No More Learning

" The
other told him, " that if the king were inclined to
" admit him in that manner, he would dissuade him
" from it, as a thing dishonourable to him after ^so
" long a contest ;" and repeated the same to him
that he said formerly to Mr. Clifford : nor could he
be persuaded by any others (for others did speak to
him to the same purpose) to recede a tittle from
what he had insisted upon, " that he should put
" himself in the Tower. " In 1 all which he still gave
the king a faithful account of every word that pass-
ed: for he knew well that the lord Arlington endea-
voured to persuade the king, " that the chancellor
" favoured the duke, and desired that he should be
" at liberty ;" when at the same time he used all
the ways he could to have it insinuated to the duke's
friends, " that he knew nothing of the business, but

11 that] Omitted in MS. j In] Of



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 279

" that the whole prosecution was made by the infor- 1 667.
" mation and advice of the chancellor. "



In the end, the duke was persuaded to render The duke
himself to the Tower: and from thence he sent a ? { en
petition to the king, who presently appeared very
well k inclined to give over any further prosecution ;
which alteration all men wondered at, nor could
any man imagine the ground or reason of it. For
though the principal witness was dead, as the lord
Arlington declared he was, and that so much could
not be proved as at the first discovery was reason-
ably suspected ; yet the meanness and vileness of
the persons with whom he kept so familiar corre-
spondence, the letters between them which were
ready to be produced, the disrespectful and scandal-
ous discourses which he often held concerning the
king's person, and many other particulars which had
most inflamed the king, and which might fully have
been proved, would have manifested so much vanity
and presumption in the duke, as must have lessen-
ed his credit and reputation with all serious men,
and made him worthy of severe censure. But whe-
ther the king thought not fit to proceed upon the
words and scandalous discourses, which he thought
would more disperse and publish the scandals ; or
whether he did really believe that it would disturb
and obstruct all his business in parliament ; or what
other reason soever prevailed with his majesty, as
without doubt some other there were : his majesty 1
was very impatient to be rid of the business, and
would have been easily persuaded to have given pre-

k well] Not In MS. ' liis majesty] but his majesty

T 4



280 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1667. sent order for setting the duke at liberty, and so to



silence all further discourse. But he was persuaded,
" that that would most reflect upon his own honour,
" by making it believed, that there had been in truth
" a foul conspiracy against the person of the duke,
" which would give him more credit in the parlia-
" ment and every where else ;" for the king had not
yet, with all his indulgence, a better opinion of his
affection and fidelity than he had before.
He is ex- i n conclusion ; it was resolved, " that the lieute-

amined at

the couucii- " nant of the Tower should bring the duke of Buck-
" ingham to the council chamber, his majesty being
" present ; and there the attorney and solicitor gene-
" ral should open the charge that was against him,
" and read all the examinations which had been
" taken, and the letters which had passed between
" them :" all which was done. And the duke deny-
ing " that he had ever written to that fellow, though
" he knew him well, and used to make himself merry
" with him," the letter was produced (which the
king and the lord Arlington, who both knew his
hand well, made no doubt to be his hand) and de-
livered to the duke ; who, as soon as he cast his eye
upon it, said, " it was not his hand, but he well
" knew whose it was. " And being asked whose
hand it was, he said, " it was his sister's, the duchess
" of Richmond, with whom," he said, " it was known
" that he had no correspondence. " Whereupon the
king called for the letter, and, having looked upon
it, he said, " he had been mistaken," and confessed
" that it was the duchess's hand ;" and seemed much
out of countenance upon the mistake: though the
letter gave still as much cause of suspicion, for it



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 281

was as strange that she should write to such a fel- 1667.
low in a style very obliging, and in answer 1 to a let-~
ter ; so that it seemed very reasonable still to be-
lieve, that she might have written it upon his desire
and dictating.

The duke denied most of the particulars con-
tained in the examinations : and for the other let-
ters which had been written to him by the fellow
who was in the Tower, (whereof one was found in
his pocket sealed to be sent to the duke, and the
others were copies of others which had been sent ;
and the witness who was dead had delivered one of
them into the duke's own hand, and related at large
the kindness he expressed towards the man, and the
message he sent to him by him,) he denied that he
had ever received those letters ; but acknowledged,
" that the man came often to him, and pretended
" skill in horoscopes, but more in distillations,
" in which the duke delighted and exercised him-
" self, but looked upon the fellow as cracked in his
" brain, and fit only to be laughed at. " When the The king
duke was withdrawn, the king declared, " that hej"^^
" had been deceived in being confident that the let- his defence -
" ter had been written by the duke, which he now
" discerned not to be his hand, and he knew as well
" to have been written by the duchess ;" and there-
upon seemed to think that there was nothing else
worth the examining : and so order was given to set
the duke at liberty, who immediately went to his
own house, and went not in some days afterwards to
the court.

About this time, or in a few days afterwards, a

1 in answer] being in answer



282 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1 667. great affliction befell the chancellor in his domestics,
The chan- wn ' c ^ prepared him to bear all the unexpected acci-
bis'wife *" dents * na * suddenly succeeded that more insupport-
able misfortune. His wife, the mother of all his
children, and his companion in all hjs banishment,
and who had made all his former calamities less
grievous by her company and courage, having made
a journey to Tunbridge for her health, returned
from thence without the benefit she expected, yet
without being thought by the physicians to be in
any danger ; and within less than three days died :
which was so sudden, unexpected, and irreparable a
loss, that he had not courage to support ; which no-
body wondered at who knew the mutual satisfac-
tion and comfort they had in each other. And he
might possibly have sunk under it, if his enemies
had not found out a new kind of consolation to
him, which his friends could never have thought
of.

Within few days after his wife's death, the king

vouchsafed to come to his house to condole with him,

The duke and used many gracious expressions to him : yet

bythek! ng within less than a fortnight the duke (who was sel-



a ^ay without doing him the honour to see
to resign, him) came to him, and with very much trouble told
him, " that such a day, that was past, walking with
" the king in the park, his majesty asked him how
" the chancellor did : to which his highness had
" made answer, that he was the most m disconsolate
" person he ever saw n ; and that he had lamented
" himself to him not only upon the loss of his wife,
" but out of apprehension that his majesty had of late

m most] Omitted in MS. " saw] Omitted in MS.



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 283
"withdrawn his countenance from him: to which 1667.



" his majesty replied, that he wondered he should"
" think so, but that he would speak more to him of
" that subject the next day. And that that morn-
" ing his majesty had held a long discourse with
" him, in which he told him, that he had received
" very particular and certain intelligence, that when
" the parliament should meet again, they were re-
" solved to impeach the chancellor, who was grown
" very odious to them , not only for his having op-
" posed them in all those things upon which they
" had set their hearts, but that they had been in-
" formed that he had proposed and advised their dis-
" solution ; which had enraged them to that degree,
" that they had taken a resolution as soon as they
" came together again to send up an impeachment
" against him ; which would be a great dishonour
" to his majesty, and obstruct all his affairs, nor
" should he be able to protect him or divert them :
" and therefore that it would be necessary for his
" service, and likewise for the preservation of the
" chancellor, that he should deliver up the seal to
" him. All which he desired the duke" (who con-
fessed that he had likewise received the same adver-
tisement) " to inform him of : and that the chancel-
" lor himself should choose the way and the manner
" of delivering up the seal, whether he would wait
" upon the king and give it into his own hand, or
" whether the king should send a secretary or a
" privy counsellor for it. " When the duke had said
all that the king had given him in charge, he de-
clared himself "to be much unsatisfied with the

" them] linu



284 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1 667. " king's resolution ; and that : ' though he had re-

~ " ceived the same advertisement, and believed that

there was a real combination and conspiracy

" against him, yet he knew the chancellor's inno-

" cence would not be frighted with it. "

The chancellor was indeed as much surprised
with this relation, as he could have been at the
sight of a warrant for his execution. He told the
duke, " that he did not wonder that the king and
" his highness had been informed of such a resolu-
" tion ; for that they who had contrived the conspi-
" racy, and done all they could to make it prevalent,
" could best inform his majesty and his highness of
" what would probably fall out. " And thereupon
he informed the duke " of what had passed at the
" day of the last prorogation, and the discourse and
" promise sir William Coventry had made to them,
" if they had a mind to be rid of the chancellor :
" but," he said, " that which only afflicted him was,
" that the king should have no better opinion of his
", innocence and integrity, than to conclude that
such a combination must ruin him. And he was
" more troubled to find, that the king himself had so
" terrible an apprehension of their 1 power and their 1 "
u purposes, as if they might do any thing they had
" a mind to do. He did not believe that he was so
" odious to the parliament as he was reported to
" be ; if he were, it was only for his zeal to his ma-
" jesty's service, and his insisting upon what his ma-.
" jesty had resolved : but he was confident that
" when his enemies had done all that their malice
" could suggest against him, it would appear that

