months before: which the looked upon as fo high an affront, that only her refpect towards the king prevailed with her to endure

it.

When her majefty made a paufe, the chancellor, with admirable prefence of mind, and happy turn of thought, fo peculiar to himself, answered, That her majesty had only mentioned his punishment, and nothing of his fault; that, how great foever his infirmities were, in defect of understanding, or in good manners, he had yet never been in Bedlam; which he had deserved to be, if he had af fected to publish to the world that he was in the queen's disfavour, by avoiding to be seen by her; that he had no kind of apprehenfion that they who thought worst of him, would ever believe him to be fuch a fool, as to provoke the wife of his dead mafter, the greatnefs of whofe affections to her was well known to bim; and the mother of the king, who fubfifted by her favour; and all this in France, where himself was a banished perfon, and the at home, where the might oblige or difoblige him at her pleafure. So that he was well af fured that no body would think him guilty of fo much folly and madness as not to use all the endeavours he poffibly could to obtain her grace and protection that it was very true he had been long without the prefumption of being in her majefty's prefence, after he had undergone many fharp inftances of her dif pleasure, and after he had obferved fome al

C6

teration

teration and averfion in her majefty's looks and countenance upon his coming into the room where fhe was, and during the time fhe ftayed there; which others likewise observed fo much, that they withdrew from holding any conversation with him in thofe places, out of fear to offend her majefty that he had often defired, by feveral perfons, to know the cause of her majefty's difpleasure; and, that he might be admitted to clear himself from any unworthy fuggeftions which had been made of him to her majefty, but could never obtain that honour; and therefore he had conceived, that he was obliged in good manners, to remove fo unacceptable an objec from the eyes of her majefty, by not coming into her prefence; which all who knew him could not but know to be the greateft mortification that could be inflicted upon him; and therefore he moft humbly befought her majefty, at this audience, which might be the laft he should receive of her, that she would. difmifs him with the knowledge of what had been taken amifs, that he might be able to make his innocence and integrity appear ;, which he knew had been blafted by the malice of fome perfons, and thereby misinterpreted by her majefty.

But all this prevailed not with her majefty; who objected his credit with the king, and his endeavours to leffen that credit which the ought to have; and concluded, that fhe fhould be glad to fee reafon to change her

opinion;

opinion; and fo carelefly extended her hand towards him, which he kiffing, the departed to her chamber.

Having continued fome years longer in exile, his majefty was pleafed to make him lord-chancellor of England in the Christmas holidays preceding Oliver's death; Sir Edward Herbert, who was the laft lord-keeper of the great-feal, being lately dead at Paris. He received the feal very unwillingly; but the king firft employed the marquis of Ormond, with whom his majefty knew he had an entire friendship, to difpofe him to receive it; which when he could not do, he giving him many reafons why there was no need of fuch an officer, or indeed any use of the great feal till the king fhould come into England; and, that his majefty found fome ease in be ing without fuch an officer, that he was not troubled with thofe fuits which he would be, if the feal were in the hands of a proper officer to be used, fince every body would be then importuning the king for the grant of offices, honours and land, which would give him great vexation to refuse, and do him great mifchief by granting.

- The marquis told the king of it; who went himself to the chancellor's lodgings, and took notice of what the marquis had told him; and faid, He would deal truly and freely with him; that the principal reafon which he had alledged against receiving the feal, was the greatest reafon that difpofed him to confer it

пров

upon him; and then he pulled letters out of his pocket, which he received lately from Paris, for the grant of feveral reversions in England of offices, and of lands. He mentioned to him also many other importunities with which he was every day difquieted; and, that he faw no other remedy to give himself eafe, than to put the feal out of his own keeping, into fuch hands as would not be importuned, and would help him to deny and thereupon he conjured Sir Edward to receive that truft, with many promifes of his favour and protection: whereupon the earl of Bristol, and fecretary Nicholas, ufing likewise their perfuafions, he fubmitted to the king's pleafure.

The chief adminiftration of affairs was now, in a very great degree, in the hands of the Jord-chancellor; of whofe capacity, as well as integrity, his majefty had had fo long and convincing experience, that he was the more ready to leave all to him: Oliver's death, and the various revolutions that happened upon it in England, revived the hopes and activity of the chancellor to promote the reltoration of his royal mafter to his loft dominions; and moft, if not all, the papers, declarations, and the like, which were put out to this end, were of his drawing. It would be needlefs to hint the particulars; his prudence fuggefted feafonable thoughts of moderation and mildnefs to him in the feveral particulars contained in them.

At

At length the happy and longed-for day came, when his majefty was restored; and, on the twenty-ninth of May, 1666, made his public entry through the city of London, which put an end, for the prefent, to the lord-chancellor's exile, and afforded him kind and promifing views of a large and profperous fortune.

The lord-chancellor, who was a very for ward inftrument with the king at Breda, to make the largest conceffions of favour and indemnity, that well could be, to his fubjects, upon the profpect he had of his restoration, thought it now his honour, as well as his duty, to endeavour the punctual performance of every particular: and therefore finding there were fome perfons, who most maliciously endeavoured to infinuate that his majefty intended nothing less than the performance of his promifes, the chancellor advised him to fend a meffage to the commons to quicken their debates about the act of a general pardon and indemnity, as that which would best. quiet the minds of the people.

That neceffary bill, and many others, being at length dispatched, the chancellor concluded that feffions with a very noble speech & wherein, among many other most excellent things, he faid a very remarkable thing concerning the army then in being, which, perhaps, could never be faid before or after of any other in the world, in thefe words: