SAN- succession, which no religion, no law, no fault, or forfeiture, CROFT, Abp. Cant. can alter or diminish. Michaelmas Term, A.D. 1684. Oates in dicted for perjury. "Nor will we ever abate of our well-instructed zeal for our most holy religion, as it is professed and established by law in the Church of England, that Church that hath so long stood, and is still the envy and terror of her adversaries, as well as the beauty and strength of the reformation. "It is thus that we have learned our own, and thus we teach others their duty to God and their prince: in the conscientious discharge of both which, we have been so long protected and encouraged by your majesty's most just and gracious government, that we neither need nor desire any other declaration than that experience, for our assurance and security for the future. "In all which grace and goodness we have nothing to return. We bring no names and seals, no lives and fortunes, well capable of your majesty's service, or at all worthy of your acceptance; nothing but hearts and prayers, vows of a zealous and lasting loyalty, ourselves and studies, all that we can or ever shall be able to perform, which we here most sincerely promise and most humbly tender at your majesty's feet, a mean and worthless present, but such an one as we hope will not be disdained by the most gracious and indulgent prince that Heaven ever bestowed upon a people." Titus Oates, now in the declension of his credit, was indicted at the King's Bench and at the Old Bailey for perjury; but his trial was deferred till Hilary term. And, since thus much of Oates's history has come in the way, the reader may probably expect not to be left in suspense about the issue. We may Oates' Trial. observe therefore, that, in May, the next summer, he was prosecuted for the same crime upon two indictments, and found guilty. The particulars upon which he was convicted are the disproof of some material circumstances sworn by him at the trials of Ireland, Whitebread, and others. Oates lived to a favourable juncture for reversing these judgments, and brought his writs of error for that purpose. However, after a full debate upon the cause, the lords could not be prevailed with to blanch his character, or restore him to the capacity of being an evidence in any court. Complete p. 530. To return at the latter end of this year, the king fell sick II. of an apoplexy, and died at Whitehall, on the 6th of February. CHARLES To conclude in a word or two, by way of character: he was a prince of extraordinary natural endowments, of great quickness A.D. 1684-5. The king's and penetration, and admirably qualified for the station he was death. born to. But these advantages were not without abatements in private life. It must be granted his pleasures were too strong for him. These sallies proved unserviceable to his exchequer, and drove him upon inequalities in the administration. Thus, being sometimes exhausted, he stooped his authority to disadvantage, and caressed a party, no friends to the crown. However, in the latter end of his reign, he recollected himself for business, recovered his ground, and died with the faction at his feet. He married Donna Catharina, infanta of Portugal, but had no issue by her. NOTE.-As Collier is very brief in this part of his history, I select from Lingard's graphic narrative the following particulars illustrative of Charles's death and character: "On Monday, the 2nd of February, after a feverish and restless night, the king rose at an early hour. To his attendants he appeared drowsy and absent: his gait was unsteady; his speech embarrassed. About eight, as he walked across his room, he fell on the floor in a state of insensibility, with his features strongly convulsed. It fortuned that two physicians were within call, of whom one, who had practised as a surgeon, instantly opened a vein; the blood flowed freely. The most stimulating remedies were subsequently applied, and the royal patient gradually recovered his consciousness and the use of his speech. In the evening he suffered a relapse, but unexpectedly rallied the next morning, and improved so much in the course of the day, that his physicians began to cherish the hope of his recovery; but in twenty-four hours the prospect changed. The king's strength was exhausted. He repeatedly fell into a state of stupor; and on the fifth evening it became evident that his dissolution was rapidly approaching. The impression which these changes made on the public mind furnishes a strong proof that Charles, with all his faults, was beloved by his subjects. The announcement of his malady spread a deep gloom over the metropolis. The report of his convalescence the next day was received by the citizens with expressions of joy, the ringing of bells, and numerous bonfires. When at last the danger became manifest, crowds hastened to the churches to solicit from Heaven the health of their sovereign; and we are assured that repeatedly the