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 The Ascendency of France under Louis XIV 281 the revenues of the king, the greatness of the land forces now on foot, and the growth of those at sea (within these two years past), the number and bravery of their officers, the conduct of their ministers, and chiefly in the genius of their present king ; a prince of great aspiring thoughts, un- wearied application to whatever is in pursuit, severe in the institution and preservation of order and discipline ; in the main a manager of his treasure and yet bountiful from his own motions wherever he intends the marks of favour and discerns particular merit ; to this, in the flower of his age, at the head of all his armies, and hitherto un foiled in any of his attempts either at home or abroad : I say, considered in all these circumstances, France may appear to be designed for greater achievements in empires than have been seen in Christendom since that of Charlemagne. The present greatness of this crown maybe chiefly derived from the fortune it has had of two great ministers [Richelieu and Mazarin] succeeding one another, between two great kings, Henry IV and this present prince ; so as during the course of one unactive life and of a long minority that crown gained a great deal of ground both at home and abroad, instead of losing it, which is the common fate of kingdoms upon those occasions. The latter greatness of this crown began in the time of Lewis XI by the spoils of the house of Burgundy and the divisions of the princes, which gave that king the heart of attempting to bring the government (as he called it) hors de page; [the monarchs] being before controlled by their princes, and restrained by their states, 1 and in point of revenue kept within the bounds of the king's desmesnes and the subjects' voluntary contributions. 'Tis not here necessary to observe by what difficulties and dangers to the crown this design of Lewis was pursued by many succeeding kings, — like a great stone forced up a hill, and, upon every slacking of either strength or care, rolling a great way back, often to the very bottom of the 338. Sir William Temple's account of France in 1671. Important services of Richelieu and Mazarin 1 I.e. estates.