willingly And he was become a very religious man 1668. when I knew him. He was offered after that the beft pofts in the Court, oftner than once: But he would never engage again. He faw what was at bottom, and was refolved not to go through with it; and fo continued to his death in a retired course of life. The Duke of Ormond continued ftill in the Go- The Go vernment changed. vernment of Ireland, tho' feveral interefts joined to- of Ireland gether against him. The Earls of Orrery and Ranelagh on the one hand, and Talbot on the other. Lord Orrery loved to appear in business; but dealt fo much under hand, that he had not much credit with any fide. Lord Ranelagh was a young man of great parts, and as great vices: He had a pleafantnefs in his converfation that took much with the King, and had a great dexterity in business. Many complaints were fecretly brought against the Duke of Ormond. The King loved him: And he accommodated himself much to the King's humour. Yet the King was, with much difficulty, prevailed on to put an end to his government of Ireland, and to put Lord Roberts, afterwards made Earl of Radnor, in his place; who was a morofe man, believed to be feverely juft, and as wife as a cynical hu- t mour could allow him to be. The manner of removing the Duke of Ormond will give a particular character of the King's temper. He fent Lord Arlington to him for his commiffion. The Duke of Ormond faid, he had received it from the King's own hands, and he would go and deliver it to him. When he carried it to the King, the King denied he had fent him any fuch meffage. Two days after that Lord Arlington was fent again with the fame meffage: And he had the fame anfwer: And the King difowned it again to the Duke. So the King declared in the Privy Council the change of the Government of Ireland, and made Roberts Lord Lieutenant. And it flew abroad as a piece of news. The Duke of Ormond hearing that, came to the Bb 3. King 1668. King in great warmth, to expoftulate upon it. But the King denied the whole thing, and fent him away : But he fent for Fitzpatrick, who had married his fifter, and who told me the whole ftory, and fent him to the Duke of Ormond, to tell him, the King had denied the matter, tho' it was true, for he obferved he was in fuch a heat, that he was afraid he might have faid indecent things: And he was refolved not to fall out with him: For, tho' his affairs made it neceffary to change the Government of Ireland, yet he would ftill be kind to him, and continue him Lord Steward. Lord Radnor did not continue long in Ireland: He was cynical in his whole adminiftration, and uneafy to the King in every thing: And in one of his peevish humours he writ to the King, that he had but one thing to ask of him, which if it might be granted, he would never afk another, and that was to be discharged of his employment. The Lord Berkley succeeded him, who was brother to the Lord Fitzharding, and from fmall beginnings had rifen up to the greatest poft a fubject was capable of. In the war he was Governour of Exeter for the King, and one of his Generals. He was named by him Governour to the Duke of York. He was now made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; and afterwards fent Ambaffadour to France, and Plenipotentiary to Nimeguen. He was a man in whom it appeared with how little true judgment Courts diftribute favours and honours. He had a pofitive way of undertaking and determining in every thing, but was a very weak man, and not incorrupt. The Com Brook house. The Court delivered itfelf up to vice. And the mittee of Houfe of Commons loft all refpect in the Nation; for they gave ftill all the money that was afked. Yet those who oppofed the Court carried one great point, that a Committee fhould be named to examine the accounts of the money that was given during the Dutch war. It was carried, that they fhould be all men out of the Houfe. Lord Bre reton reton was the chief of them, and had the chair. He was a philofophical man, and was all his life long in fearch of the philofophers ftone, by which he neglected his own affairs; but was a man of great integrity, and was not to be gained by the flatteries, hopes, or threatnings of the Court. Sir William Turner was another of the Committee, who had been Lord Mayor of London the former year, under whofe wife and juft adminiftration the rebuilding of the City advanced fo faft, that he would have been chofen Lord Mayor for the enfuing year, if he had not declined it. Pierpoint was likewife of this Committee: So was Sir James Langham, a very weak man, famed only for his readiness of speaking florid Latin, which he had attained to a degree beyond any man of the age; but his ftyle was too poetical, and full of Epithets and Figures. 