service was interrupted by the sighs and sobs of the congregation. In the two royal chapels the ministers succeeded each other in rotation; and the prayers were continued without intermission till his death. "After the first attack, the moment the king recovered his speech, he had asked for the queen, who came immediately, and continued to wait on him with the most affectionate attention, till the sight of his sufferings threw her into fits, and the physicians forbade her to leave her own apartment. Interest, as well as affection, prompted the duke of York to be present; nor did he ever quit the bed-side of his brother, unless it were for a few minutes to receive reports concerning the state of the city, and to give orders for the maintenance of tranquillity and the securing of his own succession. In like manner the archbishop of Canterbury and the bishops of London, Durham, Ely, and Bath and Wells, were constantly in attendance, and one of them watched in his VOL. VIII. k k SAN turn during the night in the king's chamber. Early on the Thursday morning, Kenn, CROFT, of Bath and Wells, seized a favourable moment to warn the monarch of his danger; and Abp. Cant. the air of resignation with which the announcement was received, encouraged him to read the office appointed for the visitation of the sick. When he came to the rubric respecting confession, he paused,-observed that it was a matter not of obligation, but of choice,—and, receiving no answer, asked whether the king repented of his offences against the law of God. Charles replied in the affirmative; and the prelate, having pronounced the usual form of absolution, asked if he might proceed to the administration of the sacrament? The king appeared to take no notice of the question; but Kenn renewed the proposal with a louder voice, and Charles replied, in a faint tone, that there was still time enough. The elements were, however, brought and placed on a table; and the question was repeatedly asked by the bishop, who could extort no other answer from the dying man, but that he would think of it.' "The duke of York, though aware of his brother's preference of the Catholic worship, and reminded of it by the French ambassador, at the instance of the duchess of Portsmouth, had hitherto abstained from speaking to him on the subject of religion. He heard, however, the discourse between him and the prelate, and perfectly understood the import of the king's reluctant and evasive language. Motioning to the company to withdraw to the other end of the room, he approached the pillow of the sick monarch, and asked, in a whisper, if he might send for a Catholic priest. 'For God's sake, do,' was the king's reply; but,' he immediately added, will it not expose you to danger ? alluding to the penalties enacted against those who were instrumental in the reconciliation of others to the Church of Rome. The foreign clergyman, to whom the duke sent, could not be found; but Huddieston, the same who waited on the king at Moseley after the battle of Worcester, was desired to supply his place. James ordered all present to quit the room except the earl of Bath, lord of the bed-chamber, and the earl of Feversham, captain of the guard, whose attendance he thought necessary, to prevent any sinister reports; and then introduced Huddleston with the words, 'Sir, this worthy man once saved your life; he now comes to save your soul.' The priest threw himself on his knees, and offered the monarch the aid of his ministry. To his inquiries Charles replied, that it was his desire to die in the communion of the Roman Catholic Church; that he heartily repented of all his sins, and in particular of having deferred his reconciliation to that hour; that he hoped for salvation from the merits of Christ his Saviour; that he pardoned all his enemies, asked pardon of all whom he had offended, and was in peace with all men; and that he purposed, if God should spare him, to prove the sincerity of his repentance by a thorough amendment of life. Huddleston, having received his confession, anointed him, administered the eucharist, and withdrew. It was desirable that the object of his visit should be concealed. But the eyes of all had been fixed on the royal bed-chamber; the exclusion of the physicians and attendants during three-quarters of an hour awakened suspicion; and in a short time the real fact was whispered throughout the palace. "During that night the king suffered at times the most distressing pain; but in the intervals between the paroxysms his mind was calm and collected, and he spoke of his approaching death with composure and resignation. The queen by a messenger excused her absence, and begged him to pardon her any offence which she might have given. Alas, poor woman!' he exclaimed, she beg my pardon? I beg hers with all my heart. Take back to her that answer.' Looking on the duke, who was kneeling at the bedside and kissing his hand, he called him the best of friends and