' that] Not in MS. 1 their] the r their] the



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 285

" the parliament was not of their mind. He wished i G67.
" that he might have the honour to speak with the"
" king, before he returned any answer to his com-
" mands. " The duke was pleased graciously to re-
ply, " that it was the advice he intended to give
" him, that he should desire it ; and that he doubted
" not but that he should easily prevail with the king
" to come to his house, whither he had used so fre-
" quently to come, and where he had been so few
" days before :" and at this time the chancellor was
not well able s to walk ; besides that it was against
the common rules of decency to go so soon out of
his house. When the duke desired the king, that
he would vouchsafe to go to Clarendon-house, his
majesty very readily consented to it ; and said, " he
" would go thither the next day. " But that and
more days passed ; and then he told the duke, " that
" since he resolved to take the seal, it would riot be
" so fit for him to go thither ; but he would send
" for the chancellor to come to his own chamber in
" Whitehall, and he would go thither to him. "

In the mean time it began to be the discourse of
the court : and the duchess, from whom the duke
had yet concealed it, came to be informed of it ;
who presently went to the king with some passion ;
and the archbishop of Canterbury and the general Man x i' er -

sonsofemi-

accompanied her, who all besought the king not to nence in-
take such a resolution. And many other of the hls'behaif.
privy-council, with none of whom the chancellor had
spoken, taking notice of the rumour, attended the
king with the same suit and advice. To all whom
his majesty answered, " that what he intended was

s not well able] not only not well able



286 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1067. " for his good, and the only way to preserve him. "
~ He held longer discourse to the general, " that he
" did believe by what his brother had told him, of
" the extreme agony the chancellor was in upon the
" death of his wife, that he had himself desired to
" be dismissed from his office ;" and bade the general
" go to him, and bid him come the next morning
" to his own chamber at Whitehall, and the king
" would come thither to him. " And the general
came to him with great professions of kindness,
which he had well deserved from him, gave him
a relation of all that had passed with the king, and
concluded, " that what had been done had been
" upon mistake ; and he doubted not, but that upon
" conference with his majesty all things would be
" well settled again to his content ;" which no doubt
he did at that time believe as well as wish.
The chan- Upon Monday, the 26th of August, about ten of
tends the the clock in the morning, the chancellor went to his
Whitehall, chamber in Whitehall, where he had not been many
minutes, before the king and duke by themselves
came into the room. His majesty looked very gra-
ciously upon him, and made him sit down ; when
conference the other acknowledged " the honour his majesty
them? " " had done him, in admitting him into his presence
" before he executed a resolution he had taken. "
He said, " that he had no suit to make to him, nor
" the least thought to dispute with him, or to divert
" him from the resolution he had taken ; but only
" to receive his determination from himself, and
" most humbly to beseech him to let him know
" what fault he had committed, that had drawn this
" severity upon him from his majesty. " The king
told him, " he had not any thing to object against



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 287

" him ; but must always acknowledge, that he had 1 667.
" always served him honestly and faithfully, and ~
" that he did believe that never king had a better
" servant, and that he had taken this resolution for
" his good and preservation, as well as for his own
" convenience and security ; and that he had verily
" believed that it had been upon his consent and
" desire. " And thereupon his majesty entered upon
a relation of all that had passed between him and
the duke, and " that he really thought his brother
" had concurred with him in his opinion, as the
" only way to preserve him. " In that discourse the
duke sometimes positively denied to have said some-
what, and explained other things as not said to the
purpose his majesty understood, or that he ever im-
plied that himself thought it fit.

The sum of what his majesty said was, " that he
" was most assured by information that could not
" deceive him, that the parliament was resolved, as
" soon as they should come together again, to im-
" peach the chancellor ; and then that his innocence
" would no more defend and secure him against
" their power, than the earl of Strafford had de-
" fended himself against them : and," he said, " he
" was as sure, that his taking the seal from him at this
" time would so well please the parliament, that his
" majesty should thereby be able to preserve him,
" and to provide for the passage of his own business,
" and the obtaining all that he desired. " He said,
" he was sorry that the business had taken so much
" air, and was so publicly spoken of, that he knew
" not how to change his purpose ;" which he seemed
to impute to the passion of the duchess, that had
divulged it.



288 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

Ifi67. The chancellor told him, " that he had not con-
""" tributed to the noise, nor had imparted it to his
" own children, till they with great trouble informed
" him, that they heard it from such and such per-
" sons," whom they named, " with some complaint
" that it was concealed from them : nor did he then
" come in hope to divert him from the resolution he
" had taken in the matter itself. " He said, " he had
" but two things to trouble him with. The first,
" that he would by no means suffer it to be believed
" that he himself was willing to deliver up the seal ;
" and that he should not think himself a gentleman,
" if he were willing to depart and withdraw himself
" from the office, in a time when he thought his
" majesty would have need of all honest men, and
" in which he thought he might be able to do him
" some service. The second, that he could not ac-
" knowledge this deprivation to be done in his fa-
" vour, or in order to do him good ; but on the con-
" trary, that he looked upon it as the greatest ruin
" he could undergo, by his majesty's own declaring
" his judgment upon him, which would amount to
" little less than a confirmation of those many lil>el-
" lous discourses which had been raised, and would
" upon the matter expose him to the rage and fury
" of the people, who had been with great artifice and
" industry persuaded to believe, that he had been
" the cause and the counsellor of all that they liked
" not. That he was so far from fearing the justice
" of the parliament, that he renounced his majesty's
" protection or interposition towards his preserva-
" tion : and that though the earl of Strafford had
" undergone a sentence he did* not deserve, yet he
" could not acknowledge their cases to be parallel.



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 289

" That though that great person had never com- 1CG7.

" mitted any offence that could amount to treason, ~

" yet he had done many things which he could not jus-

" tify, and which were transgressions against the law:

" whereas he was not guilty of any action, whereof

" he did not desire the law might be the judge.

" And if his majesty himself should discover all that

" he had said to him in secret, he feared not any

" censure that should attend it : if any body could

" charge him with any crime or offence, he would

" most willingly undergo the punishment that be-

" longed to it.

" But," he said, " he doubted very much, that the
" throwing off an old servant, who had served the
" crown in some trust near thirty years, (who had
" the honour by the command of his blessed father,
" who had left good evidence of the esteem he had
" of his fidelity, to wait upon his majesty when he
" went out of the kingdom, and by the great bless-
" ing of God had the honour to return with him
" again ; which no other counsellor alive could say,)
" on the sudden f , without any suggestion of a crime,
u nay, with a declaration of innocence, would call
" his majesty's justice and good-nature into ques-
" tion ; and men would not know how securely to
" serve him, when they should see it was in the
" power of three or four persons who had never
" done him any notable service, nor were in the
" opinion of those who knew them best like to do,
" to dispose him to so ungracious an act. "

The king seemed very much troubled and irre-
solute ; then repeated " the great power of the par-

1 on the sudden] should on a sudden
VOL. III. U



290 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. " liament, and the clear information he had of their

" " purposes, which they were resolved to go through

" with, right or wrong ; and that his own condition

" was such, that he could not dispute with them,

" but was upon the matter at their mercy. "

The chancellor told him, " it was not possible for
" his majesty to have any probable assurance what
" the parliament would do. And though he knew
" he had offended some of the house of commons, in
" opposing their desires in such particulars as his
" majesty thought were prejudicial to his service ;
" yet he did not doubt but his reputation was much
" greater in both houses, than either of theirs who
" were known to be his enemies, and to have this
" influence upon his majesty, who were all known
" to be guilty of some transgressions, which they
" would have been called in question for in parlia-
" ment, if he had not very industriously, out of the
" tenderness he had for his majesty's honour and
" service, prevented it ; somewhat whereof was not
" unknown to his majesty. " He concluded " with
" beseeching him, whatever resolution he took in
" his particular, not to suffer his spirits to fall, nor
" himself to be dejected with the apprehension of
" the formidable power of the parliament, which
" was more or less or nothing, as he pleased to make
" it : that it was yet in his own power to govern
" them; but if they found it was in theirs to go-
" vern him, nobody knew what the end would be. "
And thereupon he made him a short relation of the
method that was used in the time of Richard the
Second, " when they terrified the king with the
" power and the purposes of the parliament, till they
" brought him to consent to that from which he



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 291

" could not redeem himself, and without which they 1667.
" could have done him no harm. " And in the
warmth of this relation he found a seasonable op-
portunity to mention the lady with some reflections
and cautions, which he might more advisedly have
declined.

After two hours' discourse, the king rose without The king
saying any thing, but appeared not well pleased i n dispie'a?
with all that had been said ; and the duke of York sure '
found he was offended with the last part of it. The
garden, that used to be private, had now many in
it to observe the countenance of the king when he
came out of the room : and when the chancellor re-
turned, the lady, the lord Arlington, and Mr. May,
looked together out of her open window with great
gaiety and triumph, which all people observed.

Four or five days passed without any further pro-
ceedings, or the king's declaring his resolution : and
in that time the chancellor's concern was the only
argument of the court. Many of the council, and
other persons of honour and interest, presumed to
speak with the king, and to give a very good testi-
mony of him, of his unquestionable integrity, and of
his parts, and credit with the sober part of the na-
tion : and to those his majesty always commended
him, with professions of much kindness ; but said,
" he had made himself odious to the parliament,
" and so was no more capable to do him service. "
On the other side, the lady and lord Arlington, and
sir William Coventry, exceedingly triumphed, the
last of which openly and without reserve declared,
" that he had given the king advice to remove him
f( as a man odious to the parliament, and that the
" king would be ruined if he did it not ; that he

u 2



1667. " was so imperious, that he would endure no con-
~* " tradiction ;" with many other reproaches to that
purpose. But except those three, and Mr. May and
Mr. Brounker, there seemed none of name in the
court who wished that the resolution should be
pursued.

