No More Learning

And they desired 'and indeed had conspired so far
to possess the queen themselves, that she should nei-
ther learn the English language, nor use their habit,
nor depart from the manners and fashions of her
own country in any particulars ; " which resolution,"
they told her, " would be for the dignity of Portu-
" gal, and would quickly induce the English ladies
" to conform to her majesty's practice :" and this
imagination had made that impression, that the
tailor who had been sent into Portugal to make her
clothes, could never be admitted to see her or re-

M 4



168 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1662. ceive any employment. Nor when she came to
~~ Portsmouth, and found there several ladies of honour
and prime quality to attend her in the places to
which they were assigned by the king, did she re-
ceive any of them, till the king himself came ; nor
then with any grace, or the liberty that belonged to
their places and offices. She could not be persuaded
to be dressed out of the wardrobe that the king had
sent to her, but would wear the clothes which she
had brought, until she found that the king was dis-
pleased, and would be obeyed : whereupon she con-
formed against the advice of her women, who con-
tinued their opiniatrety, without any one of them
receding from their own mode, which exposed them
the more to reproach.

When the queen came to Hampton-court, she
brought with her a formed resolution, that she would
never suffer the lady who was so much spoken of to
be in her presence : and afterwards to those she
would trust she said, *' her mother had enjoined her
" so to do. " On the other hand, the king thought
that he had so well prepared her to give her a civil
reception, that within a day or two after her ma-
jesty's being there, himself led her into her cham-
ber, and presented her to the queen, who received
her with the same grace as she had done the rest ;
there being many lords and other ladies at the same
time there. But whether her majesty in the in-
stant knew who she was, or upon recollection found
it afterwards, she was no sooner sat in her chair, but
her colour changed, and tears gushed out of her
eyes, and her nose bled, and she fainted ; so that
she was forthwith removed into another room, and
all the company retired out of that where she was



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 169

before. And this falling out so notoriously when so 1 662.
many persons were present, the king looked upon it~~
with wonderful indignation, and as an earnest of de-
fiance for the decision of the supremacy and who
should govern, upon which point he was the most
jealous and the most resolute of any man ; and the
answer he received from the queen, which kept up
the obstinacy, displeased him more. Now the
breach of the conditions grew matter of reproach ;
the payment of but half the portion was objected to
the ambassador, who would have been very glad
that the quarrel had been upon no other point. He
knew not what to say or do; the king being of-
fended with him for having said so much in Portu-
gal to provoke the queen, and not instructing her
enough to make her unconcerned in what had been
before her time, and in which she could not reason-
ably be concerned ; and the queen with more indig-
nation reproaching him with the character he had
given of the king, of his virtue and good-nature :
whilst the poor man, not able to endure the tempest
of so much injustice from both, thought it best to
satisfy both by dying ; and from the extreme afflic-
tion of mind which he underwent, he sustained such
a fever as brought him to the brink of his grave, till
some grace from both their majesties contributed
much to the recovery of his spirits.

In the mean time the king forbore her majesty's
company, and sought ease and refreshment in that
jolly company, to which in the evenings he grew
every day more indulgent, and in which there were
some, who desired rather to inflame than pacify his
discontent. And they found an expedient to vindi-
cate his royal jurisdiction, and to make it manifest



170 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1 662. to the world, that he would not be governed ; which
could never without much artifice have got entrance
into his princely breast, which always entertained
the most tender affections ; nor was ever any man's
nature more remote from thoughts of roughness or
hardheartedness. They magnified the temper and
constitution of his grandfather, who indeed to all
other purposes was a glorious example : " that
" when he was enamoured, and found a return an-
" swerable to his merit, he did not dissemble his
" passion, nor suffered it to be matter of reproach
" to the persons whom he loved ; but made all
" others pay them that respect which he thought
" them worthy of: brought them to the court, and
" obliged his own wife the queen to treat them with
" grace and favour ; gave them the highest titles of
" honour, to draw reverence and application to them
" from all the court and all the kingdom ; raised
" the children he had by them to the reputation,
" state, and degree of princes of the blood, and con-
" ferred fortunes and offices upon them accordingly.
" That his majesty, who inherited the same pas-
" sionSj was without the gratitude and noble incli-
" nation to make returns proportionable to the obli-
" gations he received. That he had, by the charms
" of his person and of his professions, prevailed
" upon the affections and heart of a young and
" beautiful lady of a noble extraction, whose father
" had lost his life in the service of the crown. That
" she had provoked the jealousy and rage of her
" husband to that degree, that he had separated
" himself from her : and now the queen's indigna-
" tion had made the matter so notorious to the
" world, that the disconsolate lady had no place of



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 171

" retreat left, but must be made an object of infamy 1 662.

" and contempt to all her sex, and to the whole

" world. "

Those discourses, together with a little boo"k
newly printed at Paris, according to the license of
that nation, of the amours of Henry IV. which was
by them presented to him, and too concernedly read
by him, made that impression upon his mind, that
he resolved to raise the quality and degree of that
lady, who was married to a private gentleman of a
competent fortune, that had not the ambition to be
a better man than he was born. And that he might
do so, he made her husband an earl of Ireland, who
knew too well the consideration that he paid for it,
and abhorred the brand of such a nobility, and did
not in a long time assume the title. The lady thus
qualified was now made fit for higher preferment :
and the king resolved, for the vindication of her ho-
nour and innocence, that she should be admitted of
the bedchamber of the queen, as the only means to
convince the world, that all aspersions upon her
had been without ground. The king used all the
ways he could, by treating the queen with all ca-
resses, to dispose her to gratify him in this particu-
lar, as a matter in which his honour was concerned
and engaged ; and protested unto her, which at that
time he did intend to observe, " that he had not had
" the least familiarity with her since her majesty's
" arrival, nor would ever after be guilty of it again,
" but would live always with her majesty in all fide-
" lity for conscience sake. " The queen, who was
naturally more transported with choler than her
countenance declared her to be, had not the temper
to entertain him with those discourses, which the



172 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1662. vivacity of her wit could very plentifully have sug-
~~ gested to her ; but brake out into a torrent of rage,
which increased the former prejudice, confirmed the
king in the resolution he had taken, gave ill people
more credit to mention her disrespectfully, and
more increased his aversion from her company, and,
which was worse, his delight in those, who meant 1
that he should neither love his wife or his business,
or any thing but their conversation.

These domestic indispositions and distempers, and
the impression they made of several kinds upon the
king's spirit and his humour, exceedingly discom-
posed the minds of the gravest and most serious
men ; gave the people generally occasion of speak-
ing loudly, and with a license that the magistrates
knew not how to punish, for the publication of the
scandal : and the wisest men despaired of finding
remedies to apply to the dissoluteness and de-
bauchery of the time, which visibly increased. No
man appeared to suffer or likely to suffer more than
the chancellor, against whom though no particular
person owned a malignity, the congregation of the
witty men for the evening conversation were enough
united against his interest; and thought his in-
fluence upon the king's actions and counsels would
be too much augmented, if the queen came to have
any power, who had a very good opinion of him :
and it is very probable, that even that apprehension
increased the combination against her majesty.

The lady had reason to hate him mortally, well
knowing that there had been an inviolable friend-
ship between her father and him to his death, which

1 who meant] Omitted in MS,



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 173

had been notorious to all men ; and that he was an 1 GG2.
implacable enemy to the power and interest she had
with the king, and had used all the endeavours he
could to destroy it. Yet neither she nor any of the
other adventured to speak ill of him to the king,
who at that time would not have borne it ; except
for wit's sake they sometimes reflected upon some-
what he had said, or acted some of his postures and
manner of speaking, (the skill in mimicry being the
best faculty in wit many of them had;) which
license they practised often towards the king him-
self, and therefore his majesty thought it to be the
more free from malice. But by these liberties,
which at first only raised laughter, they by degrees
got the hardiness to censure both the persons, coun-
sels, and actions of those who were nearest his ma-
jesty's trust, with the highest malice and presump-
tion ; and too often suspended or totally disap-
pointed some resolutions, which had been taken
upon very mature deliberation, and which ought to
have been pursued. But (as hath been said before)
this presumption had not yet come to this length.

The king imparted the trouble and unquietness
of his mind to nobody with equal freedom, as he did
to the chancellor : to him he complained of all the
queen's perverseness and ill humours, and informed
him of all that passed between them, and obliged
him to confer and advise the queen, who, he knew,
looked upon him as a man devoted to her service,
and that he would speak very confidently to her
whatsoever he thought; and therefore gave him
leave to take notice to her of any thing he had told
him. It was too delicate a province for so plain- The chan-
dealing a man as he was to undertake : and yet



174 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1662. knew not how to refuse it, nor indeed did despair

reconcile totally of being able to do some good, since the

|! ^ ir ma J es - queen was not yet more acquainted with any man

than with him, nor spake so much with any man as

with him ; and he believed, that he might hereby

have opportunity to speak sometimes to the king of

some particulars with more freedom, than otherwise

he could well do, at least more effectually.