brothers; desired him to forgive the harsh treatment which he had sometimes received; and prayed that God might grant him a long and prosperous reign. The name of Monmouth never passed his lips; but he sent for his other illegitimate sons, recommended them to James, and drawing each to him by the hand, successively gave them his blessing. At this sight, one of the prelates observed, that the king, the Lord's anointed, was the common father of all his subjects; every one present instantly threw himself on his knees, and Charles, being raised up, pronounced a blessing over them. He then expressed a hope to his brother that 'poor Nelly (Gwynne) would not be left to starve;' recommended II. the duchess of Cleveland to his protection; and spoke warmly in favour of the duchess CHARLES of Portsmouth, who might, he feared, on account of her political conduct, incur the resentment of his successor. Thus the night passed away. In the morning he lost the faculty of speech; and about noon calmly expired. 66 In person Charles was tall and well-proportioned, his complexion swarthy, his features singularly austere and forbidding. He inherited from his father a sound and robust constitution, which in his youth he had impaired by indulgence, and afterwards laboured to restore by attention to diet and exercise. In health he was wont to purchase, at exorbitant prices, the secrets of empirics; but in sickness his good sense taught him to rely on the skill of his physicians. "The disposition of his mind presented an extraordinary contrast to the harsh and repulsive lines traced on his countenance. He was kind, familiar, communicative. He delighted in social converse, narrated with infinite humour, and, as he was the first to seize and expose what might be ridiculous in others, so he never refused to join in the laugh when it was raised at his own expense. Parade and ceremony he held in aversion. To act the part of a king, was to him a tiresome and odious task; and he would gladly burst from the trammels of official greatness, that he might escape to the ease and comfort of colloquial familiarity. "With talents, said to be of the highest order, he joined an insuperable antipathy to application; whence it happened, that to the scanty stock of knowledge, which he acquired in his youthful days, he made but few additions in a more advanced age. He sought amusement, and displayed taste in planting, gardening, and building: sometimes solicitude for his health led him to attend anatomical dissections, and sometimes a spirit of curiosity engaged him in chemical experiments: but the subject of his favourite study, if study it may be called, was naval architecture; in which he had the credit, not only of being a proficient, but of having made some valuable improvements. "Impatient of trouble, and fearful of opposition, he looked upon the practice of dissimulation as the grand secret in the art of reigning. A king, he argued, was surrounded by men, who made it their object, as it was their interest, to deceive him. His only protection consisted in the employment of the same weapon: it was necessary for him to deceive, that he might not be deceived. But Charles practised this doctrine to an extent which marred his own purpose. Experience taught others to disbelieve him as much as he disbelieved them. They distrusted his most solemn promises and asseverations; they paid no attention to his words, but studied his looks to ascertain his real meaning; and the result repeatedly proved that in seeking to impose on others he had in reality imposed on no one but himself. "From the commencement to the close of his reign he was the slave of women : but though he tolerated their caprice, though he submitted to their intrigues, he was neither jealous nor fastidious, freely allowing to them that latitude of indulgence which he claimed to himself. His example in this respect exercised the most pernicious influence on the morals of the higher classes of his subjects. His court became a school of vice, in which the restraints of decency were laughed to scorn, and the distinctions which he lavished on his mistresses, with the bold front which he enabled them to put on their infamy, held out an encouragement to crime, and tended to sap in youthful breasts those principles of modesty which are the best guardians of female virtue. There may have been other periods of our history in which immorality prevailed; but none in which it was practised with more ostentation, or brought with it less disgrace. "Of his pecuniary transactions with the king of France, no Englishman can think without feelings of shame, or speak but in the language of reprobation. He may have attempted to justify them to his own conscience; he may have persuaded himself that he only took the money of another for doing that which it was his own duty to do: but it is plain that from the moment in which he became a pensioner, he ceased to be an independent agent. The possession