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Second Reading

About Gilbert Sheldon (Bishop of London 1660-3, Archbishop of Canterbury 1663-77)

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Archbishop Sheldon was some time warden of All Souls college in Oxford, and clerk of the closet to Charles I. who had a great esteem for him. He was, upon the restoration of Charles II. who knew his worth, and during his exile had experienced his munificence, made dean of the Chapel Royal. He was afterwards successively promoted to the sees of London and Canterbury in both which he succeeded Dr. Juxon. His benevolent heart, public spirit, prudent conduct, and examplary piety, merited the highest and most conspicuous station in the church. He expended, in public and private benefactions, and acts of charity, no less than 66,000 l. as appeared from his accounts. Much of this money, was appropriated to the relief of the necessitous in the time of the plague, and to the redemption of Christian slaves. The building only of the Theatre in Oxford cost him 16,000 l. This structure alone is sufficient to perpetuate the memory of the founder and the architect. Ob. 9 Nov. 1677.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About Roger Palmer (1st Earl of Castlemaine)

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Roger Palmer, husband to Mrs. Palmer, the royal mistress, was, by Charles II. created earl of Castlemaine. A man of nice honour would never have accepted of this title, as the whole world knew on what account it was conferred. It indeed appears that he had some scruples upon that head, as he did not accept of it when it was first offered him. In 1680 he was accused as an accomplice in the Meal-Tub Plot, and was brought to a public trial; but nothing was proved against him. He was a good proficient in the mathematics, and was the inventor of a "horizontal globe," of which he wrote an explanatory pamphlet. He was author of " An Account of the present War betwixt the Venetians and the Turks," &c. 1666; and of "A short and true Account of the material Passages in the late War betwixt the English and Dutch;" 1671.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About Thomas Butler (6th Earl of Ossory)

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Thomas, lord Butler, earl of Ossory, general of his majesty's subjects of Great Britain, in the service of his highness the prince of Orange, and the States of the United Provinces; lieutenant-general of his majesty's forces in the kingdom of Ireland; lord-chamberlain to the queen; one of the lord's of his majesty's most honourable privy-council, in the kingdoms of England and Ireland; one of the lords of his majesty's bed-chamber; and knight of the most noble order of the Garter.
A pompous list of titles and honours, under the portraits of men of rank, sometimes compose the history of the persons represented. Here we have a man who shone with unborrowed lustre, whose merit was the foundation of his fame. Though he seemed born for the camp only, he was perfectly qualified for the court; not as a wit, a mimic, or buffoon, but by a propriety of behaviour, the result of good sense and good breeding. His courage on board the fleet was scarcely exceeded by that of prince Rupert and the duke of Albemarle; and theirs was never exceeded by that of any other sea-officer. He commanded the English troops in the service of the prince of Orange; and at the battle of Mons contributed greatly to the retreat of marshal Luxemburg, to whom Lewis XIV. was indebted for the greatest part of his military glory. He, on this occasion, received the thanks of the duke of Villa Hermosa, governor of the Spanish Netherlands, and also the thanks of his Catholic majesty himself. His speech, addressed to the earl of Shaftesbury, in vindication of his father, was universally applauded: it even confounded that intrepid orator, who was in the senate what the earl of Ossory was in the field. These his great qualities were adorned by a singular modesty, and a probity which nothing could corrupt. Poets and historians praise him in much the same terms, as prose naturally rises to the language of poetry on so elevated a subject. He died July 30, 1680, in the 46th year of his age. The duke of Ormond, his father, said, "that he would not exchange his dead son for any living son in Christendom."
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About Denzil Holles (Baron Holles)

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Denzil, lord Holles, second son of John, the first earl of Clare, was one of the most distinguished of the popular leaders in the reign of Charles I. His courage, which was very extraordinary, was constitutional, and proceeded from a principle inherent in his family. His patriotism, which was as extraordinary and as active as his courage, seemed to proceed from as fixed a principle. In the part which he acted against Charles, with whom he had formerly lived in great intimacy, he appears not to have been influenced by personal hatred, party animosity, or the common motives of interest or ambition. He acted from a much nobler motive than any of these, an inviolable attachment to the liberties of his country. He had long entertained a jealousy of the prerogative; and therefore, in the last parliament of James I. sided with the party that opposed the court. This jealousy was much increased in the next reign; and he entered, with his usual spirit, into all those measures that he thought necessary to reduce the power of the king within bounds, and became a leader of the Presbyterian party, as he believed it to be on the side of liberty. He was greatly alarmed upon seeing Cromwell at the head of the Independents; and Cromwell was little less alarmed at seeing so able a chief at the head of the Presbyterians. He was, by the Independent faction, impeached of high-treason, which occasioned his flying into France. He was employed in several embassies after the Restoration, when he retained the same jealousy for liberty. He refused the insidious presents offered him by Lewis XIV. with as much disdain as he had before refused 5000 1. offered him by the parliament, to indemnify him for his losses in the civil war. Ob. 1679-80, Æt. 81.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About Sir Charles Gerard (1st Baron Gerard of Brandon)

