more fitted to rule in a regular established government, than either to give way to the encroachments of a popular affembly, or finally to fubdue their pretenfions. He wanted fuppleness and dexterity fufficient for the first meafure; he was not endowed with vigour requifite for the fecond. Had he been born an abfolute prince, his humanity and good fenfe had rendered his reign happy, and his memory precious. Had the limitations on the prerogative been in his time quite fixed and certain, his integrity had made him regard as facred the boundaries of the conftitution. Unhappily his fate threw him into a period, when the precedents of many former reigns favoured ftrongly of arbitrary power, and the genius of the people ran violently towards liberty. And if his political prudence was not fufficient to extricate him from fo perilous a fituation, he may be excufed; fince, even after the event, when it is commonly eafy to correct all errors, one is at a lofs to determine what conduct in his circumftances would have maintained the authority of the crown, and preferved the peace of the nation. Expofed without revenue, without arms, to the affault of furious, implacable, and bigoted factions; it was never per mitted him, but with the most fatal confequences, to commit the fmallest mistake; a condition too rigorous to be imposed on the greatest human capacity. Some hiftorians have rafhly queftioned the good faith of this prince; but for this reproach, the moft malignant fcrutiny of his conduct, which in every circumflance is now thoroughly known, affords not any reafonable foundation. On the contrary, if we confider the extreme difficulties to which he was fo frequently reduced, and compare the fincerity of his profeffions and declarations, we fhall avow, that probity and honour ought juftly to be numbered among his moft fhining qualities. In every treaty, thofe conceffions which he thought in confcience he could not maintain, he never would by any motive or perfuafion be induced to make. And though fome violations of the petition of right may be imputed to him; thofe are more to be afcribed to the necefity of his fituation, and to the lofty ideas of royal prerogative which he had imbibed, than to any failure of the integrity of his principles. This prince was of a comely prefence; of a fweet and melancholy affect; his face was regular, handfome, and well complexioned; his body strong, healthy, and juftly proportioned; and being of middle ftature, he was capable of enduring the greatest fatigues. He excelled in horfemanship and other exercifes; and he poffeffed all the exterior, as well as many of the effential qualities, which form an accomplished prince. Hume. $98. Another Character of CHARLES I. In the character of Charles, as reprefented by his panegyrifts, we find the qualities of temperance, chastity, regularity, piety, equity, humanity, dignity, condefcenfion. and equanimity; fome have gone fo far as to allow him integrity, and many writers, who condemn his political principles, give him the title of a moral man. In the comparifon of this reprefentation with Charles's conduct, accurately and justly described, it is difcernible that vices of the worft tendency, when fhaded by a plaufible and formal carriage, when concordant to the interefts of a faction, and the prejudices of the vulgar, affume the appearances of, and are impofed on the credulous world as, virtues of the first rank. Paffion for power was Charles's predominant vice; idolatry to his regal_prerogatives, his governing principle. The interefts of the crown, legitimated every meafure, and fanctified in his eye the widet deviation from moral rule. Neither gratitude, clemency, humanity, equity, nor generofity, have place in the fair part of Charles's character; of the virtues of temperance, fortitude, and perfonal bravery, he was undeniably poffeffed. His manners partook of diffipation, and his converfation of the indecency of a court. His chastity has been called in queftion, by an author of the higheft repute; and were it allowed, it was tainted by an excess of uxorioufnefs, which gave it the properties and the confequences of vice. The want of integrity is manifeft in every part of his conduct; which, whether the corruption of his judgment or heart, loft him fair opportunities of reinftatement in the throne, and was the vice for which above all others he paid the tribute of his life. His intellectual powers were naturally good, and fo improved by a continual exercife, that though in the beginning of his reign he fpoke with difficulty and hesitation, towards the clofe of his life he discovered in his writings purity of language and dignity of ftyle; ftyle; in his debates elocution, and quick nefs of perception. The high opinion he entertained of regal dignity, occafioned him to obferve a statelinefs and imperiousness in his manner; which, to the rational and intelligent, was unamiable and offenfive; by the weak and formal it was miftaken for dignity. In the exercise of horfemanfhip he excelled; had a good taste, and even skill, in feveral of the polite arts; but