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ly, he took up the argument and polifhed it, making the edge more harp to wound than it was before, drefing the general charge with fome fmart inflances, which made the enormity more fenfible, and his delivery, and manner of speaking, from fo lovely a perfon, and a very lovely aípect he had, was fo graceful (though not altogether without affectation) that it wonderfully reconciled him to his auditors. When any grievances in religion were touched upon, and the government of the church affaulted or reproached, no man improved the difcourfe with more bitterness and animofity, fpeaking of the things he would be thought to value, gravely, and, as it feemed, with piety and devotion; and of the perfons against whom he found it grateful to inveigh, wittily and pleasantly, and fcornfully; fo that that party, which had the moft mischievous intentions in religion, and against the church, believed that they had gotten a champion to their own defire, who would be equal to their ftouteft adversary, even to the bifhops themselves. The greateft combination was, and which was leaft communicated, the defign against the Earl of Strafford; which was no fooner entered upon, and fome fhort inftances given of his exercife of a very exorbitant power in Ireland, than he entered into the argument, made him the chief author of all that was grievous in England, giving fome inftances of words and expreflions he had ufed in private converfation, of a very unpopular'nature, which he took upon himfelf to prove; which fome very confiderable actors in that tragedy did often proteft afterwards was the principal inducement to their hafty refolution of charging that earl with

high treafon. And from hence he grew into fo entire a confidence with the other cabal, which did not then confift of above feven or eight, that he was immediately received into the bowels of their defign, and made one of thofe who were trusted to prepare fuch a charge against the Earl, that might fatisfy the reft that they had done well in accufing him; and fo he became quickly privy to all their fecrets, knew what every particular man thought he knew, and by what means they intended to know more, what proofs they could for the prefent make, and how they meant to fupport and enlarge thofe truths, all their arts and artifices, which were neceffary to be communicated amongst themselves, and with those lords who were joined with them, to make their confpiracy more practicable. In a word, the whole method they proposed for their proceedings, and what they moft apprehended might obftruct thofe proceedings, was as clearly understood by him, as by Mr. Pym and Mr. Hambden themselves. Having now got himself to the top of the pinnacle, he began to look about him, and take a full profpect of all that was to be feen; and it is very poffible, that the defperate defigns of the perfons with whom he had communicated, not anfwerable to the reputation they had of integrity to the nation, the uningenuity of their proceeding, and the foul arts they could give themselves leave to ufe, to compafs any thing they propofed to do; as in truth their method, was, firft to confider what was neceffary to be done for fome public end, and which might reafonably enough be wished for that public end, and then to make no fcruple of doing any thing which

might probably bring the other to pafs, let it be of what nature it would, and never fo much concern the honour or intereft of any perfon who they thought did not, or would not favour their defigns: Ifay, poffibly this obfervation might make fome impreffion upon him, who without doubt had no wicked purpofes himself. Let what would be the caufe or the temptation, refolve he did, to fteer another courfe, and to fet up for himfelf upon that flock of commodities, in the getting together whereof there were fo many joint fharers with him; and fo he found ways eafily enough (and his nature was marvellously difpofed to that dexterity) to infinuate to the court, that, if they gave him reafons for it, they might depend upon his fervice, and that he would make it very useful to them: and the ftreights they were in, and the benefit they might receive from fuch a promptnefs, bringing him fuch a return from thence as he could with, he took the firft occafion (before he was fo much as fufpected) to give his party cause to believe, that he meant not to venture himself in their bottom. As foon as there was an occafion, by the address of a great number of minifters by way of propofition, to reform many particulars both in the doctrine and discipline of the church, he discovered his diflike of thofe defigns, and the spirit that produced them, very warmly; and because it was well known that many of those minifters had had frequent communication with him, and even confulted that very addrefs by his confent and approbation, he took notice of it himself, and feemed much offended that they had infifted upon many particulars which he had difallowed; and fo mentioned fome

