. • Thousand Livres. They are likewife to have able Mafters to teach 'em the neceffary Sciences, and to inftruct them in all the Treaties of Peace, Alliance, and others, which have been made in feveral Ages past. Thefe Members are to meet twice a Week at the • Louvre. From this Seminary are to be chofen Secre taries to Ambaffies, who by degrees may advance to higher Employments. CARDINAL Richlieu's Politicks made France the Terror of Europe. The Statefmen who have appeared in that Nation of late Years, have on the Contrary rendered it either the Pity or Contempt of its Neighbours. The Cardinal erected that famous Academy which has carried all the Parts of Polite Learning to the greateft Height. His Chief Defign in that inftitution was to divert the Men of Genius from meddling with Politicks, a Province in which he did not care to have any one else interfere with him. On the contrary, the Marquis de Torcy seems refolved to make feveral young Men in France as Wife as himself, and is therefore taken up at present in establishing a Nurfery of Statesmen. SOME private Letters add, that there will alfo be erected a Seminary of Petticoat Politicians, who are to be brought up at the Feet of Madam de Maintenon, and to be difpatched into Foreign Courts upon any Emergencies of State; but as the News of this laft Project has not been yet confirmed, I fhall take no farther notice of it. SEVERAL of my Readers may doubtless remember that upon the Conclufion of the laft War, which had been carried on fo fuccefsfully by the Enemy, their Generals were many of them transformed into Ambaffadors; but the Conduct of those who have commanded in the prefent War, has, it feems, brought fo little Honour and Advantage to their great Monarch, that he is refolved to truft his Affairs no longer in the Hands of thofe Military Gentlemen. THE Regulations of this new Academy very much deferve our Attention. The Students are to have in Poffeffion, or Reverfion, an Estate of two thousand French Livres per Annum, which, as the prefent Exchange runs, will amount to at least one hundred and twenty fix Pounds Pounds English. This, with the Royal Allowance of a Thoufand Livres, will enable them to find themselves in Coffee and Snuff; not to mention News-Papers, Pen and Ink, Wax and Wafers, with the like Neceffaries for Politicians. A Man must be at least Five and Twenty before he can be initiated into the Myfteries of this Academy, tho' there is no Question, but many grave Perfons of a much more advanced Age, who have been conftant Readers of the Paris Gazette, will be glad to begin the World anew, and enter themselves upon this Lift of Politicians. THE Society of thefe hopeful young Gentlemen is to be under the Direction of fix Profeffors, who, it seems, are to be Speculative Statefmen, and drawn out of the Body of the Royal Academy. These fix wife Masters, according to my private Letters, are to have the following Parts allotted them. THE first is to inftru&t the Students in State Legerdemain, as how to take of the Impreffion of a Seal, to split a Wafer, to open a Letter, to fold it up again, with other the like ingenious Feats of Dexterity and Art. When the Students have accomplished themfelves in this Part of their Profeffion, they are to be delivered into the Hands of their fecond Inftructor, who is a kind of Pofture Mafter. THIS Artist is to teach them how to nod judiciously, to fhrug up their Shoulders in a dubious Cafe, to connive with either Eye, and in a Word, the whole Practice of Political Grimace. THE Third is a fort of Language Mafter, who is to inftruct them in the Stile proper for a proper Minifter in his ordinary Difcourfe. And to the End that this College of Statefmen may be thoroughly practifed in the Political Style, they are to make ufe of it in their common Converfations, before they are employed either in Foreign or Domestick Affairs. If one of them asks another, what o'-clock it is, the other is to answer him indirectly, and, if poffible, to turn off the Queftion. If he is defired to change a Louis d'or, he muft beg Time to confider of it. If it be enquired of him, whether the King is at Verfailles or Marly, he must answer in a Whisper. If he be asked the News of the late Gazette, or the Subject of a Proclamation, he is to reply, that he has not yet read it; Or Or if he does not care for explaining himself so far, he needs only draw his Brow up in Wrinkles, or elevate the Left Shoulder. THE Fourth Profeffor, is to teach the whole Art of Political Characters and Hieroglyphics; and to the End that they may be perfect alfo in this Practice, they are not to fend a Note to one another (tho' it be but to borrow a Tacitus or a Machiavel) which is not written in Cypher. THIER Fifth Profeffor, it is thought, will be chofen out of the Society of Jefuits, and is to be well read in the Controverfies of probable Doctrines, mental Reservation, and the Rights of Princes. This Learned Man is to inftruct them in the Grammar, Syntax, and conftruing Part of Treaty-Latin; how to