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Charles, lord Gerard, who descended from the very ancient family of Geraldine, or Fitzgerald, in Ireland, raised a regiment of foot, and a troop of horse, for Charles I. in the civil war. He fought in many battles with the ardour of a volunteer, and displayed, at the same time, all the conduct of a veteran. He particularly signalized himself in Wales, where he took the fortresses of Cardigan, Emblin, Langhorne, and Roche; as also the strong town of Haverford-West, with the castles of Piston and Carew. He had two brothers and several uncles, who had commands in the royal army. Ratcliffe Gerard, one of his uncles, had three sons, who all fought for the king at the battle of Edge-hill. He was one of the lords who presented the duke of York, as a Popish recusant, at the King's Bench bar, in Westminster-hall. He was created earl of Macclesfield, July 23, 1679, and died Jan. 7, 1693-4.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About George Berkeley (9th Baron Berkeley)

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George, earl of Berkeley, descended in a direct line from Robert Fitzharding, who was of the royal house of Denmark. He, with his nephew, Charles Berkeley, had the principal management of the duke ot York's family, and was one of the privy-council in this and the two following reigns. He bestowed upon Sion College a very valuable library, which was collected by sir Robert Coke. He was author of a little book, valuable for its merit as well as its rarity, entitled, "Historical Applications, and occasional Meditations upon several Subjects, written by a person of Honour," 1670. In this book are several striking instances of the testimony which some men of eminence have borne to the importance of religious life, and the consolation to be received from it, especially at the 'approach of death'. Ob. 1698.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About Robert Paston (1st Earl of Yarmouth, MP Castle Rising)

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Robert, earl of Yarmouth, son of sir William Paston, of Oxnead, in Norfolk, by Catharine, daughter of Robert Bertie, earl of Lindsey, possessed many virtues as well as ornamental and amiable qualities, and was one of the most learned and polite among the nobility. He was so zealous a cavalier, that he, in his father's lifetime, distressed himself to supply Charles II. with money in his exile. He was so devoted to the court, that he was threatened with an impeachment by the popular party, though they had nothing material to lay to his charge, and no man was more capable of defending himself to advantage. About eight years before his death, he was attacked by several ruffians, who shot five bullets into his coach, and one into his body. He had such a sense of this providential escape, that he solemnly kept an anniversary thanksgiving upon that day to the end of his life. He was exemplary in the duties of religion, and expressed a strong sense of it at the approach of death. He died on the 8th of March, 1682, aged 51 years, and was buried at Oxnead.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About William Craven (1st Earl of Craven)

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The earl of Craven was colonel of the Coldstream regiment of foot-guards, and one of the privy-council to Charles II. He is said to have been secretly married to the queen of Bohemia, the king's aunt. It is certain that he was much in her favour and confidence. The duke of Albemarle and this lord continued in London, and prevented much mischief during the pestilence. He died April 19, 1687, in the 88th year of his age.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About Charles Howard (1st Earl of Carlisle)

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Charles Howard, earl of Carlisle, had a considerable share in the Restoration; and was, in his capacity of a public minister, well qualified to do honour to the king his master, and himself. In 1663, he was sent ambassador to the czar of Muscovy, to recover the privileges of the Russian company. He met with no success in this embassy; but, on the contrary, was treated with disregard, and even indignity, which he resented with a proper spirit. He afterwards went in quality of ambassador to Sweden and Denmark, to cultivate the alliance with these kingdoms. There is an account of the three embassies in print, with the earl's portrait prefixed. This book contains many curious remarks upon the countries through which he passed. He was afterwards appointed governor of Jamaica. He died, according to Heylin, in 1684; according to others, in 1686.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About Arthur Capell (1st Earl of Essex)

