one above all the reft to whom he may communicate, and in whofe breast he may pour out his greatest fecrets, that fo he may not be vexed alwayes, in bowing down to fpeak to them, or to hear what they would speak to him; and cuftomarily princes pile out thofe whofe birth cannot occafion any fears that they will entertain any nimious pretences. Thefe favourites are the fcreens which defend Kings from popular malice, and the pack-horfes upon whom all enmity and miscarriages are laid; and their ruine is often the main article of pacification betwixt the King and Subject; who, to repay their many taxations and loffes, feek no other requital than their deftruction; and whom princes themselves often fuffer, like fpunges, to fuck in treafure from the people, knowing that when they are filled by them, they will devour leffe of what pertains to the publick cafh; as also, that they may wring them when they are full, and fo be thanked by the people, for retaking that treasure from the favourite, which, if they had immediately taken from themfelves, they had been moft bitterly exclaimed againft: This gentleman was but meanly born, and afcended to honour's parlour, rather by the -back-stairs of private affection, than by the public entry of merit,

When this excellent Prince dyed, he left to after-ages an evident proof, that the ocean of affairs hath its own tydes, and fair gales (which are to be expected, not commanded) and in which interims, the prince may recreate himself with his lawful pleafures; for, this Prince was never one who loft his pleasure for his business, nor his bufinefs for his pleafure: Some tainted his royal repute with cowardifhnefs; but fince kings, except they be rafh,

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are not tolerated to spend their own bloud, it follows, that his crime was that he was too frugal of the bloud of his fubjects; which any found wit will interpret to be rather love than fear but to what purpose fhould he have unfheathed the fword of his courage, feeing the fword of his wit conquered all his enemies neither is it an imputation to a phyfician that he prevents all diseases fo dexterously, as that he suffers not his patients to fall in any disease, Many did mifconftrue this worthy Prince in many things, never confidering, that it is as unbefeeming a fubject to cenfure the actions of his Prince, as it is ridiculous in a patient to find the pulfe of his phy. fician: for, fince princes are often acted in what they do from prin ciples unknown to us, and have aims which we are ftrangers to, and feeing the motives and ends of the agents, are these things which determine our actions, it follows, that it is not only abfurd, but even impoffible for fubjects to difcant truly upon the actions of their princes; and fince a deputy is only anfwerable for his carriage or mifcarriage to him, by whom he is deputed; and fince it is God who has commiffionated princes, it must be undeniable that they can be ar, raigned before no tribunal elfe, but his; but admit, that really they efcaped at fome times, and upon fome occafions, that proves only they are men, and who denies that? but if they must be condemned for that, I fhould defire him who hath fpent his life (though private) without an omiffion, to caft the first stone at them; and if private men who have time to deliberate what is incumbent to them to do, and few to remark what their failings are, cannot, notwithftanding plead exemp tion from infirmities; what may Kings plead, who are over-charged

with

:

fee their neighbours totally exempted for, albeit the prince may fatisfie his people, in telling them the true caufe of fuch impofitions in general, or hoodwink them in forging reafons where there are none; yet there is no court-fophifter fo cunning as to fhew a reason why fome are exempted, others not; whereupon those who are extortioned, they exclaim firft, and then are ofttimes feconded by thofe to whom no wrong was done at all, who hope by these vociferations to get thefe impofitions totally banifhed; or elfe do fear, left the cafe of their vexed neighbours may one day become their own, feeing they have no leafes of thefe favours more than others, and which they know to be mortal, afwell as thofe who indulge them; but if people would advert how that twenty or thirty crowns a year, keep off either a forreign war or prevent a civil, which would moulder away the half of their eftates, if not prevented; yea, and rob the wife of her hufband, and the father of his children they would then condemn themselves, because they now condemn their Prince. And it is often feen that those nations flourish beft, and conquer moft, whofe fubjects are poorest and whofe treafures are fulleft, the riches of fubjects uccaHioning their luxury, and their luxury kindling a war (that which is fatteft kindling alwayes fooneft,) whereas the riches of the publick cafh are a rampart against publick invafions, and forceth ftrangers not to interupt the nationall commerce, nor to abridge, but rather to enlarge their privileges.