or forfeiture of a considerable income must necessarily have had great weight in the deliberations of a needy and prodigal monarch. But this was not an age of public virtue. We shall look for it in vain either in the sovereign, or in the patriots who opposed him. Both sacrificed at the shrine of the same idol their own interest. SAN "It was the persuasion of Charles that his political adversaries sought the re-estaCROFT, blishment of a commonwealth, theirs that he cherished designs subversive of the liberAbp. Cant. ties of the subject. These jealousies, founded perhaps in prejudice more than in truth, produced their natural effect. They led each party to the adoption of measures which it was not easy to justify: they provoked on the one side the extortion of charters, forced constructions of law, and unwarrantable severity of judgment from the bench, and on the other, the false and factious votes of the house of commons, the arbitrary arrests of the individuals called abhorrers, and the disgraceful proceedings arising out of the imposture of Titus Oates. As far as regards despotic power, whatever might have been the inclination of Charles, he certainly was not the man to win it by force. To a prince of his indolent disposition, and attached so much to his own ease, the acquisition would not appear worth the trouble and the risk of the attempt. We are told by one who knew him well, by Barillon in a confidential dispatch to Louis XIV., that he viewed such plans with reluctance; that he cared not much for additional authority; and that in reality his wish was to live at ease, and to improve his revenue.' "With respect to his religion, if we believe two noble writers who were much in his company, the marquess of Halifax, and Sheffield, duke of Buckingham, he was in fact a deist; while others have represented him as a most accomplished hypocrite, who had embraced the Catholic worship before the Restoration, and yet for five-and-twenty years held himself out to his subjects as an orthodox Protestant. Each of these assertions is incorrect. Charles never abandoned the belief of Christianity, nor was he ever reconciled to the Church of Rome before the eve of his death. If we compare his proceedings in consequence of the secret treaty of 1670, with his subsequent conduct in relation to his brother, whom he sought, with the aid of the bishops, to recall within the pale of the establishment, and in relation to his nieces, whom he took from their father that they might be educated in the Protestant faith, and whom he married to Protestants that he might secure a succession of Protestant princes, we shall perhaps come to the conclusion, that for the greater part of his reign he looked on religion as a political question, and cared little to which of the two Churches he might belong. It is true that afterwards, in 1683, he gave to the subject more attentive deliberation: yet even then he did no more than deliberate, and never came to a decision till he learned from his physicians that in a few hours he would cease to live. "In conclusion, it may be proper to remark, that during his reign the arts improved, trade met with encouragement, and the wealth and comforts of the people increased. To this flourishing state of the nation we must attribute the acknowledged fact, that, whatever were the personal failings or vices of the king, he never forfeited the love of his subjects. Men are always ready to idolize the sovereign under whose sway they feel themselves happy. "Charles left no issue by his queen, Catherine of Portugal. Of his illegitimate children he acknowledged James, duke of Monmouth, by Lucy Walters; Charlotte, countess of Yarmouth, by lady Shanon; Charles, duke of Southampton, Henry, duke of Grafton, George, duke of Northumberland, and Charlotte, countess of Lichfield, by the duchess of Cleveland; Charles, duke of St. Albans, by Eleanor Gwynne; Charles, duke of Richmond, by the duchess of Portsmouth; and Mary, countess of Derwentwater, by Mary Davies." We refer to Hume, giving his character of Charles; at the same time reminding the reader how able an advocate he is; and how partial, in spite of himself, to the Stuarts: 66 If we survey the character of Charles II., in the different lights which it will admit of, it will appear various, and give rise to different, and even opposite sentiments: when considered as a companion, he appears as the most amiable and engaging of men; and indeed, in this view, his deportment must be allowed altogether unexceptionable: his love of raillery was so tempered with good breeding, that it was never offensive: his propensity to satire was so checked with discretion, that his friends never dreaded their becoming the object of it: his wit, to use the expression of one who knew him well, and who was himself a good judge, could not be said so much to be very refined or elevated, qualities apt to beget jealousy and apprehension in company, as to be a plain, gaining, |