The duke The duke of York concerned himself wonderfully
teresuh! m-on the chancellor's behalf, and with as much warmth



as anv private gentleman could express on the be-
behaif. half O f jjjg f r i en d. He had great indignation at the
behaviour of sir William Coventry and Mr. Brounker,
that being his servants they should presume to shew
so much malice towards a person they knew he had
kindness for. And the former had so much sense
of it, that he resolved to quit the relation by which
he had got vast wealth, and came to him, and told
him, " that since he was commissioner for the trea-
" sury, he found he should not be able to attend his
" service so diligently as he ought to do ; and there-
" fore desired his highness's favour in l)is dismission,
" and that he would give him leave to commend an
" honest man to succeed him in his service:" to
which his highness shortly answered, " that he
" might dispose himself as he would, with which
" he was well content ; and that he would choose
" another secretary for himself without his recom-
" mendation. " And his highness presently went to
the chancellor, and informed him of it, with displea-
sure enough towards the man, and much satisfaction
that he was rid of him ; and asked him " whom he
" would recommend to him for a secretary. " He
told his highness, " that if he would trust his judg-
" ment, he would recommend a person to him, who
" he beb'eved was not unknown to him, and for



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 293

" whose parts and fidelity he would pass his word, 1667.
" having had good experience of both in his having ~
" served him as a secretary for the space of above
" seven years ;" and named Mr. Wren. The duke
said, " he knew him well, being a member of the
" Royal Company, where he often heard him speak
" very intelligently, and discerned him to be a man
" of very good parts, and therefore he would very
" willingly receive him ; and the rather, that he
" knew it would be looked upon as an evidence of
" his kindness to him, which he would always own
" and testify to all the world :" and within two days
after, he received him into his service with the
king's approbation, the gentleman's abilities being
very well known, and his person much loved.

In this suspension, the common argument was,
" that it was not now the question whether the
" chancellor was innocent ; but whether, when the
" king had so long resolved to remove him, and had
" now proceeded so far towards it, he should retract
" his resolution, and be governed by his brother : it
" was enough that he was not beloved, and that the
" court wished him removed. " And Mr. Brounker
openly declared, " that the resolution had been taken
" above two months before ; and that it would not
" consist with his majesty's honour to. be hectored
" out of it by his brother, who was wrought upon
" by his wife's crying. " And this kind of argu-
mentation was every moment inculcated by the lady
and her party : insomuch as when the duke made
his instances with all the importunity he could use,
and put his majesty in mind " of many discourses
" his majesty had formerly held with him, of the
" chancellor's honesty and discretion, conjuring him

u 3



294 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. " to love and esteem him accordingly, when his

~~ " highness had not so good an opinion of him ;" and

complained u , " that now he had found by good ex-

" perience that he deserved that character, his ma-

" jesty would withdraw his kindness from him, and

" rather believe others, who he knew were his ene-

" mies x , than his own judgment :" the king gave

no other answer, than " that he had proceeded too

" far to retire ; and that he should be looked upon

" as a child, if he receded from his purpose. "

uiiSkea ^ nc * so being reconfirmed, upon the 30th of

from the August in the year 1667 he sent secretary Morrice,

chancellor.

who had no mind to the employment, with a war-
rant under the sign manual, to require and receive
the great seal; which the chancellor immediately
delivered to him with all the expressions of duty to
the king. And as soon as the secretary had deli-
vered it to the king in his closet, Mr. May went
into the closet, and fell upon his knees, and kissed
his majesty's hand, telling him " that he was now
" king, which he had never been before. "

The chancellor believed that the storm had been
now over ; for he had not the least apprehension of
the displeasure of the parliament, or of any thing they
could say or do against him : yet he resolved to stay
at his house till it should meet, (without going thi-
ther, which he was informed would be ill taken,)
that he might not be thought to be afraid of being
questioned ; and then to retire into the country, and
to live there very privately. And there was a re-
port raised without any ground, that he intended to
go to the house of peers, and take his precedence as

u complaiqed] Not in MS. * his enemies] in his enemies.



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 295

chancellor, with which the king was much offended: 16<>7.
but as soon as he heard of it, he desired the lord ~
chamberlain to assure his majesty, " that he never
" intended any such thing, nor would ever do any
" thing that he believed would displease him ;" with
which he seemed well satisfied.

However, a new tempest was quickly raised
against him. Many persons of honour and quality
came every day to visit him with many expressions
of affection and esteem ; and most of the king's
servants, except only those few who had declared
themselves his enemies, still frequented his house
with the same kindness they had always professed :
but they were looked upon quickly with a very ill
countenance by the other party, and were plainly
told, " that the king would take it ill from all his
" servants who visited the chancellor ;" though when
some of them asked his majesty ; " whether their vi-
" siting him, to whom they had been formerly much
" beholden, would offend his majesty ;" he answer-
ed, " No, he had not forbid any man to visit him. "
Yet it appeared more every day, that they were best
looked on who forebore going to him, and the other
found themselves upon much disadvantage; by
which however many were not discouraged.

The chief prosecutors behaved themselves with
more insolence than was agreeable to their dis-
cretion : and the lord Arlington, who had long before
behaved himself with very little courtesy towards
all persons whom he believed to be well affected to
the chancellor, even towards ambassadors and other
foreign ministers, now when any of his friends came
to him for the despatch of business in his office,
asked them " when they saw the chancellor," and

u 4



296 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. bade them "go to him to put their business into a
" method. " The duke of Buckingham, who had
after his enlargement visited the chancellor, and
acknowledged the civilities he had received from
him, came now again to the court, and was received
with extraordinary grace by the king, and restored
The duke of to all the honours and offices of which he was de-
ham r* prived ; and was informed and assured, " that all
the proceedings which had been against him were
U p On the information and advice of the chan-
" cellor :" and whatever he had spoken in council
was told him in that manner (and without the true
circumstances) that might make most impression
on him.

One day whilst that matter was depending,
(which is not mentioned before,) the lord Arlington,
after he found the king had acquainted the chancel-
lor with the business, and shewed him the informa-
tion and examinations which had been taken, pro-
posed, there being more or the same witnesses to be
further examined, " that the chancellor might be
" present with the rest who had been formerly
" employed at their examining :" which the king
seeming to consent to, the other desired to be ex-
cused, " for that the office he held never used to be
" subject to those employments ;" and in the debate
added, " that if the testimony of witnesses made
" good all that was suggested, and the duke should
" be brought to a trial, it might probably fall out,
" that the king might command him to execute the
" office of high steward, as he had lately done in
" the trial of the lord Morley ; and in that respect
" it would be very incongruous for him to be
" present at the examinations. " The duke was now



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 297

informed, without any of the circumstances, that the 1 C67.
chancellor had said that he was to be high steward He is in _
at the trial of the duke. flamed t

against the

The duke, who always believed, and could not cliancellor 5
but upon the matter know, that the lord Arlington
(with whom he had enmity) had been very solicit-
ous in his prosecution, had, after his having visited
the chancellor, sent a friend, whom he thought he
would trust, to him, " to desire him to deal freely
" with him concerning the lord Arlington, whom he
" knew to be an enemy to both of them ; and that
" he must have him examined upon that conspiracy,
" which he hoped he would not take ill :" to which
he answered, "that he neither would nor could be
" examined concerning any thing that had been
" said or done in council ; but that he would, as his
" friend, and to prevent his exposing himself to any
" new inconvenience, very freely and faithfully as-
" sure him, that he did not believe that there had
" been any conspiracy against him, nor did know
" that the lord Arlington had done any thing in the
" prosecution, but what was according to the obli-
' gation and duty of his office ; which testimony,"
he said, " could proceed only from justice, since he
" well knew that lord did not wish him well. "
This answer, it seems, or the despair of drawing
any other from him to his purpose, disposed him to
give entire credit to the other information ; and the
king took great pains to reconcile him to the lord
Arlington, who made many vows to him of his fu-
ture service, and desired his protection: and here- Ami in-
upon the duke openly professed his resolution of J^ r * n
revenge, and frankly entered into the combination f]'J 1)rosecu ~



298 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. with the lord Arlington and sir William Coventry
~~ against the chancellor.

