from their embraces and committed to the gallies for follies and indiscretions committed before marriage, in the furious licentiousness of stimulating passion.

He determined to put a stop to a depraved custom then generally prevalent in his dominions among the elevated and wealthy classes of society, that of marrying a mistress to a dependent, for the purpose of procuring an ostensible parent for their illegitimate offspring, and carrying on securely an adulterous intercourse.

The first example of this kind was that of a person from whom his Holiness had experienced many acts of kindness, before he was created a cardinal. After a momentary struggle, he sent for his former friend privately, and warmly censuring him for his conduct, he warned him of the consequence of persevering in the unlawful connexion; and assured him that his duty as a magistrate was paramount to his feelings as a friend, and advised him either to remove the female, or to quit his dominions. A few months after, Sixtus ordered secret spies to watch the parties, and finding that the person he had reproved still continued the criminal attachment, probably presuming on the indulgence of

former friendship, he ordered the offender, the husband and wife to be hanged without delay; three domestics acquainted with the illicit proceeding, he ordered to be publicly whipped, for not giving information.

It had been usual for the people to exclaim "Long live the Pope" whenever he passed, but finding that this mode of acclamation prevented his dropping in unexpectedly, at the courts of justice, and public offices, he

forbad the custom: on two un

lucky rogues who from obstinacy or inadvertency disobeyed this injunction, he ordered the strapado to be inflicted immediately on the spot this effectually prevented a repetition.

Assassinations and duels had disgraced the reigns of all his predecessors, and rendered Rome and Italy unsafe.

To arrest, and if possible, remove an evil productive of public danger and private distress, he published an edict, forbidding on pain of death, any persons whatever their rank, drawing a sword, or even having in their possession any instrument of death as they passed the streets, except his own magistrates and officers. By-standers who did not prevent, and seconds who encouraged duelling he sent instantly to the gallies. A few

instances

instances of rigid severity effectually removed the grievance.

Any thing like revenge or bearing malice he would not endure. A barber quarrelling with one of his neighbours, held up his hand in a threatening manner, and with a significant motion of his head, had been heard to say, "If ever he comes under my hands, I will do his business." This being repeated to the Pontiff, he ordered the speaker of the obnoxious words to be taken into custody, then directing all the barbers in Rome to be collected in one of the squares, the offender underwent a long and severe whipping before them.

His Holiness observing that tradesmen suffered seriously, and often became bankrupts in consequence of long credit and bad pay, to the great injury of commerce, and frequently of the public revenue, he quickly produced an important reformation on a point which loudly calls for amendment in Great Britain and Ireland.

A hint to his officers that he wished to collect information on the subject was sufficient. A tradesman in all probability previously instructed made complaint that having applied to a person of distinction for payment

of a debt which had been long due, and of which he stood in urgent need, the debtor had violently resented it, withdrawn his own custom from the poor man's shop, and persuaded many others to do the like, telling the person he injured in an insolent manner, that gentlemen paid their debts only when they pleased.

Sixtus sent for both parties, ordered the money to be instantly paid, with interest from the time of its being due, and committed the fraudulent debtor to prison.

At the same time, a proclamation was issued, directing all the merchants and tradesmen to send his Holiness a list of their book debts, with the names of those from whom the money was due; he directly paid the whole, taking the debts on himself, which in consequence of the general alarm, were quickly discharged.

It is scarcely necessary to observe that the subject of my present article exercised a rigid and inexorable despotism; but exerting it in most instances with impartial justice, and for salutary purposes, his power was with less relucsubmitted to tance he is called by a writer of that period a terror and a scourge; but it was to evil doers, to the profligate, the incorri

gible,

gible, and the corrupt. Most rational men I believe would prefer living under an absolute monarch of such a cast than under the easy sway of a lax moralist, a generous libertine, or one of those devilish good kind of fellows who are commonly described as no man's enemy but their own; a character which cannot exist; as it is impossible he can be a friend to others who is in a state of constant hostility with himself. At all events, the great interests of society, public happiness and private peace are most effectually preserved by a prince like Montalto.

In his transactions with foreign princes, Sixtus uniformly preserved a dignified firmness, from which he never relaxed. Very early in his reign, he was involved in a dispute with Philip the Second, King of Spain; who though the most superstitious of bigots to the Catholic faith, was a constant object of the Pope's hostility, while the heretic Elizabeth, Queen of England, was a character he warmly admired, and never mentioned without enthusiastic admiration.