He had never heard before of the honour the
king had done that lady, nor of the purpose he had
to make her of his wife's bedchamber. He spake
with great boldness to him upon both ; and did not
believe that the first was proceeded in beyond revo-
cation, because it had not come to the great seal,
and gave him many arguments against it, which he
thought of weight. But upon the other point he
took more liberty, and spake " of the hardhearted-
" ness and cruelty in laying such a command upon
" the queen, which flesh and blood could not comply
" with. " He put him in mind of what he heard
his majesty himself say, upon the like excess which
a neighbour king had lately used, in making his
mistress to live in the court, and in the presence of
the queen : that his majesty had then said, " that it
" was such a piece of ill-nature, that he could never
" be guilty of; and if ever he should be guilty of
" having a mistress after he had a wife, which he
" hoped he should never be, she should never come
" where his wife was ; he would never add that to
" the vexation, of which she would have enough
" without it. " And yet he told him, " that such
" friendships were not new in that other court, nor
" scandalous in that kingdom ; whereas in this it
" was so unheard of and so odious, that a woman



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 175

" who prostituted herself to the king was equally 1662.
" infamous to all women of honour, and must expect ~~
" the same contempt from them, as if she were com-
" mon to mankind : and that no enemy he had
" could advise him a more sure way to lose the
" hearts and affections of the people, of which he
" was now so abundantly possessed, than the in-
" dulging to himself that liberty, now it had pleased
" God to give him a wife worthy of him. That
" the excess he had already used in that and other
" ways had lost him some ground ; but that the con-
" tinuance in them would break the hearts of all his
" friends, and be only grateful to those who wished
" the destruction of monarchy:" and concluded with
" asking his pardon for speaking so plainly," and
besought his majesty to remember " the wonderful
"things which God had done for him, and for which
" he expected other returns than he had yet re-
" ceived. "

The king heard him with patience enough, yet
with those little interruptions which were natural to
him, especially to that part where he had levelled
the mistresses of kings and princes with other lewd
women, at which he expressed some indignation,
being an argument often debated before him by
those, who would have them looked upon above any
other men's k wives. He did not appear displeased
with the liberty he had taken, but said, " he knew it
" proceeded from the affection he had for him ;"
and then proceeded upon the several parts of what
he had said, more volubly than he used to do, as

k men's] Omitted in MS.



176 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1662. upon points in which he was conversant, and had
~ heard well debated.

To the first, he began with the story of an acci-
dent that had fallen out the day before; he said,
" the lady had then told him, that she did hope
" that the chancellor was not so much her enemy,
" as he was generally reported to be, for she was
" sure he was not guilty of one discourtesy of
" which he had been accused to her, and therefore
" might be as innocent in others ; and then told his
" majesty, that the day before, the earl of Bristol"
(who was never without some reason to engage
himself in such intrigues, and had been a principal
promoter of all those late resolutions) " came to her,
" and asked her whether the patent was not yet
" passed. She answerd, No. He asked if she knew
" the reason ; which she seeming not to do, he told
" her that he came in confidence to tell her, and
" that if she did not quickly curb and overrule such
" presumption, she would often meet it to her pre-
" judice ; then told her a long relation, how the pa-
" tent had been carried to the chancellor prepared
" for the seal, and that he according to his custom
" had superciliously said, that he would first speak
" with the king of it, and that in the mean time it
" should not pass ; and that if she did not make the
" king very sensible of this his insolence, his majesty
" should never be judge of his own bounty. And
" then the lady laughed, and made sharp reflections
" upon the principles of the earl of Bristol," (who had
throughout his life the rare good fortune of being
exceedingly beloved and exceedingly hated by the
same persons, in the space of one month ; and now



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 177

finding that there was a stop of the patent, made a 1662.
very natural guess where it must be, and gratified ~~
his own appetite in the conclusion,) " and pulled
" the warrant out of her pocket, where she said it
" had remained ever since it was signed, and she
" believed the chancellor had never heard of it : she
" was sure there was no patent prepared, and there-
" fore he could not stop it at the seal. "

The truth is : though according to the custom
she had assumed the title as soon as she had the
warrant, that the other pretence might be prose-
cuted, she made not haste to pass the patent, lest
her husband might stop it ; and after long delibera-
tion was not so confident of the chancellor, as to
transmit it to the seal that was in his custody, but,
the honour being Irish, sent it into that kingdom to
pass the great seal there, where she was sure it could
meet no interruption.

When the king had made this relation, and added
some sharp remarks upon the earl of Bristol, as a
man very particularly known and understood by
him ; he said, " that he had undone this lady, and
" ruined her reputation, which had been fair and
" untainted till her friendship for him ; and that he
" was obliged in conscience and honour to repair her
" to the utmost of his power. That he would al-
" ways avow to have a great friendship for her,
" which he owed as well to the memory of her fa-
" ther as to her own person ; and that he would
" look upon it as the highest disrespect to him, in
" any body who should treat her otherwise than
" was due to her own birth, and the dignity to
" which he had raised her. That he liked her com-

VOL. i. N



178 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1 662. " pany and conversation, from which he would not be
~" " restrained, because he knew there was and should
" be all innocence in it : and that his wife should
" never have cause to complain that he brake his
" vows to her, if she would live towards him as a
" good wife ought to do, in rendering herself grate-
" ful and acceptable to him, which it was in her
" power to do ; but if she would continue uneasy to
" him, he could not answer for himself, that he
" should not endeavour to seek content in other
" company. That he had proceeded so far in the
" business that concerned the lady, and was so
" deeply engaged in it, that she would not only be
" exposed to all imaginable contempt, if it succeeded
" not ; but his own honour would suffer so much,
" that he should become ridiculous to the world, and
" be thought too in pupilage under a governor ; and
" therefore he would expect and exact a conformity
" from his wife herein, which l should be the only
" hard thing he would ever require from her, and
" which she herself might make very easy, for the
" lady would behave herself with all possible duty
" and humility unto her, which if she should fail to
" do in the least degree, she should never see the
" king's face again : and that he would never be en-
" gaged to put any other servant about her, without
" first consulting with her, and receiving her con-
" sent and approbation. Upon the whole," he said,
" he would never recede from any part of the reso-
" lution he had taken and expressed to him : and
" therefore he required him to use all those argu-

1 which] and which



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 179

" ments to the queen, which were necessary to in- 1G62.
" duce her to a full compliance with what the king ~~
" desired. "

The chancellor addressed himself to the queen
with as full liberty and plainness as he had pre-
sumed to use to his majesty, but could not proceed
so far at a time, nor hold so long conferences at
once. When he first lamented the misintelligence
he observed to be between their majesties, and she
perceived the king had told him some particulars,
she protested her own innocence, but with so much
passion and such a torrent of tears, that there was
nothing left for him to do, but to retire, and tell
her, " that he would wait upon her in a fitter sea-
** son, and when she should be more capable of re-
** ceiving humble advice from her servants, who
" wished her well ;" and so departed.

The next day he waited upon her again at the
hour assigned by her, and found her much better
composed than he had left her. She vouchsafed to
excuse the passion she had been in, and confessed
" she looked upon him as one of the few friends she
" had, and from whom she would most willingly at
" all times receive counsel : but that she hoped he
" would not wonder or blame her, if having greater
" misfortunes upon her, and being to struggle with
" more difficulties, than any woman had ever been
" put to of her condition, she sometimes gave vent
" to that passion that was ready to break her heart. "
He told her, " he was desirous indeed to serve her,
" of which he would not make great or many pro-
" testations, since she could not but believe it, ex-
" cept she thought him to be a fool, or mad, since
" nothing could contribute so much to his happiness,

N 2



180 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1662. " as an eminent sympathy between the king and
~~ " her in all things : and he could not give her a
" greater evidence of his devotion, than in always
" saying that to her which was fit for her to hear,
" though it did not please her ; and he would ob-
" serve no other rule towards her, though it should
" render him ungracious to her. "

She seemed well satisfied with what he said, and
told him " he should never be more welcome to her,
" than when he told her of her faults :" to which he
replied, " that it was the province he was accused
" of usurping with reference to all his friends. " He
told her, " that he doubted she was little beholden
" to her education, that had given her no better
" information of the follies and iniquities of man-
" kind, of which he presumed the climate from
" whence she came could have given more instances,
" than this cold region would afford ;" though at
that time it was indeed very hot. He said, " if her
" majesty had been fairly dealt with in that parti-
" cular, she could never have thought herself so
" miserable, and her condition so insupportable
" as she seemed to think it to be ; the ground of
" which heavy complaint he could not comprehend. "
Whereupon with some blushing and confusion and
some tears she said m , " she did not think that she
" should have found the king engaged in his aifec-
" tion to another lady ;" and then was able to say
no more : which gave the chancellor opportunity to
say, " that he knew well, that she had been very
" little acquainted with or informed of the world ;
" yet he could not believe that she was so utterly

m she said] Not in MS.



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 181

ignorant, as to expect that the king her husband, 1662.



" in the full strength and vigour of his youth n , was
" of so innocent a constitution, as to be reserved for
" her whom he had never seen, and to have had no
" acquaintance or familiarity with the sex ;" and
asked , " whether she believed, when it should please
" God to send a queen to Portugal, she should find
" that court so full of chaste affections. " Upon
which her majesty smiled, and spake pleasantly
enough, but as if she thought it did not concern her
case, and as if the king's affection had not wan-
dered, but remained fixed.

Upon which the chancellor replied with some
warmth, " that he came to her with a message from
" the king, which if she received as she ought to do,
" and as he hoped she would, she would be the hap-
" piest queen in the world. That whatever cor-
" respondences the king had entertained with any
" other ladies, before he saw her majesty, concerned
" not her ; nor ought she to inquire more into them
" or after them, than into what other excesses P he
" had used in his youth in France, Holland, or Ger-
" many. That he had authority to assure her, that
" all former appetites were expired, and that he de-
" dicated himself entirely and without reserve to
" her ; and that if she met his affection with that
" warmth and spirit and good humour, which she
" well knew how to express, she would live a life
" of the greatest delight imaginable. That her good
" fortune, and all the joy she could have in this
" world, was in her own power, and that she only
" strove ^ to drive it from her. " She heard all this

n youth] use P excesses] exercises

asked] Omitted in MS. * strove] Omitted in MS.

