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"Children, which had been newly killed, they or "der'd her to be placed upon a Camel, and to be tor"tured with divers forts of Torments, and fo to be "carried about all the Army; afterwards to be tied by the Hair of the Head, one Leg and one Arm to a Wild Horfe's Tail; by which being kick'd, and Swiftly dragg'd about, She was torn Limb from "Limb.

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Let us inftance in fome others: Plectrudis got the Government into her hands; a Widow not of the King, but of Pipin, who ruled the Kingdom whilft Dagobert the Second bore the empty Title of King. This Plectrudis having been divorced by her Husband Pipin, because of her many Adulteries and flagitious Course of life; as foon as her Husband was dead, proved the Incendiary of many Seditions in France. She compell'd that gallant Man Charles Martel, Mayor of the Palace, to quit his Employment, and in his place put one Theobald, à moft vile and wicked Wretch; and at laft She raised a moft grievous Civil War among the Franks, who in divers Battels difcomfited each other with most terrible Slaughters. Thus, fays dimoinus, [lib. 4. cap. 50. & cap. fequen.] Alfo the Author of a Book called, The State of the Kingdom of France under Dagobert the Second, has thefe Words: When the Franks were no longer able to bear the Fury and Madneß of Plec-. "trude, and faw no hopes of Redreß from King Dagobert, they elected one Daniel for their King, (who formerly had been a Monk) and called him, "Chilperick. Which Story we have once before told you.

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But let us proceed. The Queen-Mother of Charles the Bald, (whofe Name was Judith) and Wife of Lewis the Picus, who had not only been King of Francogallia, but Emperor of Laly

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and Germany, got the Government into her hands. This Woman stirred up a moft terrible and fatal War between King Lewis and his Sons, her Sons in Law) from whence arofe fo great a Confpiracy, that they constrained their Father to Abdicate the Government, and give up the Power into their Hands, to the great detriment of almoft all Europe: The Rife of which Mischiefs, our Hiftorians do unanimously attribute, for the most part, to Queen Judith in a particular manner: The Authors of this Hiftory are the Abbot of Urfperg, Michael Ritius and Otto Frifing. [Chron. 5. cap.34.] Lewis (fays this laft) by reafon of the Evil "Deeds of his Wife Judith, was driven out of his Kingdom. Alfo Rhegino [in Chron. ann.1338.] "Lewis (fays he) was deprived of the Kingdom "by his Subjects; and being reduced to the Condition of a private Man, was put into Prison, and the Jole Government of the Kingdom, by the Election of "the Franks, was conferr'd upon Lotharius bis Son. And this Deprivation of Lewis was occafion'd principally through the many Whoredoms of "bis Wife Judith.

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Some Ages after, Queen Blanch, a Spanish Woman, and Mother to St. Lewis, ruled the Land. As foon as She had feized the Helm of Government, the Nobility of France began to take up Arms under the Conduct of Philip Earl of Bologn, the King's Uncle, crying out (as that excellent Author Joannes Jonvilleus writes) [cap. hiftor. 4.] That it was not to be endured "that fo great a Kingdom fhou'd be governed by a "Woman, and She a Stranger. Whereupon thofe Nobles rejecting Blanch, chofe Earl Philip to be Adminiftrator of the Kingdom: But Blanch perfifting in her purpofe, follicited Succors from all Parts, and at laft determined to conclude