But the knowledge of all this did not give him
much trouble, (so much confidence he had in his
own innocence, and so little esteem of the credit and
interest of his enemies,) until he heard that the king

The king himself expressed great displeasure towards him,
and declared, " that he had misbehaved himself
" towards his majesty, and that he was so imperious

chancellor. that he wou \^ endure no contradiction ; that he
" had a faction in the house of commons, that op-
** posed every thing that concerned his majesty's
" service, if it were not recommended to them by
" him ; and that he had given him very ill advice
" concerning the parliament, which offended him
" most :" all which they to whom his majesty said
it divulged to others, that they might thereby
lessen the chancellor's credit and interest. It is very
true, they who had taken all advantages to alienate
the king's affections from him, had at first only pro-
posed his removal, " as a person odious to the parlia-
" ment, and whom they were resolved to impeach,
" which would put his majesty into a strait, either
" to renounce and ? desert an old servant, which
" would not be for his honour, or, by protecting
" him, to deprive himself of all those benefits which
" he expected from the parliament ; whereas the re-
" moving him would so gratify the houses, that
" they would deny nothing that his majesty should
** demand of them ;" and his majesty did believe it
the only way to preserve him. But when they

y and] or



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 299

had prevailed so far, and rendered themselves more 1667.
necessary to him, they prosecuted what they had
begun with more visible animosity, and told him,
" that if the parliament suspected that his majesty
" retained still any kindness towards him,, they
" would not be satisfied with his removal, but
" apprehend that he would be again received into
" his favour ; and he would in the mean time have
" so much credit in both houses, especially if he sat
" in the house of peers," which they undertook to
know he intended to do, " that he would be able to
" obstruct whatsoever his majesty desired : and
" therefore it was necessary that his majesty should
" upon all occasions declare, and that it should be
" believed, that he had so full a prejudice against
" him, that nobody should have cause to fear, that
" he would ever again be received into any trust. "
And this disposed his majesty to discourse to many
in that manner that is before set down.

And when the duke of York lamented to his
majesty the reports which were generally spread
abroad, of the discourses which he made to many
persons of the chancellor's misbehaviour towards
himself, and his own displeasure against him ; the
king denied many of the particulars, as that con-
cerning his ill counsel against the parliament, which
he denied to have spoken : but said withal, " that if
" the chancellor had done as he advised him, and
" delivered up the seal to him as of his own inclina-
" tion, all would have been quiet. But since he in-
" sisted so much upon it, arid compelled him to send
" for it in that manner, he was obliged in the vindi-
" cation of his honour to give some reasons for
" what he had done, when other men took upon



300 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1667. " them so loudly to commend the chancellor, and to



" justify his innocence, not without some reflection
" upon his own honour and justice, which he could
* not but take very ill : but he should not suffer,"
he said, . " for what other men did, and that he
" would use his two sons as kindly as ever he had
" done. " And it must be always acknowledged,
that though great importunity was used to his ma-
jesty, to discharge his two sons from his service, as
a thing necessary by all the rules of policy, not to
suffer the sons to remain so near his person, when
their father lay under so notorious a brand of his
displeasure, (in which they believed they had so far
prevailed, that they took upon them to promise
their places to other men :) yet z the king positively
refused to yield to them, and continued his favour
still to them both in the same manner he had done.
And though he was long after persuaded to suspend
his eldest son from waiting, under which cloud he
continued for many months, yet at last he was re-
stored to his place with circumstances of extra-
ordinary favour and grace : nor did his majesty
afterwards recede from his goodness towards either
of them, notwithstanding all the attempts which
were made.

The pariiii- The parliament met upon the 10th of October,
mt: the when the king in a short speech told them, "that
kiog reflects there had been some former miscarriages, which

on the

chancellor, tt had occasioned some differences between him and
" them : but that he had now altered his counsels,
" and made no question but that they should hence-
M forward agree, for he was resolved to give them

yet] but



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 301

" all satisfaction; and did not doubt but that they 1GG7.
" would supply his necessities, and provide for the ~~
" payment of his debts ;" with an insinuation, " that
" what had been formerly done amiss had been by
" the advice of the person whom he had removed
" from his counsels, and with whom he should not
" hereafter advise. "

When the house of commons came together, one unfair me-

m i r> M -i ^thods used

1 omkins, a man of very contemptible parts and of to induce
worse manners, (who used to be encouraged by mento^^ 8 * 1
of design to set some motion on foot, which they the kmg for

J removing

thought not fit to appear in themselves till they dis- hinl -
cerned how it would take,) moved the house, " that
" they might send a message of thanks to the king
" for his gracious expressions, and for the many
" good things which he had done, and particularly
" for his removing the chancellor ;" which was se-
conded by two or three, but rejected by the house
as a thing unreasonable for them who knew not the
motives which had disposed his majesty : and so a
committee was appointed to prepare such a message
as might be fit for them to send. And the house
of lords a the same day sent to the king, without con-
sulting with the house of commons, to give his ma-
jesty thanks for the speech he had made to them in
the morning, which commonly used to be done.
The king declared himself very much offended that
the proposition in the house of commons for return-
ing thanks to him had not succeeded, and more that
it had been opposed by many of his own servants ;
and commanded them " to press and renew the mo-
" tion : that his honour was concerned in it ; and

a lords] commons by mistake in MS.



302 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1GG7. " therefore he would expect thanks, and would take
" it very ill of any of his own servants who refused
" to concur in it. " Hereupon it was again moved :
but notwithstanding all the labour that had been
used contrary to all custom and privilege of par-
liament, the question held six hours' debate, very
many speaking against the injustice and irregularity
of it ; they on th6 other side urging the king's ex-
pectation of it. In the end, the question being put,
it was believed the noes were b the greater number :
but the division of the house was not urged for
many reasons ; and so the vote was sent to the
house of lords, who were desired to concur with
them.

But it had there a greater contradiction. They had
already returned their thanks to the king ; and now
to send again, and to add any particular to it, would
be very incongruous and without any precedent :
and therefore they would not concur in it. This
obstinacy very much displeased the king: and he
was persuaded by those who had hitherto prevailed
with him, to believe that this contradiction, if he
did not master it, would run through all his busi-
ness that should be brought into that house. Where-
upon his majesty reproached many of the lords for
presuming to oppose and cross what was so abso-
lutely necessary for his service : and sent to the
archbishop of Canterbury, " that he should in his
" majesty's name command all the bishops' bench to
" concur in it ; and if they should refuse it, he would
" make them repent it ;" with many other very se-
vere reprehensions and animadversions. This being

b were] to be



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 303

done in so extraordinary a manner, the duke of 1GG7.
York told his majesty, " how much it was spoken of"
" and wondered at :" to which his majesty replied,
" that his honour was engaged, and that he w r ould
" not be satisfied, if thanks were not returned to
" him by both houses ; and that it should go the
" worse for the chancellor if his friends opposed it. "
And he commanded his royal highness that he
should not cross it, but was contented to dispense
with his attendance, and gave him leave to be ab-
sent from the debate ; which liberty many others
likewise took : and so when it was again moved,
though it was still confidently opposed, it was car-
ried by a major part, many c being absent.

And so both houses attended the king and gave
him thanks, which his majesty graciously received
as a boon he looked for, and said somewhat that im-
plied that he was much displeased with the chancel-
lor ; of which some men thought they were to make
the best use they could. And therefore, after the
king's answer was reported to the house of peers, as
of course whatsoever the king says upon any mes-
sage is always reported, it was proposed, " that the
" king's answer might be entered into the Journal
" Book ;" which was rejected, as not usual, even
when the king himself spoke to both houses : nor
was what he now said entered in the house of com-
mons. However, when they had consulted to-
gether, finding d that they had not yet so particular
a record of the displeasure against the chancellor,
as what he had said upon this message did amount
unto, they moved the house again, " that it might

c many] and many d finding] they found



304 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

C67. " be entered in the book :" and it was again reject-
ed. All which would not serve the turn ; but the
duke of Buckingham a third time moved it, as
a tiling the king expected : and thereupon it was
entered.

And his majesty now declared to his brother and
to many of the lords, " that he had now all he de-
*' sired, and that there should be no more done to
" the chancellor. " And without doubt the king
had not at this time a purpose to give any further
countenance to the animosity of his enemies, who
thought that what was already done was too easy
a composition, and told his majesty, " that, if he
" were not prosecuted further, he would gain repu-
" tation by it : for that the manner in which all
" votes had been yet carried was rather a vindication
" than censure of him ; and he would shortly come
" to the house with more credit to do mischief, and
" to obstruct whatsoever related to his service.
" But that such things would be found against him,
" as soon as men were satisfied that his majesty
" had totally deserted him, (which yet they were
" not,) that he would have no more credit to do
Persons " good or harm. " Hereupon there were several ca-
entered into, who invited and sent for persons



matter of Q f a jj conditions, who had had any business depend-

iin peach-

ment n- ing before the chancellor, or charters passed the

gainst him. .

seal ; and examined them whether he had not re-
ceived money from them, or they were otherwise
grieved by him, promising that they should receive
ample reparation.

