enjoyed, befides the benefit of his father's information, a very liberal conversation with men of the best quality and parts (who frequently reforted thither, as to a houfe where they found very good reception) and leifure enough to intend his books, in which he took wonderful delight, and made fo great progrefs, that he was a stranger to no part of learning, and very fubtle in the most curious parts of philofophy, and excellently verfed in the Latin and Greek fathers, and thofe controverfies in which their authority is applied by all the parties who contend. And in this time he writ a difcourfe to his coufin Sir Kenelm Digby against the catholic religion, which he would never afterwards take upon him to answer, when he grew to have a better opinion of it, or a worfe of his own, than he was then thought to have; and left this exercife might make him be thought too grave and ferious for his age, he made it manifeft that he was excellently versed in all polite learning, and in all the poets, Greek and Latin, fo that when a man produced a ferious difcourfe of his of religion, or the abftrufer part of philofophy, he found commonly in the fame company fomebody, who likewife produced a copy of verfes in Latin, or English, or fome facetious difcourfe by letter or otherwife, upon the reading fome book, or lighter argument, writ by the fame pen. And in this bleffled retreat he lived,

taken notice of, and for which (after he had chaitifed, rather than fought with an 'infolent, but faint adverfary, who was too much favoured there) he was first committed to prifon, and afterwards very severely profecuted, with circumstances not ufual to perfons of that quality; fo that he was forced again to retire into the country, with fo much more acrimony towards the court, as his own particular reckoning added to his father's accompt; which increased more the stock of his reputation with those who judged of men's affections to their country, by the diffaffection the court had for them, and the reciprocal difefteem they had for it.

When the diforders of Scotland obliged the king to call a parliament, he was, by the universal election of the populous county where he lived, chofen to serve as one of their knights, where his perfon, and his parts, and the fame and reputation he had, made him quickly taken notice of; and the converfation he chofe and wedded himself to, amongst those who were refolved to find fault with every thing that was amifs, and not to be content with any ordinary application of remedies, made it eafily forefeen what counfels he meant to follow; but that stage allowed fo fhort a time for action, that no poffible conclufions could be made. But a few months after, when the difcontents of men were grown higher, and the reverence to the government much impaired, he being then returned again by the fame people to ferve in the fame place, it was quickly difcerned that he meant to make himself as confiderable as he could. If any thing was fpoken against the government more bluntly and rude

ly,

ly, he took up the argument and polished it, making the edge more fharp to wound than it was before, dreffing the general charge with fome fmart inftances, which made the enormity more fenfible, and his delivery, and manner of speaking, from fo lovely a perfon, and a very lovely afpect 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 bitternefs and animofity, Speaking 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 pleatantly, and fcornfully; fo that that party, which had the most mifchievous 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 bishops themfelves. The greateft combination was, and which was leaft communicated, the defign against the Earl of Strafford; which was no fooner entered upon, and fome short 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 expreffions he had ufed in private converfation, of a very unpopuJar 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 seven or eight, that he was immediately received into the bowels of their defign, and made one of those who were trufted 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 themfelves, and with thofe 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 desperate defigns of the perfons with whom he had communicated, not answerable 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 wifhed 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 interest 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 cause or the temptation, refolve he did, to steer 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 wish, 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 addrefs of a great number of minifters by way of propofition, to reform many particulars both in the doctrine and difcipline of the church, he difcovered his diflike of thofe defigns, and the spirit that produced them, very warmly; and because it was well known that many of those ministers 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 to mentioned fome

particular expreffions that had paffed between them, and which offended more perfons than had been privy to the conferences, and looked like a difcovery of future projections which were not yet ripe. In the public profecution of the Earl of Strafford he continued ftill in the fame conjunétion, 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 houfe of peers would not take upon them the condemning the Earl, but that it would be neceffary to pass an act of Parliament to that purpofe 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 moft private conferences, which he said had firft 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 last feen, and lay upon the table in Mr. Pym's chamber, there were only three perfons prefent, whereof he

was

was one. This produced an order in the house that every one of that clofe committee, who were about eight, fhould make a folemn protellation in the houfe, that he neither had that paper, nor knew what became of it. Which teft he cheerfully fubmitted to, with the most folemn and bitter execrations that can be imagined, upon himfelf and his family, if he knew what was become of that paper, or if he had ever taken it away; notwithflanding 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 houfe 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 difcovery, 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 applaufe, 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 utmoft 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 efteem and being

beloved, than any man I ever knew; and then would make the greatest hafte, to fall from that estimation into a gulph of prejudice and deteftation, which can be imagined; which wrought the unufual effect, that he had fcarce a notable enemy throughout his life, with whom he had not held a very great friendfhip, or at leaft profelt 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 unsteadiness and inconftancy of other men's humours, to their envy and jealoufy of his mafter faculties.

He was now compelled to tranfplant himfelf 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 indus triously imputed that to his generofity and election, which other men thought to be the effect of his neceffity, and that he could grow no where elfe, when he endeavoured to grow there. It was a very melancholy feafon there, where most of thofe who had received the greateft obligations from their master, and were most able to have done him fervice, not only forfook him, but betrayed him; and in order to getting credit with thofe 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;

and

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 perfidioufnefs that they faw every day practifed, infomuch as nothing was faid or done in the moft fecret places of the court, even by the king or queen themselves, but it was communicated to thofe who had no modefty 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 forefee what they were to do, and the king himfelf 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 trufting others, made them acceffary to the betraying him. In this conjuncture, the vivacity of such 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 so keen and fearlefs, that he was ready to execute the fame minute whatfoever 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 mischief, was made up of those whofe defpair of being fafe 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 defigns of the others was vifible, and equally odious; fo that he was called up by writ to the house 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 house 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 prefcribed 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 retired 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 reflefsnefs of his nature would have given him leave to have fat fill, 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 worst men to be fo monftrous as they fhortly after appeared to be, it is very probable, the wifdom and temper of the one house, with the concurrence it would have found from the major part of the other, which was far from be