«c contented themselves with having turn'd him
“ out, because he was a disolute Man, and a De-
" baucher of his Subjects Daughters---i Sigi-
bertus says, ---“ Hilderick behaving himself in-
solently and luxuriously, the Franks thrust him
out of the Throne, and make Ægidius their
King.
. And this most glorious and famous Deed of
our Ancestors, deserves the more diligently to
be remark’d, for having been done at the very
Beginning, and as it were, the Infancy of that
Kingdom ; as if it had been a Denunciation,
and Declaration, that the Kings of Francogallia
were made such, upon certain known Terms and
Conditions; and were not Tyrants with absolute
unlimited and arbitrary Power

Their Successors also, keeping up the same
Custom, in the Year of, Christ 679, forced
Childeric, their Eleventh King, to Abdicate, be-
cause he had behaved himself insolently and
wickedly in his Government. And he having
formerly caused a certain Nobleman, called
Bodilo, to be tied to a Stake and whipp’d, with-
out bringing him to a Tryal, was a few Days
after sain by the fame Bodilo. Our Authors
are Aimoinus, lib. 4. cap. 44. Tritemius, anno 678..
and Sigebertus, anno 667. . ri. ..

The Severity of our Ancestors appear'd in the same Manner a little while after, in the Inftance of their 12th King Theodoric; who being a wicked and covetous Prince, “the Franks * ( fays Aimoinus ) rose up against him, and cast ç bim out of the Kingdom, cutting off his Hair © by force, lib. 4. cap. 44. ---- Ado, Ætat. 6. anno 696. but Sigebertus sub anno 667. imputes a great many of his Crimes to Ebroinus his Favourite and chief General:King Theodorick R

CR Regius. " (fays

"? (says he ) was deposed by the Franks, because “ of the Insolence of Ebroinus, and his Brother

Hilderick was with unanimous Consent chosen “ King. And Ado says, The Franks caft Theo

dorick out of the Kingdom, shaved Ebroinus in “the Monastery of Lexovium, and afterwards © raised Childerick to be King over them. Also the Appendix to Greg. of Tours; lib. 11. cap. 64. ---" The Franks rise up in arms against “Theodorick, cast him out of the Kingdom, “ and cut off his Hair: They shaved also E“ broinus.

The like Virtue our Ancestors exerted in the

Case of Chilperick their 18th King, whom they * Regno se * forced to abdicate the Kingdom, and made him a abdicare

Monk, judging him unworthy to sit at the coeg erunt.

Helm of so great an Empire, † by reason of his † Propter

Sloth. Whereof Aimoinus, lib. 4. cap. 61. Siinertiam.

gibertus and Tritemius, anno 750. and Godfrey, Chronic. part. 17. cap. 4. are our Witnesses.

Again, a sixth Example of the like Severity is extant in Charles the Gross, their 25th King : who for the like Cowardise, and because he had granted away part of France to the Normans,

suffering his Kingdom to be dismembred, was •: rea :: Ab optie

the jetted and turn'd out by the Nobility and Gentry of matibus Regni re- the Kingdom, as Sigebertus tells us anno 890. pudiatus. Which same thing Godfridus records, part. 17.

But more at large Otto Frising. chron. 6. cap.9, where he adds this memorable Passage, -“This “ Man (says he) who next to Charles the Great,

had been the King of greatest Power and " Authority of all the Kings of the Franks, “ was in a short time reduced to so low a “ Condition, that he wanted Bread to eat;

and miserably begg'd a small Allowance from “ Arnolphus, who was chosen King in his stead,

cs and " and thankfully accepted of a poor Pension:

From whence we may observe the uncertain and miserable State of all Human Great

ness; that he who had govern'd all the Ea"stern and Western Kingdoms, together with

the Roman Empire, shou'd at last be brought " down to such a Degree of Poverty, as to "want even Bread. A Seventh Instance is Odo the 26th King, who after he had been elected King in the Room of Charles the Son of Lewis the Stammerer, was, in the 4th Year of his Reign, by the Franks, banil'd into Aquitain, and commanded to abide there; they replacing in his stead the same Charles the Son of Lewis. Which Fact is recorded by Sigebertus , sub anno 894. Aimoinus lib. 5. cap. 42. And Godfridus part. 17.

We must add to this Number Charles the 27th * King, firnamed (* because of his Dulness ) Stupor Charles the Simple: Who having thro' his Folly ingenii: suffer'd his Kingdom to run to Decay, and lost Lorrain ( which he had before recover'd) was taken and cast into Prison, and Rodolphus was chosen in his place, as Aimoinus, lib. s. cap. 42. and Sigebertus, anno 926. do testify.

CH A P.

CHAP. VII.
What Rule was observd concerning

the Inheritance of the deceased
King, when he left more Children
than one.

ALL that we have above faid, tends to n " prove, that the Kingdom of Francogallia in old times, did not descend to the Children by Right of Inheritance (as a private Patrimony does ); but was wont to be bestow'd by the

Choice and publick Suffrages of the People: So that · now there is the less Room left for the Questi

on, ---- What Rule was observed in Relation to the Children of the deceased King, when he left more than one behind him. For since the Supreme Power not only of Creating, but also of det hroning their Kings, was lodged in the Convention of the People, and Publick Council of the Nation; it necessarily follows, that the ordering the Succession (whether they should give it entirely to one, or divide it) was likewise in the People. Altho' in this place another Question may arise, viz. fupposing the People shou'd reject the Son of their King, and elečt a Stranger, whether any thing shou'd be allowed to the first to maintain his Dignity ? For the Solution of which 'tis to be understood, that

Lawyers reckon four Kinds of such Goods, as * In Regis may be properly said to be under the King's ditione. * Governance ; viz. the Goods of Cæfar, the Goods of the Excbequer; the Goods of the

Publick

the Ule's Dignitby the people, the Exchearity of

Publick, and private Goods. The Goods of Cæsar are such as belong to the Patrimony of every Prince, not as he is King, but as he is Ludovicus, or Lotharius, or Dagobertus. Now this Patrimony is called by the Gallican Institutions, The King's Domain; which cannot be alien'd, but by the Consent of the publick Council of the Nation, as we shall make it appear hereafter, when we come to treat of the Authority of that Council. 'The Goods of the Exchequer are such as are given by the People, partly to defend the King's Dignity, and partly appropriated to the Uses and Exigencies of the Commonwealth. The Goods of the Publick (as the Lawyers call them) are such as inseparably belong to the Kingdom and Commonwealth. The private Goods are reckoned to be such Estate, Goods and Fortune, as are esteemed to belong to every Father of a Family. Therefore upon the Death of any King, if the Kingdom be conferr'd on a Stranger, the Patrimonial Estate, as Lawyers call it, ( being what was not in the King's Power to alienate ) shall descend by Inheritance to his Children: But that which belongs to the Kingdom and Commonwealth, must necessarily go to him who is chosen King, because it is part of the Kingdom. Altho'it may be reasonable, that Dukedoms, Counties, and such like ( by Consent of the publick Convention of the People ) may be assigned to such Children for the Maintenance of their Quality; as Otto Frifing. Chron. 5. cap. 9. and Godfrey of Viterbo, tell us, That Dagobert Son of Lotharius being made King, assigned certain Towns and Villages near the Loire, to his Brother Heribert for his Maintenance. Which Aimoinus confirms; libe: 40 .cap. 17. and further

adds,