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fo impreffed with the beauty of the Corinthian Portico which his favourite Architect had appended to the old Gothic* fabric of St. Paul's Cathedral, that on feeing the present beautiful Christian Temple built on the fite of the old church by Sir Christopher Wren, and being asked what he thought of it, he exclaimed, “When "the Jews faw the fecond Temple, they reflected upon the beauty of the first, and wept."

The firft work which this great architect executed after his return from Italy, is faid to have been the decoration of the infide of the Church of St. Catherine Cree in Leadenhall-street.

CHARLES THE FIRST.

[1625-1649.]

THIS accomplished Sovereign when Prince of Wales, and foon after his return from Spain, is

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* "It was the fashion," fays Ofborn, " in James the "Firft's time, for the principal Gentry, Lords, Courtiers, and men of all profeffions, to meet in St. Paul's Church by eleven, and walk in the middle aifle till twelve, and "after dinner from three to fix; during which time fome "discoursed of business, some of news."-Ofborn's Advice to a Son.

thus

thus defcribed by the Countefs of Bedford, in a letter to his fifter the Queen of Bohemia:

"None plaies his part in this our world with "fo due applaufe as your excellent brother, "who wins daily more and more upon the hearts "of all good men, and hath begotten, by his "princelie and wife proceedings, fuch an opinion "of his realitie, judgment, and worthie inten❝tions for the public good, that I think never "Prince was more powerful in the Parliament❝houfe than he; and there doth he exprefs "himself substantially fo well, that he is often "called up to speak, and he doth it with that "fatisfaction to both Houses as is much admired; "and he behaves himself with as much reverence "to the Houses, when either himself takes oc"casion to speak, or is chosen by them to do so, "unto the Lower House, as any other man who "fits amongst them; and he will patiently bear "contradictions, and calmly forego his own "opinions, if he have been mistaken, which

yet hath fo feldom happened, as not above "twice in all this time he hath had caufe to 66 approve of any other than his own; all which ❝are fo remarkable excellencies in a Prince fo

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young, fo lately come to be himself, as I am fure the world hath not another to parallel with him. He is befides most diligent and

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"indefatigable in bufineffes, a patient hearer, judicious in diftinguishing counsells, moderate "in his actions, fteady in his refolutions; fo even as variableness is a thing neither in deed "nor in appearance in him; and fo civil and "accomplished withall every way, both in mind "and body, that confider him even not as "Prince, (which yet adds much luftre to him,) " and there is nobody who must not acknowcc ledge him to be a gentleman very full of per"fections; and, without flatterie, I know none st to be compared with him, for his virtues and parts are eminent, without any mixture of "vanity or vice."

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"February 1621.-I ftood by the most illuf"trious Prince Charles at dinner. He was then very merry, and talked occafionally of many

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things with his attendants. Amongst other "things, he faid if he were neceffitated to take "any particular profeffion of life, he could not "be a Lawyer, adding his reafons: I cannot (faid he) defend a bad, nor yield in a good "caufe. Sic in majoribus fuccedas, in æternum fauftus, fereniffime Princeps."

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Archbishop Laud's Diary.

James Howell wrote a Treatise with this title, "Of the Land of Ire, or, a Discourse of that

"horrid

"horrid Infurrection and Maffacre which hap"pened lately in Ireland, by Mercurius Hiber66 nicus, who discovers unto the World the true "Caufes and Incentives thereof, in Vindication "of his Majefty, who is moft malicioufly trà"duced to be acceffary thereto, which is as "damnable a Lie as poffibly could be hatched " in Hell, which is the Staple of Lies.

"A Lie ftands upon one leg,
"Truth upon two."

Amongst other reafons to account for the infurrection and maffacre in Ireland, Howell ftates, "that the army of eight thousand men, which "the Earl of Strafford had raised to be tranf"ported to England, for fuppreffing the Scot,

being by the advice of our Parliament here "diffolved, the country was annoyed by fome "of those straggling foldiers, as not one in twenty "of the Irish will from the fword to the spade,

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or from the pike to the plough again. There"fore the two Marquiffes that were Ambaffadors "here then from Spain, having propounded to "have fome numbers of those disbanded forces "for the fervice of their mafter, his Majefty, "by the mature advice of his Privy Council, to "prevent the mischiefs that might arife to his 66 kingdom of Ireland by thefe loose cashiered "foldiers, yielded to the Ambaffadors' motion, " who

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"who fent advice to Spain accordingly, and fo "provided fhipping for their transport, and im "preffed many to advance the business. But as "they were at the heat of their work, his Ma"jefty being then in Scotland, there was a fudden "ftop made of these promised troops, who had "depended long upon the Spaniard's fervice, as "the Spaniard had done upon theirs, and this "was the last though not the least solid cause of "that horrid infurrection. All which particu"lars well confidered, it had been no hard mat❝ter to have been a prophet, and standing upon "the top of Holyhead, to have foreseen there "thick clouds engendering in the Irish air, "which broke out afterwards into fuch fearful "tempefts of blood."

His Majefty, then Prince of Wales, being arrived in Spain," adds Howell," the igno❝rant country people cried out, The Prince of "Wales is come hither to make himself a "Chriftian. The Pope indeed wrote to the

Inquifitor-General of Spain, to offer to use all "the industry they could to reduce him to the "Roman religion; and one of the Count Duke "Olivarez's first compliments to him was, that "he doubted not but his Highness came thither

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to change his religion; whereunto he made a fhort anfwer, that he came not thither for

"religion,

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