. Medieval and modern history; an outline of its development . eat in their ad-ministration was therule, and Mazarin him-self had not scrupledto comply with it. Thepeople paid heavytaxes, but the collectorsenriched themselves atthe expense of theLouis XIV. State, and only a small proportion reached thetreasury. It was estimated that of eighty-four millionpaid in 1661 only twenty-three were received by the govern-ment. Mazarins superintendent of finances, Fouquet, who hadacquired an enormous fortune by these methods, fell a firstvictim to the new reforms. No one had suppose
. Medieval and modern history; an outline of its development . eat in their ad-ministration was therule, and Mazarin him-self had not scrupledto comply with it. Thepeople paid heavytaxes, but the collectorsenriched themselves atthe expense of theLouis XIV. State, and only a small proportion reached thetreasury. It was estimated that of eighty-four millionpaid in 1661 only twenty-three were received by the govern-ment. Mazarins superintendent of finances, Fouquet, who hadacquired an enormous fortune by these methods, fell a firstvictim to the new reforms. No one had supposed at firstthat Louis was in earnest when he had announced, on thedeath of Mazarin, that he would be his own prime minister,and Fouquet had hoped to succeed the cardinal in thegovernment of the State through the king. It was the dra-matic arrest and punishment of Fouquet that first convincedthe court that Louis meant what he said. Colbert, who hadrevealed to the king the financial methods of the time, wassoon put in control of the revenues, and was by degrees. § 263] Colberts Economic Measures 269 given other responsible offices, until he had nearly the wholeadministration of the kingdom in his hands. The confidence of the king which he had at first, he fully Colbertsdeserved. Probably no minister in history ever served his ^^fo^ with more singleness of purpose. He attacked theold abuses vigorously. The collectors were forced to restoreto the treasury their ill-gotten gains. New methods broughtin greater returns to the State, while the burdens of the peoplewere reduced, and a surplus was accumulated which was,perhaps, a temptation to the king. 263. Colberts Economic Measures. —The efforts of Col- The protec-bert for the good of France were not confined to a reform of !*^ ^^the taxation. He wished, like Henry IV., to increase the ^ ^ ^^*national wealth and bring in an age of great prosperity. Inhis measures for this purpose he was guided by two was that man
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