Colbert being appointed intendant of the finances, applied himself to their regulation, and succeeded: though it procured him many enemies. France is also obliged to this minister for establishing at that time her trade with the East and West Indies, from which she once reaped innymerable advantages.

In 1664 he became superintendant of the buildings; and from that time applied himself earnestly to the enlarging and adorning of the royal edifices, particularly those splendid works, the palace of the Tuilleries, the Louvre, St. Germain, Fontainbleau, and Chombord. Versailles, which he found a dog-kennel, where Louis XIII. kept his hunting equipage, he rendered a palace fit for the greatest monarch. Colbert also formed several designs for increasing the beauty and convenience of the capital city, and had the principal hand in the establishment of the academy for painting and sculpture in 1664, which originated in the following circumstance: the king's painters and sculptors, with other skilful professors of those arts, being prosecuted at law by the master-painters at Paris, joined together in a society, under the name of the Royal Academy for sculpture and painting, with a view to hold public exercises, for the sake of improving the arts, and advancing them to the highest degree of perfection. They put themselves under the protection of Mazarine, and chose chancellor Seguier their vice-protector; and after Mazarine's death chose Seguier their protector, and Colbert their vice-protector; and it was at his solicitation that they were finally established by a patent, containing new privileges, in 1664. Colbert, being made protector after the death of Seguier, thought fit that an historiographer should be appointed, whose business it should be to collect all curious and useful observations made at their conferences. His majesty acquiesced in the appointment of this new officer, and settled on him a salary of 300 livres. To Colbert also the lovers of naval knowledge are obliged, for the erection of the academy of sciences; and in 1667, for the royal observatory at Paris, which was first inhabited by Cassini. France also owes to him all the advantages she receives by the union of the two seas; a prodigious work, begun in 1666, and finished in 1680. Colbert was besides very attentive to matters which regarded the order, decency, and well-being of society. He undertook to reform the courts of justice, and to put a stop to the usurpation of VOL. X.

C

noble titles; which was then very common in France. In the former of those attempts he failed, in the latter he succeeded.

In 1669 he was made secretary of state, and entrusted with the management of affairs relating to the sea: and his performances in this province were answerable to the confidence his majesty reposed in him. He suppressed several offices, which were chargeable and useless and in the mean time, perceiving the king's zeal for the extirpation of heresy, he shut up the chamber instituted by the edicts of Paris and Roan. He proposed several new regulations concerning criminal courts; and was extremely severe with the parliament of Tholouse, for obstructing the measures he took to carry the same into execution. His main design in reforming the tedious methods of proceeding at law, was to give the people more leisure to apply themselves to trading: for the advancement of which he procured an edict, to erect a general insurance-office at Paris, for merchants, &c. In 1672 he was made minister of state, and amidst these multiplied employments, it has been observed that he never neglected his own or his family's interest and grandeur, or missed any opportunity of advancing either. He had been married many years, had sons and daughters grown up; all of whom, as occasion served, he took care to marry to great persons, and thus strengthened his interest by powerful alliances. Business, however, was certainly Colbert's natural turn; and he not only loved it, but was very impatient of interruption in it. A lady of great quality was one day urging him, when he was in the height of his power, to do her some piece of service; and perceiving him inattentive and inflexible, threw herself at his feet, in the presence of above an hundred persons, crying, "I beg your greatness, in the name of God, to grant me this favour!" Upon which, Colbert, kneeling down over against her, replied, in the same mournful tone, "I conjure you, madam, in the name of God, not to disturb

me!"

This great minister died of the stone, Sept. 6, 1683, in his 65th year, leaving behind him six sons and three daughters. He was of a middle stature, his mien low and dejected, his air gloomy, and his aspect stern. He slept little, and was extremely temperate. Though naturally sour and morose, he knew how to act the lover, and had mistresses. He was of a slow conception, but spoke judi

ciously of every thing after he had once comprehended it. He understood business perfectly well, and he pursued it with unwearied application. This enabled him to fill the most important places with high reputation and credit, while his influence diffused itself through every part of the government. He restored the finances, the navy, the commerce of France; and he erected those various works of art, which have ever since been monuments of his taste and magnificence. He was a lover of learning, though not a man of learning himself, and liberally conferred donations and pensions upon scholars in other countries, while he established and protected academies in his own. invited into France painters, statuaries, mathematicians, and eminent artists of all kinds, thus giving new life to the sciences. Upon the whole, he was a wise, active, generous-spirited minister; ever attentive to the interests of his master, the happiness of the people, the progress of arts and manufactures, and to every thing that could advance the credit and interest of his country, while his failings were such as could not injure him in the opinion of his age and country.

COLBERT, JOHN BAPTIST. See TORCY.