Thefe contemptible grievances were the fmall machines which firft moved that bulkifh body of the popular fury in England. Yet they were not the fole; for besides thefe may be numbred the nimious clemeucy of the Prince, and the depra

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ved factiousness of the fubjects. As for the Prince, he was a fuperstitious adorer of his fubjects repofe, and defired rather to have his own than his fubjects bloud fpilt; and albeit it was oft remonftrated to him, that the fureft way to reign was, by the fcepter rather of power than of love: for power and aufterity was in his own hand, and depended upon none elfe; whereas the fcepter of love was fwayed by the hand of a popular affection, which was as volatile as themselves; and by it he was rather their flave than their Prince, and that his rigidity (if it were a fault) yet was but perfonal, and infected none befides himself; but his clemency was the nursery of all thofe enormities wherewith the land fwarmed: and feeing vicious perfons finned not, more through fear of punishment than through love to vertue, that Prince who be wrayed too much clemency, did proclaim an impunity to all vice; and that fubjects were like a top which did run the fleetlier that it was fometimes lafht; neither could that Prince expect to be obeyed, who punifhed not difobedience, notwithflanding of all thofe remonftrances made to him by his friends, and of all the dangers which were often forefeen by his prying fpirit; yet he refolved ftill, rather to be good than great, and to make the hearts. of his fubjects the throne whereon he would only fit; faying, That it was the part of a fubject to revenge, but of a King to pardon; and feeing the actions of predeceffor kings were the register of their fucceffors, he refolved to learn his pofterity how to pardon; knowing that revenge and corruption would teach them too well how to punifh; that God, whofe vicegerents they were, glo. ried more in this attribute than in any elfe, and that the King of the Bees (which is an hierogliphick of monarchy) wanted a fling: thefe

were

were his principles, and proved his bane.

Marquis of HAMILTON. In Scotland, at that time, there were two factions, who, like two twins ftruggling in the womb of the commonwealth, tortured vekemently their miferable mother; the one faction was led by the Marquis of Hamilton, a man of a profound prudence, and who even from his youth fuckt the breafts of state-education, and had fo familiarized himfelf with its myfteries, that they were become now no wayes myftical to him; but whofe misfortune it was, that his fortune could rife no higher, except it had difputed preference with the royal throne; and that is the unhappiness of thofe happily born fubjects, that naturally ambition elevates them alwayes a bove their own level, and yet their prefent state admits of no higher to which they can pretend, with out rivalling their Prince. So ordinarily the eminenteft of fubjects are born either to be fools or traitors; from which they can hardly be diverted, except fome forreign imployment abroad, or formidable prince at home, either feed or starve that genial humour. This made many alledge, that the Marquis of Hamilton did in thoughts design himself to be Prince of England, intending to marry the King's neece, and by inveighing against the Queen to get all her children declared baftards; and his fifter's other children declared rebels, by engaging them in a war against the nation. But thefe projects were fo improbable and fo treafonable, that none could affent thereto, but were rather construed to be forged by his enemies, than to be his own, either wishes or hopes.

Earl of ARGYLE.