particular expreffions that had paffed between them, and which offended more perfons than had been privy to the conferences, and 'looked likea difcovery of future projections which were not yet ripe. In the public profecution of the Earl of Strafford he continued fill in the fame conjunction, and kept his poft amongst thofe who were to manage the evidence against him, but with fuch a temper (which could not be reafonably excepted againft) that manifefted enough, that he neither brought the fpirit, nor would bring the teftimony they expected from him, and as foon as the trial was over, and it was difcerned that the house of peers would not take upon them the condemning the Earl, but that it would be neceflary to pass an act of Parliament to that purpose, the bill was no fooner brought into the houfe of commons, but he appeared moft violently against it, difcovered many particulars which had paffed in their most private conferences, which he faid had first perplexed him; and enlarged fo pathetically upon the whole matter, and against the condemning of the Earl, that that whole party had fo great a deteftation of him, that they had not lefs appetite to deftroy him, than the Earl of Strafford. And this conteft produced another difcovery, that a very important paper, which had been produced and perufed in the clofe committee, and upon which they principally depended for making good their charge, had been taken away, and could never afterwards be found; and it was confidently alleged, that at the time when that paper was laft feen, and lay upon the table in Mr. Pym's chamber, there were only three perfons prefent, whereof he

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was one. This produced an order in the house that every one of that clofe committee, who were about eight, fhould make a folemn proteftation in the house, that he neither had that paper, nor knew what became of it. Which teft he cheerfully fubmitted to, with the moft folemn and bitter execrations that can be imagined, upon himself and his family, if he knew what was become of that paper, or if he had ever taken it away; notwithstanding which, they who were angry with him did not believe him, and confidently reported, that it was found afterwards amongst fome papers of his which were taken in the house of his father in the war; which is not probable, fince it may be prefumed that a man who had gotten it in fuch a manner, would at least, after fuch an enquiry was made upon it, have caft it into the fire, though there was not then any fufpicion that fuch an action could ever have produced it.

However it was the inconvenience of that discovery, produced by the furreption of that paper, that it produced many other notable difcoveries with it, which were all caft upon his accompt, who was looked upon as a deferter at leaft, if not a betrayer of his party; and fo from as great an height of applause, and even adoration, which he had attained to by Christmas, before Eafter he was fallen to fo low an esteem with all that people, that they thought no reproach equal to his demerit, and profecuted him accordingly with their utmost animofity and rage. The truth is, he had a wonderful, and a very extraordinary facility throughout the whole courfe of his life, to arrive fooner to a great pitch of esteem and being

beloved, than any man I ever knew; and then would make the greatest hafte, to fall from that eftimation into a gulph of prejudice and deteftation, which can be imagined; which wrought the unufual effect, that he had scarce a notable enemy throughout his life, with whom he had not held a very great friendfhip, or at leaft profeft fuch an inclination to, which, in any other man, would have amounted to a friendship, and he bore both the extremes very unconcernedly, imputing the first to his own virtue, and tranfcendant parts, and his dexterity in managing them; and the latter, to the unfteadiness and inconftancy of other men's humours, to their envy and jealoufy of his mafter faculties.

He was now compelled to transplant himself into the court, when the foil was neither fo fruitful, nor the air fo pleasant as it had formerly been; indeed, where a nipping froft had induced a marvellous fterility, and in this too his conftitution was fo happy that he found a confolation for himself, and industriously imputed that to his generofity and election, which other men thought to be the effect of his neceffity, and that he could grow ne where elfe, when he endeavoured to grow there. It was a very melancholy feason there, where most of thofe who had received the greateft obligations from their mafter, and were moft able to have done him fervice, not only forfook him, but betrayed him; and in order to getting credit with those who fuppreffed all other authority, they difcovered all they knew which might advance the evil defigns of the other, with whom they refolved to go thorough fharers in all that was to be gotten ;

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and the other few who retained ftill their fidelity and their zeal, with indignation enough to fee the backfliding of their fellows, were yet fo terrified with the power of the other, and with the perfidiousness that they faw every day practised, infomuch as nothing was faid or done in the most secret places of the court, even by the king or queen themfelves, but it was communicated to those who had no modesty in the confidering it, but impudently declared that they would remove all perfons from the king and queen, whofe very looks were not grateful to them, of which they had already given many inftances. So that they, who, I fay, wanted not faith, were yet without skill to foresee what they were to do, and the king himself found his infelicity to be fo monftrous, that he knew not with whom to advise, nor in truth whom to truft; for they, who had no mind to betray him, were betrayed themfelves, and out of their trusting others, made them acceffary to the betraying him. In this conjuncture, the vivacity of fuch a perfon could not but be very acceptable, who had a brain perpetually working, and a conception and understanding deliberating and refolving together, and a courage fo keen and fearless, that he was ready to execute the fame minute whatsoever was refolved. The truth is,