N 3



1 662. with apparent pleasure, and infinite expressions of her
acknowledgments of the king's bounty ; thanked the
chancellor more than enough, and desired him " to
" help in returning her thanks to his majesty, and
" in obtaining his pardon for any passion or peevish-
" ness she might have been guilty of, and in assur-
" ing him of all future obedience and duty. "

Upon this good temper he approached to the
other part of his message, " how necessary it would
" be that her majesty should gratify this good reso-
" lution and justice and tenderness in the king, by
" meeting it with a proportionable submission and
" resignation on her part to whatsoever his majesty
" should desire of her ;" and then insinuated what
would be acceptable with reference to the lady.
But this was no sooner mentioned, than it raised all
the rage and fury of yesterday, with fewer tears,
the fire appearing in her eyes, where the water was.
She said, " that the king's insisting upon that par-
" ticular could proceed from no other ground but
" his hatred of her person, and to expose her to the
" contempt of the world, who would think her wor-
" thy of such an affront, if she submitted to it ;
" which before she would do, she would put herself
" on board any little vessel, and so be transported
" to Lisbon :" with many other extravagant expres-
sions, which her passion suggested in spite of her
understanding; and which he interrupted with a
very ill countenance, and told her, f* that she had
" not the disposal of her own person, nor could go
" out of the house where she was without the king's
" leave ;" and therefore advised her " not to speak
" any more of Portugal, where there were enough
" who would wish her to be. " He told her, " that



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 183



" he would find some fitter time to speak with her, 1662.

" and till then only desired that she would make

" show of no such passion to the king ; and that

" whatever she thought fit to deny that the king

" proposed to her, she should deny in such a manner,

** as should look rather like a deferring than an ut-

" ter refusal, that his majesty might not be pro-

" voked to enter into the same passion, which would

" be superior to hers. " ;. ii. -

The chancellor made the more haste to inform
the king of all that had passed, that he might pre-
vail with him to suspend for some little time the
prosecuting that argument further with the queen.
He gave him an account of all the good and kind
things she had said with reference to his majesty, of
the professions she had made of all duty and obe-
dience to him throughout the whole course of her
life ; " that her unwillingness to obey him in this
" one particular proceeded only from the great pas-
" sion of love which she had for him, that trans-
" ported her beyond the limits of her reason. " He
confessed, " he had not discoursed it so fully with
" her majesty as he resolved to have done, because
" a sudden passion had seized upon her, which she
" must have some time to overrule ;" and therefore
he entreated his majesty " for a day or two to for-
" bear pressing the queen in that matter, till he had
" once more waited upon her, by which he hoped he
" might in some degree dispose her majesty to give
" him satisfaction. " And though he was in no degree
pleased with the account, yet the other did think,
that he would for a little have respited the further
discourse of it.

But the king quickly found other counsellors, who
N 4



184 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1662. told him, " that the thing he contended for was not
~~ " of so much importance as the manner of obtaining
" it ; that the contention now was, who should go-
" vem ; and if he suffered himself to be disputed
" with, he must resolve hereafter to do all things
" precario" And as this advice was more suitable to
his present passion and purpose, so it was embraced
greedily and resolutely. The fire flamed that night
higher than ever: the king reproached the queen
with stubbornness and want of duty, and she him
with tyranny and want of affection : he used threats
and menaces, which he never intended to put in
execution, and she talked loudly " how ill she was
" treated, and that she would return again to Por-
" tugal. " He replied, " that she should do well first
" to know whether her mother would receive her :
" and he would give her a fit opportunity to know
" that, by sending to their home all her Portuguese
" servants ; and that he would forthwith give order
" for the discharge of them all, since they behaved
" themselves so ill, for to them and their counsels
" he imputed all her perverseness. "

The passion and noise of the night reached too
many ears to be a secret the next day ; and the
whole court was full of that, which ought to have
been known to nobody. And the mutual carriage
and behaviour between their majesties confirmed all
that they had heard or could imagine : they spake
not, hardly looked on one another. Every body was
glad that they were so far from the town, (for they
were still at Hampton-court,) and that there were
so few witnesses of all that passed. The queen sat
melancholic in her chamber in tears, except when
she drove them away by a more violent passion in



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 185

choleric discourse : and the king sought his diver- 1 662.
tisements in that company that said and did all"
things to please him ; and there he spent all the
nights, and in the morning came to the queen's
chamber, for he never slept in any other place. No-
body knew how to interpose, or indeed how to be-
have themselves, the court being far from one
mind ; with this difference, that the young and fro-
lic people of either sex talked loudly all that they
thought the king would like and be pleased with,
whilst the other more grave and serious people did
in their souls pity the queen, and thought that she
was put to bear more than her strength could sus-
tain.

The chancellor came not to the court in two or
three days ; and when he did come thither, he for-
bore to see the queen, till the king sent him again to
her. His majesty informed him at large, and with
more than his natural passion, of all that had pass-
ed ; and " of the foolish extravagancy" (as he called
it) " of returning to Portugal ; and of the positive
" resolution he had taken, and the orders he had
" given, for the present sending away all the Portu-
" gueses, to whom he did impute all his wife's fro-
" wardness. " He renewed his former declaration,
" that he would gain his point, and never depart
" from that resolution ;" yet was content to be
blamed by the chancellor, for having proceeded with
so much choler and precipitation, and seemed to
think that he had done better, if he had followed
his former advice. But then he added, "that be-
" sides the uneasiness and pain within himself, the
" thing was more spoken of in all places, and more
" to his disadvantage, whilst it was in this suspense,



186 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1662. " than it would be when it was once executed;
~~ " which would put a final end to all debates, and all
" would be forgotten. "

The chancellor desired his majesty to believe,
" that he would endeavour, by all the ways he
" could devise, to persuade the queen to submit to
" his pleasure, because it is his pleasure ; and that
" he would urge some arguments to her, which he
" could not himself answer ; and therefore he was
" not without hope that they might prevail. But
" he desired him likewise to believe, that he had
" much rather spend his pains in endeavouring to
" convert his majesty from pursuing his resolution,
" which he did in his conscience believe to be un-
" just, than in persuading her majesty to comply
" with it, which yet he would very heartily do. "
He desired him " to give him leave to put him in
" mind of a discourse his majesty had held with
" him many years ago, upon an occasion that he
" had administered by telling him what his father,
" the late king, had said to him : that he had great
" reason to acknowledge it due r to God's immediate
" blessing, and in truth to his inspiration, that he
" continued firm in his religion : for though his fa-
" ther had always taken pains himself to inform and
*' instruct him, yet he had been so much deceived
" by others that he put about him when he was
" young, a company of the arrantest knaves and pu-
" ritans" (they were his own words) " that could be
" found in the two kingdoms ; whereof he named
" two or three, who were enemies to the church,
" and used to deride all religion. That when he had

r due] Not in MS.



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 187

" related this discourse accidentally of his late ma- 1662.
" jesty, the king replied, that if it should please God ~~
" ever to give him a wife and children, he would
*' make choice of such people to be about both in
" all places of near trust, who in their natures and
" manners, and if it were possible in their very hu-
" incurs, were such as he wished his wife and chil-
" dren should be ; for he did believe that most
" young people (and it may be elder) were upon
" the matter formed by those whom they saw con-
" tinually and could not but observe. " The king
answered with some quickness, "that he remem-
" bered the discourse very well, and should think
" of it ; but that the business which he had com-
" mended to him must be done, and without de-
" lay. "

When the chancellor was admitted to the queen,
he presumed with all plainness to blame her " for
" the illimited passion with s which she had treated
" the king, and thereby provoked him to greater in-
" dignation than she could imagine, or in truth sus-
" tain :" and begged *, " that for her own sake she
" would decline and suppress such distempers, which
" could have no other effect, than in making the
" wound incurable ; which it would do, in a very
" little time more, inevitably, and reduce all her
" faithful servants to an incapacity of serving her. "
She acknowledged with tears, " that she had been in
" too much passion, and said somewhat she ought
" not to have said, and for which she would wil-
" lingly ask the king's pardon upon her knees ;

s with] in ' begged] Not in MS.



188 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1662. " though his manner of treating her had wonder-
~~" fully surprised her, and might be some excuse for
" more than ordinary commotion. That she prayed
" to God to give her patience, and hoped she should
" be no more transported with the like passion upon
" what provocation soever. "

Then he entreated, " that he might find some
" effect of that her good resolution, in permitting
" him to enlarge upon the argument he was obliged
" to discourse to her ; and that if he offered any
" humble advice, it should be such as he was most
" confident would prove for her benefit, and such as
" he would himself submit to if he were in her con-
" dition. " He told her, " he came not to justify
" and defend the proposition that had been made to
" her concerning the lady, as a just or a reasonable
" proposition ; he had not dissembled his own opin-
" ion as to either, and when he should now insist
" upon it again, which he must do, he could not but
" confess that it was a very hard injunction, not to
" be yielded to without some reluctancy :" but he
besought her to tell him, " whether she thought it
" in her power to divert it ; or that it was not in
" the king's power to impose it upon her. "

She answered, " she knew it was in her own
" power to consent or not to consent to it ; and that
" she could not despair, but that the king's justice
" and goodness might divert him from the prosecu-
" tion of a command so unreasonable in him, and so
" dishonourable to her. She would not dispute the
" king's power, what it might impose, being sure
" that she could not rescue herself from it : but,"
she said, " nobody knew better than he, whether the



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 189
king was obliged to leave the choice of her own 1652.



