A SYNOPSIS, OR CONTRACT VIEW, Of the Life of John Armand, Cardinal of RICHLIEU, great Favourite and Minister of State to LEWIS the 13th. King of FRANCE.  
To be Engraven on his Tomb.  
First written in Latin, and now verbatim rendered English.  
Quis leget haec?—  
Vel duo, vel nemo.  PERSIUS. 
Printed in the Year, 1643.   

Cardinal RICHLIEU his Epitaph.  
THe first thing requested of thee (O Passenger) is, that thou wouldst bless Almighty God, that in France thou mayst now read these lines securely.  
Next, wonder, that He whom the Earth was too angust, for when he was alive, should be imprisoned in so small a space of ground, now he is dead.  
When he had commoved Earth, he aspired to rule even Heaven itself; as appears by his arrogating to himself this Symbolum, or Motto. MENS SIDERA VOLVIT.  
And that thou mayst understand what kind of Intelligence this was; know that he was of a sagatious industry, but unquiet; an Enemy both of the Public, and of his Privare tranquillity.  
In a great Wit, by many revered, not a few that knew him, found a great mixture of madness.  
He had a mind that was made worse by every thing; bettered by nothing.  
He stood thus long; not so much through favour, as his power with a mighty King: and was happy in the event of things, rather than in a prudent manage of them.  
Only, he was unhappy in the disfavour of Almighty God: For having continually conflicted with noisome diseases, he was ignorant of the seat of happiness, which yet, to the rendering both himself and others unhappy he sought after.  
Nor did he ever seem happy even in his own eyes, as not honest in the eyes of those who called him happy.  
He was vexed with two great tormentors of life, Choler, and Melancholy. In the flames of the former, and the fumes of the latter he continually suffered.  
So that venom which he spit out to the perdition of others, he could not keep in without hurt to himself.  
He outwent most men in Covetousness, all men in ambition. A Waster of the Royal Exchequer, but a niggard of his own Purse. Cruel if offended; but more cruel where he offended others.  
By the confer of the Queen Mother he was made rich, by her plottings preferred, and by her power made more potent. Yet her did he deprive of the King's favour, of her liberty, of her estate, of France, and at last of her life, she being an exile at Colleine. And lest he should spare her when she was dead, he nulled her last will, and caused her corpse to lie five months (at the end of which, himself followed her) in her chamber unburied.  
The honour of Monsieur the King's Brother he violated, and endeavoured to supplant even his Person.  

King of France.  He not only withdrew the affections of * Son from Mother, and of * Brother from Brother; but of * Husband from Wife.  
Mariliack he caused to be beheaded by the greatest wrong. Montmorancy by the greatest right, Cinkmart partly by right, partly by wrong; M. de Thou, whether by right or wrong no man knows.  
Some Noble men he condemned to perpetual imprisonment, more to banishment: but those he drove from Court were innumerable.  
He proscribed many, lest they should hinder his designs. Nor did milder France ever behold so frequent Punishments.  
Building upon the power of a great King (whom with a great deal of art and study he deceived) and suppeditated with the wealth of a most fruitful Kingdom, he spent an infinite number of Arrows in aiming to hit the main Mark which he had miss.  
A continual working and agitation of mind, backed with many mad attempts, together with a rigid severity, and an all-trying boldness, produced a few fortunate issues. But he had soon been supplanted, if among foreign Enemies he had found some more wary, or among French men (scarce any of whom but were averse to him) had met but with one Adversary.  
It well besteaded him that hardly any body knew him, or believed those that did.  
He was so fortunate, that those of the Nobility, as well as of the Army, whom he had irritated, did yet for his honour, shed their own and others blood, whilst himself mingled his with the Kings.  
He had perished in the same design in which Sejanus once perished, had he not taken out of the way (O grief to think on) the Royal Count of Soisson.  
Germany, Spain, Italy, and the Low Countries, but especially France, will hardly be able in a whole Age to efface the bad impressions of so hurtful an Authority.  
Taking pleasure in the miseries both of the Citizens and Suburbers, that he might fleece these, he lanced the very entrails of those.  
Nor did he any whit indulge to the sacred health of of the King, but disturbed that, whilst with anxieties and various Passions of mind he wore out his own.  