The other faction was founded by the Earl of Argyle, a man of a deep reach, and one who might

have flared in the highest imploy ment, if he could but have expected it patiently; but he, like many other did fpill, by drawing violently to him, what he might have had entire, if he had waited till it had been be ftowed upon him willingly. Many characterized him to be a man of more wit than vertue, and of more cunning than of either: many fol lowed him (as was faid) merely because they hated the other; fo that he ftood more engaged to the other's mifcarriages, than he did to his own abilities. Those who adhered to him, were fuch as could fignify nothing without him, and yet who with his affiftance were fuc cefsful enough, yea, and too much; like ciphers, which without a figure fignifie nothing, yet when joyned to a figure makes the figure fignifie more than it could do alone. Some in the body of this faction acted the mouth, and were fitted for nothing else; others the hands, to execute what they had commanded; and fome the feet, to run where any thing was to be acted, till at laft thefe many parts got adjoyned to them a nofe, which, because of its bigneffe, overshadowed the face, and made the rest seem terrible; which, as is related in England, did thereafter fall by the pox: yet poffibly thefe are but jealoufies, and not proofs which can be adduced against them.

Marquis of MONTROSE,

Amongst the Covenanters was the Marquis of Montrofe, a gentleman whom hundreds of years cannot parallel, as if Nature needed fo much time to bring forth fuch an elephantine vertue, and whereof a nation could lodge but one, as if it were not able to bear two fuch great burdens of worth. This gentleman was in affection a Proteftant, and perfifted fo, but hated in the end the Covenanters, as perfons whofe

interefts

interests was their god, and whofe godlinetfe was their gain: for, finding whom they intended to fhare the provinces amongst themselves, under pretext of regulating abufes, and preventing infurrections, did forfake them, because he found that they had forfaken their duty, and refusing their proffers, refused them alfo his affiftance; thinking it treafon rather than reason, to affift them who refifted their Prince, and perfifted in their rebellion. Yet did he alwayes love the Proteftant interests, albeit he hated some of their darlings, and relinquished not their party, albeit he relinquifhed their perfons; wherefore finding his dangers both imminent and eminent, he posted to the King, and was by him commiffioned to command his army in Scotland.

It was reported by fome, that the Proteftants had placed domeftick priests in each family, for the fervice of their houfhold gods, to remark mens actions, and to convince themselves, or at least to tutor the wives, by whom they might thereafter know the husbands; and that this restrained fomewhat the confluencing of the fubjects to the Marquis: but these were rather personall prejudices than true conjectures. Others alledged that the Marquis's pride deterred others from joyning with him, as being a perfon, who as he was in worth equalled by none, fo who in pride furpaffed all. But that likewife was a mistake, for what was called in him pride, was really prudence; for he confidered prudently, that thofe who kept a diftance with all, will be tempted to reveal their fecrets to none, and will have time and convenience to convaffe fully what is fittest to be done upon every emer. gent. However, if this was his fault, he was happy in being tainted with no other fault but this; and his excels in his carriage to his e

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quals, was compenfed with the moderation ufed by him to his inferiours; for, as they branded him with the one, fo they could not but allow him the other. It was admirable how a body inured to much ease, could endure so much trouble: for, in fpite of his former custom, he accustomed himself to dispense with what pleasure he enjoyed formerly, fhewing the world, that as his fpirit was of gold, fo his body was of braffe, and it appeared that he had changed his body as well as his opinion; or rather, that his body refolved rather to fuffer the hardest of hardships, before it would fuffer fo rare a foul as his was to change its dwelling and quit its embracements; graffe was his belt bed, ftones his ordinary pillows, and the heavens his continuall cannopy; his drink was water, and his diet opportunity; his counsellors few, and his enemies many, and yet it appeared that Providence kept those from him, meerly to fhew that without these he could conquer, and that the Marquis alone was ftrong enough for these many.

Army of the CovENANTERS.

Thefe were with much cunning tryfted to the fields, by the Earl of Argyle, not out of any intention to fight (for if they had dreamed of that, they had never moved) but as if it had been only to recreate themfelves; yet when they were once mustered, they mustered all their courage in their faces, which they were neceffitated to do, because their hearts refufed to lodge fuch an unruly gueft; and feeing their breafts were already filled with golden hopes, they judged it folly to fill them with thoughts of steel. Thus they refolved to conquer all, because they faw none to be conquered; and cartelled by their eyes all who would fwear that they had neither arms nor courage. Here

one