rians enabled him both to support Cromwell's authority, and to promote the king's restoration; which ever party he joined, his abilities soon gained him their confidence, and enabled him to take the lead among them; relying on the subtlety of his contrivances, he was not startled with the most dangerous enterprises, and took little notice of their being right or wrong, provided they answered his purposes; he possessed a sound judgment of business, and still more of men; however, his immoderate ambition often rendered his eminent talents équally dangerous to himself as to the king and the people.

The duke of Buckingham, a man of high rank, splendid fortune, graceful person, and lively wit, found means to lose all the advantages of these endowments by a wild conduct, unrestrained either by prudence or principle. He always readily sacrificed his honour to his interest, his interest to his pleasure, and his pleasure to the most frivolous caprice. His character in public life was destroyed by his indiscretion and unsteadiness, his private fortune. by his want of order and economy, his health by riot and debauchery, and he became at last as incapable of doing any mischief, as he had ever been little inclined to do any good.

Arlington was no more conspicuous by his talents than by his vices. With a sound judgment he had but a moderate capacity, and with intentions gene. rally good, he wanted courage and integrity to per severe in them.

The duke of Lauderdale was an ambitious, obsti nate, violent man; his understanding was not just, his temper tyrannical, and his talents were rather acquired than natural. An implacable enemy, but a lukewarm friend, he was no less abject to his superiors than imperious and insolent to his inferiors. His experience in business, his constant rea

diness in offering himself to execute the most desperate schemes when they were agreeable to the king, gained him an ascendancy over his majesty beyond any other minister; and he maintained it till the complete decline of his understanding, and the decay of his mental and bodily strength obliged him to retire.

Such were the men whom Charles entrusted with the management of his affairs, and whose counsels involved him in the most dangerous difficulties. For the intelligence of the subsequent events, it is absolutely necessary to give here an outline of the plan framed by the cabal to forward the principal views of his majesty, particularly to render his authority so arbitrary and absolute, as to enable him to raise, without the consent of parliament, any sum of money he could wish for, and to re-establish the catholic religion in England. This last point was rather a matter of policy than of religious zeal, in which Charles, though himself a catholic, was to tally deficient; but he wanted above all things to attach a powerful party to his cause, and none could so well answer his purposes as the catholics armed for the defence of their religion. The most positive proofs of this plan exist in James II.'s Memoirs, consisting of several volumes, small folio, all written with that prince's own hand, and kept at the Scots' college at Paris.

Such a complete overthrow of the constitution could not be attempted without being supported by an army to overawe the opponents, and prevent the raising of any other forces. But no army could be levied without creating suspicions, nor any money obtained from the parliament to pay the expenses, unless in case of a foreign war entered into with the approbation of that assembly. A war with France would have been very popular at that time, but it was far from answering the king's views, inasmuch

as he wanted to secure the assistance of that power both in troops and money for the execution of his plan; and he was already engaged in a secret negociation for that purpose with Lewis XIV. who discovered the most favourable dispositions to concur in the re-establishment of the catholic religion in England, provided Charles should declare war against Holland, so as to pave the way to the new conquests the French monarch intended to attempt. Now a war against the Dutch the more coincided with Charles's plan, that the republican party in England had always entertained a secret correspondence with them, as the only power from which they could receive such assistance as they might need, according to circumstances. It was also, to be considered, that the presbyterians, who formed the greatest part of the republican party, were still more attached to their religious creed than to their democratical principles, and that being now constantly persecuted as nonconformists, though under a limited monarchy, they would be easily reconciled to a more absolute government, under which they would be free from persecution, and allowed to exercise their worship. In these circumstances it was finally resolved by the king and the cabal

1st. That a war against Holland should be declared as soon as possible, on pretence of some quarrel which might easily be renewed about the flag.

2dly. That the re-establishment of the catholic religion should be gradually prepared, by slackening the execution of the severe laws issued against them.

3dly. That the presbyterians should be satisfied by introducing immediately a toleration of all sects, which, without mentioning catholics, would be no less beneficial to them.

The king's sister, madame, by her address and insinuations, had gained a great influence over him, and already succeeded in detaching him from

the triple alliance; Lewis XIV. now sent her to put the last hand to the plan of their conjunct opera. tions. That he might the better cover this negociation, he pretended to visit the great works he had undertaken at Dunkirk, and carried the whole court with him. While he was there madame went over to England, on pretence that she was too near her brother to miss that opportunity of paying him a visit. Charles met her at Dover May 28th, where they passed a fortnight together in great mirth and festivity; and she brought him positive assurances, that Lewis would enable him, by all necessary assistance to shake off the parliament's yoke, and make his power absolute, as soon as by their joint armies the states-general would be sufficiently humbled.

Among the ladies of the French court who at tended madame at Dover, there was one remarkably handsome, a daughter of a nobleman of Britanny, whose name was Keroualle. The fickle and amorous Charles no sooner saw this new beauty, than he fell desperately in love with her, and prevailed upon his sister that she would leave her in England. He carried her to London, and she was soon after created duchess of Portsmouth. She brought him a son, who was created duke of Richmond in 1675. Though she shared the king's affections in common with a great many other mistresses, she continued in his favour to the end of his life, and proved a great means of supporting his connections with her own country; which, however, can never be construed into the scandalous anecdote which Hume has introduced in his History of England, though unsupported by any proof, and equally repugnant to common sense and to the well known character of Lewis XIV.

It is now time to relate the several measures which were resorted to, in order to carry the above. mentioned plan into execution. The king's sister

died June 30th, a fortnight after her return to France. Her death, at the age of twenty-six years, was so sudden, that strong suspicions of her being poisoned arose in the court of France, and were spread all over Europe; but the opening of her body by physicians, and their attestation, proved these suspicions to be utterly unfounded. Charles took advantage of this incident to send over the duke of Buckingham, under pretence of condoling with monsieur, but in reality, to concert further measures for the projected war. Never ambassador received greater caresses. This circumstance raised great suspicions in Holland, which were further confirmed by the sudden recal of sir William Temple, whose character of honour and integrity was so firmly established among the Dutch, that they considered it as their best security for the execution of their treaties with England. De Wit bitterly complained of this recal.

In the mean time the parliament met according to adjournment. The king made a short speech, but his ministers insisted on his majesty's great want of supply, the mighty increase of the naval power of France, now triple to what it was before the last war; the decay of the English navy; the necessity of fitting out next year a fleet of fifty sail, and to have some land forces in readiness, to exert himself for the common good of christendom, according to several treaties, among which he mentioned the triple alliance, and the defensive league with the states. The house of commons, completely satis fied with these measures, voted considerable supplies. A land-tax of a shilling a pound was imposed for a year; two shillings a pound on two thirds of the salaries of offices; fifteen shillings on every hundred pounds of banker's money and stock; an additional excise upon beer for six years; and certain impositions upon law proceedings for nine years.