though a proficient in fome branches of literature, was no encourager of ufeful learning, and only patronized adepts in jargon of the divine right, and utility of kings and bifhops. His understanding in this point was fo depraved by the prejudices of his education, the flattery of priests, and the affections of his heart, that he would never endure conversation which tended to inculcate the principles of equal right in men; and notwithstanding that the particularity of his fituation enforced his attention to doctrines of this kind, he went out of the world with the fame fond preju dices with which he had been foftered in his nursery, and cajoled in the zenith of his city, whilft he concealed his own purposes, under the impenetrable thield of difiimulation. He reconciled the most atrocious crimes to the moit rigid notions of religious obligations. From the fevereft exercise of devotion, he relaxed into the most ridiculous and idle buffoonry: yet he preferved the dignity and diftance of his character, in the midst of the coarfeft familiarity. He was cruel and tyrannic from policy; just and temperate from inclination; perplexed and defpicable in his difcourfe; clear and confummate in his defigns; ridiculous in his reveries; refpectable in his conduct; in a word, the ftrangest compound of villainy and virtue, bafenefs and magnanimity, abfurdity and good fenfe, that we find on record in the annals of mankind *. Noble. § 100. Character of CHARLES II. If we furvey the character of Charles will admit of, it will appear very various, the Second in the different lights which it and give rife to different and even oppofite fentiments. When confidered as a com panion, he appears the most amiable and his deportment must be allowed altogether engaging of men; and, indeed, in this view, unexceptionable. His love of raillery was fo tempered with good breeding, that it tire was fo checked with difcretion, that his was never offenfive His propensity to fafriends never dreaded their becoming the object of it. His wit, to ufe the expreffion of one who knew him well, and who was himfelf an exquifite judge +, could not be faid fo much to be very refined or elevated, qualities apt to beget jealoufy and apprehenfion in company. as to be a plain, gaining, well-bred, recommending kind of wit. And though perhaps he talked more than ftrict rules of behaviour might permit, men were so pleased with the affable, communi Oliver Cromwell was of a robust make and conftitution, his afpect manly though clownish. His education extended no farther than a fuperficial knowledge of the Latin tongue, but he inherited great talents from nature; though they were fuch as he could not have exerted to advantage *Cromwell died more than five millions in at any juncture than that of a civil war, debt; though the parliament had left him in the inflamed by religious contefts. His cha- treafury above five hundred thousand pounds, and in ftores to the value of feven hundred thousand racter was formed from an amazing conpounds. juncture of enthufiafm, hypocrify, and ambition. He was poffeffed of courage and refolution, that overlooked all dangers, and faw no difficulties. He dived into the characters of mankind with wonderful faga * From Noble's Memoirs of the Protectoral houfe of Cromwell. Richard, the fon of Cromwell, was proclaimed protector in his room; but Richard, being of a very different difpofition to his father, refigned his authority the 22d of April 1659; and foon after figned his abdication in form, and retired to live feveral years after his refignation, at firit on the Continent, and afterwards upon his paternal fortune 'at home. cative deportment of the monarch, that they always went away contented both with him and with themselves. This indeed is the most fhining part of the king's character, and he seems to have been fenfible of it; for he was fond of dropping the formalities of ftate, and of relapfing every moment into the companion. In the duties of private life, his conduct though not free from exception, was in the main laudable. He was an eafy generous lover, a civil obliging hufband, a friendly brother, an indulgent father, and a goodnatured mafter. The voluntary friendfhips, however, which this prince contracted, nay, even his fenfe of gratitude, were feeble; and he never attached himself to any of his minifters or courtiers with a very fincere affection. He believed them to have no other motive for ferving him but felf-intereft, and he was flill ready, in his turn, to facrifice them to prefent eafe and convenience. With a detail on his private character we must fet bounds to our panegyric on Charles. The other parts of his conduct may admit of fome apology, but can deferve fmall applaufe. He was indeed fa much fitted for private life, preferably to public, that he even poffeffed order, frugality, aconomy in the former; was profufe, thoughtless, negligent in the latter. When we confider him as a fovereign, his character, though not altogether void of virtues, was in the main dangerous to his people, and difhonourable to himself. Negligent