" servants to herself; and if it were otherwise, she
" had been deceived. "

He told her, " that she had and would always en-
" joy that privilege : but that it was always under-
" stood in conditions of that nature, that as the hus-
" band would not impose a servant, against whom
" just exceptions could be made ; so it was pre-
" sumed, that no wife would refuse to receive a ser-
'* vant, that was esteemed and commended by her
" husband. That he did assure her, upon as much
" knowledge as he was capable to have in affairs of
" such a nature, that the king would exact an entire
" conformity to his pleasure in this particular ; and
" then the question would only be, whether it would
" be better that she conform herself with alacrity
" to an obedience, with those circumstances which
" might be obliging and meritorious on her part ; or
" that it should be done without her consent, and
" with all the repugnancy she could express, which
" could only be in angry words and ungracious
" circumstances, which would have a more bitter
" operation in her own breast and thoughts, than
" any where else : and therefore he did very impor-
" tunately advise her to submit to that cheerfully,
" that she could not resist ; which if she should not
" do, and do out of hand, she would too late re-
pent. "

To which she replied with great calmness, " that
" it may be worse could not fall out than she ex-
" pected ; but why she should repent the not giving
" her consent, she could not apprehend, since her
" conscience would not give her leave to consent:"
which when she saw him receive with a face of



190 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1662. trouble and wonder, which it was his misfortune
~ and weakness never to be able to conceal or dissem-
ble, she continued her discourse, and said, " she
" could not conceive how any body could, with a
" good conscience, consent to what she could not
" but suppose would be an occasion and opportunity
" of sin. " To which he suddenly replied, " that he
" now understood her ; and that she ought to have
" no such apprehension, but to believe the profes-
" sions the king made, of the sincerity whereof she
" would hereby become a witness; and if there
" should be any tergiversation, the opportunity,
" which she fancied, would be more frequent at a
" distance than by such a relation, which nothing
" but a resolved innocence could make desirable by
" either party. " To which he added, " that he
" thought her majesty had too mean and low an
" opinion u of her person and her parts, if she thought
" it could be in the power of any other lady to de-
" prive her of the interest she had a right to, if she
" did all that became her to retain it ; and which in
" that case she could not lose but by the highest
" fraud and perjury, which she could not justly en-
" tertain the suspicion of. "

There cannot be a greater patience and intent-
ness of hearing, than the queen manifested during
the time of his discourse, sometimes seeming not
displeased, but oftener by a smile declaring that she
did not believe what he said : and in conclusion, in
few words declared, " that the king might do what
" he pleased, but that she would x not consent to it ;"
and pronounced it with a countenance, as if she

" had too mean and low an lower opinion
opinion] had a meaner and a x would] could



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 191

both hoped and believed, that her obstinacy would 1662.

in the end prevail over the king's importunity : and

it is very probable, that she had advice given her

to that purpose. The chancellor concluded with

telling her, " that he would give her no more trouble

" upon this particular : that he was sorry he had not

" credit enough to prevail with her majesty in a

" point that would have turned so much to her be-

" nefit ; and that she would hereafter be sorry for

" her refusal. " And when he had given the king

a faithful account of all that had passed ; and " that

st he believed them both to be very much to blame,

" and that that party would be most excusable who

" yielded first ;" he made it his humble suit, " that His endea -

vours prove

" he might be no more consulted with, nor employed uns
" in an affair in which he had been so unsuccessful. " "

The king came seldom into the queen's company,
and when he did he spake not to her ; but spent his
time in other divertisements, and in the company of
those who made it their business to laugh at all
the world, and who were as bold with God Almighty
as with any of his creatures. He persevered in all
his resolutions without any remorse ; directed a day
for all the Portugueses to be embarked, without as-
signing any considerable thing of bounty to any of
them, or vouchsafing to write any letter to the king
or queen of Portugal of the cause of the dismission
of them. And this rigour prevailed upon the great
heart of the queen, who had not received any money
to enable her to be liberal to any of those, who had
attended her out of their own country, and pro-
mised themselves places of great advantage in her
family : and she earnestly desired the king, " that
" she might retain some few of those who were



192 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1662. " known to her, and of most use, that she might not
~ " be wholly left in the hands of strangers ;" and em-
ployed others to make the same suit to the king on
her behalf. Whereupon the countess of Penalva, who
had been bred with her from a child, and who, by
the infirmity of her eyes and other indisposition of
health, scarce stirred out of her chamber, was permit-
ted to remain in the court : and some few ? inferior
servants in her kitchen and in the lowest offices, be-
sides those who were necessary to her devotions,
were left here. All the rest were* transported to
Portugal.

The officers of the revenue were required to use
all strictness in the receipt of that part of the por-
tion that was brought over with the fleet ; and not
to allow any of those demands which were made
upon computation of the value of money, and other
allowances, upon the account : and Diego de Silva,
who was designed in Portugal without any good
reason to be the queen's treasurer, and upon that
expectation had undertaken that troublesome pro-
vince to see the money paid in London by what was
assigned to that purpose, was committed to prison
for not making haste enough in the payment and in
finishing the account; and his commitment went
very near the queen, as an affront done to herself.
The Portugal ambassador, who was a very honest
man, and so desirous to serve the king that he had
upon the matter lost the queen, was heartbroken ;
and after a long sickness, which all men believed
would have killed him, as soon as he was able to
endure the air, left Hampton-court, and retired to
his own house in the city.

> few] other z were] Omitted in MS.



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 193

In all this time the king pursued his point : the lady 1 662.
came to the court, was lodged there, was every day
in the queen's presence, and the king in continual
conference with her ; whilst the queen sat untaken
notice of: and if her majesty rose at the indignity
and retired into her chamber, it may be one or two
attended her ; but all the company remained in the
room she left, and too often said those things aloud
which nobody ought to have whispered. The king
(who had in the beginning of this conflict appeared
still with a countenance of trouble and sadness,
which had been manifest to every body, and no
doubt was really afflicted, and sometimes wished
that he had not proceeded so far, until he was
again new chafed with the reproach of being go-
verned, which he received with the most sensible
indignation, and was commonly provoked with it
most by those who intended most to govern him)
had now vanquished or suppressed all those tender-
nesses and reluctances, and appeared every day more
gay and pleasant, without any clouds in his face, and
full of good humour ; saving that the close observers
thought it more feigned and affected than of a na-
tural growth. However, to the queen it appeared
very real, and made her the more sensible, that she
alone was left out in all jollities, and not suffered to
have any part of those pleasant applications and
caresses, which she saw made almost to every body
else ; an universal mirth in all company but in hers,
and in all places but in her chamber ; her own ser-
vants shewing more respect and more diligence to
the person of the lady, than towards their own mis-
tress, who they found could do them less good. The
nightly meeting continued with the same or more

VOL. II. O



194 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1662. license; and the discourses which passed there, of
what argument soever, were the discourse of the
whole court and of the town the day following:
whilst the queen had the king's company those few
hours which remained of the preceding night, and
which were too little for sleep.

All these mortifications were too heavy to be
borne : so that at last, when it was least expected
or suspected, the queen on a sudden let herself fall
first to conversation and then to familiarity, and
even in the same instant to a confidence with the
lady ; was merry with her in public, talked kindly
of her, and in private used nobody more friendly.
This excess of condescension, without any provo-
cation or invitation, except by multiplication of in-
juries and neglect, and after all friendships were re-
newed, and indulgence yielded to new liberty, did
the queen less good than her former resoluteness
had done. Very many looked upon her with much
compassion, commended the greatness of her spirit,
detested the barbarity of the affronts she underwent,
and censured them as loudly as they durst; not
without assuming the liberty sometimes of insinuat-
ing to the king himself, " how much his own honour
" suffered in the neglect and disrespect of her own
" servants, who ought at least in public to manifest
" some duty and reverence towards her majesty ;
" and how much he lost in the general affections of
" his subjects : and that, besides the displeasure of
" God Almighty, he could not reasonably hope for
" children by the queen, which was the great if not
" the only blessing of which he stood in need,
" whilst her heart was so full of grief, and whilst
" she was continually exercised with such insup-



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 195

" portable afflictions. " And many, who were not 1662.
wholly unconversant with the king, nor strangers to ~~
his temper and constitution, did believe that he grew
weary of the struggle, and even ready to avoid the
scandal that was so notorious, by the lady's with-
drawing from the verge of the court and being no
longer seen there, how firmly soever the friendship
might be established. But this sudden downfall
and total abandoning her own greatness, this low
demeanour and even application to a person she had
justly abhorred and worthily contemned, made all
men conclude, that it was a hard matter to know
her, and consequently to serve her. And the king
himself was so far from being reconciled by it, that
the esteem, which he could not hitherto but retain
in his heart for her, grew now much less. He con-
cluded that all her former aversion expressed in
those lively passions, which seemed not capable of
dissimulation, was all fiction, and purely acted to
the life by a nature crafty, perverse, and inconstant.
He congratulated his own ill-natured perseverance,
by which he had discovered how he was to behave
himself hereafter, and what remedies he was to ap-
ply to all future indispositions : nor had he ever
after the same value of her wit, judgment, and un-
derstanding, which he had formerly ; and was well
enough pleased to observe, that the reverence others
had for all three was somewhat diminished.

The parliament assembled together at the same 1663.
time in February to which they had been adjourned in ent P nIeet$
or prorogued, and continued together till the end of Febt 18<
July following. They Wrought the same affection
and duty with them towards the king, which they
had formerly ; but were much troubled at what they

o 2



196 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1663. had heard and what they had observed of the divi-

sions in court. They had the same fidelity for the

king's service, but not the same alacrity in it : the
despatch was much slower in all matters depending,
than it had used to be. The truth is ; the house of
commons was upon the matter not the same : three
years sitting, for it was very near so long since they
had been first assembled, had consumed very many
of their members ; and in the places of those who
died, great pains were taken to have some of the
king's menial servants chosen ; so that there was a
very great number of men in all stations in the
court, as well below stairs as above, who were mem-
bers of the house of commons. And there were
very few of them, who did not think themselves
qualified to reform whatsoever was amiss in church
or state, and to procure whatsoever supply the king
would require.

