sensible, more
clear-sighted, more able, more moral, and more productive of good results
than his foreign policy was.

When we consider this reign from this new point of view, we are at
once struck by two facts: 1st, the great number of legislative and
administrative acts that we meet with bearing upon the general interests
of the country, interests political, judicial, financial, and commercial;
the _Recueil des Ordonnances des Rois de France_ contains forty-three
important acts of this sort owing their origin to Louis XII.; it was
clearly a government full of watchfulness, activity, and attention to
good order and the public weal; 2d, the profound remembrance remaining in
succeeding ages of this reign and its deserts--a remembrance which was
manifested, in 1560, amongst the states-general of Orleans, in 1576 and
1588 amongst the states of Blois, in 1593 amongst the states of the
League, and even down to 1614 amongst the states of Paris. During more
than a hundred years France called to mind, and took pleasure in calling
to mind, the administration of Louis XII. as the type of a wise,
intelligent, and effective regimen. Confidence may be felt in a people's
memory when it inspires them for so long afterwards with sentiment of
justice and gratitude.

If from the simple table of the acts of Louis XII.'s home-government we
pass to an examination of their practical results it is plain that they
were good and salutary. A contemporary historian, earnest and truthful
though panegyrical, Claude do Seyssel, describes in the following terms
the state of France at that time: "It is," says he, "a patent fact that
the revenue of benefices, lands, and lordships has generally much
increased. And in like manner the proceeds of gabels, turnpikes, law-
fees and other revenues have been augmented very greatly. The traffic,
too, in merchandise, whether by sea or land, has multiplied exceedingly.
For, by the blessing of peace, all folks (except the nobles, and even
them I do not except altogether) engage in merchandise. For one trader
that was in Louis XI.'s time to be found rich and portly at Paris, Rouen,
Lyons, and other good towns of the kingdom, there are to be found in this
reign more than fifty; and there are in the small towns greater number
than the great and principal cities were wont to have. So much so that
scarcely a house is made on any street without having a shop for
merchandise or for mechanical art. And less diff