of the interefts of the nation, carelefs of its glory, averfe to its religion, jealous of its liberty, lavish of its treasure, and fparing only of its blood; he expofed it by his measures (though he appeared ever but in fport) to the danger of a fu rious civil war, and even to the ruin and ignominy of a foreign conteft. Yet may all thefe enormities, if fairly and candidly examined, be imputed, in a great measure, to the indolence of his temper: a fault which, however unfortunate in a monarch, it is impoffible for us to regard with great feverity. It has been remarked of this king, that he never faid a foolish thing, nor ever did a wife one: a cenfure, which, though too far carried, feems to have fome foundation in his character and deportment. Died Feb. 6, 1685, aged 54. Hume. § 101. Another Charader of CHARLES II. Charles II, was in his perfon tall and fwarthy, and his countenance marked with ftrong, harfh lineaments. His penetration was keen, his judgment clear, his underftanding extenfive, his converfation lively and entertaining, and he poffefied the talent of wit and ridicule. He was eafy of accefs, polite, and affable; had he been limited to a private ftation, he would have paffed for the most agreeable and bestnatured man of the age in which he lived. His greatest enemies allow him to have been a civil hufband, an obliging lover, an affectionate father, and an indulgent mafter; even as a prince he manifefled an averfion to cruelty and injuftice. Yet these good qualities were more than over-balanced by his weakness and defects. He was a fcoffer at religion, and a libertine in his morals; careless, indolent, profufe, abandoned to effeminate pleasure, incapable of any noble enterprize, a ftranger to any manly friendship and gratitude, deaf to the voice of honour, blind to the allurements of glory, and, in a word, wholly deftitute of every active virtue. Being himself unprincipled, he believed mankind were false, perfidious, and interefted; and therefore practifed diffimulation for his own convenience. He was strongly attached to the French manners, government, and monarch; he was diflatisfied with his own limited prerogative. The majority of his own fubjects he defpifed or hated, as hypocrites, fanatics, and republicans, who had perfecuted his father and himself, and fought the deftruction of the monarchy. In these fentiments, he could not be fupposed to purfue the intereft of the nation; on the contrary, he fet med to think that his own fafety was incompatible with the honour and advantage of his people. Smollett. $102. Another Character of CHARLES II. Thus lived and died king Charles the Second. He was the greatest inftance in hiftory of the various revolutions of which any one man feemed capable. He was bred up the first twelve years of his life, with the fplendour that became the heir of fo great a crown. After that, he paffed through eighteen years in great inequalities, unhappy in the war, in the lofs of his father, and of the crown of England.-While he was abroad at Paris, Colen, or Bruffels, he never feemed to lay any thing to heart. He pleasures, in a free career; and feemed to purfued all his diverfions, and irregular be as ferene under the lofs of a crown, as the the greatest philofopher could have been. Nor did he willingly hearken to any of thofe projects, with which, he complained often, his chancellor perfecuted him. That in which he seemed moft concerned was, to find money for fupporting his expence. And it was often faid, that if Cromwell would have compounded the matter, and have given him a good round penfion, he might have been induced to refign his title to him. During his exile, he delivered himself fo entirely to his pleafures, that he became incapable of application. He spent little of his time in reading and study; and yet lefs in thinking. And in the ftate his affairs were then in, he accustomed himfelf to fay to every perfon, and upon all occafions, that which he thought would please moft: fo that words or promifes went very easily from him. And he had fo ill an opinion of mankind, that he thought the great art of living and governing was, to manage all things and all perfons, with a depth of craft and diffimulation. He defired to become abfolute, and to overturn both our religion and laws; yet he would neither run the rifque, nor give himself the trouble, which fo great a defign required. He had an appearance of gentleness in his outward deportment; but he feemed to have no bowels nor tenderness in his nature; and in the end of his life he became cruel. Burnet. § 103. Another Character of CHARLES II. The character of Charles the Second, like the tranfactions of his reign, has affumed various appearances, in proportion to the paffions and prejudices of different writers. To affirm that he was a great and good king, would be as unjuft as to alledge that he was deftitute of all virtue, and a bloody and inhuman tyrant. The indolence of his difpofition, and the diffipation occafioned by his pleafures, as they were at firft the fource of his misfortunes, became afterwards the fafety of the