I cannot omit the great Commendation which that most noble Gentleman and accomplish’d Historian, Philip de Comines, gives of this Transaction; who in his 5th Book and 18th Chapter, gives this Account of it, which we will transcribe Word for Word.—­“But to proceed:  Is there in all the World any King or Prince, who has a Right of imposing a Tax upon his People (tho’ it were but to the Value of one Farthing) without their own Will and Consent?  Unless he will make use of Violence, and a Tyrannical Power, he cannot.  But some will say there may happen an Exigence, when the Great Council of the People cannot be waited for, the Business admitting of no Delay.  I am sure, in the Undertaking of a War, there is no need of such hast; one has sufficient Leisure to think leisurely of that Matter.  And this I dare affirm, that when Kings and Princes undertake a War with the Consent of their Subjects, they are both much more powerful, and more formidable to their Enemies.—­It becomes a King of France least of any King in the World, to make use of such expressions as this.—­I have a Power of raising as great Taxes as I please on my Subjects;—­for neither he, nor any other, has such a Power; and those Courtiers who use such Expressions, do their King no Honour, nor increase his Reputation with Foreign Nations; but on the contrary, create a Fear and Dread of him among all his Neighbours, who will not upon any Terms subject themselves to such a Sort of Government.  But if our King, of such as have a Mind to magnify his Power; wou’d say thus; I have such obedient and loving Subjects, that they will deny me nothing in Reason; or, there is no Prince that has a People more willing to forget the Hardships they undergo; this indeed wou’d be a Speech that wou’d do him Honour, and give him Reputation.  But such Words as these do not become a King; I tax as much as I have a mind to; and I have a Power of taking it, which I intend to keep. Charles the Fifth never used such Expressions, neither indeed did I ever hear any of our Kings speak such a Word; but only some of their Ministers and Companions, who thought thereby they did their Masters Service:  But, in my Opinion, they did them a great deal of Injury, and spoke those Words purely out of Flattery, not considering what they said.  And as a further Argument of the gentle Disposition of the French, let us but consider that Convention of the Three Estates held at Tours, Anno 1484, after the Decease of our King Lewis the Eleventh:  About that time the wholsome Institution of the Convention of the Three Estates began to be thought a dangerous Thing; and there were some inconsiderable Fellows who said then, and often since, that it was High-Treason to make so much as mention of Convocating the States, because it tended to lessen and diminish the King’s Authority; but it was they themselves who were guilty of High-Treason against God, the King, and the Commonwealth.  Neither do such-like Sayings turn to the Benefit of any Persons, but such as have got great Honours or Employments without any Merit of their own; and have learnt how to flatter and sooth, and talk impertinently; and who fear all great Assemblies, lest there they shou’d appear in their proper Colours, and have all evil Actions condemned.”