They, who either out of their own modesty, or in
regard of their distant relation to his service, had
seldom had access to his presence, never had pre-
sumed to speak to him ; now by the privilege of
parliament every day resorted to him, and had as
much conference with him as they desired. They,
according to the comprehension they had of affairs,
represented their advice to him for the conducting
his affairs ; according to their several opinions and
observations represented those and those men as
well affected to his service, and others, much better
than they, who did not pay them so much respect,
to be ill-affected and to want duty for his majesty.
They brought those, whoappeared to them to be
most zealous for his service, because they professed
to be ready to do any thing he pleased to prescribe,



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 197

to receive his majesty's thanks, and from himself his 1663.
immediate directions how to behave themselves in~~
the house ; when the men were capable of no other
instruction, than to follow the example of some dis-
creet man in whatsoever he should vote, and behave
themselves accordingly.

To this time, the king had been content to refer
the conduct of his affairs in the parliament to the
chancellor and the treasurer ; who had every day
conference with some select persons of the house of
commons, who had always served the king, and
upon that account had great interest in that assem-
bly, and in regard of the experience they had and
their good parts were hearkened to with reverence.
And with those they consulted in what method to
proceed in disposing the house, sometimes to pro-
pose, sometimes to consent to what should be most
necessary for the public ; and by them to assign
parts to other men, whom they found disposed and
willing to concur in what was to be desired : and all
this without any noise, or bringing many together
to design, which ever was and ever will be ingrateful
to parliaments, and, however it may succeed for a lit-
tle time, will in the end be attended with prejudice.

But there were two persons now introduced to characters

. . i . i . i of two lead-

act upon that stage, who disdained to receive orders, ing men in

or to have any method prescribed to them ; who coLmTns.
took upon them to judge of other men's defects, and
thought their own abilities beyond exception.

The one was sir Harry Bennet, who had pro- or sir

i c, Henry Ben-

CUred himself to be sent agent or envoy into Spain, net.

as soon as the king came from Brussels ; being a
man very well known to the king, and for his plea-
sant and agreeable humour acceptable to him : and

o 3



198 CONTINUATION OF TH LIFE OF

1G63.
he remained there at much ease till the king re-
turned to England, having waited upon his majesty
at Fuentarabia in the close of the treaty between
the two crowns, and there appeared by his dexterity
to have gained good credit in the court of Spain,
and particularly with don Lewis de Haro ; and by
that short negociation he renewed and confirmed the former good inclinations of his master to him.
He had been obliged always to correspond with
the chancellor, by whom his instructions had been
drawn, and to receive the king's pleasure by his sig-
nification ; which he had always done, and pro-
fessed much respect and submission to him : though
whatever orders he received, and how positive so-
ever, in particulars which highly concerned the
king's honour and dignity, he observed them so far
and no further than his own humour disposed him ;
and in some cases flatly disobeyed what the king en-
joined, and did directly the contrary, as in the case
of the Jesuit Peter Talbot ; who having carried
himself with notorious insolence towards the king
in Flanders, had transported himself into England,
offered his service to Cromwell, and after his death
was employed by the ruling powers into Spain, upon
his undertaking to procure orders, by which the
king should not be suffered longer to reside in Flan-
ders : of all which his majesty having received full
advertisement, he made haste to send orders into
Spain to sir Harry Bennet, " that he should prepare
" don Lewis for his reception by letting him know,
" that though that Jesuit was his natural subject,
" he had so misbehaved himself, that he looked
" upon him as a most inveterate z enemy and a trai-
1 inveterate] Omitted in MS.



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 199

" tor ; and therefore his majesty desired, that he j 663.

" might receive no countenance there, being, as he

" well knew, sent by the greatest rebels to do him
" prejudice. "

This was received by sir Harry Bennet before
the arrival of the man, who found no inconvenience
by it ; and instead of making any complaint con-
cerning him, he writ word, " that Talbot had more
" credit than he in that court ; that he professed to
" have great devotion for the king ; and therefore
" his advice was, that the king would have a better
" opinion of him, and employ him in his service:"
and himself received him into his full confidence,
and consulted with no man so much as with him ;
which made all men believe that he was a Roman
catholic, who did believe that he had any religion.
But he had made his full excuse and defence for all
this at the interview at Fuentarabia, from whence the
king returned with marvellous satisfaction in his dis-
cretion as well as in his affection. And until, con-
trary to all his expectation, he heard of the king's
return into England, all his thoughts were employed
how to make benefit of the duke of York's coming
into Spain to be admiral of the galleys ; which he
writ to hasten all that might be.

Though he continued his formal correspondence
with the chancellor, which he could not decline ;
yet he held a more secret intelligence with Daniel
O'Neile of the bedchamber, with whom he had a
long friendship. As soon as the king arrived in
England, he trusted O'Neile to procure any direc-
tion from the king immediately in those particulars
which himself advised. And so he obtained the
king's consent, for his consenting to the old league

o 4



1663. that had been made between England and Spain in
~~ the time of the late king, and which Spain had ex-
pressly refused to renew after the death of that king,
(which was suddenly proclaimed in Spain, without
ever being consulted in England;) and presently
after leave to return into England without any let-
ter of revocation : both which were procured, or ra-
ther signified, by O'Neile, without the privity of the
chancellor or of either of the secretaries of state ;
nor did either of them know that he was from Ma-
drid, till they heard he was in Paris, from whence
he arrived in London in a very short time after.
So far the chancellor was from that powerful in-
terest or influence, when his credit was at highest.

But he was very well received by the king, in
whose affections he had a very good place : and
shortly after his arrival, though not so soon as he
thought his high merit deserved, his majesty con-
ferred the only place then void (and that had been
long promised to a noble person, who had behaved
himself very well towards his majesty and his blessed
father) upon him, which was the office of privy
purse ; received him into great familiarity, and into
the nightly meeting, in which he filled a principal
place to all intents and purposes. The king very
much desired to have him elected a member in the
house of commons, and commanded the chancellor
to use his credit to obtain it upon the first opportu-
nity : and in obedience to that command, he did
procure him to be chosen about the time we are
now speaking of, when the parliament assembled in
February.
ofMr. wii- The other person was Mr. William Coventry, the

Ham Co- . _

ventry. youngest son to a very wise father, the lord Coven-



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 201

try, who had been lord keeper of the great seal of 1663.
England for many years with an a universal reputa-~
tion. This gentleman was young whilst the war
continued : yet he had put himself before the end
of it into the army, and had the command of a foot
company, and shortly after travelled into France ;
where he remained whilst there was any hope of
getting another army for the king, or that either of
the other crowns would engage in his quarrel. But
when all thoughts of that were desperate, he re-
turned into England ; where he remained for many
years without the least correspondence with any of
his friends beyond the seas, and with so little repu-
tation of caring much for the king's restoration, that
some of his own family, who were most zealous for
his majesty's service, and had always some signal
part in any reasonable design, took care of nothing
more, than that nothing they did should come to
his knowledge ; and gave the same advice to those
about the king, with whom they corresponded, to
use the same caution. Not that any body suspected
his being inclined to the rebels, or to do any act of
treachery ; but that the pride and censoriousness of
his nature made him unconversable, and his despair
that any thing could be effectually done made him
incompetent to consult the ways of doing it. Nor
had he any conversation with any of the king's
party, nor they with him, till the king was pro-
claimed in London ; and then he came over with
the rest to offer his service to his majesty at the
Hague, and had the good fortune to find the duke
of York without a secretary. For though he had a



an] a



202 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1G63. Walloon that was, in respect of the languages of
which he was master, fit for that function in the
army, and had discharged it very well for some
years; yet for the province the duke was now to
govern, having the office of high admiral of Eng-
land, he was without any fit person to discharge the
office of secretary with any tolerable sufficiency : so
that Mr. Coventry no sooner offered his service to
the duke, but he was received into that employ-
ment, very honourable under such a master, and in
itself of the greatest profit next the secretaries of
state, if they in that respect be to be preferred.

He had been well known to the king and duke
in France, and had a brother whom the king loved
well and had promised to take into his bedchamber,
as he shortly after did, Harry Coventry, who was
beloved by every body, which made them glad of
the preferment of the other ; whilst they who knew
the worst of him, yet knew him able to discharge
that office, and so contributed to the duke's receiv-
ing him. He was a sullen, ill-natured, proud man,
whose ambition had no limits, nor could be con-
tained within any. His parts were very good, if he
had not thought them better than any other man's ;
and he had diligence and industry, which men of
good parts are too often without, which made him b
quickly to have &t least credit and power enough
with the duke ; and he was without those vices which
were too much in request, and which make men
most unfit for business and the trust that cannot
be separated from it.

He had sat a member in the house of commons,

b him] Omitted in MS.