The Divine justice first ulcerated his arm which heptad stretched out against heaven. Next it took from him the use of his right Hand, which had subscribed to unnecessary wars. His arm eight months before his death rotten, by reason of which his hand withered.  
And yet (which is a sad thing) he that so plainly felt God an avenger, would not plainly enough acknowledge him.  
This appears in that he more hotly exercised his fury upon his private Enemies.  
In that, Death approaching, rather out of a politic Prudence, than a Christian Piety, he commended his Favourites to the King, more than his Soul to God.  
In that, a few days before the Catastrophe of his Tragic life, he caused a Play of his own devising (which he called Europa Triumphata) to be Acted in the most Royal Pomp that could be (though himself could not behold it.)  
In that, being a Cardinal, he afflicted the Church, being a Priest, he Shed Blood, being a Christian, he forgave no injuries, and being a Man, he yet would not remember himself to be mortal, even when the worms crawling out of his many Ulcers did admonish him to how frail and noisome a mortality he was obnoxious.  
When by all ways (the most impious not unassaied) he had for the space of eighteen years prosecuted his private ends to the undoing of the Public, he at length arrived to the ordinary end of Men, by a death to appearance peaceable, but more lingering than that of many, whom he had sent before him.  
He died at Paris, where he had been borne fifty seven years and three months before.  
Forsaking France and his own house, he seemed to endeavour the combustion of them both; of that, by an extorted Declaration against the King's Brother of this, by a will framed to a woman's fancy. 
* The Duchess of Eguillon.   
For the rest, nor did the Kingdom of France (being opulent) ever deal with any so bountifully; not (being of a Genius impatient) did it ever bear with any so continuedly; nor (affecting quietment) did it ever part with any so gladly.  
I assert these things openly which thou (o Passenger) didst priviely suspect, and in wisdom keptst to thyself.  
If thou encounterest any one who still doubts, entreat him not to give credit to abused men, nor to corrupted flatterers; but rather to Me who speak nothing but truth, and that out of a conscientious sincerity.  
And I would have all men persuaded, that the least justice is more acceptable to God, than the greatest power: that a name is to be esteemed, not for being far and wide diffused, but for being good, that to trouble and unsettle many things, is not to do much, but being unsettled, to compose them; more, to keep them from being unsettled, most of all.  
Prosperous wickednesses are by the multitude accounted for virtues: but do thou (on the contrary) think nothing more wretched, than such thriving impieties.  
This egregious Artisan of cheats (Richlieu) deceived many for a while, and himself haply to eternity.  
Who (alas) shall reduce to order that infinity of things which he hath confused? who deemed of Peace, because it suited not with his turbulent brain, that it was disagreeable even to his fortune. From whence sprang those many evils which for these last fifteen years have so oppressed the Christian World.  
Pray, that God would not eternally avenge it upon the Author; who needed much mercy and many of God's compassions, amid his many and great crimes.  
Do thou (O Christian seriously perpend, what a Nothing that is, which is subject to a momentary vanish, * None of those whom thou seest clad in Purple, 
Seneca.  is therefore happy, no more than they whose part in a Comedy allows them a Robe and Sceptre; who having buskined and on tiptoes strutted it before the staring spectators, as soon as they come to their Exit, are un-pantoffled, and return to their own stature.  
Furthermore, see how small an ash heap he now is, who once was so great a Fire: how fetid a stream he now sends forth, who lately darted a splendour so coruscant, that every one's eyes were thereby dazzled.  
I wish he prove not a Firebrand to himself in another world, who was so to Europe in this.  
Poor Europe now hopes for Peace, the fuel of her wars being extinct.  
I should entreat thee (o Passenger) to pray for Pe●ce to this so mortal an enemy even of his own peace: but that I fear thou wouldst but trouble him, in wishing a thing to him which he so greatly hared. Yet Pray notwithstanding; in that thou are commanded to live thy enemies. If the Peace thou prayest for, reach not Him, it will return unto thyself. Such was the Commandment of our Saviour; 
Luke 10.  in whom I wish thee Peace whilst thou livest, that thou mayst sweetly rest in him when thou diest. In the mean time, Farewell.