Si duos præterea tales Idæa tuliffet
Terra viros

God only knows what might, or might not have refulted from his bold temper; when the party, that did all the mifchief, was made up of those whofe despair of being safe any where elfe, and belief that the king would yield to any thing that fhould be confidently demanded, had

thrown into that stronger fide. He could no longer act upon the stage. where he had fo long flourished, and where his mercurial temper was not grateful, even to those to whom the violence and ill designs of the others was visible, and equally odious; fo that he was called up by writ to the houfe of peers, as fit to move in that fphere, where he no fooner came than he gave fresh life and vigour to it, the real temper of that houfe retaining a vigorous affection to the king, church, and government, and confequently very inclined to follow his example, and to be fwayed by his reafon, who always delivered himfelf with notable advantage, and was now known to be trusted by the court, and fo like to carry on their defigns in the method prescribed there, and where he was looked upon, not as having deferted his principles or his party, but as a prudent difcoverer of their exorbibitant defigns contrary to the principles they owned, and had fo .etired himfelf from their dangerous converfation and loft their confidence, because he would not part with his innocence. And truly, if the too great activity and reftlefsnefs of his nature would have given him leave to have fat ftill, and expected, and made ufe of thofe advantages, which the hafty and choleric humour of the houfe of commons was ready every day to prefent to them, and which temper was the utmost extent of courage the house of peers could be carried to, which did not yet fufpect the defigns of the worft men to be fo monftrous as they shortly after appeared to be, it is very probable, the wisdom and temper of the one houfe, with the concurrence it would have found from the major part of the other, which was far from be

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ing corrupted, would have prevented thofe calamities, which, under the specious authority of the parliament, were afterwards brought upon the kingdom. But his nature was impatient of fuch repofe, and he always embraced those counsels which were boldest and most hazardous, which he thought would give a greater luftre to his wit and conduct., And this unhappy infirmity and vanity made him always referved to thofe with whom he most intimately confulted, and without whofe concurrence he pretended to refolve nothing. Yet in any determination that was ever made between them, he always referved fome fuch important particular to himself, which would in truth have changed the whole council, and have made them all proteft against that which he refolved to have done, as a matter mutually adjusted between them; which he did not do out of jealoufy and diftruft of the other, or a contradiction of their opinions and judgment, which he was ftill moft ready to comply with, and was upon any debate the moft eafily perfuaded to depart from his own inclinations of any man I ever knew of fuch a talent in understanding: but the other refervation proceeded only, firft, from an opinion that if he should communicate it, it would find a geTeral approbation (as he was very indulgent to himself in believing that what appeared reafon to him, would appear fo to every body elfe) and then the referving it would keep fomewhat for credit and reputation to himself, which was unthought of by the reft; and by this unlucky temper in his nature, many defperate inconveniences felt out to the king and to himself, which would have confounded any other man in

himfelf, as well as with others. But fuch accidents were fo far from making fuch impreffion upon him, that he was the more ready to embrace a new enterprize, when the old mifcarried, and was the only man I ever knew of fuch incomparable parts, that was never the wiser for any experience or misfortune which befell him; but was as ready to take the fame measures, and pursue the fame expedients, often times to employ the fame perfons by which that mifcarriage and thofe misfortunes had befallen him, which proceeded from a notable fagacity and confidence in himself, towards whom he never could entertain the leaft jealoufy. This inconvenient prefumption was the longer from being difcovered or taken notice of, except by a few of his most intimate friends, by the wonderful faculty he had of diffimulation, which was fo profound that he appeared the most offended and enraged when he faw any thing done that was notoriously disliked, and bitterly inveighed against the authors of thofe counfels which himself alone had contrived, and to the execution whereof no man elfe was privy. So when he had prevailed with the king to cause the fix members to be accufed, and had undertaken to caufe them to be com mitted, when he found in the house of peers the general disapprobation and diflike of it, he stood himself up and fpake against it, and whispered the lord Mandeville in the ear, that the king would be undone if he did not publicly discover thofe who had given him that counfel, and that he would immediately go to the court and difpofe him to it; when he alone was the only man, who, without communicating it to any other, had advised that profecution, named

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