The duke of Buckingham, and some others with
him, sent for sir Robert Harlow, who had the year
before gone to the Barbadoes with the lord Wil-



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 305

loughby, who had much friendship for him ; yet J667.
after they came thither, they grew unsatisfied with
each other to that degree, that the lord Willoughby,
who was governor of those islands, removed him
from the office he had conferred on him, and sent
him by the next shipping into England ; where he
arrived full of vexation for the treatment he had re-
ceived, and willing to embrace any opportunity to
be revenged on the governor. Him the duke of
Buckingham sent for, who he knew was privy to all
the lord Willoughby 's counsels, and asked him,
" what money the lord Willoughby had given the
" chancellor for that government," (for it was well
known that the chancellor had been his chief friend
in procuring that government for him, and in dis-
countenancing and suppressing those who in Eng-
land or in the islands had complained of him,) " and
" what money he had received from those islands ;
" and that it was probable that he had some in-
" fluence upon the lord Willoughby towards the dis-
" grace himself had undergone :" and added, " that
" he would do the king a very acceptable service, in
" discovering any thing of the chancellor's miscar-
" riages, of which his majesty himself knew so
" much. " To which the gentleman answered, "that
" he had no obligation to the chancellor that would
" restrain him from declaring any thing that might
" be to his prejudice ; but that he was not able to
" do it : nor did he believe that he had ever receiv-
" ed any money from the lord Willoughby or from
" the islands. " And this kind of artifice and inqui-
sition was used to examine all his actions ; and they
who were known to be any way offended with him,
or disobliged by him, were most welcome to them.
VOL. in. x



306 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. After many days spent in such close contrivances
Mr. sey-' an d combinations, Mr. Seymour, a young man of
mour ac- great confidence and boldness, stood up in the house

cuses him

of high of commons, and spake long and with great bitter-
treason in
the bouse ness against the chancellor, and " of his great cor-

mom " ruption in many particulars, by which," he said,
" he had gotten a vast estate. That he had receiv-
" ed great sums of money from Ireland, for making
" a settlement that every body complained of, and
" that left that kingdom in as great distraction as
" ever it had been. That he had gotten great sums
" of money indirectly and corruptly from the planta-
" tions, the governments whereof he had disposed ;
" by preferments in the law and in the church ;
" and for the passing of charters : and that he had
" received four thousand pounds from the Canary
" company for the establishing that company, which
" was so great and general a grievance to the king-
" dom. And, which was above all this, that he
*' had traitorously persuaded, or endeavoured to
" persuade, the king to dissolve the parliament, and
" to govern by a standing army ; and that he had
" said, that four hundred country gentlemen were
" only fit to give money, and did not understand
" how an invasion was to be resisted. " He men-
tioned many other odious particulars, " which," he
said, "he would prove," and therefore proposed,
" that they would presently send up to the lords
" to accuse him of high treason, and require that
" his person might be secured. " Some others se-
conded him with very bitter invectives : and as
many gave another kind of testimony, and many
reasons which made it improbable that he could be
guilty of so many heinous crimes ; and " that it



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON.
SOT

" would be unreasonable that he should be accused 1 667.
** of high treason by the house, before such proofs
" should be presented to them of crimes, that they
" had reason to believe him guilty. " And so after
many hours' debate, what they proposed for the
present accusing him was rejected, arid a committee
appointed to consider of all particulars which should
be presented against him ; " upon reporting whereof
*' to the house, it would give such further order as
" should be just. "

The confident averment of so many particulars,
and the so positively naming the particular sums of
money which he had received, with circumstances
not likely to be feigned ; and especially the mention-
ing of many things spoken in council, "which," they
said, " would be proved by privy counsellors ;" and
other particular advices given in private to the king
himself, " which," they implied, and confidently af-
firmed in private, "the king himself would acknow-
" ledge ;" made that impression upon many who
had no ill opinion of the chancellor, and upon others
who had always thought well of him, and had in
truth kindness for him, that of both sorts several
messages of advice were secretly sent to him, "thatManyad-
" he would preserve his life by making an escape, make'hu
" and transporting himself into foreign parts; f O r esca i >( '
" that it was not probable there could be so extreme
" and violent a prosecution, if they had not such
" evidence against him as would compass their
" ends. " To all which he answered. " that he winch he
" would not give his enemies that advantage as to 0i " M
" fly from them : and in the mean time desired his
" friends to retain the good opinion they had always
" had of him, until they heard somewhat proved

x 2



308 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. " that would make him unworthy of it; and then
""" he would be well contented they should withdraw
" it. " And it appeared afterwards, that though
some of his good friends had advised that he should
secure himself by flight, it proceeded from the ad-
vertisements that they had received through other
hands, which came originally from his chiefest ene-
mies, who desired that he might appear to be guilty
by avoiding a trial ; and who confidently informed
many men, " that the impeachment was ready, and
" had been perused by the king, and that his ma-
" jesty had with his hand struck out an article
" which related to the queen's marriage, and another
" that concerned the marriage of the duke ; but that
" there was enough left to do the business; and that
" the duke of Buckingham should be made high
" steward for the trial. "

These reports, being spread abroad, wrought
- upon the duke to desire the king, " that he would
in " " let him know what he did intend ; and whether

i

" he desired to have the chancellor's life, or that he
" should be condemned to perpetual imprisonment :"
to which his majesty protested, " that he would
" have neither, but was well satisfied ; and that he
" was resolved to stop all further prosecution
" against him," which his majesty likewise said to
many others. The duke then asked the king,
" whether the chancellor had ever given him coun-
" sel to govern by an army, or any thing like it ;
" which," he said, " was so contrary to his humour,
" and to the professions which he had always made,
" and the advices he had given him, that if he were
" guilty of it, he should doubt his sincerity in all
" other things :" to which his majesty answered,



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 309

" that he had never given him such counsel in his 1667.
" life; but, on the contrary, his fault was, that he~~
" always insisted too much upon the law. " Where-
upon his royal highness asked him, " whether he
" would give him leave to say so to others;" and his
majesty replied, " with all his heart. "

The duke then told it to his secretary Mr. Wren,
and to many other persons, and wished them to
publish it upon any occasion : upon which it was
spread abroad, and Mr. Wren informed many of the
members of the house of commons of all that had
passed between the king and the duke in that dis-
course ; which so much disheartened the violent
prosecutors, that when the committee met that was
to present the heads of a charge against him to the
house, nobody appeared to give any evidence, so that
they adjourned without doing any thing. Here-
upon sir Thomas Osborne, a dependant and creature
of the duke of Buckingham, and who had told
many persons in the country before the parliament
met, " that the chancellor would be accused of high
" treason ; and if he were not hanged, he would be
" hanged himself;" this gentleman went to the king,
and informed him what Mr. Wren confidently re-
ported in all places, " which very much dissatisfied
" that party that desired to do him service ; so that
" they knew not how to behave themselves :" to
which his majesty answered, " that Wren was a which he
" lying fellow, and that he had never held any such
" discourse with his brother. " This gave them
new courage, and they resolved to call Mr. Wren to
an account for traducing the king. And his majesty
expostulated with the duke for what Mr. Wren had
so publicly discoursed : and his highness declared,

x 3



310 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. " that Mr. Wren had pursued his order, his majesty
" having not only said all that was reported, but
" having 6 given him leave to divulge it ;** to which
the king made no other answer, "but that he
** should be hereafter more careful of f what he said
" to him. "

All this begat new pauses, and no advance was K
made in many days ; so that it was generally l>eliev-
ed that there would be no further prosecution : but
the old argument, that they were gone too far to re-
tire, had now more force, because many members of
both houses were now joined to the party in declar-
ing against the chancellor, who would think them-
selves to be betrayed and deserted, if no more
should be done against him. And hereupon the
committee was again revived, that was appointed to
prepare heads for a charge, which sat many days,
there being little debate upon the matter ; for such
of the committee, who knew him well, were so well
pleased to find him accused of nothing but what all
the world did believe him not guilty of, that they h
thought they could not do him more right, than to
suffer all that was offered to pass, since there
appeared no person that offered to make proof of
any particular that was suggested. But three or
four members of the house brought several papers,
containing particulars, " which," they said, " would
" be proved :" all which they reported to the
house.

The heads were ;

I. " That the chancellor had traitorously, about



e having] had s was] Not in MS.

' of] Not in MS. h that they] Not in MS.



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 311

" the month of June last, advised the king to dis- 1667.
" solve the parliament, and said there could be no Arlides of
" further use of parliaments; that it was a foolish the . clm . r ? e

against him.

" constitution, and not fit to govern by ; and that it
" could not be imagined, that three or four hundred
" country gentlemen could be either prudent men
" or statesmen : and that it would be best for the
" king to raise a standing army, arid to govern by
" that ; whereupon it being demanded how that
" army should be maintained, he answered, by con-
" tribution and free quarter, as the last king main-
" tained his army in the war.

II. " That he had, in the hearing of several per-
" sons, reported, that the king was a papist in his
" heart, or popishly affected, or had used words to
" that effect.

III. " That he had advised the king to grant
" a charter to the Canary company, for which he
" had received great sums of money.

IV. " That he had raised great sums of money
" by the sale of offices which ought not to be sold,
" and granted injunctions to stop proceedings at
" law, and dissolved them afterwards for money.

V. " That he had introduced an arbitrary go-
" vernment into his majesty's several plantations,
" and had caused such as had complained to his
" majesty and privy-council of it to be imprisoned
" long for their presumption ; and that he had frus-
<f trated and rejected a proposition that had been
" made for the preservation of Nevis and St. Chris-
" topher's, and for the reducing the French planta-
" tions to his majesty's obedience.

VI. " That he had caused quo warrantos to be
" issued out against most corporations in England,

x 4



312 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1607. " although the charters were newly confirmed by
~ " act of parliament, till they paid him good sums of
" money, and then the quo warrantor were dis-
" charged.

VII. " That he had received great sums of mo-
" ney for the settlement of Ireland.

VIII. " That he had deluded the king and be-
" trayed the nation in all foreign treaties and nego-
" tiations, especially concerning the late war.

IX. " That he had procured his majesty's customs
" to be farmed at underrates, knowing them to be
" so ; and caused many pretended debts to be paid
" by his majesty, to the payment whereof his ma-
" jesty was not in strictness bound ; for all which
" he had received great sums of money.

