CHA P. XIX.

Whether Women are not as much debarr'd (by the Francogallican Law) from the Adminiftration, as from the Inheritance of the Kingdom.

THE

HE present Difpute being about the Government of the Kingdom, and the chief Adminiftration of Publick Affairs, we have thought fit not to omit this Question: Whether Women are not as much debarr'd from the Adminiftration, as from the Inheritance of the Kingdom? And in the firft place we openly declare, that 'tis none of our intention to argue for or against the Roman Cuftoms or Laws, or thofe of any other Nation, but only of the Inftitutions of this our own Francogallia. For as on the one hand 'tis notorious to all the World, that by the Roman Inftitutions, Women were always under Guardianship, and excluded from intermeddling, either in publick or private Affairs, by reason of the weakneß of their Judgment: So on the other, Women (by ancient Custom) obtain the fupreme Command in fome Countries. "The Britains (fays Tacitus in his "Life of Agricola) make no diftinction of Sexes

in Government. Thus much being premised, and our Proteftation being clearly and plainly propofed, we will now return to the Question. And as the Examples of fome former times feem to make for the Affirmative, wherein the Kingdom of Francogallia has been adminiftred

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by Queens, especially by Widows and QueenMothers: So on the contrary, the reason of the Argument used in Difputations, is clearly against it. For She, who cannot be Queen in her own Right, can never have any Power of Governing in another's Right; But here a Woman cannot Reign in her own Right, nor can the Inheritance of the Crown fall to her, or any of her Defcendants; and if they be filed Queens, 'tis only accidentally; as they are Wives to the Kings their Husbands. Which we have prov'd out of Records for twelve hundred years together. ban ol

To this may be added (which we have likewife prov'd) that not only the fole Power of Creating and Abdicating their Kings, but alfo the Right of electing Guardians and Adminiftrators of the Commonwealth, was lodged in the fame Publick Council. Nay, and after the Kings were created, the fupreme Power of the Administration was retained ftill by the fame Council. And 'tis not yet full a hundred years fince 36 Guardians of the Commonwealth were conftituted by the fame Council, like fo many Ephori and this during the Reign of Lewis the Eleventh, as crafty and cunning as he was. If we feek for Authorities and Examples from our Ancestors, we may find feveral; there is a remarkable one in Aimoinus, lib. 4. cap. 1 where fpeaking of Queen Brunechild, Mother to young Childebert The Nobility of France (fays he) understanding that Brunechild defigned to keep the chief Management of the Kingdom in her own hands and having always hitherto, for fo long a time difdained to be fubject to a Female Domination, did, &c. And indeed it has fo hapned in the days of our

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Ancestors,

Ancestors, that whenever Women got into their hands the Procuration of the Kingdom, they have been always the occafion of wonderful Tragedies Of which it will not be amifs. to give fome Examples. Queen Crotildis, Motherofo the two Kings, Childebert and Clotarius, got once the Power into her hands and being

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extravagantly fond of the Sons of Clodomer, Canother of her Sons then dead) occafion'd a great deal of Contention, by her endeavouring to exclude her Sons, and promote thefe Grandfons to the Regal Dignity; and upon that score She nourished their large Heads of Hair with the greatéft care and diligence imaginable, according to that ancient Cuftom of the Kings of the Franks, which we have before given an account of The two Kings (as foon as they under flood it) prefently fent one Arcadius, who prefenting her with a naked Sword and a pair of Shears, gave her her choice which of the two She had rather thou'd be applied to the Boy's Heads. But She (fays Gregory of Tours being enraged with Choler, efpecially when She beheld the naked Sword and the Sciffars, anfwer'd with a great deal of Bitterness --"Since they cannot be advanced to the King"dom, I had rather fee them dead than fhaven-And thereupon both her Grandfons were beheaded in her Prefence. The fame Gregory, lib.z. cap. 18. fubjoyns" This Queen, by "her Liberalities and Gifts conferr'd upon "Monafteries, got the Affections Plebis &

vulgi, of the Common People and Mob: "Date frenos (fays Cato) impotenti naturæ, & " indomito animali, & fperate ipfas modum licentiæ facturas. Give Bridles to their unruly Natures, and curb the untamed Animal; and

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then

then you may hope they fhall fet fome cc Bounds to their Licentiousness. What an unbridled Animal and profligate Wretch was that Daughter of King Theodorick, by Birth an Italian; who being mad in Love with one of her Domesticks, and knowing him to have been kill'd by her Mother's Orders, feigned a thorough Reconciliation, and defir'd in token of it to receive the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper with her Mother; but privately mixing fome Poyfon in the Chalice, She at once gave the ftrangeft inftance both of Impiety and Cruelty in thus murdering her own Mother. The account given of it by Gregory of Tours is this: They were (fays he) of the Arrian Sect, and because 'tis their Custom "that the Royal Family fhou'd communicate СС at the Altar out of one Chalice, and People " of inferior quality out of another. (By the << way, pray take notice of the Custom of Communicating in both kinds by the People.) She dropp'd Poyfon into that Chalice, out of which her "Mother was to communicate; which as "foon as fhe had tafted of it, kill'd her pre

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fently. Fredegunda, a Queen-Mother, and Widow of Chilperick the Firft, got the Government into her hands; She, in her Husband's time, lived in Adultery with one Lander; and as foon as the found out that her Husband Chil perick had got wind of it, fhe had him murdered, and prefently feized upon the Adminiftration of the Kingdom as Queen-Mother, and Guardian of her Son Clotharius, and kept poffeffion of it for 13 years; in the first place The poyfon'd her Son's Uncle Childebert, toge ther with his Wife; afterwards fhe ftirred up the Hunns against his Sons, and raised a Civil

War

War in the Republick. And lastly, She was the Firebrand of all thofe Commotions which wafted and burnt all Francogallia, during many years, as Aimoinus tells us, [lib. 3. cap. 36. & lib. 8. cap. 29.]

There ruled once in France, Brunechild, Widow of King Sigebert, and Mother of Childe bert. This Woman had for her Adulterer á certain Italian, called Protadius, whom She advanced to great Honours: She bred up her two Sons, Theodebert and Theodorick, in fuch a wicked and profligate courfe of life, that at laft they became at mortal Enmity with each other: And after having had long Wars, fought a cruel fingle Combat. She kill'd with her own hands her Grandfon Meroveus, the Son of Theodebert; She poyfoned her Son Theodorick: What need we fay more? Date frenos (as Cato fays) impotenti natura,& indomito animali; &perate illas modum licentia facturas. She was the occafion of the Death of Ten of the Royal Family:And when a certain Bishop reproved her, and exhorted her to amend her Life, She caufed him to be thrown into the River. At last, a Great Council of the Franks being fummoned, She was judged, and condemned, and drawn in pieces by wild Horfes, being torn limb from limb. The Re lators of this Story are, Greg. Turonenfis, [lib. cap.39.] and [lib.8. cap.29.] And Ado [Etat.6.] Otto Frifing. [Chron. 5. cap. 7.] Godfridus Viter bienfis Chron. parte 16.] & Aimoinus [lib. 4. cap. 1.] Alfo the Appendix of Gregory of Tours, [lib. 11.] whofe Words are thefe: Having

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convicted her of being the Occafion of the Death of "Ten Kings of the Franks; to wit, of Sigebert, "Merovéus, and his Father Chilperick; Theodebert, and his Son Clothair; Meroveus, the Son of Clothair; Theodorick, and his three

Children,