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Arthur Capel, earl of Essex, was son of Arthur, lord Capel, who was beheaded. He was a man of resolution and ability, and gained great reputation by asserting the honour of the British flag, when he was sent ambassador to Denmark. His spirited behaviour on this occasion recommended him greatly to the king, who, on his return, made him a privy-counsellor, and appointed him lord lieutenant of Ireland. He acted with singular prudence and integrity in the government of a country which had not perfectly recovered its stability, after the shocks and convulsions of a civil war, and where petty factions and jarring interests continually called for the exertion of his abilities. He was particularly careful to exculpate his character from false accusations, saying, that he "would rather suffer himself to be made a pack-horse, than bear other men's faults." He was afterwards one of the leading members of the house of lords; and was, upon the disgrace of the lord treasurer Danby, of whom he was an avowed opponent, appointed one of the new privy-council, and first commissioner of the treasury. About this time, the nation was as much intoxicated with faction, as it had been with loyalty at the Restoration; and he was named as one of the accomplices in the MealTub Plot. Upon this he threw up his place in disgust, and sided with the duke of Monmouth and the earl of Shaftesbury, though he was one of the principal persons who had contributed to their disgrace. He was afterwards accused as one of the conspirators in the Rye-House Plot, and committed to the Tower. He was found there not long after, with his throat cut in the most horrid manner. As he had been an advocate for suicide, and was subject to the spleen, it was supposed by some that he had laid violent hands upon himself: others, with less probability, supposed that he was murdered by his own servant: and others, with least of all, that he was killed by an assassin sent by the duke of York, who, together with the king, was seen at the Tower the same morning on which the murder was perpetrated. Ob. 13 July, 1683.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About John Wilmot (2nd Earl of Rochester)

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John, son of Henry Wilmot, earl of Rochester, held the first rank of the men of wit and pleasure of his age; and he will ever be remembered for the extreme licentiousness of his manners and his writings. He had an elegant person, an easy address, and a quickness of understanding and invention almost peculiar to himself; and, what may now perhaps seem improbable, he had natural modesty. He entered, with blushes in his face, into the fashionable vices of this reign; but he well knew that even these vices would recommend him, and only be considered as so many graces added to his character. His strong and lively parts quickly enabled him to go far beyond other men in his irregularities; and he soon became one of the most daring profligates of his age. He was in a continual state of intoxication for several years together; and the king who admired his sallies of wit and humour, was more delighted with his company when he was drunk, than with any other man's when he was sober. He was ever engaged in some amour or other, and frequently with women of the lowest order, and the vilest prostitutes of the town. He would sometimes, upon these occasions, appear as a beggar, or a porter; and he as well knew how to assume the character, as the dress of either. After he had run the giddy round of his pleasures, his eyes were open to conviction, and he became the Christian and the penitent. His repentance began with remorse and horror, but ended with hope and consolation.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About Henry Somerset (3rd Marquess of Worcester)

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Henry Somerset was son of Edward, marquis of Worcester, who had a considerable share in the transactions of the late reign; and was, in his father's life-time, created earl of Glamorgan by Charles I. He was, by Charles II. appointed president of the council for the principality of Wales, elected knight of the garter, and created duke of Beaufort. He married Mary, daughter of Arthur, lord Capel, and widow of Henry lord Beauchamp. Ob. 21 Jan. 1699.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About William Seymour (3rd Duke of Somerset)

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William, duke of Somerset, was son of Henry lord Beauchamp, by Mary, daughter of Arthur, lord Capel. He succeeded his grandfather William, who, on the 25th of April, 1660, was restored to the title of duke of Somerset, forfeited by the attainder of his great-grandfather, in the reign of Edward VI. Ob. 1671.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About Jean-Baptiste Colbert (Controller-General of Finances, France 1665-83)

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John Baptist Colbert, privy-counsellor and superintendant of the finances, secretary, and minister of state to Lewis XIV. and one of the ablest politicians that any age or country has produced, was born of Scottish parents in France. He instituted, established, and directed manufactures. He was perfectly acquainted with all the springs of opulence, and knew how to convey them into their proper channels. Trade received life, vigour, and stability under his auspices; and the French marine would have become formidable if the jealousy cf Louvois had not turned aside his master's ambition to conquests at land. The canal of Languedoc, begun and carried on under his direction, was itself a work that would have immortalized a Roman. He died at Paris, on the 6th of September, 1683. His library of books, printed and manuscript, is said to have been superior to any private collection that ever was made.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About James Scott ("Mr Crofts", 1st Duke of Monmouth)

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James, duke of Monmouth, was a natural son of Charles II. by Mrs. Lucy Walters, daughter of Richard Walters, of Haverford West, in the county of Pembroke. Courage and good nature, youth and beauty, ambition and pliancy of temper, contributed to render him the favourite of his father, the minion of the people, and the tool of faction. Accumulated wealth and honour, universal popularity and royal favour, though more than he could well bear, did not satisfy him. He knew not how to be happy without sovereignty, while he enjoyed all its advantages, without any of its cares. He even pretended that he had a right to the succession; and it is certain that the king for some time connived at his ambition, as he thought his faction a proper counter-balance to that of the duke of York. The earl of Shaftesbury, who managed him as he thought fit, first formed the project of raising him to the throne.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About George Villiers (2nd Duke of Buckingham)

