As foon as the peace was made, the King faw 1667. with what difadvantage he was like to meet his Parliament. So he thought, the difgracing a publick Minifter, who by his being long in fo high a poft had drawn upon himself much envy, and many enemies, would cover himself and the rest of his Court. Other things concurred to fet this forward. The King was grown very weary of the Queen And it was believed, he had a great mind to be rid of her. The load of that marriage was caft on the Lord Clarendon, as made on defign to raise his own grandchildren. Many members of the Houfe of Commons, fuch as Clifford, Ofborn, Ker, Littletoun, and Seimour, were brought to the King; who all affured him, that upon his Reftoration they intended both to have raifed his authority, and to have encreased his revenue; but that the Earl of Clarendon had difcouraged it, and that all his creatures had poffeffed the Houfe with fuch jealoufies of the King, that they thought it was not fit to trukt him too much, nor too far. This made a deep in preffion on the King, who was weary of Lord Clarendon's impofing way, and had a mind to be freed from the authority, to which he had been fo long accustomed, that it was not easy to keep him within bounds.

Rich

Yet the King was fo afraid to engage himself too The deep in his own affairs, that it was a doubt whether Duke of he would difmifs him or not, if a concern of one mond's of his amours had not fharpened his refentment; marriage. fo that what other confiderations could not do, was brought about by an ill grounded jealoufy. Miftrefs Steward had gained fo much on the King, and yet had kept her ground with fo much firmnefs, that the King feemed to defign if poffible to legitimate 'his addreffes to her, when he faw no hope of fucceeding any other way. The Duke of Richmond, being a widower, courted her. The King feemed to give way to it; and pretended to take fuch care of her, that he would have good fettlements made VOL. I.

A a

for

1667. for her. He hoped by that means to have broke the matter decently; for he knew the Duke of Richmond's affairs were in diforder. So the King ordered Lord Clarendon to examine the eftate he pretended to fettle. But he was told, whether true or false I cannot tell, that Lord Clarendon told her, that the Duke of Richmond's affairs, it was true, were not very clear; but that a family fo near related to the King could never be left in diftrefs, and that such a match would not come in her way every day; fo fhe had beft confider well, before the rejected it. This was carried to the King, as a defign he had that the Crown might defcend to his own grandchildren; and that he was afraid, left strange methods fhould be taken to get rid of the Queen, and to make way for her. When the King faw that fhe had a mind to marry the Duke of Richmond, he offered to make her a Dutchefs, and to fettle an eftate on her. Upon this fhe faid, the faw fhe muft either marry him, or fuffer much in the opinion of the world. And he was prevailed on by the Duke of Richmond, who was paffionately in love with her, to go privately from Whitehall, and marry him without giving the King notice. The Earl of Clarendon's fon, the Lord Cornbury, was going to her lodgings, upon fome affignation that fhe Thad given him about her affairs, knowing nothing of her intentions. He met the King in the door coming out full of fury. And he, fufpecting that Lord Cornbury was in the defign, fpoke to him as one in a rage that forgot all decency, and for fome time would not hear Lord Cornbury fpeak in his own defence. In the afternoon he heard him with more temper, as he himself told me. Yet this made fo deep an impreffion, that he refolved to take the feals from his father. The King faid to the Lord Lauderdale, that he had talked of the matter with Sheldon; and that he convinced him, that it was necessary to remove Lord Clarendon from his poft. And, as foon as it was done, the King fent for

Sheldon,

But he

Sheldon, and told him what he had done. answered nothing. When the King infifted to oblige him to declare himself, he faid, "Sir, I wish you

would put away this woman that you keep.” The King upon that replied fharply, why had he never talked to him of that fooner, but took this occafion now to speak of it. Lauderdale told me, he had all this from the King: And that the King and Sheldon had gone into fuch expoftulations upon it, that from that day forward Sheldon could never recover the King's confidence.

166-.