X. " That he had received bribes from the com-
'* pany of vintners, that they might continue the
" prices of their wines, and might be freed from the
" penalties which they were liable to.

XI. " That he had raised in a short time a
" greater estate than could be lawfully got ; and
" that he had gotten the grant of several of the
" crown lands contrary to his duty.

XII. " That he had advised and effected the
" sale of Dunkirk to the French king, for less
" money than the ammunition, artillery, and stores
" were worth.

XIII. " That he had caused the king's letters
" under the great seal to one Dr. Crowther to
** be altered, and the enrolment thereof to be
" rased.

XIV. " That he had in an arbitrary way ex-
" amined and drawn into question divers of his ma-
" jesty 's subjects concerning their lands and proper-



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 313

" ties, and determined thereof at the council-table, 1667.
" and stopped the proceedings at law, anid threatened ~~
" some that pleaded the statute of 17 Car.

XV. " That he was a principal author of that
" fatal counsel of dividing the fleet in June 1666. "

The committee reported another article for his
charge, which was, " that he had kept corre-
" spondence with Cromwell during the time of the
" king's being beyond the seas, and had sent over
" his secretary to him, who was shut up with him
*" for -many hours :" but there were many members
of the house, who wished it had been true, knew
well enough that foolish calumny had been examined
at Paris during the time that his majesty resided
there, when persons of the highest degree were very
desirous to have kindled a jealousy in the king of
the chancellor's fidelity ; and that the scandal ap-
peared so gross and impossible, that his majesty had
then published a full vindication of his innocence ;
with a further declaration, " that when it should
" please God to restore him to his own dominions,
" he should receive such further justice and repara-
" tion, as the laws would enable him to procure. "
And it was well known to divers of the members
present, that the persons who were suborned in that
conspiracy had acknowledged it since the king's re-
turn ; and the persons themselves who had suborned
them had confessed it, and begged the chancellor's
pardon : of all which his majesty had been particu-
larly and fully informed. And that it might be no
more ripped up or looked into, they seemed to reject
it as being included under the act of indemnity,
which they would have left him to have pleaded for



314 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. the infamy of it, if they had not very well known
~ the grossness of the scandal.

Though the fierceness of the malice that was con-
tracted against him was enough known and taken
notice of, yet the heads for the charge, which upon
so much deliberation were prepared and offered to
the house against him, were of such a nature, that
all men present did in their own conscience acquit
him : and therefore it was generally believed the
prosecutors would rather have acquiesced with what
they had done to blast his reputation, than have
proceeded further, to bring him to answer for him-
self. But they had gone too far to retire. And
they who had first wrought upon the king, only by
persuading him, " that there was so universal a
" hatred against the chancellor, that the parliament
" would the first day accuse him of high treason ;
" and that the removing him from his office was the
" only way to preserve him, except he would in
" such a conjuncture, and when he had so much
" need of the parliament, sacrifice all his interest
" for the protection of the chancellor," (and this was
the sole motive that had prevailed with him, as his
majesty not only assured him the last time he spake
with him, with many gracious expressions, but at
large expressed it to very many persons of honour,
who endeavoured to dissuade him from pursuing
that counsel, " that it was the only expedient for
" the chancellor's preservation," with as great a
testimony of his integrity and the services he had
done him as could be given :) the same men now
The kmg importuned him, " to prosecute with all his power,
an( j to j et those of his servants and others who



to encou-



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 315

" regarded his commands know, that they could not 1667.
" serve him and the chancellor together ; and that ra ,, e the
" he should look upon their adhering to him as the P rosecutlon -
" abandoning his majesty's service. That the chan-
" cellor had so great a faction in both houses, that
" no proposition on his majesty's behalf would have
" effect ; and that he would shortly come to the
" house of peers, and obstruct all proceedings there. "

This prevailed so far, that they resumed their proceedings
former courage, and pressed " that he might be ac- f t f t
' cused by the house of commons of high treason : [ c n s m ~
" upon which the lords would presently commit him
" to the Tower : and then nobody would have any
" longer apprehension of his power to do hurt. "
Hereupon they resolved again to consider the several
heads of the charge they had provided, to see if
they could find any one upon which they could
ground an accusation of high treason. They spent
a whole day upon the first head, which they thought
contained enough to do their work, it containing
the most unpopular and ungracious reproach that
any man could lie under ; " that he had designed a
" standing army to be raised, and to govern the
" kingdom thereby ; he advised the king to dissolve
" the present parliament, to lay aside all thoughts of
" parliaments for the future, to govern by military
" power, and to maintain the same by free quarter
" and contribution. "

The chancellor had been bred of the gown ; and
in the first war, in which the last king had been in-
volved by a powerful rebellion, was known always to
have advanced and embraced all overtures towards
peace. Since the king's return he laboured nothing
more, than that his majesty might enter into a firm



316 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. peace with all his neighbours, as most necessary for
""the reducing his own dominions into that temper of
subjection and obedience, as they ought to be in. It
was notorious to all men, that he had most passion-
ately dissuaded the war with Holland, with much
disadvantage to himself; and that no man had taken
so much pains as he to bring the present peace to
pass, which at that time was grateful to all degrees
of men : and, in a word, that he had no manner of
interest or credit with the soldiers ; but was looked
upon by them all, as an enemy to the privileges
which they required, of being exempted from the
ordinary rules of justice, in which he always op-
posed them.

But let the improbability of this charge be what
it would, there were persons of the "house who pre-
tended that it should be fully proved ; and so the
question was only, " whether upon it they should
" charge him with an accusation of treason :" and
after a debate of eight hours, it was declared by all
the lawyers of the house, " that how foul soever the
" charge seemed to be, yet it contained no high
" treason ;" and in that conclusion they at last con-
curred who were most relied upon to support the
accusation. But when the speaker directed the
order to be drawn, " that the earl of Clarendon
" should not be accused of high treason," it was al-
leged, that the order was only to relate to that first
head ; some men declaring, " that though that ar-
" tide had missed him, yet there were others which
" would hit him :" and so the night being come, the
farther debate was adjourned to another day.

When the day appointed came, (in which interval
all imaginable pains and arts were used, by threats



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 317

and promises, to allure and terrify as many as could J667.
be wrought upon, either to be against the chancel- ~
lor, or to be absent at the next debate that con-
cerned him,) upon reading the several other heads
as they had been presented from the committee, it
appeared to all men, that though all that was alleged
were proved, the whole would not amount to make
him guilty of high treason. And they got no ground
by throwing aspersions upon him upon the several
arguments, which they did with extraordinary li-
cense who were known to be his enemies ; for there-
by other men of much better reputations, and who
had no relation to the chancellor, took occasion to
answer and contradict their calumnies, and to give
him such a testimony, as made him another man
than they would have him understood to be ; and
their testimony had more credit : so that they de-
clined the pursuit of that license, and intended
wholly the discovery of the treason, since no other
accusation would serve their turn.

When they had examined all their store, they
pitched at last upon that head, " that he had de-
" luded and betrayed his majesty and the nation in
" all foreign treaties and negotiations relating to the
" late war :" which when read and considered, it was
said, " that in those general expressions there was
" not enough contained upon which they could ac-
" cuse him of high treason, except it were added,
" that being a privy counsellor, he had discovered
" the king's secret counsels to the enemy. " Which
was no sooner said, than a young confident man,
the lord Vaughan, son to the earl of Carbery, a per-
son of as ill a face as fame, his looks and his man-
ners both extreme bad, asked for the paper that had



318 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFK OF

lfiG7. been presented from the committee, and with his

""own hand entered into that place those words, " that

" being a privy counsellor he had discovered the

" king's secrets to the enemy," which he said he

would prove ; whilst many others whispered into the

ears of those who sat next to them, " that he had

" discovered all the secret resolutions to the king of

" France, which," they said, " was the ground of

" the king's displeasure towards him. " Upon ' this

confident insinuation from persons who were near

the person of his majesty, and known to have much

credit with him ; and the positive averment by a

member, " that the disclosing the king's secrets to the

" enemy," which nobody could deny to be treason,

" would be positively and fully proved against him,"

and the rather because no man believed it to be

true; it was voted, " that they should impeach

" him of high treason in the usual manner to the

Mr. Sey- " house of peers. " Whereupon Mr. Seymour, who

CUSM MM had appeared very violent against him, was sent up

treuwi at to tne l r ds ; and at the bar he accused Edward earl

the bar of of Clarendon of high treason and other crimes and

the house

of lords, misdemeanours, and desired " that he might be se-

" questered from that house, and his person secured. "

Debate* in And as soon as he was withdrawn, some of the

that house i i

concerning lords moved, " that he might be sent for : and now
the warmth that had been so long within the walls
of the house of commons appeared in the house of
peers. Many of the lords, who were not thought
much inclined to the person of the chancellor, re-
presented, " that k the consequence of such a pro-
" ceeding would reflect to the prejudice of every one

' Upon] Omitted in MS. *> that] Not in JI/. 9.



