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1668.

The government of Ireland

The duke of Ormond continued still in the government of Ireland, though several interests joined together against him. The earls of Orrery and changed. Ranelagh on the one hand, and Talbot on the other. Lord Orrery [was a deceitful and vain man, who] loved to appear in business; but dealt so much underhand, that he had not much credit with any side. Lord Ranelagh was a young man of great parts, and as great vices: he had a pleasantness in his conversation that took much with the king, and had a great dexterity in business. Many complaints were secretly 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 [sullen and] morose man, believed to be severely just, and as wise as a cynical humour could allow him to be'. The manner of removing the duke of Ormond will give a particular character of the king's temper. He sent Lord Arlington to him for his commission. The duke of Ormond said, 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 sent him any such message. Two days after that, lord Arlington was sent again with the same message: and he had the same answer: and the king disowned it again to the duke. So the king declared in the privy council the change of the government of Ireland, and made Roberts lord-lieu

r How does that hinder wisdom? S.

tenant. And it flew abroad as a piece of news. 1668. The duke of Ormond hearing that, came to the king in great wrath, to expostulate upon it. But the king denied the whole thing, and sent him away: but he sent for Fitzpatrick, who had married his sister, and who told me the whole story, and sent him to the duke of Ormond, to tell him, the king had denied the matter, though it was true, for he observed he was in such a heat, that he was afraid he might have said indecent things: and he was resolved not to fall out with him: for, though his affairs made it necessary to change the government of Ireland, yet he would still be kind to him, and continue him lord steward. Lord Radnor did not continue long in Ireland: he was cynical in his whole administration, and uneasy 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 ask another, and that was, to be discharged of his employment. The lord Berkeley succeeded him, who was brother to the lord Fitzharding, and from small beginnings had 267 risen up to the greatest post a subject was capable of. In the war he was governor of Exeter for the king, and one of his generals. He was named by him governor to the duke of York. He was now made lord-lieutenant of Ireland; and afterwards sent ambassador to France, and plenipotentiary to Nimeguen. He was a man [bold and enterprising] in whom it appeared with how little true judgment courts distribute favours and honours. He had a positive way of undertaking and determining in every thing, [and looked fierce and big: and was a

1668. very weak mans, and corrupt without shame or decency'.]

The committee of Brookhouse.

Halifax's character.

The court delivered itself up to vice. And the house of commons lost all respect in the nation; for they gave still all the money that was asked. Yet those who opposed the court carried one great point, that a committee should be named to examine the accounts of the money that was given during the Dutch war. It was carried, that they should be all

men out of the house. Lord Brereton was the chief of them, and had the chair. He was a philosophical man, and was all his life long in search of the philosopher's stone, 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 threatenings of the court. Sir William Turner was another of the committee, who had been lord mayor of London the former year, under whose wise and just administration the rebuilding of the city advanced so fast, that he would have been chosen lord mayor for the ensuing year, if he had not declined it. Pierpoint was likewise 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 [he was become a pedant with it, and] his style was too poetical, and full of epithets and figures.

ther's death. They are in the custody of sir Robert Long of Wilts. O.

I name sir George Saville last, because he des I have read some letters of his, which shew him to be a man of no mean parts, though of very loose principles; the letters were written to Long, secretary to Charles the second; both before and after his fa

t The editors substituted, but was a very weak man, and not incorrupt.

serves a more copious character. He rose after- 1668. wards to be viscount, earl, and marquis of Halifax. He was a man of a great and ready wit; full of life, and very pleasant; much turned to satire. He let his wit run much on matters of religion: so that he passed for a bold and determined atheist; though he often protested to me, he was not one; and said, he believed there was not one in the world: he confessed, he could not swallow down every thing that divines imposed on the world: he was a Christian in submission: he believed as much as he could, and he hoped that God would not lay it to his charge, if he could not digest iron, as an ostrich did, nor take into his belief things that must burst him if he had any scruples, they were not sought for, nor cherished by him; for he never read an atheistical book. In a fit of sickness, I knew him very much touched with a sense of religion. I was 268 then often with him. He seemed full of good purposes: but they went off with his sickness. He was always talking of morality and friendship. He was punctual in all payments, and just in all his private dealings. But, with relation to the public, he went backwards and forwards, and changed sides so often, that in conclusion no side trusted him. He seemed full of commonwealth notions: yet he went into the worst part of king Charles's reign. [He was out of measure vain and ambitious.] The liveliness of his imagination was al

▾ I remember Burnet once made a very long impertinent speech in the house of lords, for prohibiting the use of French salt; which the marquis desired the house would excuse, it being

VOL. I.

none of that salt which sea-
soned all things; if it had, he
was sure the bishop would
have spoke more to the pur-
pose, though possibly less in
quantity. D.

Hh

1668. ways too hard for his judgment. A severe jest was preferred by him to all arguments whatsoever. And he was endless in consultations: for when after much discourse a point was settled, if he could find a new jest, to make even that which was suggested by himself seem ridiculous, he could not hold, but would study to raise the credit of his wit, though it made others call his judgment in question ". When he talked to me, as a philosopher, of his contempt of the world, I asked him what he meant by getting so many new titles, which I called the hanging himself about with bells and tinsel. He had no other excuse for it, but this, that, since the world were such fools as to value those matters, a man must be a fool for company: he considered them but as rattles: yet rattles please children: so these might be of use to his family. His heart was much set on raising his family. But, though he made a vast estate for them, he buried two of his sons himself, and almost all his grandchildren. The son that survived was an honest man, but far inferior to him, [which appeared the more sensibly, because he affected to imitate him; but the distance was too wide.] I do not remember who besides these were

u In the house of lords he affected to conclude all his discourses with a jest, though the subject were never so serious, and if it did not meet with the applause he expected, would be extremely out of countenance and silent, till an opportunity offered to retrieve the approbation he thought he had lost; but was never better pleased than when he was turning bishop Burnet and his politics

into ridicule. In king James's time he told his lady he was sorry he must part with her, but he designed to turn papist. She said, she hoped he would consider better of it, but if he did, where was the necessity of parting from her? He said, because he was resolved to be a priest, and having considered the matter fully, thought it was much better to be a coachman than a coach-horse. D.

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