he pursued the common methods of cultivating an intereft, he might have raised himself to a great fortune: But as he was a conftant enemy to all thofe artifices of a Court, whereby men ufually rife, fo was he naturally of too frank a fpirit, to bear with the Earl's imperious temper. All the use therefore he made, of his freedom of accefs, was in negotiating and concluding a reconciliation, between him and Duke Hamilton; who had affignations given him, on the revenues of the Crown, in fatisfaction of those pretenfions, of which our author had found authentick vouchers, among the papers entrufted to his care; and the Duke, in return, promifed to concur with the measures of the Court, in the enfuing Parliament. Four Bishopricks in Scotland becoming vacant at He re this time, our author was offered his choice of fufes a

in Scot

them; but he declined accepting a station, for Bishoprick which he thought his years were unfit, in which land. he forefaw, he fhould be much entangled, and in all probability would be capable of doing little good.

Soon after his return to Glasgow, he married the His marLady Margaret Kennedy, a Daughter of the Eari riage with of Caffilis, who lived in great intimacy and friend- the Lady Margaret fhip with the Dutchefs of Hamilton: She was a Kennedy. Lady of diftinguished piety and knowledge; her own fentiments inclined ftrongly towards the Presbyterians, with whom he was in high credit and elteem; yet was fhe far from entering into the rigid and narrow zeal of fome of their leaders. As there was fome difparity in their ages, that it might remain without difpute, that this match was wholly owing to inclination, not to avarice or ambition, the day before their marriage, our author delivered the lady a Deed, whereby he renounced all pretenfion to her fortune, which was very confiderable, and must otherwife have fallen into his hands, fhe herself having no intention to fecure it.

VOL. I.

a

In

In the year 1672, Duke Lauderdale was fen down, as the King's Commiffioner, to hold a Parliament in Scotland, and our author was confidered as the Perfon, who had the greateft influence over him; which was wholly employed in doing good offices to needy fuitors, and in preventing a breach between him and Duke Hamilton; for which he was much exclaimed at, by the party then oppofing the Court, who could have no hopes of prevailing, unless the latter would put himself at their head. About this time, he publifhed his "Vindication of the Authority, Conftitution, and "Laws of the Church and State of Scotland;" Again re- wherein he strongly maintained the cause of Epifufes a Bi-fcopacy, and the illegality of refiftance, merely on fhoprick, account of Religion. This was thought, in that promife of juncture, fuch a publick fervice, that he was again the next courted to accept of a Bishoprick, with the proArchbi mife of the next Archbishoprick, that fhould be hoprick. void; but he ftill perfifted in his refufal.

with the

His favour

In 1673, he was obliged to take another jourat Court. ney to London, in order to obtain a Licence, for publishing his Memoirs of the Dukes of Hamilton; he went likewife with a full defign, to break off from farther meddling in matters of State; he faw that Popery was at bottom the prevailing intereft at Court, and that the Sacramental Teft, whereby the Duke of York, the Lord Clifford, and other Papifts in employment had been excluded, was a meer artifice of King Charles, to obtain money for carrying on the war that fummer with Holland. He fufpected that the defigns of the Court were both corrupt and defperate; he therefore used all the freedom, he decently could, with the Duke and Dutchefs of Lauderdale; he pointed out to them the errors of their management in Scotland, and the ill effects it would have, both upon themselves, and upon the whole nation; and when he faw no difpofition to rectify their measures, he rejected all offers of preferment made

te

to himself, though he could not decline being fworn one of the King's Chaplains, which, as it was a poft of no profit, fo it was confer'd upon him at his Majefty's exprefs nomination, upon having heard him preach. As Duke Lauderdale's enemies were foon informed of the franknefs with which he had remonftrated to his Grace, against the methods of Administration, he was then purfuing; and as they knew his friendship and attachment to the Hamilton family, they induftriously magnified his credit in Scotland, to fuch a degree, that his Majefty often fent for him in private, and the Duke of York much oftner. He made no other ufe of the high favour fhewn him by the latter, than firft to introduce Dr. Stillingflect to him; and afterwards to propofe a conference, to be held in his Royal Highness's prefence, between them two and the chief of the Romish Priefts: though there was little reafon at that time to hope, that any arguments would be able to effect the Duke's Converfion, and the very propofal of fuch a difpute, was in a great meafure renouncing all pretenfions to preferment. He likewife fought no other advantage, from the great freedom with which the King received him, than only to awaken in that Prince a Senfe of Religion, and to rouse him from that lethargy of vice and indolence, in which his natural great talents feemed wholly buried. This is fo much the reverse of the conduct of afpiring Clergymen, it lies fo directly out of the road to power, riches, or dignity, that I hope it may acquit him from all imputation of ambition.

dale.