Speaking of her on a certain occasion, to an English Catholic who visited Rome, he observed, "a Queen like your's deserves to reign; she governs her kingdom with energy and wisdom;

Yet in his public capacity, as head of the Catholic Church, he found it necessary to publish a bull of excommunication against Elizabeth when Philip meditated an invasion of England with his INVINCIBLE Spanish armada.

At the same time, he privately informed her of the proceedings and intrigues of Philip against her, earnestly recommending her Majesty to prepare for a vigorous defence.

The subsequent defeat and disappointment of the Spanish King in this attempt commenced with so much threatening arrogance and carried on at so enormous an expence is known to most readers, and was highly gratifying to Sixtus.

The imprisonment and execution of Mary Queen of Scots, an event which produced a strong and universal sensation through Europe, has in modern times excited a long and animated controversy. Various have been the opinions on the justice of Elizabeth's proceeding: and the editor of this collection by defend

ing the Queen of England on the plea of political necessity, has incurred the resentments of a venerable and patriotic Caledonian, who occasionally honors these pages with a perusal. As weak states in contests of a more important kind find it necessary sometimes to call in the aid of powerful allies, I may be permitted to observe that the Pontiff Sixtus was often heard to say "Had I been King of England, I would have acted precisely in the same manner."

When he was first informed that the unfortunate Mary was beheaded, he rose suddenly from his seat, and traversed the apartment in much apparent agitation, but not the agitation of regret; for throwing himself into his chair, he exclaimed, "O happy Queen of England, how much art thou to be envied, who hast been found worthy of seeing a crowned head prostrate at thy feet."

These words were evidently spoken with reference to Philip, King of Spain, whose name was never mentioned in his presence without producing angry looks.

Sixtus could never submit with patience to a ceremony annually performed by the Spanish ambassador; this was the presenting a Genet to his Holiness, by way of acknowledgment that

his master held the kingdom of Naples of the Pope.

On one of these occasions, rising hastily from his throne, he said, in a loud voice, to Count Olivarez, "our predecessors must certainly have been in a very complaisant mood, when they agreed to accept from your master's ancestors a poor pitiful hack, in return for a rich and flourishing kingdom. I hope soon to put an end to this mummery, and to visit the citizens of Naples as their lawful Sovereign."

But circumstance and situa

tion were not favourable to his executing this purpose, which was the fond wish of his heart.

Such was Sixtus the Fifth, who directed the officers of his palace to give audience on every occasion to the poorest man in his dominions; who listened with condescension to the unfortunate, the widow, and the orphan, but punished with inexorable severity criminal delinquency, respecting neither person, rank, nor wealth; who was moderate in his enjoyments, of pure morals, and correct in private life. The revenues of the state almost annihilated by the rapacious anticipation of his predecessors, he restored to more than double their former nominal amount. In the public trea

sury,

sury which was exhausted at the time of his election, his successor found five millions in gold; his personal expenses were trifling, but his private charities amounted every year to a considerable sum; on these occasions he sought for and generally found patient, meek, and unassuming merit, struggling with adversity; the perverse importunate mendicant who begged by day and thieved at night, he ordered out of the city with reproof and frequently with ftripes; so salutary were his edicts, and so undeviating and rigid the impartiality with which he inforced them, that judges and police officers confessed that their places were become sinecures. Such was Sixtus the fifth, who if the qualities I describe are the first and most indispensable duties of a monarch, deserves to be classed with the first and most glorious of kings, and to be numbered with the greatest benefactors of mankind.

his

He was deficient it must be confessed in the mild acts of gentle persuasion, he was a stranger to the suaviter in modo;

But he possessed a qualification more essential and exactly calculated for the times in which he lived, the fortiter in re; an eagle-eyed acuteness to search after and to see criminality and fraud however concealed or disguised, together with unabating energy and unconquerable resolution to resist and punish them. I conclude this hasty narrative, already too much extended, with one observation.

In an article of this collection assigned to an eminent senator and an accomplished statesman, I observed, that if he had been a plough-boy or a shepherd, he would have turned the best furrow, and have reared the best flock in his hamlet.

But this observation will not apply to Felix Peretti, who if the Franciscan friar had not fortunately missed his road to Asioli, in all human probability, would either have been beaten into incorrigible stupidity and despair, have been driven to flight, evil courses, and an ignominious death, or have lived and died in ignorance, indigence, and obscurity.

wickedness and enormity of his subjects arrived, that a governor of a mild character would have been disobeyed and despised.

VOL. IV.

litical Misrepresentation. Most of my readers must recol lect, that at the period of the French Revolution, or soon af