"defire your Majefty to put on a hypocritical "fhew of religion, as Henry the Third of France "did, hoping thereby to have weathered the "ftorms of thofe times. No! that would be "foon feen through, and as it would provoke "God more, fo it would encreafe jealoufies. No! "Sir, it must be real, and the evidences of it "fignal: All those about You who are the occa"fions of fin, chiefly the women, must be re"moved, and your Court be reformed. Sir, if "You will turn You to Religion fincerely and feriously, You fhall quickly find a ferene Joy "of another nature poffefs your mind, than what "arifes from grofs pleasures; God would be at

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peace with You, and direct and bless all your "Counfels; all good Men would presently turn "to You, and ill men would be ashamed, and "have a thin party. For I fpeak it knowingly, "there is nothing has fo alienated the body of "your people from you, as what they have heard "of your life, which difpofes them to give an "eafy belief to all other fcandalous reports.

Sir, this Counsel is now almoft as neceffary "for your affairs as it is for your foul; and though "You have highly offended that God, who has "been infinitely merciful to You, in preferving "You at Worcester fight, and during your long "exile, and who brought You back fo miracu

loufly, yet he is ftill good and gracious; and "will, upon your fincere repentance, and change "of life, pardon all your fins and receive You "into his favour: Oh, Sir, what if You should "die in the midft of all your Sins? at the great "Tribunal, where You must appear, there will "be no regard to the Crown You now wear; but "it will aggravate your punishment, that being "in fo eminent a ftation, You have fo much "difhonoured God. Sir, I hope, You believe "there is a God, and a Life to come, and that "Sin fhall not pafs unpunished. If your Majesty

"" will

" will reflect upon your having now been twenty "years upon the throne, and in all that time "how little You have glorified God, how much "you have provoked him, and that your ill "example has drawn fo many after You to fin, "that men are not now ashamed of their vices, "You cannot but think, that God is offended "with You: And if You confider how ill your "Councils at home, and your Wars abroad have "fucceeded, and how much You have loft the "hearts of your people, You may reasonably "conclude, this is of God, who will not turn 66 away his anger from You, till You turn to "him with your whole heart.

"I am no enthufiaft, either in opinion or temper; "yet I acknowledge, I have been fo prefs'd in 66 my mind to make this addrefs to You, that I "could have no eafe till I did it: And fince "you were pleafed to direct me to fend You, "through Mr. Chiffinch's hands, fuch informa"tions as I thought fit to convey to You, I hope

your Majefty will not be offended, if I have "made this ufe of that liberty. I am fure I can "have no other defign in it, but your good; for I "know very well, this is not the method to ferve "any ends of my own. I therefore throw myself "at your feet, and once more, in the Name of "God, whofe fervant I am, do most humbly be"feech your Majefty, to confider of what I have "written, and not to defpife it for the meanness "of the perfon, who has fent it; but to apply "yourself to religion in earneft: And I dare "affure you of many bleffings both temporal and

fpiritual in this life, and of eternal glory in the "life to come: But if You will go on in your "fins, the judgments of God will probably purfue "You in this life, fo that you may be a Proverb "to after-ages; and after this life, You will be "for ever miferable; and 1, your poor fubject that now am, fhall be a witnefs against You in

"the

"the great day, that I gave you this free and "faithful warning.

"Sir, no perfon alive knows, that I have written "to You to this purpofe: and I chose this evening, "hoping that your exercise to-morrow may put "you into a difpofition to weigh it more carefully. "I hope your Majefty will not be offended with "this fincere expreffion of my duty to You; for "I durft not have ventured on it, if I had nor "thought myself bound to it, both by the duty "I owe to God, and that which will ever oblige "me to be,

"May it please your Majesty, &c.”.

This is the letter, of which fome mention is made in the fecond Volume of the Hiftory, as likewife of the effect it produced: it conveys to the reader a much stronger idea of the author's character, than any defcription can give and I prefume, it will scarce be thought a step, which any Clergyman would have taken, who aimed more at preferment than the ftrict discharge of his duty.

The unprejudiced part our author acted, during the whole time that the nation was inflamed with the discovery of the Popish Plot; his candid endeavours to have faved the lives of Staley and the Lord Stafford, both zealous papifts; his temperate conduct in regard to the exclufion of the Duke of York, and the Scheme of a Prince Regent, propofed by him, in lieu of that exclufion; are all fufficiently related in the History: This only may be farther obferved, that his behaviour, in this critical juncture, was fo impartial, as to displease both the Court and the Country Party; which, when animofities run high, will always be the fate of those few, who follow the dictates of their own judgment and confcience, without entring into the concerted measures of any one fet of Men. A character as valuable as it is rare.

to his

friends.

His firm In 1682, when the adminiftration was wholly adherence changed, in favour of the Duke of York, the Courtiers thought themselves at liberty to rail at our author, as if his writings and fermons against Popery had been only calculated to facilitate the project of the exclufion. Yet fo little did the Court regard the reflections which were thrown upon him, that it being likely the Mastership of the Temple would be foon vacant, the Earls of Halifax and Clarendon obtained the King's promife of it for him: Upon which he was again fent for by his Majefty, and received with peculiar marks of favour and kindness. But thefe were foon withdrawn, and he himself waved the promise made him; when he found it was expected, he should break off correfpondence with fome of his best friends. And as, during the debates concerning the Exclufion, he had loft all his intereft with Lord Shaftesbury and the country party, on account of his intimacy with the Earl of Halifax, and his endeavours to justify, or at least excufe the Earl's conduct in that affair: So now he chofe rather to facrifice all the advantages, he might reap from that Lord's great power at Court, than to abandon the fociety of the Earl of Effex, the Lord Ruffel, and Sir William Jones. As he was, at this time, much reforted to by perfons of all ranks and parties, in order to avoid the neceffity of returning vifits, he built a Laboratory, and for above a year went through a courfe of chemical Experiments; which, as it ferved to enlarge his Philofophical Notions, and was in itfelf an ufeful, as well as an innocent Amusement, fo it furnished him with a proper excufe for ftaying much at home. The Earl (foon after created Marquis) of Halifax complains of this retirement in a letter, which I fhall here infert.

66

"SIR, *

TH

Oct. 16, 1682.

Hough I was tender in advising you to wave any thing you might think advantageous for you, yet fince you have thought fit "to do it, I am at liberty to approve it: And I "only defire you will not make too hafty refo"lutions concerning yourself, and not be carried "fo far by the fudden motions of a felf-denying "generofity, as to fhut the door against thofe ad

66

66

vantages, which you may expect with juftice, "and may receive without indecency. Only a "little patience is requifite, and in the mean time no greater restraint upon your behaviour and "conversation, than every prudent man, under <c your character and circumftances would chufe voluntarily to impofe on himself. For what concerns me, or any part I might have, in endeavouring to ferve you, I had rather you "fhould hear it from any body, than from myself; " and though you should never hear it from any "body, I expect from your juftice you should fuppofe it. Your withdrawing yourself from your "old Friends, on this corrupted fide of the "Town, is that which I can neither approve for

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my own fake, nor for yours: For befides many "other objections, fuch a total feparation will "make you by degrees think lefs equally, both "of men and things, than you have hitherto pro"feffed to do, in what relates to the Publick. I "have no jealoufies of this kind for myself in par"ticular, being refolved, at what distance foever, "to deferve your believing me unalterably

"Your faithful humble fervant,

"HALIFAX."

The original letter is in the Editor's hands.

Not