diftinguish between the Spirit and the Letter, and likewife demonftrate how the fame Form of Words may lay an Obligation upon any Prince in Europe, different from that which it lays upon his moft Chriftian Majefty. He is likewife to teach them the Art of finding Flaws, Loop-holes, and Evafions, in the moft folemn Compacts, and particularly a great Rabbinical Secret, revived of late Years by the Fraternity of Jefuits, namely, that contradictory Interpretations of the fame Article may both of them be true and valid. WHEN our Statesmen are fufficiently improved by these several Inftructors, they are to receive their laft Polishing from one who is to act among them as Mafter of the Ceremonies. This Gentleman is to give them Lectures upon these important Points of the Elbow-Chair, and the Stair-Head, to inftru&t them in the different Situations of the Right-Hand, and to furnish them with Bows and Inclinations of all Sizes, Measures and Proportions. In fhort, this Profeffor is to give the Society their Stiffening, and infufe into their Manners that beautiful Political Starch, which may qualifie them for Levees, Conferences, Vifits, and make them fhine in what vulgar Minds are apt to look upon as Trifles. I have not yet heard any further Particulars, which are to be obferved in this Society of unfledged Statesmen; but I must confess, had I a Son of five and twenty, that fhould take it into his Head at that Age to set up for a Politician, I think I fhould go near to difinherit him for a Block 217 a Block-head. Befides, I fhould be apprehenfive left the fame Arts which are to enable him to negotiate between Potentates might a little infect his ordinary behaviour between Man and Man. There is no Queftion but these young Machiavels will, in a little time, turn their College upfide-down with Plots and Stratagems, and lay as many Schemes to Circumvent one another in a Frog or a Sallad, as they may hereafter put in practice to over-reach a Neighbouring Prince or State. WE are told, that the Spartans, tho' they punished Theft in their young Men when it was discovered, looked upon it as Honourable if it fucceeded. Provided the Conveyance was clean and unfufpected, a Youth might afterwards boaft of it. This, fay the Hiftorians, was to keep them fharp, and to hinder them from being impofed upon, either in their publick or private Negotiations. Whether any fuch Relaxations of Morality, fuch little jeux d'efprit, ought not to be allowed in this intended Seminary of Politicians, I fhall leave to the Wisdom of their Founder. IN the mean time we have fair Warning given us by this doughty Body of Statesmen: and as Sylla faw many Marius's in Cafar, fo I think we may discover many Torcy's in this College of Academicians. Whatever we think of our felves, I am afraid neither our Smyrna or St. James's will be a Match for it. Our Coffee-houses are, indeed, very good Inftitutions, but whether or no these our British Schools of Politicks may furnish out as able Envoys and Secretaries as an Academy that is fet apart for that Purpose, will deferve our ferious Confideration, especially if we remember that our Country is more famous for producing Men of Integrity than Statefmen; and that on the contrary, French Truth and British Policy make a confpicuous Figure in NOTHING, as the Earl of Rochefter has very well obferved in his admirable Poem upon that Barren Subject. L VOL. IV. K Wednesday, N306. Wednesday, February 20. 6 Qua forma, ut fe tibi femper Mr. SPECTATOR, I Juv. Write this to communicate to you a Misfortune which frequently happens, and therefore deferves a confolatory Difcourfe on the Subject. I was within this half Year in the Poffeffion of as much Beauty and as many Lovers as any young Lady in England. But my Admirers have left me, and I cannot complain of their Behaviour. I have within that time had the Smallpox; and this Face, which (according to many amorous Epiftles which I have by me) was the Seat of all that is beautiful in Woman, is now, disfigur'd with Scars. It goes to the very Soul of me to speak what I really think of my Face; and tho' I think I did not over-rate my Beauty while I had it, it has extremely advanc'd in its value with me now it is loft. There is one Circumftance which makes my Cafe very particular; the uglieft Fellow that ever pretended to me, was and is • most in my Favour, and he treats me at present the most unreafonably. If you could make him return an Obligation which he owes me, in liking a Perfon that is not • amiable; But there is, I fear, no Poffibility of making Paffion move by the Rules of Reason and Gra⚫titude. But fay what you can to one who has furvived ⚫ herself, and knows not how to act in a new Being. 6 My Lovers are at the Feet of my Rivals, my Rivals are every Day bewailing me, and I cannot enjoy what I am, by reafon of the distracting Reflexion upon what I was. Confider the Woman I was did not die of old Age, but I was taken off in the Prime of my Youth, and according to the Courfe of Nature may have forty Years 6 6 After |