1660. He never seemed to understand foreign affairs well f: and yet he meddled too much in them. He had too much levity in his wit, and did not always observe the decorum of his post. He was high, and was apt to reject those who addressed themselves to him with too much contempt. He had such a regard to the king, that when places were disposed of, even otherwise than as he advised, yet he would justify what the king did, and disparage the pretensions of others, not without much scorn; which created him many enemies. He was indefatigable in business, though the gout did often disable him from waiting on the king: yet, during his credit, the king came constantly to him when he was laid up by it.

Ormond's character.

The next man in favour with the king was the duke of Ormond: a man every way fitted for a court of a graceful appearance, a lively wit, and a cheerful temper: a man of great expense, decent even in his vices; for he always kept up the form of religion. He had gone through many transactions in Ireland with more fidelity than success. He had made a treaty with the Irish, which was broken by the great body of them, though some few of them adhered still to him. But the whole Irish nation did still pretend, that, though they had broke the agreement first, yet he, or rather the king, in whose name he had treated with them, was bound to

f The author had not seen, I believe, the MS. History of Lord Clarendon's Life, written by himself. He at least understood foreign affairs better than any other of the ministers. None of them were much esteemed for that abroad, as has been said. I was told by

the master of the rolls, (sir Thomas Clarke,) that the lord Clarendon never made a decree in Chancery without the assistance of two of the judges. O.

g See Cartes History of the Life of this Duke of Ormond, vol. II. p. 555. See also the Biogr. Brit. p. 899. O.

perform all the articles of the treaty. He had mis- 1660. carried so in the siege of Dublin, that it very much lessened the opinion of his military conduct. Yet his constant attendance on his master, his easiness to him, and his great sufferings for him, raised him to be lord steward of the household, and lord lieutenant of Ireland. He was firm to the protestant religion, and so far firm to the laws, that he always gave good advices but when bad ones were followed, he was not for complaining too much of them.

ton's cha

The earl of Southampton was next to these. He Southampwas a man of great virtue, and of very good parts. racter. He had a lively apprehension, and a good judgment. He had merited much by his constant adhering to the king's interest during the war, and by the large supplies he had sent him every year during his exile; for he had a great estate, and only three daughters to inherit it. He was lord treasurer: but he grew soon weary of business; for as he was subject to the stone, which returned often and violently upon him, so he retained the principles of liberty, and did not go into the violent measures of the court. When he saw the king's temper, and his way of managing, or rather of spoiling business, he 96 grew very uneasy, and kept himself more out of the way than was consistent with that high post. The king stood in some awe of him; and saw how popular he would grow, if put out of his service: and therefore he chose rather to bear with his ill humour and contradiction, than to dismiss him h. He

1660. left the business of the treasury wholly in the hands of his secretary, sir Philip Warwick, who was an honest but a weak man; understood the common road of the treasury; [but, though he pretended to wit and politics, he was not cut out for that, and least of all for writing of history. But] he was an incorrupt man, and during seven years management of the treasury made but an ordinary fortune out of iti. Before the restoration, the lord treasurer had but a small salary, with an allowance for a table; but he gave, or rather sold, all the subaltern places, and made great profits out of the estate of the crown: but now, that estate being gone, and the earl of Southampton disdaining to sell places, the matter was settled so, that the lord treasurer was to have 8000l. a year, and the king was to name all the subaltern officers. It continued to be so all his time: but since that time the lord treasurer has both the 8000l. and a main hand in the disposing of those places.

Shafts

The man that was in the greatest credit with the bury's cha- earl of Southampton was sir Anthony Ashly Cooper, who had married his niece, and became afterwards

racter.

so considerable, that he was raised to be earl of 1660. Shaftsbury. And since he came to have so great a name, and that I knew him for many years in a very particular manner, I will dwell a little longer on his character; for it was of a very extraordinary composition. He began to make a considerable figure very early. Before he was twenty, he came into the house of commons, and was on the king's side; and undertook to get Wiltshire and Dorsetshire to declare for him: but he was not able to effect it. Yet prince Maurice breaking articles to a town, that he had got to receive him, furnished him with an excuse to forsake that side, and to turn to the parliament. He had a wonderful faculty in speaking to a popular assembly, and could mix both the facetious and the serious way of arguing very agreeably. He had a particular talent to make others trust to his judgment, and depend on it: and he brought over so many to a submission to his opinion, that I never knew any man equal to him in the art of governing parties, and of making himself the head of them. He was, as to religion, a deist at bestk. He had the dotage of astrology in him to a high degree: he told me, that a Dutch doctor had from the stars foretold him the whole series of

1660. his life. But that which was before him, when he told me this, proved false, if he told me true: for he said, he was yet to be a greater man than he had 97 been. He fancied, that after death our souls lived in stars. He had a general knowledge of the slighter parts of learning, but understood little to the bottom so he triumphed in a rambling way of talking, but argued slightly when he was held close to any point. He had a wonderful faculty at opposing, and running things down; but had not the like force in building up. He had such an extravagant vanity in setting himself out, that it was very disagreeable. He pretended that Cromwell offered to make him king. He was indeed of great use to him, in withstanding the enthusiasts of that time. He was one of those who pressed him most to accept of the kingship, because, as he said afterwards, he was sure it would ruin him. His strength lay in the knowledge of England, and of all the considerable men in it. He understood well the size of their understandings, and their tempers: and he knew how to apply himself to them so dexterously, that, though by his changing sides so often it was very visible how little he was to be depended on, yet he was to the last much trusted by all the discontented party1. [He had no regard either to truth or justice.] He was not ashamed to reckon up the many turns he had made: and he valued himself on the doing it at the properest season, and in the best manner:

1 I was told by one that was very conversant with him, that he had a constant maxim, never to fall out with any body, let the provocation be never so great, which he said he had

found great benefit by all his life; and the reason he gave for it was, that he did not know how soon it might be necessary to have them again for his best friends. D.