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 203

from the beginning of the parliament, with very 1663.
much reputation of an able man. He spake perti-
nently, and was always very acceptable and well
heard ; and was one of those with whom they, who
were trusted by the king in conducting his affairs
in the lower house, consulted very frequently ; but
not so much, nor relied equally upon his advice, as
upon some few others who had much more expe-
rience, which he thought was of use only to igno-
rant and dull men, and that men of sagacity could
see and determine at a little light, and ought rather
to persuade and engage men to do that which they
judged fit, than consider what themselves were in-
clined to do : and so did not think himself to be
enough valued and relied upon, and only to be made
use of to the celebrating the designs and contrivance
of other men, without being signal in the managery,
which he aspired to be. Nor did any man envy
him the province, if he could indeed have governed
it, and that others who had more useful talents
would have been ruled by him. However, being a
man who naturally loved faction and contradiction,
he often made experiments how far he could prevail
in the house, by declining the method that was pre-
scribed, and proposing somewhat to the house that
was either beside or contrary to it, and which the
others would not oppose, believing, in regard of his
relation, that he had received newer directions : and
then if it succeeded well, (as sometimes it did,) he
had argument enough to censure and inveigh against
the chancellor, for having taken so ill measures of
the temper and affections of the house ; for he did
not dissemble in his private conversation (though
his outward carriage was very fair) that he had no



204 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1663. kindness for him, which in gratitude he ought to
""have had; nor had he any thing to complain of
from him, but that he wished well and did all he
could to defend and support a very worthy person,
who had deserved very well from the king, against
whom he manifested a great and causeless animo-
sity, and desired to oppress for his own profit, of
which he had an immoderate appetite.

When those two persons, sir Harry Bennet and
Mr. Coventry, (between whom there had been as
great a league of friendship, as can be between two
very proud men equally ill-natured,) came now to
sit together in the house of commons ; though the
former of them knew no more of the constitution
and laws of England than he did of China, nor had
in truth a care or tenderness for church or state,
but believed France was the best pattern in the
world ; they thought they should have the greatest
wrong imaginable, if they did not entirely govern it,
and if the king took his measures of what should be
done there from any body but themselves. They
made friendships with some young men, who spake
confidently and often, and c upon some occasions
seemed to have credit in the house. And upon a
little conversation with those men, who, being coun-
try gentlemen of ordinary condition and mean for-
tunes, were desirous to have interest in such a per-
son as sir Harry Bennet, who was believed to have
great credit with the king; he believed he under-
stood the house, and what was to be done there, as
well as any man in England.

He recommended those men to the king " as per-

c and] Not in MS.



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 205

" sons of sublime parts, worthy of his majesty's ca- 1663.
" ressing : that he would undertake to fix them to
" his service ; and when they were his own, he
" might carry what he would in the house of com-
" mons. " The men had parts indeed and good af-
fections, and often had resorted to the chancellor,
received advice from him, and thought themselves
beholden to him; being at that time entirely go-
verned by sir Hugh Pollard, who was himself still
advised by the chancellor (with whom he had a long
and fast friendship) how he should direct his friends,
having indeed a greater party in the house of com-
mons willing to be disposed of by him, than any
man that ever sat there in my time. But now these
gentlemen had got a better patron ; the new cour-
tier had raised their value, and talked in another
dialect to them, of recompenses and rewards, than
they had heard formerly. He carried them to the
king, and told his majesty in their own hearing,
" what men of parts they were, what services they
" had done for him, and how much greater they
" could do :" and his majesty received and conferred
with them very graciously, and dismissed them with
promises which made them rich already.

The two friends before mentioned agreed so well
between themselves, that whether they spake to-
gether or apart to the king, they said always the
same things, gave the same information, and took
care that both their masters might have the same
opinions and judgments. They magnified the affec-
tions of the house of commons, " which were so
" great and united, that they would do whatso-
" ever his majesty would require. That there were
" many worthy and able men, of whose wisdom the



206 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1 663. " house was so well persuaded, that they commonly
~~ " consented to whatsoever they proposed : and that
" these men complained, that they had no directions
" given to them which way they might best serve
" the king ; they knew not what he desired, which
" when they should do, it would quickly appear how
" much they were at the king's disposal, and all
" things which now depended long would be here-
" after despatched in half the time. "

The king wondered very much, " that his friends
" in the house were no better informed, of which he
" had never heard any complaint before, and wished
" them to speak with the chancellor :" for neither
of these men were yet arrived at the confidence
to insinuate in the least degree any ill-will or pre-
judice to him, though they were not united in any
one thing more than the desire of his ruin, and the
resolution to compass it by all the ill arts and de-
vices they could use ; but till it should be more sea-
sonable, they dissembled to both their masters to
have a high esteem of him, having not yet credit
enough with either to do him harm. They said,
" they would very willingly repair to him, and be
" directed by him : but they desired that his majesty
" himself would first speak to him (because it would
" not so well become them) to call those persons,
" w r hom they had recommended to him, to meet
" together with the rest with whom he used to ad-
" vise ; which the persons they named they were
" sure would be very glad of, having all of them a
" great esteem of the chancellor, and being well
" known to him," as indeed they were, and most
of them obliged by him.

The king willingly undertook it : and being shortly



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 207

after attended by the chancellor, his majesty told IG63.
him all that the other two had said to him, and did
not forget to let him know the great good-will they
had both professed towards him. He asked him
" what he thought of such and such men," and par-
ticularly named Mr. Clifford and Mr. Churchill, and
some other men of better quality and much more
interest, " who," he said, " took it ill that they were
" not particularly informed what the king desired,
" and which way they might best serve him ;" and
bade him, " that at the next meeting of the rest,
" these men might likewise have notice to be pre-
" sent, together with sir Harry Bennet and Mr.
" William Coventry ;" for Harry Coventry (who was
a much wiser man than his brother, and had a much
better reputation with wise men) was constantly in
those councils.

The chancellor told him, " that great and noto-
" rious meetings and cabals in parliament had been
" always odious in parliament : and though they
" might produce some success in one or two parti-
" culars till they were discovered, they had always
" ended unluckily ; until they were introduced in
" the late ill times by so great a combination, that
" they could not receive any discountenance. Yet
" that they, who compassed all their wicked designs
" by those cabals, were so jealous that they might
" be overmatched by the like practices, that when
" they discovered any three or four of those, who
" were used to concur with them, to have any pri-
" vate meetings, they accused them to conspire
" against the parliament. That when his majesty
" returned, and all the world was full of joy and de-
" light to serve him, and persons were willing and



208 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1663. " importunate to receive direction how they might
~~ " do it in that convention ; care had been taken
" without any noise, or bringing any prejudice upon
" those who were willing to be instruments towards
" the procuring what was desirable, and to prevent
" what would be ingrateful, that little notice might
" be taken of them, which had good success.

" That since this parliament the lord treasurer
" and he had, by his majesty's direction, made choice
" of some persons eminent for their affection to the
" crown, of great experience and known abilities,
" to confer with for the better preparing and con-
" ducting what was to be done in the house of
" commons : but the number of them was not so
" great as to give any umbrage. Nor did they meet
" oftener together with them, than upon accidents
" and contingencies was absolutely necessary ; but
" appointed those few who had a mutual confidence
" in each other, and every one of which had an
" influence upon others and advised them what to
" do, to meet by themselves, either at the lord
" Bridgman's or Mr. Attorney's chambers, who still
" gave notice to the other two of what was neces-
" sary, and received advice. That there were very
" few of any notable consideration, who did not fre-
" quently repair to both d of them, either to dine
" with them or to perform some office of civility ;
" with every one of whom they conferred, and said
" what was necessary to inform e them what was fit
" for them to do.

" That two of those who were named by his ma-
" jesty, Mr. Clifford and Mr. Churchill, were honest

d frequently repair to both] c inform] inform and oblige

frequent to both



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 209

" gentlemen, and received the advice they were to 1663.
" follow from sir Hugh Pollard, who had in truth a~~
" very particular influence upon all the Cornish and
" Devonshire men. And that his majesty might
" know that he had not been well informed, that the
" others named by him took it unkindly that they
" did not know his pleasure, who were leading men,
" as indeed they were ; he assured his majesty that
" there was not one of those, who was not particu-
" larly consulted with, and advertised by some per-
" son who was chosen by every one of them for that
" purpose f ; and that they would by no means resort
*' to any meeting, fearing to undergo the odious
" name of undertakers, which in all parliaments hath
" been a brand : but as they had never opposed any
" thing that related to his service, so upon any pri-
" vate insinuation they had been ready to propose
" any thing which would not have been so accept-
" able from any, who had been known to have rela-
" tion to his service, or to depend upon those who
" had. "

He besought his majesty to consider, " whether
" any thing had hitherto, in near three years, fallen
" out amiss, or short of what he had expected, in
" the wary administration that had been in that
" affair ;" and did not coriceal his own fears, " that
" putting it into a more open and wider channel,
" his majesty's own too public speaking with the
" members of parliament, and believing what every
" man who was present told him passed in debates,
" and who for want of comprehension as well as me-
" mory committed many mistakes in their relations,

f purpose] person
VOL. II. P



1663. " would be attended with some, inconveniences not
~ " easy to b. e remedied. " The king was not dissa-
tisfied with the discourse, but seemed to approve
it: however he would have sir Harry Bennet, Mr.
Clifford, and Churchill, called to the next meeting ;
and because they were to be introduced into com-
pany they had not used to converse with, that it
should be at the chancellor's chamber, who should
let the rest know the good opinion his majesty had
of those who were added to the number.
An aitera- fj v t n j s means and with these circumstances this

tion in the

manage- alteration was made in the conduct of the king's

ment of the . . . . ,

house of service in the parliament ; upon which many other
' alterations followed by degrees, though not at once.
Yet presently it appeared, that this introduction of
new confidents was not acceptable to those, who
thought they had very well discharged their trust.
Sir Harry Bennet was utterly unknown to them, a
man unversed in any business, who never had nor
ever was like to speak in the house, except in his
ear who sat next him to the disadvantage of some
who had spoken, and had not the faculties to get
himself beloved, and was thought by all men to be
a Roman catholic, for which they had not any other
reason but from his indifference in all things which
concerned the church. i,

When they met first at the chancellor's chamber,
as the king had directed, they conferred freely toge-
ther with little difference of opinion : though it ap-
peared that they, who had used to be together be-
fore, did not use the same freedom as formerly in
delivering their particular judgments, not having
confidence enough in the new comers, who in their
private meetings afterwards took more upon them,



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 211

rather to direct than to advise ; so that the other 1 663.
grew unsatisfied in their conversation 8 . And though
the meetings continued at one of the places before
mentioned, some always discontinued their attend-
ance ; so that by degrees there were less resolutions
taken than had been formerly ; nor was there so
cheerful a concurrence, or so speedy a despatch of
the business depending in the house, as had been.