As foon as the Memoirs of the Dukes of His breach Hamilton were licensed by Mr. Secretary Coventry; with Duk: which was the longer delayed, because the King Lauderand many of the Minifters were defirous to read them in manufcript; our author returned to ScotLand: And on his arrival at Edinburgh, finding the animofity between the Dukes of Hamilton and Lauderdale, rifen to a height not to be compofed,

Is forced

he retired to his ftation at Glasgow, and refused to ftir from thence all that winter. This, joined to the jealoufy, the favour fhewn him at London had raised, drew upon him a ftorm, which purfued him for many years after, with the utmost violence. The measures of the Court proving unfuccefsful in Parliament, Duke Lauderdale threw the load of his own mifcarriage upon our author, whom he reprefented as the caufe and inftrument, under hand, of all the oppofition he had met with. This accufation made it incumbent on him, once more to return to Court in the year 1674. The King received him coldly, and ordered his name to be ftruck out of the Lift of Chaplains; yet, at the Duke of York's intreaty, he admitted him to offer, what he thought proper in his own juftification: He thereupon gave his Majefty fo clear and fatisfactory an Account of his conduct, appealing for the truth of all his affertions to Duke Hamilton, that in the end the King feemed convinced of his innocence, and ordered him home to Glasgow. But the Duke of York diffuaded him from returning thither, 'till his Peace fhould be entirely made; for he affured him, that otherwise he would be clap'd up in prifon, and detain'd there perhaps as long as the fame intereft prevailed at Court; his Royal Highness likewife ufed his utmoft endeavours to have reconciled him with Duke Lauderdale; but that he found impracticable : the latter infifting, that our author fhould abandon his best friends, and discover all the Secrets he had hitherto been in; and the other, as firmly perfifting in his adherence to thofe, who had fhewn him friendship, or repofed a confidence in him.

Thus it became neceffary either, by going back to quit his to Scotland, to put himfelf in the power of eneprofeffor- mies, who were not likely to treat him with any fhip at Glafgow. regard to juftice or his own innocence, or elfe to refign his Profeffor's Chair, and fettle in England. He chofe the latter, if it may be called a choice

and fought an establishment in London in which he met with all the oppofition, the Ministry could give him; particularly in one Church (as he himfelf relates it in the Hiftory) where the Electors were difpofed to have chofen him, had they not been deterred by a very fevere meffage, in the King's name. Though the being thus in a manner turn'd a-drift, could not at the time but feem a misfortune, yet he ever spoke of it as the happieft event of his life. He was but thirty years old, and though the charms of ambition had not that influence over him, which is ufual at those years; yet he thought it a fignal bleffing, that any accident had difentangled him, from the fnares of fo corrupt a Court, in whofe fervice he had been fo far engaged, that he could not otherwife have been eafily delivered from them.

nefice at

London.

The fituation he was now in, might furely have Refuses a excused his embracing the firft provifion that good Beoffered; yet he could not be tempted by it, to overlook the niceft punctilio's of juftice or honour; refolved rather to fuffer the utmost perfonal difficulties, than purchase preferment at the least expence of his character. He therefore generously declined accepting the living of St. Giles's Cripplegate, which about this time was vacant; it was in the gift of the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, who had expreffed fome inclination to bestow it upon Dr. Fowler (afterwards Bishop of Gloucefter) but being made acquainted with the circumftances of our author, and the hardships he had undergone, they fent him an offer of the Benefice: He thanked them for the favour, but faid, that as he had been informed of their intention of conferring it upon fo worthy a Divine, he did not think' himself at liberty to take it. After this, in the year 1675,

*This fact Mr. Mackney, a Gentleman now living at Salifbury, affured me he had from the Bishop's own mouth And the fame was confirmed to me by the Reverend Mr. John Craig, who lived with Dr. Burnet at the time when it happened.