nation. Had he joined the ambition of power, and the perfeverance and attention of his brother, to his own infinuating and engaging addrefs, he might have fecured his reputation with writers, by enflaving them with the nation. In his perfon he was tall and well made. His complexion was dark, the lines of his face ftrong and harfh, when fingly traced: but when his features were comprehended in one view, they appeared dignified and even pleafing. In the motions of his per- When he was oppofed with most violence pular § 104. Character of JAMES II. In many respects it must be owned, that he was a virtuous man, as well as a good monarch. He was frugal of the public money; he encouraged commerce with great attention; he applied himfelf to naval affairs with fuccefs; he fupported the fleet as the glory and protection of England. He was alfo zealous for the honour of his country; he was capable of fupporting its interefts with a degree of dignity in the fcale of Europe. In his private life he was almoft irreproachable; he was an indulgent parent, a tender husband, a generous and feady friend; in his deportment he was affable, though ftately; he bestowed favours with peculiar grace; he prevented folicitation by the fuddennefs of his difpofal of places; though fcarce any prince was ever fo generally deferted, few ever had fo many private friends; thofe who injured him moit were the first to implore his forgivencfs, and even after they had raised another prince to the throne, they refpected his perfon, and were anxious for his fafety. To thefe virtues he added a fteadiness of counfels, a perfeverance in his plans, and courage in his enterprizes. He was honourable and fair in all his dealings; he was unjust to men in their principles, but never with regard to their property. Though few monarchs ever offended a people more, he yielded to none in his love of his fubjects; he even affirm ed, that he quitted England to prevent the horrors of a civil war, as much as from fear of a restraint upon his perfon from the prince of Orange. His great virtue was a strict adherence to facts and truth in all he wrote and faid, though fome parts of his conduct had rendered his fincerity in his political profeffion fufpected by his enemies. Abdicated his throne 1689. Macpherfon. 105. Another Character of JAMES II. The enemies of James did not fail to make the most of the advantages they had gained by their fubtle manœuvres; fome faid, that the king's flight was the effect of a disturbed confcience, labouring under the load of fecret guilt; and thofe whofe cenfures were more moderate, afferted, that his incurable bigotry had led him even to facrifice his crown to the interests of his priests; and that he chofe rather to depend on the precarious fupport of a French force to fubdue the refractory fpirit of his people, than to abide the issue of events which threatened fuch legal limitations as fhould effectually prevent any further abuse of power. The whole tenor of the king's paft conduct, undoubtedly gave a countenance to infinuations which were in themselves fufficiently plaufible to answer all the purposes for which they were induftriously circulated; but when the following circumftances are taken into confideration, namely, that timidity is natural to the human mind, when oppreffed with an uninterrupted feries of misfortunes; that the king's life was put entirely into the hands of a rival, whofe ambitious views were altogether incompatible even with the shadow of regal power in his perfon; that the means taken to increafe the apprehenfions which reflections of this nature muft neceflarily occafion, were of the most mortifying kind; it must be acknowledged, that if the principles of heroic virtue might have produced conduct in fome exalted individuals, yet that the generality of mankind would, in James's fituation, have fought shelter in the profeffed generofity of a trufted friend, from perfonal infult, perfonal danger, and from all the haralling fufpence under which the mind of this imprudent and unfortunate monarch had long laboured. The oppofition of James's religious principles to thofe of his fubjects, his unpopular connections with the court of France; but, above all, the permanent establishment of a rival family on the throne of England, has formed in his favour fuch an union of prejudice and intereft, as to destroy in the minds of pofterity, all that fympathy which, on fimilar occafions, and in fimilar misfortunes, has fo wonderfully operated in favour of other princes; and whilft we pay the tribute of unavailing tears over the memory of Charles the Firft; whilft, with the Church of England, we venerate him as a martyr to the power and office of prelates; whilft we fee, with regret, that he was ftripped of his dignity and life at the very time when the chaftening hand of affliction had, in a great measure, corrected the errors of a faulty education; the irrefiftible power of truth muft oblige us to confefs, that the adherence to religious principle, which coft the father his life, deprived the fon of his dominions; that the enormous |