The feals were given to Sir Orlando Bridgman, Bidgman Lord Chief Juftice of the Common Pleas, then in made

Lord

great efteem, which he did not maintain long after Keeper. his advancement. His ftudy and practice lay fo intirely in the Common law, that he never feemed to apprehend what equity was: Nor had he a head made for bufinefs, or for fuch a Court. He was a man of great integrity, and had very serious impreffions of religion on his mind. He had been always on the fide of the Church: Yet he had great tenderness for the Non-conformists: And, the Bifhops having all declared for Lord Clarendon, except one or two, he and the new fcene of the Miniftry were inclined to favour them. The Duke of Buckingham, who had been in high difgrace before Lord Clarendon's fall, came upon that into high favour, and fet up for a patron of liberty of confcience, and of all the fects. The See of Chester happened to fall vacant foon after: And Doctor Wilkin was by his means promoted to that See. It was no fmall prejudice to him, that he was recommended by fo bad a man. Wilkins had a courage in him that could ftand against a current, and against all the reproaches with which ill-natured Clergymen ftudied to load him. He faid, he was called for by the King, without any motion of his own, to a publick ftation, in which he would endeavour to do all the good he could, without confidering the ill effects that it might have on him

A a 2

felf.

1667. felf. The King had fuch a command of himself, that when his intereft led him to ferve any end, or to court any fort of men, he did it fo dextroufly, and with fuch an air of fincerity, that till men were well practifed in him, he was apt to impofe on them. He feemed now to go into moderation and com prehenfion with so much heartiness, that both Bridg man and Wilkins believed he was in earnest in it: Tho' there was nothing that the Popish counfels were more fixed in, than to oppofe all motions of that kind. But the King faw, it was neceffary to recover the affections of his people. And, fince the Church of England was now gone off from him, upon Lord Clarendon's difgrace, he refolved to fhew fome favour to the fects, both to foften them, and to force the others to come back to their dependence upon him.

The

French King's pretenfions to

He began alfo to exprefs his concerns in the affairs of Europe: And he brought about the peace between Spain and Portugal. The French King pretended, that by the law of Brabant his Queen, Flanders. as the heir of the late King of Spain's first marriage, tho' a daughter, was to be preferred to the young King of Spain, the heir of the fecond venter, without any regard to the renunciation of any fucceffion to his Queen, ftipulated by the peace of the Pyrences; and was upon that pretenfion like to overrun the Netherlands. Temple was fent over to enter into an alliance with the Dutch, by which fome parts of Flanders were yielded up to France, but a barrier was preferved for the fecurity of Holland. Into this the King of Sweden, then a child, was engaged: So it was called the Triple Alliance. I will fay no more of that fince fo particular an account is given of it by him, who could do it beft, Temple himfelf. It was certainly the mafterpiece of King Charles's life: And, if he had ftuck to it, it would have been both the ftrength and the glory of his reign. This difpofed his people to forgive all that was pafs'd, and to renew their confidence in him,

which was much shaken by the whole conduct of 1667. the Dutch war.

The Parliament were upon their firft opening fet Clarenon to destroy Lord Clarendon. Some of his friends don's inwent to him a few days before the Parliament met ; tegrity. and told him, many were at work to find out matter of accufation against him. He best knew, what could be brought against him with any truth; for falfehood was infinite, and could not be gueffed at. They defired, he would truft fome of them with what might break out, fince probably nothing could lye concealed against so strict a search. And the method in which his friends muft mánage for him, if there was any mixture or allay in him, was to be very different from that they could use, if he was fure that nothing could be brought out against him. The Lord Burlington and Bishop Morley both told me, they talked to this purpose to him. Lord Clarendon upon that told them, that, if either in matters of juftice, or in any negotiations abroad, he had ever received a farthing, he gave them leave to difown all friendship to him. The French King hearing he had fent for all the books of the Louvre impreffion, had fent thefe to him, which he took, as thinking it a trifle, as indeed it was: And this was the only prefent he ever had from any foreign prince: He had never taken any thing by virtue of his office, but that which his predeceffors had claimed as a right. But now a hue and cry was fent out against him: And all perfons, who had heard him fay any thing that could bear an ill conftruction, were examined. Some thought, they had matters of great weight against him: And, when they were told thefe would not amount to high treafon, they defired to know what would amount to it.

ed in the

When twenty three articles were brought into the He was House against him, the next day he defired his fe- impeach cond fon, the now Earl of Rochefter, to acquaint House of the House, that he, hearing what articles were Combrought against him, did in order to the difpatch mons, A a 3

of