
“ De mortui: nil mfi werum,” that
nt-thing but what is true thould be
faiti of the dead. As the charafier
under our prefent confideration is
properly dead to the llage, 1 {hall
ccnlider Mrs. Pritchard as an actrefs
with the firiciefi juflice, and for this
realon, becaufe, in f0 doing, no-
thing but good can be {aid of her.
Mrs. Pritchard has been near
forty years upon the fiage. Though
for the latt twenty {he has been in
figure more than what the French
call “embanpoint,” yet {he never loll:

either her cafe or vivacity. When
D z {he