Charles II., and was eminently instrumental in promoting his return.

From this may be inferred the opinion, which he entertained of the illegal proceedings of Cromwell, and how much of the sufferings of the royalists would have been prevented, had the point of a free parliament, for which he always contended, been fortunately conceded. His Majesty's restoration must have been it's immediate consequence. The constant correspondence which he kept up with the royal party, to the hazard of his life and fortune, is a sufficient proof that he maintained his loyalty, as far as it was at all consistent with the rights and interests the people.

From his vigorous hostility indeed to the twò successive Protectors, we find him accused together with Whitlocke before the parliament, in 1659, of having provided forces in Dorsetshire, to join with Sir George Booth in attempting to bring back the Stuarts. This charge however, through his great influence, and by strenuous asseverations of his innocence, he successfully repelled. After the resignation of Richard Cromwell, he was one of the nine of the Old Council of State, who encouraged General Monk by letter to persevere in his design of accomplishing the Restoration.

He was likewise in the list of the Council of Thirty Nine, for whom an oath was prepared, pledging them to the abjuration of the royal line; but by the interposition chiefly of himself and of General Monk, it was successfully opposed, as a snare upón their consciences.

He was elected representative for Dorsetshire in the Healing Parliament, which met upon the twenty

fifth of April, 1660 and a resolution being taken to restore the constitution, he was appointed one of the twelve members delegated by the Lower House to carry their invitation to the King. In performing this service, he was overturned in his carriage upon a Dutch road, and received a dangerous wound be tween the ribs.

But though Sir. Antony was thus instrumental in forwarding the Restoration, it ought to be remembered to his honour, that he wished to prescribe conditions to the returning Monarch, and even proposed that he should be obliged to sign the treaty offered to his father in the Isle of Wight.. In this, however, he was over-ruled by Monk.

Upon the arrival of his Majesty, he was sworn of the Privy Council, and appointed one of the Com missioners for the trial of the regicides:* in 1661 created Baron Ashley, of Winborne St. Giles; in rapid succession made Chancellor and Under Treagurer of the Exchequer, one of the Lords Commissioners for executing the office of High Treasurer,† and Lord Lieutenant of the County of Dorset; and,

*For his acceptance of this office, he has been heavily censured.

+ His conduct as a minister at this time has been a subject of considerable animadversion, because he was one of the junto known by the name of the Cabal' (so stiled from the initial letters of their titles; C,lifford, A,shley, B,uckingham, A,rlington, and L,auderdale)" characters so unprincipled," says one of the greatest authorities, Mr. Fox, "as justly to deserve the severity, with which they have been treated by all writers who have mentioned them." He admits, however, that the King "kept from them the real state of his connexion with France, and from some of them at least the secret of what he was pleased to callhis religion." But Ashley had no concern, it is generally believed, in some of their most iniquitous measures. More par

in 1672,* Baron Cooper of Pawlet in the county of Somerset, and Earl of Shaftesbury.

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In the month of November, the same year, he was raised to the dignity of Lord Chancellor. For this office he was eminently qualified, as well by his knowledge of the laws and constitution of his country, as by his natural powers, which enabled him to make a distinguished figure in it's discharge. His more particular brilliance arose from his speeches in parliament; and if we judge only from those which he delivered upon swearing in the Treasurer Clifford, his successor Sir Thomas Osborne, and Baron Thurland, we must conclude him to have been an accomplished orator. The short time, during which he sat at the helm, was a time of tempest; but it did not either dismay, or distract him. At

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ticularly, with respect to Charles' disgraceful treaty in 1670 with Louis XIV. (the object of which was, to render the English Sovereign a paltry pensioner of France, on the condition of his endeavouring to subject his own subjects to the Pope and the rest of Europe to the House of Bourbon) it seems to be allowed, that his Lordship was never consulted upon the subject: and it is equally admitted, that he neither then nor afterward received bribes from France, as so many of both parties in that humiliating reign are known to have done. Yet he undoubtedly supported the measure of a Dutch war, and made his celebrated speech, applying to Holland the Delenda est Carthago of Cato, on that memorable occasion. He was, also, guilty of the illegal measure of issuing writs for the election of members of parliament during a recess, and abusing the influence of the crown to procure returns in favour of the court.

* In 1670, he interceded with Dr. Fell (by a letter, which is still extant) that 'his friend Mr. Locke might receive from Oxford the degree of M.D.,' on the Prince of Orange's visit to that University; but in vain. A similar favour had been fruitlessly requested in 1666, for the same illustrious individual, even by their Chancellor the Earl of Clarendon.

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the end of a twelvemonth, he gave up the Seals. Of the manner of his resignation the following account is given by Echard, in his History of England "Soon after the breaking-up of the parliament, the Earl was sent for on Sunday morning to court; as was also Sir Heneage Finch, Attorney General, to whom the Seals were promised. As soon as the Earl came, he retired with the King into the closet, while the prevailing party waited in triumph, to see him return without the purse. His Lordship being alone with the King, said, Sire, I know you intend to give the Seals to the Attorney General, but I am sure your Majesty never intended to dismiss me with contempt." The King, who could not do an ill-natured thing, replied, "God's fish, my Lord, I will not do it with any circumstance that may look like an af front." "Then, Sire," said the Earl, "I desire your Majesty will permit me to carry the Seals before you to chapel, and send for them afterward from my house." To this his Majesty readily consented; and the Earl amused the King with news and entertaining stories till the very minute he was to go to chapel, purposely to deceive the courtiers and his successor, who he believed was upon the rack, for fear he should prevail upon the King to change his mind. The King and the Earl came out of the closet, talking together and smiling, and went together to chapel, which greatly surprised them all; and some ran immediately to tell the Duke of York, that all their measures were broken.' After sermon, the Earl went home with the Seals; and, that evening, the King gave them to the Attorney General."

After he had quitted the court, however, he continued to make a considerable figure in parliament; and, in 1675, zealously opposed the Test-Bill intro

duced by the Lord Treasurer Danby into the House of Lords. This dispute occasioned a prorogation, followed by a recess of fifteen months.

When the parliament met again in February, 1677, the Duke of Buckingham argued that, from the length of the preceding prorogation it ought to be considered as dissolved.' The Earl of Shaftesbury was of the same opinion, and maintained it with so much warmth, that himself, the Duke, the Earl of Salisbury, and Lord Wharton were sent to the Tower. As he long refused to make any apology, he continued in confinement for thirteen months; though his fellow-prisoners, upon their submission, were immediately discharged.

On regaining his liberty, he managed the opposition to Danby's administration with such talent and dexterity, that it was found impossible to effect any thing in parliament without an entire changé of system. Accordingly in 1679 the King, who desired nothing so much as tranquillity, dismissed the whole Privy Council at once, and formed a new one; in which the Earl of Essex as Lord Treasurer, the Earl of Sunderland as Secretary of State, and Viscount Halifax were members, and the Earl of Shaftesbury (contrary to the advice of Sir William Temple) President. Amidst many violent and unjust partyproceedings at this time, Shaftesbury was the author of one signal national benefit, the passing of the Habeas Corpus Bill;* pronounced by Mr.

* And yet this great Instrument of English liberty, if we may trust Burnet, was carried in the House of Lords by a trick. "Lord Grey and Lord Norris were named to be the tellers. Lord Norris, being a man subject to vapours, was not at all times attentive to what he was doing: so, a very fat Lord coming in, Lord Grey counted him for ten, as a jest at first; but seeing Lord Norris had not observed it, he went on with this mis