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clude a League with Ferdinand King of Spain: With Philip joyned the Duke of Brittany, and the Count de Evreux his Brother. Thefe, on a fudden, feized on fome Towns, and put good Garifons into them. And thus a grievous Warwas begun in France, becaufe the Adminiftration of the Government had been feized by the Queen-Mother: It hapned that the King went (about that time) to Eftampes, being fent thi ther by his Mother upon account of the War: To that place the Nobles from all Parts haftily got together, and began to furround the King; not with an intention (as Joinville fays) to do him any harm, but to withdraw him from the Power of his Mother: Which She hearing, with all speed armed the People of Paris, and commanded them to march towards Eftampes. Scarce were thefe Forces got as far as Montle hery, when the King (getting from the Nobles) joyned them, and returned along with them to Paris. As foon as Philip found that he was not provided with a fufficient Force of Domeftick Troops, he fent for Succours to the Queen of Cyprus, (who at that time had fome Controverfy depending in the Kingdom) She entring with a great Army into Champagn, plunder'd that Country far and near; Blanch however continues in her Refolution. This constrains the Nobility to call in the English Auxiliaries, who wafte Aquitain and all the Maritime Regions; which Mischiefs arose thro' the Ambition and unbridled Luft of Rule of the Queen-Mother, as Joinvillaus tells us at large, [cap. 7, 8, 9, 10.]

And becaufe many of our Countrymen have a far different Opinion of the Life and Manners of Queen Blanch, occafioned (as 'tis probable) by the Flattery of the Writers of thofe

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times; (For all Writers, either thro' fear of Punishment, or, by reafon of the esteem which the Kings their Sons have in the World, are cautious how they write of Queen-Mothers :) I think it not amifs to relate what Joinville himself records [cap. 76.] viz. That She had fo great a Command over her Son, and had reduced him to that degree of timidity and lowness of Spirit, that She wou'd very feldom fuffer the King to converfe with his Wife Margarét, (her Daughter-in-Law) whom She hated. And therefore whenever the King went a Journey, She ordered the Purveyors to mark out different Lodgings, that the Queen might lie feparate from the King. So that the poor King was forced to place Waiters and Doorkeepers in Ambush whenever He went near his Queen; Ordering them, that when they heard his Mother Blanch approach the Lodgings, they fhou'd beat fome Dogs, by whofe Cry he might have warning to hide himself: And one day (fays Joinville) when Queen Margaret was in Labour, and the King in kindnefs was come to vifit her, on a fudden Queen Blanch furprized him in her Lodgings: For altho' he had been warned by the howling of the Dogs, and had hid himself (wrapp'd up in the Curtains) behind the Bed; yet She found him out, and in the Prefence of all the Company laid hands on him, and drew him out of the Chamber: You have nothing to do here (faid She) get out: The poor Queen, in the mean time, being not able to bear the difgrace of fuch a reproof, fell into a Swoon for grief; fo that the Attendants were forced to call back the King to bring her to her felf again, by whofe return She was comforted and recover'd. Joinville tells this Story [cap. hift. 76.] in almost these fame Words.

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Again,

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Again, Some years after this, Ifabella, Widow of Charles the 6th, (Sirnamed the Simple) got poffeffion of the Government: For before the Administration of the Publick Affairs cou'd be taken care of by the Great Council, or committed by them to the Management of chofen and approved Men, many ambitious Courtiers had ftirr'd up Contentions: Six times thefe Controverfies were renewed, and as often compofed by agreement. At laft Ifabella being driven out of Paris, betook her self to Chartres: There, having taken into her Service a fubtle Knave, one Philip de Morvilliers, She made up a Council of her own, with a President, and appointed this Morvilliers her Chancellor; by whofe advice She order'd a Broad-Seal, commonly called a Chancery-Seal, to be engraven: On which her own Image was cut, holding her Arms down by her Sides: and in her Patents She made ufe of this preamble. "Ifabella, by the "Grace of God, Queen of France; who, by rea

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fon of the King's infirmity, has the Adminiftra"tion of the Government in her Hands, &c.

But when the Affairs of the Commonwealth were reduced to that defperate eftate, that all things went to rack and ruin, She was by the Publick Council banifhed to Tours, and committed to the charge of four Tutors, who had Orders to keep her lock'd up at home, and to watch her fo narrowly, that She fhou'd be able to do nothing; not fo much as to write a Letter without their knowledge. A large Account of all this Tranfaction we have in Monftrellet's History. [Cap. 161. & Cap. 168.]

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