1668. I name Sir George Saville laft, because he de- Halifax's ferves a more copious character. He rofe after- character. wards to be Viscount, Earl, and Marquis of Halifax. He was a man of a great and ready wit; full of life, and very pleafant; much turned to fatyr. He let his wit run much on matters of religion: So that he paffed for a bold and determined Atheist; tho' he often protested to me, he was not one; and faid, he believed there was not one in the world: He confeffed, he could not fwallow down every thing that divines impofed on the world: He was a Chriftian in fubmiffin: He believed as much as he could, and he hoped that God would not lay it to his charge, if he could not difgeft iron, as an oftrich did, nor take into his belief things that must burst him: If he had any fcruples, they were not fought far, nor cherished by him; for he never read an atheistical book. In a fit of fickness, I knew him very much touched with a fenfe of religion. I was then often with him. He feemed full of good purposes But they went off with his ficknefs. He was always talking of morality and friendfhip. He Bb 4 was 1668. was punctual in all payments, and juft in all his private dealings. But, with relation to the publick, he went backwards and forwards, and changed fides fo often, that in conclufion no fide trufted him. He feemed full of Common-wealth notions: Yet he went into the worft part of King Charles's reign. The livelinefs of his imagination was always too hard for his judgment. A fevere jeft was preferred by him to all arguments whatfoever. And he was endless in confultations: For when after much difcourse a point was fettled, if he could find a new jeft, to make even that which was fuggested by himself feem ridiculous, he could not hold, but would study to raise the credit of his wit, tho' it made others call his judgment in queftion. When he talked to me as a philofopher of his contempt of the world, I asked him, what he meant by getting fo many new titles, which I call'd the hanging himfelf about with bells and tinfel. He had no other excufe for it, but this, that, fince the world were fuch fools as to value thofe matters, a man must be a fool for company: He confidered them but as rattles: Yet rattles please children: So thefe might be of ufe to his family. His heart was much fet on raifing his family. But, tho' he made a vast estate for them, he buried two of his fons himself, and almost all his grandchildren. The fon that furvived was an honeft man, but far inferior to him. I do not remember who befides thefe were of that Committee, which because it fate in Brook-house, was called by the name of that house. 1669. Mny The Court was much troubled to fee an enquiry of this kind fet on foot. It was faid, the King was bafely treated, when all his expence was to be looked into. On the other hand it was answered, that the Parliament did not look into his revenue, but gained by the Court. only to the diftribution of that treasure that was trufted to him for carrying on the war. I was told, that, after all the moft fhameful items that could ment men be be put into an account, there was none offered for 1669. about 800000l. But I was not then in England: So I was very imperfectly informed as to this matter. The chief men that promoted this were taken, off, (as the word then was for corrupting members,) in which the Court made fo great a progrefs, that it was thought the King could never have been prevailed on, to part with a Parliament fo much practifed on, and where every man's price was known; for as a man rofe in his credit in the House, he raifed his price, and expected to be treated accordingly. In all this enquiry the careleffnefs and luxury of the Court came to be fo much expofed, that the King's fpirit was much fharpened upon it. All the flatterers about him magnified foreign governments, where the Princes were abfolute, that in France more particularly. Many to please him said, it was a very eafy thing to fhake off the restraints of law, if the King would but fet about it. The Crown of Denmark was elective, and fubject to a Senate, and yet was in one day, without any vifible force, changed to be both hereditary and abfolute, no rebellion nor convulfion of ftate following on it. The King loved the project in general; but would not give himself the trouble of laying or managing it. And therefore, till his affairs were made eafier, and the project grew clearer, he refolved to keep all things clofe within himself; and went on in the common maxim, to balance party against party, and by doing popular things to get money of his Parliament, under the pretence of fupporting the Triple Alliance. So money-bills paffed eafily in the Houfe of Commons: Which by a ftrange reverfe came to be opposed in the Houfe of Lords; who began to complain, that the moneybills came up fo thick, that it was faid, there was no end of their giving. End fignifying purpose, as well as a meafure, this pafs'd as a fevere jeft at that time. Sir John Coventry made a grofs reflection on the King's amours. He was one of those who |