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 319

" of the peers. If upon a general accusation from 1 667.
" the house of commons of high treason, without ~
" mentioning any particular, they should be obliged
" to commit any peer ; any member that house should
" be offended with, how unjustly soever, might be
" removed from the body : which would be a greater
" disadvantage than the members of the house of
" commons were liable to. " And therefore they ad-
vised, " that they should for answer let the house
" of commons know, that they would not commit
" the earl of Clarendon until some particular charge
" was exhibited against him. "

On the other side, it was urged with much pas-
sion, " that they ought to comply with the house of
" commons in satisfying their requests, according to
" former precedents :" and the case of the earl of
Strafford, and some other cases in that parliament,
were cited ; which gave those who were of another
mind opportunity to inveigh against that time, and
the accursed precedents thereof, which had produced
so many and great mischiefs to the kingdom. They
put them in mind, " that they had committed eleven
" bishops at one time for high treason, only that
" they might be removed from the house, whilst a
" bill passed against their having votes any more in
" that house, which was no sooner passed than they
" were set at liberty ; which had brought great
" scandal and l great reproach upon the honour and
" justice of the parliament : and that both those bills,
" for the attainder of the earl of Strafford and for the
" excluding the bishops out of the house of peers,
" stand at present repealed by the wisdom and an-

1 and] and brought



320 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. " thority of this parliament. " In a word, after many
hours' debate with much passion, either side ad-
hering obstinately to their opinion, no resolution
was taken ; but the house adjourned, without so
much as putting the question, to the next day.

From the time of the parliament's coming together,
and after the king's displeasure was generally taken
notice of, many of the chancellor's friends advised
him to withdraw, and transport himself into foreign
parts ; and some very near the king, and who were
witnesses of the very great displeasure his majesty
every day expressed towards him, were of the same
opinion : but he positively refused so to do, and re-
solved to trust to his innocence, which he was sure
must appear.

Differences The debate continued still between the two houses,
the houses, which would entertain no other business : the house
of commons in frequent conferences demanding the
commitment of the chancellor ; and the major part
of the house of peers, notwithstanding all the indi-
rect prosecution and interposition from the court,
remaining as resolved not to commit him. In this
unhappy conjuncture, the duke of York, who ex-
pressed great affection and concernment for the
chancellor, fell sick of the smallpox ; which proved
of great disadvantage to him. For not only many
of the peers who were before restrained by their re-
spect to him, and supported by his countenance in
the debates, either' changed their minds, or absented
themselves from the house; but the general, who
had always professed great friendship to the chan-
cellor, who had deserved very well from him, and
had endeavoured to dissuade the king from with-
drawing his favour from him with all possible im-



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 321

portunity, was now changed by the unruly humour
of his wife, and the frequent instances of the king;
and made it his business to solicit and dispose the
members of both houses, with many of whom he had
great credit, "no longer to adhere to the chancellor,
" since the king resolved to ruin him, and would
" look upon all who were his friends as enemies to
" his majesty. " Notwithstanding all which, the
major part by much of the house of peers continued
still firm against his commitment : with which the
king was so offended, that there were secret con-
sultations of sending a guard of soldiers, by the ge-
neral's authority, to take the chancellor out of his
house, and to send him to the Tower ; whither di-
rections were already sent what lodging he should
have, and caution given to the lieutenant of the
Tower, who was thought to have too much respect
for the chancellor, " that he should not treat him
" with more civility than he did other prisoners. "

He had many friends of the council and near the The
king, who advertised him of those and all other in- ag ain ad.
trigues, and thereupon renewed their importunity
that he would make his escape ; and some of them
undertook to know, and without question did be-
lieve, " that his withdrawing would be grateful to
" the king," who every day grew more incensed
against him, for the obstinacy his friends in both
houses expressed on his behalf. They urged " the
" ill condition he must in a short time be reduced
" to, wherein his innocence would not secure him ;
" for it was evident that his enemies had no purpose
" or thought of bringing him to a trial, but to keep
" him always -in prison, which they would in the
" end one way or other bring to pass : whereas he

VOL. III. Y



322 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. " might now easily transport himself, and avoid all
""" the other inconveniences. " And they undertook
to know, " that if he were gone, there would be no
" further proceeding against him. "

There could not be a more terrifying or prevalent
argument used towards his withdrawing, than that
of a prison ; the thought and apprehension where-
of was more grievous to him than of death itself,
which he was confident would quickly be the effect
But refuse*, of the other. However, he very resolutely refused
to follow their advice ; and urged to them '" the ad-
" vantage he should give his enemies, and the dis-
" honour he should bring upon himself, by flying, in
" having his integrity condemned, if he had not the
" confidence to defend it. " He said, " he could now
" appear, wherever 'he should be required, with an
" honest countenance, and the courage of an inno-
" cent man : but if he should be apprehended in a
" disguise running away, which he could not but
" expect by the vigilance of his enemies, (since he
" could not make any journey by land, being at that
" time very weak and infirm,) he should be very
k * much out of countenance, and should be exposed
" to public scorn and contempt. And if he should
" make his escape into foreign parts, it would not
" be reasonable to expect or imagine that his ene-
" mies, who had so far aliened the king's affection
" from him, and in spite of his innocence prevailed
" thus far, would want power to prosecute the ad-
" vantage they should get by his flight, which would
" be interpreted as a confession of his guilt ; and
" thereupon they would procure such proceedings
" in the parliament, as might ruin both his fortune
" and his fame. "



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 323

His friends, how unsatisfied soever with his reso- 1667.
lution, acquiesced for the present, after having first"
prevailed with him to write himself to the king;
which he did, though without any hope that it
would make any impression upon him. He could
not comprehend or imagine from what fountain, ex-
cept the power of the great lady with the conjunc-
tion of his known enemies, which had been long
without that effect, that fierceness of his majesty's
displeasure could proceed. He had, before this Thekin s

1 . offended

storm fell upon him, been informed by a person of with him
honour who knew the truth of it, " that some per- duke of >e



" sons had persuaded the king, that the
" lor had a principal hand in the marriage of
" the duke of Richmond, with which his majesty
" was offended in the highest degree : and the
" lord Berkley had reported it with all confi-
" dence. " Whereupon the chancellor had expostu-
lated with the lord Berkley, whom he knew to be
his secret enemy, though no man made more out-
ward professions to him : but he denied he had re-
ported any such thing. And then he took notice to
the king himself of the discourse, and desired to
know, " whether any such story had been represent-
" ed to his majesty, since there was not the least
" shadow of truth in it :" to which the king an-
swered with some dryness, " that no such thing had
" been told to him. " Yet now he was assured,
"that that business 'stuck most with his majesty,
" and that from that suggestion his enemies had
" gotten credit to do him the worst offices ; and his
" majesty complained much of the insolence with
" which he used to treat him in the agitation and
" debate of business, if he differed from him in

Y 2



384 CQNTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. " opinion. *' Upon these reasons he writ this letter
- in his own hand to the king, which was delivered to
him by the lord keeper, who was willing to perform
that office. The letter was in these words.

" May it please your majesty m ,

His letter to " I am so broken under the daily insupport-
ufat " able instances of your majesty's terrible displea-



" wish. The crimes which are objected against me,
" how passionately soever pursued, and with cir-
" cumstances very unusual, do not in the least de-
" gree fright me. God knows I am innocent in
" every particular as I ought to be ; and I hope
" your majesty knows enough of me to believe that
" I had never a violent appetite for money, that
" could corrupt me. But, alas ! your majesty's de-
" clared anger and indignation deprives me of the
" comfort and support even of my own innocence,
" and exposes me to the rage and fury of those who
" have some excuse for being my enemies ; whom I
" have sometimes displeased, when (and only then)
" your majesty believed them not to be your friends.
" I hope they may be changed ; I am sure I am
" not, but have the same duty, passion, and affection
" for you, that I had when you thought it most un-
" questionable, and which was and is as great as
" ever man had for any mortal creature. I should
" die in peace, (and truly I do heartily wish that
" God Almighty would free you from further trou-



m May it please your ma- Laurence first earl of Roches-
jesty, &c. ] This letter is in the ter.
handwriting of his lordship's son



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 325

" ble, by taking me to himself,) if I could know or
" guess at the ground of your displeasure, which I
" am sure must proceed from your believing, that I
" have said or done somewhat I have neither said
tf nor n done. If it be for any thing my lord Berkley
" hath reported, which I know he hath said to many,
" though being charged with it by me he did as po-
" sitively disclaim it; I am as innocent in that whole
" affair, and gave no more advice or counsel or coun-
" tenance in it, than the child that is not born :
" which your majesty seemed once to believe, when I
" took notice to you of the report, and when you con-
" sidered how totally I was a stranger to the persons
" mentioned, to either of whom I never spake word,
" or received message from either in my life. And
" this I protest to your majesty is true, as I have
" hope in heaven : and that I have never wilfully
" offended your majesty in my life, and do upon my
" knees beg your pardon for any over-bold or saucy
" expressions I have ever used to you ; which, being
" a natural disease in old servants who have received
" too much countenance, I am sure hath always pro-
" ceeded from the zeal and warmth of the most sin-
" cere affection and duty.