However, there appeared nothing of disunion in
the parliament, but the same zeal and concurrence
in all things which related to the king. The mur-
murs and discontents were most in the country,
where the people began to talk with more license
and less reverence of the court and of the king him-
self, and to reproach the parliament for their raising so
much money, and increasing of the impositions upon
the kingdom, without having done any thing for the
redress of any grievance that lay upon the people.
The license with reference to religion grew every
day greater, the conventicles more frequent and
more insolent, which disturbed the country exceed-
ingly ; but not so much as the liberty the papists
assumed, who behaved themselves with indiscretion,
and bragged as if they had a toleration and cared
not what the magistrates could do. The parliament
had a desire to have provided against those evils
with the same rigour : but though there would have
been a general consent in any provision that could
be made against the fanatics and the conventicles,
yet there would not be the like concurrence against
the papists ; and it was not possible to carry on the
one without the other. And therefore the court,

s conversation] conversion.
P 2



212 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1663. that they might be sure to prevent the last, inter-
"rupted all that was proposed against the former,
which they wished provided against, and chose to
have neither out of fear of both ; which increased
the disorders in the country, and caused more reflec-
tions upon the court : so that this session of parlia-
ment produced less of moment than any other.

And the king, after they had given him four sub-
sidies, which was all the money they could be drawn
to give, that he might part as kindly with them as
he used to do, and upon discovery of several sedi-
tious meetings amongst the officers of the disbanded
army, which he could best suppress when he had
most leisure, he resolved to prorogue the parliament.
And so sending for them upon the twenty-seventh
of July, he thanked them for the present which
The king's they had made to him of the four subsidies, " which,"

speech at

the proro- he told them, " he would not have received from

gation of . . . . , r> t

the pariia r " them, if it were not absolutely necessary for their
" peace and quiet as well as his : and that it would
" yet do him very little good, if he did not improve
" it by very good husbandry of his own ; and by re-
" trenching those very expenses, which in many
*' respects might be thought necessary enough. But
" they should see that he would much rather im-
" pose upon himself, than upon his subjects ; and
" that if all men would follow his example in re-
" trenching their expenses, (which possibly they
" might do with much more convenience than he
" could *do his,) the kingdom would in short time
" gain what they - had given him that day. " He
told them, " he was very glad that they were going
" into their several countries, where their presence
" would do much good : and he hoped their vigi-



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 213

" lance and authority would prevent those disturb- 1663.
" ances, which the restless spirits of ill and unquiet ~~
" men would be always contriving, and of which his
" majesty did assure them they promised themselves
" some effects that summer. And that there had
" been more pains and unusual ways taken to kindle
" the old fatal fears and jealousies, than he thought
" he should ever have lived to have seen, at least to
" have seen so countenanced. "

He told them, " that he had expected to have had
" some bills presented to him against the several dis-
'* tempers in religion, against seditious conventicles,
" and against the growth of popery : but that it
" might be they had been in some fear of reconciling
" those contradictions in religion into some conspi-
" racy against the public peace, to which himself
" doubted men of the most contrary motives in con-
" science were inclinable enough. He did promise
" them that he would lay that business to heart,
" and the mischiefs which might flow from those li-
" censes ; and if he lived to meet with them again,
" as he hoped he should, he would himself take care
" to present two bills to them to that end. And
" that, as he had already given it in charge to the
"judges, in their several circuits, to use their utmost
" endeavours to prevent and punish the scandalous
" and seditious meetings of sectaries, and to convict
" the papists ; so he would be as watchful, and take
" all the pains he could, that neither the one or the
" other should disturb the peace of the kingdom. "
And adding many gracious expressions of his esteem
and confidence in their affections, he caused them
to be prorogued towards the end of March, which
would be the beginning of the year 1664.

p 3



214 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1 663. The king had an intention at that time to have pre-



The king pared against the next meeting two such bills as he
prepare two mentioned to them, and was well enough content
^' e ls a a g *' s "f that the parliament had not presented such to him,
and sect- which he well foresaw would not have been such as



anes.



he should have been pleased with. He would have
liked the most rigorous acts against all the other
factions in religion, but did not think the papists
had deserved the same severities, which would have
been provided against them with the other, it being
very apparent, that the kingdom generally had re-
sumed their old jealousies of them, provoked by the
very unwary behaviour of that people, who bragged
of more credit in the court than they could justify,
though most men thought they had too much : and
- that was the reason that he had commanded the
chancellor to require the judges, who were then be-
ginning their circuits, to cause the Roman catholics
to be convicted, which he believed would allay much
of the jealousies in the country, as for the present
it did. And then he resolved to cause two such
bills to be prepared for several reasons, of which the
principal was, that he might divide them into two
bib's ; presuming that when he had sent one against
either, they would not affect reducing both into
one, which was that which the catholic party most
apprehended.

imprudent His majesty was himself very unsatisfied with the
. ! f the' pa- imprudent carriage of the catholics, and thought
they did affect too much to appear as if they stood
upon the level with all other subjects : and he re-
ceived very particular and unquestionable informa-
tion, that some priests had made it an argument to
some whom they endeavoured to make their prose-



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 215

lytes, " that the king was of their religion in his 1663.
" heart, and would shortly declare it to all the world;" '
with which his majesty was marvellously offended,
and did heartily desire that any of those indiscreet
persons might be proceeded against with severity.
Yet he had no mind that any man should be put to
death, which could hardly be avoided if any man
should be brought to trial in the case aforesaid, ex-
cept he had granted his pardon, which with these
circumstances would have carried scandal in it. Be-
sides, he did think the wisest of that party had not
carried themselves with modesty enough, with what
was good for themselves and for his majesty's ho-
nour. And therefore he had, without imparting it
to any friends of theirs, given that direction to the
judges for convicting them, as the best means to re-
claim them to a better temper : and he had a pur-
pose, that the bill he meant should be prepared
should more effectually perform that part, without
exposing them to any notable inconveniences in
their persons or their fortunes, if they behaved them-
selves well and warily.

He did believe, that it was necessary for his ser- The king

. 1-111 -i i i designs to

vice that they should be all convicted, that it might have the
be evident to himself what their numbers consisted JJJ2! c<
of and amounted to, which he believed would be
found much inferior to what they were generally
computed, and then the danger from their power
would not be thought so formidable : and it could
be no prejudice to them without a further proceed-
ing upon their conviction, which he was resolved to
restrain, as he well might, and had done hitherto ;
resolving within himself, that no man should suffer
under those penal laws which had been made against

P 4



216 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1 663. them in the age before, if they lived like good sub-
jects, and administered no occasion of scandal. And
as he was not reserved in declaring that his gracious
purpose towards them, (as hath been said before ;)
so hitherto it had not been attended by any mur-
murs : and yet he was not without a purpose of
keeping such a power over them, as might make
them wholly depend upon him.

His majesty did, in his judgment and inclination,
put a great difference between those Roman catho-
lics, who being of ancient extraction had continued
of the same religion from father to son, without
having ever been protestant, amongst whom there
were very few who had not behaved themselves very
worthily ; and those, who since the late troubles had
apostatized from the church of England to that of
the Roman, without any such evidence of conscience,
as might not administer just reason to suspect, that
their inducements had been from worldly tempta-
tions. And he did resolve in his bill to make a
distinction between those classes, and to prevent, or
at least to discourage, those lapses which fell out too
frequently in the court ; nor did men believe that
they need make any apology for it, but appeared
the more confidently in all places. He did resolve
likewise to contract and lessen the number of the
ecclesiastical persons, who upon missions resorted
hither as to an infidel nation, (which was and is a
grievance that the catholics would be glad to be
eased in,) and to reduce them into such an order
and method by this bill, that he might himself
know the names of all priests remaining in the king-
dom, and their several stations where they resided ;
which must have produced such a security to those



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 217

who stayed, and to those with whom they stayed, 1663.
as would have set them free from any apprehension ~
of any penalties imposed by preceding parliaments.

But this design (which comprehended many other Measures

. . . ,. , taken to

particulars) vanished as soon as it was discovered, frustrate his
The king's own discourse of a bill that he would design *
cause to be drawn against the Roman catholics
awakened great jealousies; nor did they want in-
struments or opportunities to discover what the
meaning of it could be. Nor was the king reserved
in the argument, but communicated it with those
who he knew were well affected to that party, and
to one or two of themselves who were reputed to be
moderate men, and to desire nothing but the exer-
cise of their religion with the greatest secrecy and
caution, and who often informed him and com-
plained " of the folly and vanity of some of their
*' friends, and more particularly of the presumption
" of the Jesuits. " And such kind of factions and di-
visions there are amongst them, which might be cul-
tivated to very happy productions : but such inge-
nuity, as to be contented with what might gratify
all their own pretences, there is not amongst them.