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George Villiers, duke of Buckingham, a man of great wit and humour, and of the most whimsical caprice, was the admiration and the jest of the reign of Charles the Second. He was the alchymist and the philosopher; the fiddler and the poet; the mimic and the statesman. How shall I sketch the portrait of one who had such a variety of faces, or draw him in miniature who was of so great, and at the same time of so little a character? He has left us a specimen of his admirable wit in his "Rehearsal" which is a creation of his own, and had a considerable effect in reforming the stage. Ob. April 16, 1687, Æt. 60.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About George Monck (Duke of Albemarle)

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George Monck, duke of Albemarle, who had a very early inclination to a military life, served in the Low Countries, under the lords Oxford and Goring. In the Civil War, he at first adhered to the king; but having suffered a tedious imprisonment for his loyalty, he took the Covenant, and entered into the service of the parliament. He signalized himself at the battle of Dunbar, where he had a principal share in that important victory. He was afterwards employed by Cromwell in reducing Scotland, which he did effectually, and had the chief management of affairs in that kingdom. It is well known that he had the greatest hand in the Restoration, and that his gallant behaviour on board the fleet, in the Dutch war, was almost without example. He is not so well known as an author, though in that character he was not without merit. He had talents both for peace and war; but his capacity was more adapted to the field than the cabinet. His conversation and address were better suited to those scenes of action to which he had been accustomed, than to the drawing-room of Charles II. Ob. 3 Jan. 1669-70.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About Sir Henry Bennet (Baron Arlington, Secretary of State)

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Henry Bennet, earl of Arlington, secretary of state and lord chamberlain to Charles II. was educated at Christ-Church in Oxford, where he distinguished himself by several pieces of poetry, which are printed in different collections of occasional verses. In the reign of Charles I. he was one of the under-secretaries to George, lord Digby, secretary of state; and afterwards entered a volunteer into the royal army, where he received many honourable wounds. He followed the fortunes of Charles II. with whom he was long a wanderer; and was employed by him in several embassies, before and after the Restoration. He had an uncommon talent at raillery and ridicule, and employed these low arts to undermine the credit of the lord chancellor Clarendon; and when his own credit began to decline, the same arts were returned upon himself. He was one of the cabinet council, notorious by the name of the Cabal, to which much of the political infamy of this reign will for ever adhere. They advised the king to shut up the exchequer, and persuaded him that his interest was unconnected with that of his people. Ob. July 28, 1685, Æt. 67.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About James Butler (Duke of Ormond, Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland)

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The duke of Ormond was an excellent soldier, an accomplished courtier, and an able statesman; and, what was a better character than all these, he was the good, the humane, and benevolent man. He did and suffered much in the cause of Charles I. and was one of those royalists whose characters were never tainted, and which were revered even by their enemies. Cromwell offered to restore his immense estate to him; but he was a man of too nice honour to accept of that offer from one who, he thought, had no right to make it. He was a warm friend, and a placable enemy; and was never known to have any enemies himself, but those who were offended at his virtues. He had an admirable talent at speaking; and never failed to convince, as he spoke only on the side of truth and equity. His military exploits in Ireland in the late reign, and his wise government of that kingdom in the present, the hardships he suffered in bis exile, and his active loyalty to his banished sovereign, are amply recorded in his "Life" by Mr. Carte, in two volumes folio, Ob. 21 July, 1688, Æt, 78.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.

About Thomas Wriothesley (4th Earl of Southampton, Lord Treasurer 1660-7)

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The earl of Southampton, like another Sully, was placed at the head of the treasury after the ravage and confusion of the civil war. He, with the capacity and application of that able minister, undertook to reduce the public accounts to regularity and order; and happily succeeded in that great attempt. But the king, who had not the least œconomy himself, was too apt to overlook that virtue in others; and, what was still worse, was inclined to pull down much faster than his treasurer could build up. This excellent person, who was loyal, and yet a patriot, died too soon for the good of his country. He was a man of a quick and lively conception, prompt elocution, and invincible integrity. He was of an amiable and examplary character in domestic life; and, to say all in one word, was in his great office in the treasury, what his friend the lord Clarendon was in the high court of chancery. Ob. 16 May, 1667. Upon his decease, the treasury was put into commission, and the duke of Albemarle was appointed first commissioner.
---A Biographical History of England. J. Granger, 1779.