. The Repository of arts, literature, commerce, manufactures, fashions and politics. t all. The cardinal was, in the fourthplace, besieged by (he courdcrs, whoalways hopeby war to gain advance-ment, whether merited or not; andespecially by the Count de Belleisle,who carried on his operations against(lie minister through the medium ofsome old female friends. At theemperors death this Belleisle wasneither marshal of France, nor dukeand peer: it was only by war thathe could acquire those honours ;and if he missed tliis opportnnitj^,and the old cardinal were to die, hemight perhaps be entirely for
. The Repository of arts, literature, commerce, manufactures, fashions and politics. t all. The cardinal was, in the fourthplace, besieged by (he courdcrs, whoalways hopeby war to gain advance-ment, whether merited or not; andespecially by the Count de Belleisle,who carried on his operations against(lie minister through the medium ofsome old female friends. At theemperors death this Belleisle wasneither marshal of France, nor dukeand peer: it was only by war thathe could acquire those honours ;and if he missed tliis opportnnitj^,and the old cardinal were to die, hemight perhaps be entirely the world might not experi-ence such a calamity, but rather en-joy the happiness of admiring theCount de Belleisle as duke and peer,it was absolutely necessary that warshould be waged. Fleury sent him,in the first instance, as ambassadorto the election of an emperor atFrankfort, where the elector of Ba-varia was chosen ; and thus the ar-dent wish for war was at length ac-complished. How finely sounded(he manifestoes ! how completely itwas proved (hat France was forced. Bora 329*1)e0^170 ?April l?l8lO. aiARIA LOUISA, EMPRESSI OF FUANCE. 415 info a war by the claims of the house ] decorated herself with an order that of Austria ; and fiobody knew ordurst say aloud, that the flatteriesof a princess, who experienced cmiuiin Spain; the importunities of aroyal pair, who wished to children with the spoils ofothers; the vanity of a female, who did not bcloiiH- to her ; and the am-bition of a courtier, solicitous to com-mand an army, were the sole caus-es of the cruelties and devastationscommitted for three years upon in-nocent nations. Plate 59.—MARIA LOUIS The last twenty ^ears, a periodabound ini^ beyond precedent in re-markable events, has not perhapsproduced more extraordinarythan the union of the present rulerof France with the illustrious andlovely princess, of whom the an-nexed engravini^ exhil)its an accu-rate and spirited likeness, executedby Ca
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