These moderate men complained already, " that
" the king was deceived by their enemy the chan-
" cellor," who indeed was generally very odious to
them, for no other reason, but because they knew
he was irreconcileable to their profession ; not that
they thought he desired that the laws should be put
in execution against them ; and some of the chief of
them believed him to be much their friend, and had
obligations to him. But they all lamented this di-
rection given to the judges for their conviction,
" which," they informed the king, "was the necessary



218 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1663. " preamble to the highest persecution the law had
~~" prepared against them. That till they were con-
" victed they were in the same predicament with
" the rest of his subjects ; but as soon as they were
" convicted," (which the judges now caused to be
prosecuted throughout the kingdom,) " they were
" liable to all the other penalties, which his majesty
" was inclined to protect them from. " They pre-
sented to him a short memorial of the disadvantages
which were consequent to a conviction, in which
they alleged some particulars which were not clear
in the law, at least had never been practised in the
severest times.

Though the king had well weighed all he had
done before he did it, and well knew, after all their
insinuations and allegations, that none of those in-
conveniences could ensue to them, if he restrained
any further prosecution, which he always had in-
tended to do ; yet they wrought so far upon him,
that he was even sorry that he had proceeded so
far : and though it was not fit to revoke any part of
it, yet he cared not how little it was advanced. And
for the bill he meant to present in the next session^
they said, " all their security and quiet they had en-
" joyed since his majesty's happy return depended
" wholly upon the general opinion, that he had fa-
" vour for them, and satisfaction in their duty and
" obedience as good subjects, and their readiness to
" do him any service, which they would all make
" good with their lives and all that they had. But
" if he should now discover any jealousy of their
" fidelities, and that there was need of a new law
" against them, which his purpose of providing a bill
" implied, what mitigation soever his majesty in-



EDWARD EAUL OF CLARENDON. 219

" tended in it, it would not be in his majesty's power 1663.
" to restrain the passion of other men ; but all those"
" animosities which had been hitherto covered and
" concealed, as grateful to him, would upon this oc-
" casion break out to their destruction : and there-
" fore they hoped, that whatever bitterness the par-
" liament might express against them when they
" came together, they should receive no invitation
" or encouragement by any jealousy or displeasure
" his majesty should manifest to have towards
" them. "

These and the like arguments, or the credit of The king
those who urged them, made that impression, thatC'puTpose.
he declined any further thought of that bill ; nor was
there ever after mention of it. The catholics grew
bolder in all places, and conversant in those rooms of
the court into which the king's chaplains never pre-
sumed to enter ; and to crown all their hopes, the
lady declared herself of that faith, and inveighed
sharply against the church she had been bred in.

During the interval of the parliament, there was
not such a vacation from trouble and anxiety as was
expected. The domestic unquietness in the court
made every day more noise abroad: infinite scan-
dals and calumnies were scattered amongst the
people ; and they expressed their discontents upon Discontents
the great taxes and impositions which they were"r y . ie
compelled to pay, and publicly reproached the par-
liament ; when they were in truth vexed and grieved
at heart for that which they durst not avow, and
did really believe that God was angry with the na-
tion, and resolved to exercise it under greater tri-
bulation than he had so lately freed them from.
The general want of money was complained of, and



220 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF

1 663. a great decay of trade ; so that the native commo-
"dities of the kingdom were not transported. Yet
both these were but pretences, and resulted from
combinations rather than from reason. For it ap-
peared by the customs, that the trade was greater
than it had ever been, though some of our native
commodities, especially cloth, seemed for some time
to be at a stand ; which proceeded rather from the
present glut, which in the general license the inter-
lopers had irregularly transported in great quan-
tities, by which the prices were brought low, and
could only be recovered by a restraint for some time,
which the merchant adventurers put upon them-
selves, and would have put upon the interlopers, who
were at last too hard for them, even upon the mat-
ter to the suppressing the company, that had stood
in great reputation for very many years, and had
advanced that manufacture to a great height ; and
whether it deserved that discountenance, time must
decide. How unreasonable the other discourse was
of want of money, there needs no other argument,
but the great purchases which were every day made
of great estates ; nor was any considerable parcel of
land in any part of England offered to be sold, but
there was a purchaser at hand ready to buy it.

However, these pretences, together with the sud-
den bringing up all the money, that was collected
for the king, in specie to London, which proceeded
from the bankers' advancing so much present money
for the emergent occasions, for which they had
those assignments upon the money of the country,
A sudden did really produce such a sudden fall of the rents
ts< throughout the kingdom, as had never been known
before : so that men were compelled to abate gene-



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 221

rally a fourth part of their annual rents at the least, l 663.
or to take their lands into their own hands, for"
which they were as ill provided. All this mischief
fell upon the nobility and greatest gentry, who were
owners of the greatest estates, every body whose es-
tate lay in land undergoing a share in the suffering,
which made the discontent general ; which they
thought the best way h to remedy would be to raise
no more taxes, which they took to be the cause why
the rents fell. In the mean time the expenses of
the court, and of all who depended upon it, grew
still higher, and the king himself less intent upon
his business, and more loved his pleasures, to which
he prescribed no limits, nor to the expenses which
could not but accompany them.

There was cause enough to be jealous of the pub- Danger of
lie peace; there being every day discoveries madetion.
of private meetings and conferences between officers
of the old army ; and that correspondences were
settled between them throughout the kingdom in a
wonderful method ; and that they had a grand com-
mittee residing in London, who had the supreme
power, and which sent orders to all the rest, who
were to rise in one day, and meet at several ren-
dezvouses. Hereupon several persons were appre-
hended and committed to prison ; and the king him-
self often took the pains to examine them ; and
they confessed commonly more to his majesty him-
self than upon any other examination. Proclama-
tions issued often for the banishing all officers who
had ever borne arms against the king twenty miles
from London, which did more publish the apprehen-
sion of new troubles.

11 way] Omitted in MS.



an insurrec-



CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
J 663. There can be no doubt, but that there were many



seditious purposes amongst that people, of which
there often appeared so full evidence, that many
were executed for high treason, who were tried and
condemned by the judges at their 1 general sessions
at Newgate : yet there was often cause to believe
that many men were committed, who in truth had
not been more faulty, than in keeping ill company
and in hearing idle discourses. Informing was
grown a trade, which many affected to get money
by : and as the king's ministers could not reject in
a time of so much jealousy, so the receiving them
gave them great trouble ; for few of them were will-
ing to be produced as evidence against those they
accused, pretending, sometimes with reason, "that
" if they were known they should be rendered use-
" less for the future, whereas they were yet unsus-
" pected and admitted into all councils. " All the
sects in religion spake with more boldness in their
meetings, and met more frequently, than they had
used to do in the times that sir Richard Browne
and sir John Robinson had been lord mayors ; and
the officers who succeeded them proved less vigilant.
A general despondency seemed to possess the minds
of men, as if they little cared what came to pass ;
which did not proceed so much from malice, as from
the disease of murmuring, which had been contract-
ing above twenty years, and became almost incorpo-
rated into the nature of the nation.
An intrigue There happened about this time an alteration in

in the

court to ad- the court, that produced afterwards many other alter-
H. Rennet, ations which were not then suspected, yet even at

1 their] the



EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON. 223

that time was not liked in the court itself, and less 1663.
out of it. The keeper of the privy purse, who was""
more fit for that province than for any other to
which he could be applied, did not think himself yet
preferred to a station worthy of his merit and great
qualifications. Some promises the king had made
to him when he was at Fuentarabia, and had long
much kindness for his person and much delight in
his company : so that his friend, Mr. O'Neile, who
was still ready to put his majesty in mind of all his
services, had nothing hard to do but to find a va-
cancy that might give opportunity for his advance-
ment ; and he was dexterous in making opportuni-
ties which he could not find, and made no 'scruple to
insinuate to the king, " that the abilities of neither
" of -his secretaries were so great but that he might
" be better served. " Indeed his majesty, who did
not naturally love old men, had not so much esteem
of them as their parts and industry and integrity
deserved, and would not have been sorry if either or
both of them had died.

Secretary Nicholas had served the crown very character
many years with a very good acceptation, was made Ni
secretary of state by the late king, and loved and
trusted by him in his nearest concernments to his
death : nor had any man, who served him, a more
general reputation of virtue and piety and unques-
tionable integrity throughout the kingdom. He
was a man to whom the rebels had been always ir-
reconcileable ; and from the end of the war lived in
banishment beyond the seas, was with his majesty
from the time he left France (for whilst the king
was in France with his mother, to whom the secre-
tary was not gracious, he remained at a distance ;



224 CONTINUATION OF THE LIFE OF
1663. but from the time that his majesty came into Ger-



many he was always with him) in the exercise of
the same function he had under his father, and re-
turned into England with him, with hope to repair
his fortune by the just perquisites of his office, which
had been very much impaired by his long sufferings
and banishment. He had neVer been in his youth
a man of quick and sudden parts, but full of industry
and application, (which it may be is the better com-
position,) and always versed in business and all the
forms of despatch. He was now some years above
seventy, yet truly performed his office with punctu-
ality, and to the satisfaction of all men who repaired
to him : and the king thought it an envious as well
as an ill-natured thing, to discharge such an officer
because he had k lived too long.
of secretary The other secretary was secretary Morrice, whose

Mornce. J

merit had been his having transacted all that had
been between the king and the general, which was
thought to be much more than it was. Yet he had
behaved himself very well, and as much disposed
the general as he was capable of being disposed ;
and his majesty had preferred him to that office
purely to gratify and oblige the general; and he
had behaved himself very honestly and diligently in
the king's service, and had a good reputation in the
house of commons, and did the business of his office
without reproach. He had lived most part of his
time in the country, with the repute of a wise man
and a very good scholar, as indeed he was both in
the Latin and Greek learning; but being without
any knowledge in the modern languages, he gave

k had] Omitted in MS.