From the Restoration of CHARLES II. to the REVOLUTION.

CH

Promotions

HARLES II. was in the thirtieth year A. c. 1660. of his age when he took poffeffion of the throne with thofe advantages. He had taken pains at in cultivating his understanding. He understood mechanics and fhip-building; was well acquainted with the history and politics of the most remarkable states in Europe; he poffeffed a natural fund of humour and vivacity, together with the most infinuating address, and the power of pleafing in converfation. He was a latitudinarian in religion, careless, indolent, and extremely addicted to pleafure. The people, partly in imitation of the king's jovial difpofition, and partly from the nature of the human mind, fo apt to be hurried from one extreme to another, gave a loose to intemperance, and the whole kingdom was filled with riot and excess. The first object that ingroffed the attention of Charles after his reftoration, was the choice of his

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A. C. 1660 his council, into which (though it chiefly confisted of zealous royalifts) he, from political views, admitted fome chiefs of the prefbyterian party, fuch as the earl of Manchester, appointed lord chamberlain; lord fay, privy-feal; Annesley created earl of Anglefey; Ashley Cooper, and Denzil Hollis preferred to the dignity of barons. The dukedom of Albemarle was conferred upon Monk; and admiral Montague was created earl of Sandwich. The king fhifted the burden of affairs in a good measure from his own fhoulders on those of his brother the duke of York, who excelled Charles in application, as much as he fell fhort of him in capacity. He was proud, vindictive, arbitrary, and bigoted to the Roman catholic religion, which he had embraced in his exile. The king himself is faid to have been a convert to that, perfuafion; though this was a circumstance he carefully concealed; and indeed he seemed to laugh at all forms of religion. His firft minifter was Sir Edward Hyde, lately created earl of Clarendon, and highchancellor of England, who had adhered to him in all his fortunes, was an upright and excellent judge; and ferved him with equal integrity and attackment. He understood the temper and difpofition of the different parties, which he managed with discretion, though he feems to have been rather too inflexible with regard to the prefbyterians. His daughter Anne admitted the duke of York to the privilege of an husband, on promise of marriage; and her pregnancy being the confequence of their fecret correfpondence, Charles infifted upon his performing his promife, rather than fix a ftain upon the family of fuch a faithful fervant. He accordingly efpoufed her, though not without reluctance; and this marriage was extremely difagreeable to the queen-mother, who had been always averfe to the chancellor. The marquis of

Ormond

Ormond was now created duke, and appointed A. C. 1660.
lord-steward of the houshold; the earl of South-

ampton, high-treasurer; and Sir Edward Nicholas,
fecretary of state.

The affembly of lords and commons was now Act of in-
called "The convention," until the king, on the demnity.
third day after his arrival, went to the upper house;
and, fending for the commons, paffed an act, by
which it was declared a parliament. Then they
proceeded on the bill of indemnity, which met with
fome obftacles, in the lower houfe, on account of
the claufes to be inferted. Some members pro-
posed to make examples of all thofe who had re-
markably exerted themselves in favour of the late
ufurpation, without paying any regard to the
king's declaration from Breda. Many perfons ima-
gined that this propofal was dictated by Charles
himself, actuated by the defire of revenge; and
divers libels were privately circulated, in order to
infpire the public with a diftruft of his fincerity.
With a view to diffipate these fufpicions, the king
fent a meffage to the parliament, preffing them to
dispatch the act of indemnity, conformable to his
declaration from Breda: and, in a few days, it was
fent to the lords for their concurrence. The com-
mons had excepted from the benefit of this pardon
a very few of the most notorious regicides; but the
peers having received a number of petitions from
the widows and orphans of those who had been
executed by fentences of high courts erected dur-
ing the ufurpation, infifted upon excepting all
who had fat as judges on fuch trials. Charles, fear-
ing that this difference between the houses might
be productive of delay, repaired to the house of
lords, and perfuaded them to pass the bill, in a pa-
thetic fpeech; reprefenting that his honour was
concerned; that he intended to except none but
the immediate murderers of his father; and that
the

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A. C. 1660. the tranquillity of the kingdom depended upon the performance of his promife. The lords, thus folicited, concurred with the commons in the material articles of the bill; but they would not confent to a claufe relating to nineteen of thofe who fat as judges on the late king. They had furrendered themfelves in confequence of a proclamation, in which Charles declared, that none but fuch as fhould furrender themselves within a certain time, could be intitled to his majefty's mercy. The commons had inferted a claufe to deprive them of every thing but their lives; and the lords infifted upon their enjoying the full benefit of the indemnity, as they had manifefted fuch confidence in the king's clemency. After feveral conferences the two houfes agreed, that in cafe those nineteen fhould be condemned by the judges, the king should respite them until the pleasure of his majefty and the parliament fhould be more particularly known. At length the act paffed, excepting nine and forty who had fat in judgment upon their fovereign.

Particular perfons ex. cepted.

Oliver Cromwell, Bradshaw, Pride, and one and twenty other members of that court, already dead, were confifcated, and fubjected to fuch other penalties as the king and parliament should think proper to inflict. Philips and Haflerig underwent the fame fate: Hutchinfon and Laffels were condemned in a fine, and declared incapable of exercifing any employment. Oliver St. John, and feventeen other perfons nominated in the act, were forbid to accept any civil, ecclefiaftical, or military office, on pain of being deemed excepted from the benefit of the indemnity. All who had pronounced fentence of death as judges during the ufurpation were declared incapable of being elected members of parliament, or of exercifing any employment, excepting Ingoldfby and Tomlinfon. The firft had been very inftrumental in effecting the restora