He

COLE (CHARLES NALSON), an English lawyer, and legal antiquary, was born in the Isle of Ely in 1722, and educated at St. John's college, Cambridge, which he left after taking his bachelor's degree in 1743; and having studied law in the Inner Temple, was admitted to the bar. He became afterwards Registrar to the corporation of Bed-ford Level, and published "A Collection of Laws which form the constitution of the Bedford Level Corporation, with an introductory history thereof," 1761, 8vo. In 1772 he was editor of a new edition of Sir William Dugdale's "History of embanking and drayning of divers fenns and marshes, &c." originally printed 1662, fol. This new -edition was first undertaken by the corporation of Bedford Level; but upon application to Richard Geast, esq. of Blythe-Hall, in the county of Warwick, a lineal maternal descendant of the author, he desired that it might be entirely conducted at his own expence. Mr. Cole added three very useful indexes. Mr. Cole's next appearance in the literary world was as editor to Mr. Soame Jenyns's

Life of, Cologn, 1695, and in English, 1695, 8vo.-Moreri.-Dict. Hist. Perrault Les Hommes Illustres.

works, with whom he had lived in habits of friendship for near half a century. Mr. Jenyns, who died in 1787, bequeathed to him the copy-right of all his published works, and consigned to his care all his literary papers, with a desire that he would collect together and superintend the publication of his works. In executing this, Mr. Cole made such a selection as shewed his regard for the reputation of his friend, and prefixed a life written with candour. Mr. Cole, who had long lived a private and re tired life, died Dec. 18, 1804, at his house in Edwardstreet, Cavendish-square, after a tedious and severe illness, in the eighty-second year of his age.'

ter.

COLE (HENRY), a person of considerable learning in the sixteenth century, was born at Godshill in the Isle of Wight, and educated in Wykeham's school near WinchesFrom thence he was chosen to New college, Oxford, of which he became perpetual fellow in 1523, and studying the civil law, took the degree of bachelor in that faculty, March 3, 1529-30. He then travelled into Italy, and improved himself in his studies at Padua, being a zealous Roman catholic, but upon his return to England, he acknowledged king Henry VIII. to be the supreme head of the church of England. In 1540, he took the degree of doctor of the civil law; and the same year resigned his fellowship, being then settled in London, an advocate in the court of arches, prebendary of Yatminster Secunda in the church of Sarum, and about the same time was made archdeacon of Ely. In September, 1540, he was admitted to the rectory of Chelmsford in Essex; and in October following, collated to the prebend of Holborn, which he resigned April 19, 1541; and was the same day collated to that of Sneating, which he voiding by cession in March ensuing, was collated to the prebend of Wenlakesbarne. In 1542 he was elected warden of New College; and in 1545 made rector of Newton Longville in Buckinghamshire. Soon after, when king Edward VI. came to the crown, Dr. Cole outwardly embraced, and preached up the reformation, but altering his mind, he resigned his rectory of Chelmsford in 1547; and in 1551 his wardenship of New College; and the year following, his rectory of Newton Longville. After queen Mary's accession to the crown, he became again a zealous Roman catholic;

1 Nichols's Bowyer.

and in 1554 was made provost of Eton college, of which he had been fellow. The same year, June 20, he had the degree of D. D. conferred on him, and was one of the divines that disputed publicly at Oxford with archbishop Cranmer, and bishop Ridley. He also preached the funeral sermon before archbishop Cranmer's execution. He was appointed one of the commissioners to visit the university of Cambridge; was elected dean of St. Paul's the 11th of December, 1556; made (August 8, 1557) vicar-general of the spiritualities under cardinal Pole, archbishop of Canterbury; and the first of October following, official of the arches, and dean of the peculiars; and in November ensuing, judge of the court of audience. In 1558 he was appointed one of the overseers of that cardinal's will. In the first year of queen Elizabeth's reign he was one of the eight catholic divines who disputed publicly at Westminster with the same number of protestants, and distinguished himself then and afterwards, by his writings in favour of popery, for which he was deprived of his deanery, fined five hundred marks, and imprisoned. He died in or near Wood-street compter, in London, in December, 1579. Leland has noticed him among other learned men of our nation. He is called by Strype a person more earnest than wise," but Ascham highly commends him for his learning and humanity. It is evident, however, that he accominodated his changes of opinions to the times, although in his heart he was among the most bigotted and implacable opponents of the reformed religion. His writings were, 1. "Disputation with archbishop Cranmer and bishop Ridley at Oxford," in 2." Funeral Sermon at the Burning of Dr. Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury." Both these are in Fox's Acts and Monuments. 3. "Letters to John Jewell, bishop of Salisbury, upon occasion of a Sermon that the said bishop preached before the queen's majesty and her honourable council, anno 1560," Lond. 1560, 8vo, printed afterwards. among Bishop Jewell's works. 4. "Letters to bishop Jewell, upon occasion of a Sermon of his preached at Paul's Cross on the second Sunday before Easter, in 1560." 5. "An Answer to the first proposition of the Protestants, at the Disputation before the lords at Westminster." These last are in Burnet's History of the Reformation.'

1554.

1 Biog. Brit.-Ath. Ox. vol. I.-Fox's Aets and Monuments.-Burnet's, Col. lier's, and Dodd's Ch. Hist.