" I hope your majesty believes, that the sharp
" chastisement I have received from the best-na-
" tured and most bountiful master in the world, and
" whose kindness alone made my condition these
" many years supportable, hath enough mortified me
" as to this world; and that I have not the presump-
" tion or the madness to imagine or desire ever to

n nor] or not] now

Y 3



326 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. " be admitted to any employment or trust again.
~~" But I do most humbly beseech your majesty, by
" the memory of your father, who recommended me
" to you with some testimony, and by your own gra-
" cious reflection upon some one service I may have
" performed in my life, that hath been acceptable to
" you ; that you will by your royal power and in-
" terposition put a stop to this severe prosecution
" against me, and that my concernment may give
" no longer interruption to the great affairs of the
" kingdom ; but that I may spend the small remain-
" der of my life, which cannot hold long, in some
" parts beyond the seas, never to return ; where
" I will pray for your majesty, and never suffer
" the least diminution in the duty and obedience

"of,

" May it please your majesty,
" Your majesty's

" Most humble and most

" Obedient subject and servant,

From my house " CLARENDON. "

" this IGth of November r

The king was in his cabinet when the letter was

delivered to him ; which as soon as he had read, he

burned in a candle that was on the table, and only

The king said, " that there was somewhat in it that he did

Sethis " not understand, but that he wondered that the

wuhdraw. tt chancellor did not withdraw himself:" of which

the keeper presently advertised him, with his earnest

advice that he would be gone.

The king's discourse was according to the persons
with whom he conferred. To those who were engaged



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 327

in the violent prosecution he spake with great bit- 1667.
terness of him, repeating many particular passages,"
in which he had shewed much passion because his
majesty did not concur with him in what he ad-
vised. To those who he knew were his friends he
mentioned him without any bitterness, and with
some testimony of his having served him long and
usefully, and as if he had pity and compassion for
him : yet " that he wondered that he did not absent
" himself, since it could not but be very manifest to
" him and to all his friends, that it was not in his
" majesty's power to protect him against the preju-
" dice that was against him in both houses; which,"
he said, " could not but be increased by the obstruc-
" tion his particular concernment gave to all public
" affairs in this conjuncture ; in which," he said,
" he was sure he would prevail at last. " All these
advertisements could not prevail over the chancellor,
for the reasons mentioned before ; though he was
very much afflicted at the division between the two
houses, the evil consequence whereof he well un-
derstood, and could have been well content that
the lords would have consented to his imprison-
ment.

The bishop of Hereford, who had been very much The bishop
obliged to the chancellor, and throughout this whole sen t to ad-
affair had behaved himself with very signal ingrati- JjJ^iJe*
tude to him, and thereby got much credit in the kin & dom :
court, went to the bishop of Winchester, who was
known to be a fast and unshaken friend to the
chancellor ; and made him a long discourse of what
the king had said to him, and desired him " that he
" would go with him to his house ;" which he pre-
sently did, and, leaving him in a room, went himself

y 4



328 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. to the chancellor/ and told him what had passed
~ from the bishop of Hereford, " who was in the next
" room to speak with him, but would not in direct
" words to him acknowledge that he spake by the
" king's order or approbation ; but that he had con-
" fessed so much to him with many circumstances,
" and that the lord Arlington and Mr. Coventry had
" been present. " The chancellor had no mind to
see or speak with the bishop, who had carried him-
self so unworthily towards him, and might probably
misreport any thing he should say : but he was over-
ruled by the other bishop, and so they went both
into the next room to him.

The bishop of Hereford in some disorder, as a
man conscious to himself of some want of sincerity
towards him, desired " that he would believe that he
" would not at that time have come to him, with
" whom he knew he was in some umbrage, if it
" were not with a desire to do him service, and
" if he had not a full authority for whatsoever
" he said to him. " Then he enlarged himself in
discourse more involved and perplexed, without
any mention of the king, or the authority he had
for what he should say ; the care to avoid which
was evidently the cause of the want of clearness in
all he said. But the bishop of Winchester supplied
it by relating all that he had said to him : with
which though he was not pleased, because the king
and others were named, yet he did not contradict
it ; but said, " he did not say that he was sent by
" the king or spake by his direction, only that he
" could not be so mad as to interpose in such an af-
" fair without full authority to make good all that
" he should promise. " The sum of all was, " that if



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 329

" the chancellor would withdraw himself into any 1667.
" parts beyond the seas, to prevent the mischiefs"
" that must befall the kingdom by the division and
" difference between the two houses ; he would un-
" dertake upon his salvation," which was the ex-
pression he used more than once, " that he should
" not be interrupted in his journey ; and that after
" he should be gone, he should not be in any degree
" prosecuted, or suffer in his honour or fortune by
" his absence. "

The chancellor told him, " that he well under- which he

. refuses to do

" stood what he must suffer by withdrawing himself, without re-

" and so declining the trial, in which his innocence command

" would secure him, and in the mean time preserve f hlsma ~

" him from being terrified with the threats and ma-

" lice of his enemies : however, he would expose

" himself to that disadvantage, if he received His

" majesty's commands to that purpose, or if he had

" but a clear evidence that his majesty did wish it,

" as a thing that he thought might advance his

" service. But without that assurance, which he

" might receive many ways which could not be

" taken notice of, he could not with his honour or

" discretion give his implacable enemies that advan-

" tage against him, when his friends should be able

" to allege nothing in his defence. "

The bishop replied, " that he was not allowed to
" say that his majesty required or wished it, but
" that he could not be so mad as to undertake what
" he had promised, without sufficient warrant ;"
and repeated again what he had formerly said.
To which the other answered, " that the vigilance
" and power of his enemies was well known : and
" that though the king might in truth wish that he



380 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. " were safe on the other side of the sea, and give no
""" direction to interrupt or trouble him in his jour-
" ney ; yet that it was liable to many accidents in
" respect of his weakness and infirmity," which was
so great at that time, that he could not walk with-
out being supported by one or two ; so that he
could not be disguised to any body that had ever
known him. Besides that the pain he was already
in, and the season of the year, made him appre-
hend, that the gout might so seize upon him with-
in two or three days, that he might not be able to
move : and so the malice of those who wished his
destruction might very probably find an opportunity,
without or against the king's consent, to apprehend
and cast him into prison, as a fugitive from the
hand of justice. For the prevention of all which,
which no man could blame him for apprehending,
he proposed, " that he might have a pass from the
" king, which he would not produce but in such an
" exigent : and would use all the providence he
" could, to proceed with that secrecy that his
" departure should not be taken notice of; but if it
" were, he must not be without such a protection,
" to preserve him from the present indignities to
" which he must be liable, though possibly it would
" not protect him from the displeasure of the parlia-
" ment. " The bishop thought this proposition to be
reasonable, and seemed confident that he should
procure the pass : and so that conference ended.

The next day the bishop sent word, " that the
" king could not grant the pass, because if it should
" be known, by what accident soever, it would much
" incense the parliament : but that he might as se-
" curely go as if he had a pass ;" which moved no



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 331

further with him, than his former undertaking had 1667.
done. Nor could the importunity of his children, or~
the advice of his friends, persuade him to depart
from his resolution.

About the time of the chancellor's disgrace, mon- Tlie French

ambassador

sieur Ruvigny arrived at London as envoy extraor- urges him
dinary from the French king, and came the next France:
day after the seal was taken from him. He was a
person well known in the court, and particularly to
the chancellor, with whom he had been formerly as-
signed to treat upon affairs of moment, being of the
religion and very nearly allied to the late earl of
Southampton. And as these considerations were
the chief motives that he was made choice of for the
present employment, so the chief part of his instruc-
tions was to apply himself to the chancellor, through
whose hands it was known that the whole treaty
that was now happily concluded, and all the pre-
liminaries with France, had entirely passed. When
he found that the conduct of affairs was quite
changed, and that the chancellor came not to the
court, he knew not what to do, but immediately
despatched an express to France for further instruc-
tions. He desired to speak with the chancellor ;
which he refused, and likewise to receive the letters
which he had brought for him and offered to send
to him, all which he desired might be delivered to
the king. When the proceedings in parliament
went so high, Ruvigny, who had at all hours admis-
sion to the king, and intimate conversation with the
lord Arlington, and so easily discovered the extreme
prejudice and malice that was contracted against the
chancellor, sent him frequent advertisements of
what was necessary for him to know, and with all



832 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1667. possible earnestness advised him, when the divisions

"grew so high in the houses, " that he would with-

" draw and retire into France, where," -he assured

which he him, " he would find himself very welcome. " All
which prevailed no more with him than the rest.
And so another week passed after the bishop's pro-
position, with the same passion in the houses : and
endeavours were used to incense the people, as if
the lords obstructed the proceeding of justice against
the chancellor by refusing to commit him ; and Mr.
Seymour told the lord Ashley, " that the people
" would pull down the chancellor's house first, and
" then those of all the lords who adhered to him. "

At length By this time the duke of York recovered so fast,
that the king, being assured by the physicians that
there would be no danger of infection, went on Sa-
turday ntorning, the 29th of November, to visit him :
and being alone together, his majesty bade him
" advise the chancellor to be gone," and blamed him
that he had not given credit to what the bishop of
Hereford had said to him. The king had no sooner
left the duke, but his highness sent for the bishop
of Winchester, and bade him tell the chancellor
from him, " that it was absolutely necessary for him
" speedily to be gone, and that he had the king's
" word for all that had been undertaken by the
" bishop of Hereford.