Nor was it poffible for him, at the firft Coming, to avoid the being engaged in all the Counfels, of how diftinct a Nature foever, because He had been best acquainted with all Tranfactions whilft the King was abroad; and therefore Communication with him in all Things was thought neceffary by thofe, who were to have any Part in them: Befides that He continued ftill Chancellor of the Exchequer by Virtue of the Grant formerly made to him by the laft King, during whofe Time He executed that Office, but refolved to furrender it into the King's Hand as foon as his Majefty fhould refolve on whom to confer it; He propofing Nothing to himself, but to be left at Liberty to intend only the Discharge of his own Office, which He thought himself unequal to, and hoped only to improve his Talent that Way by a most diligent Application, well knowing the great Abilities of those who had formerly fate in that Office, and that They found it required their full Time and all their Faculties. And therefore He did most heartily defire to meddle with Nothing but that Province, which, though in itfelf and the conftant Perquifites of it not sufficient to support the Dignity of it, yet was then upon the King's Return; and, after it had been so many Years without a lawful Officer, would unquestionably bring in Money enough to be a Foundation to a future Fortune competent to his Ambition, and enough to provoke the Envy of many, who believed They deferved better than He. And that this was the Temper and Refolution He brought with him into England, and how unwillingly He departed from it, will evidently appear by two or three Inftances which fhall be given in their proper Place. However, He could not expect that Freedom, till the Council fhould be fettled (into which the King admitted all who had been Counfellors to his Father and had not eminently forfeited that Promotion by their Revolt, and many of those who had been and still were recommended by the General, amongst whom there were fome, who would

not

not have been received upon any other Title) and until those Officers could be fettled, who might take particular Care of their several Provinces.

THE King had upon great Deliberation whilft He was beyond the Seas, after his Return appeared in View, firmly refolved to reform thofe Exceffes which were known to be in the great Offices, especially in thofe of his Houfhold, whilst the Places were vacant, and to reform all extravagant Expenfes there; and firft himself to gratify thofe who had followed and served him, in fettling them in fuch inferiour Offices and Places, as Custom had put in the Difpofal of the great Officers when they fhould become vacant after their Admiffion. And of this Kind He had made many Promises, and given many Warrants under his Sign Manual to Perfons who to his own Knowledge had merited thofe Obligations. But most of those Predeterminations, and many other Refolutions of that Kind, vanished and expired in the Jollity of the Return, and new Inclinations and Affections feemed to be more feasonable. The General, who was the fole The General (25) Pillar of the King's Confidence, had by the Parlia-confirmed in the Offices ment been invested (before the King's Return) in all affigned him the Offices and Commands which Cromwell had en- by the Parlia joyed. He was Lieutenant of Ireland, and General of all the Armies and Forces raised, or to be raised, in the three Kingdoms; and it was not fit that He fhould be degraded from either upon his Majesty's Arrival: Therefore all Diligence was used in difpatching Grants of all those Commands to him under the Great Seal of England. And that He might be obliged Alfworn to be always near his Majefty's Perfon, He was pre- the Bedcbamfently fworn Gentleman of the Bedchamber; and ber, and Mafmight choose what Office He liked beft in the Court, ter of the whilft Titles of Honour were preparing by the Attorney, and Particulars of Lands enquired after by the Auditors and Receivers, which in all Refpects might raise him to that Height which would most please him. He made Choice to be Master of the

Horse,

ment.

Gentleman of

Horfe.

Horie, and was immediately gratified with it; and thereby all thofe poor Gentlemen, who had Promifes and Warrants for feveral Places depending upon that great Officer, were disappointed, and offered the King's Sign Manual to no Purpole for their Admiffion. The General in his own Narure was an immoderate Lover of Money, and yet would have gratified fome of the Pretenders upon his Majefty's Recommendation, if the vile good Hufwifery of his Wife had not engroffed that Province, and preferred him who offered most Money before all other Confiderations or Motives. And hereby not only many honeft Men, who had feveral Ways ferved the King, and spent the Fortunes They had been Masters of, were denied the Recompenfes the King had defigned to them; but fuch Men, who had been moft notorious in the Malice against the Crown from the Beginning of the Rebellion, or had been employed in all the active Offices to affront and opprefs his Party, were for Money preferred and admitted into those Offices, and became the King's Servants very much against his Will, and with his manifeft Regret on the Behalf of the honeft Men who had been fo unworthily rejected. And this occafioned the first Murmur and Difcontent, which appeared after the King's Return, amongst those who were not inclined to it, yet found every Day fresh Occafions to nourish and improve it.

THE fetting this great Officer in the Stables, made it neceffary to appoint a Lord Steward of the Houfhold, who was a neceffary Officer for the Parliament, being by the Statute appointed to fwear all the Members of the Houfe of Commons; and to this Charge the Marquis of Ormond had been long defigned, and of Ormand was then fworn. And They had Both their Tables Steward of erected according to their old Models, and all those the Honghold. Excelles which the irregular Precedents of former

The Marquis

made Lord

Times had introduced, and which the King had fo folemnly refolved to reform before it could be faid to trench upon the Rights of particular Perfons. But

the

the good Humour the King was in, and the Plenty which generally appeared, how much foever without a Fund to fupport it, and especially the natural Defire his Majefty had to fee every Body pleased, ba nifhed all Thoughts of fuch Providence; inftead whereof He refolved forthwith to fettle his House according to former Rules, or rather without any Rule, and to appoint the Officers who impatiently expected their Promotion. He directed his own Table to be more magnificently furnished than it had ever been in the Time of his Predeceffors, which Example was easily followed in all Offices.

Manchester Lord Cham

THAT He might give a lively Inftance of his Grace to those, who had been of the Party which had been faulty, according to his Declaration from Breda, He made of his own free Inclination and Choice the The Earl of Earl of Manchester (who was looked upon as one of (16) the principal Heads of the Prefbyterian Party) Lord berlain Chamberlain of his Houfe; who, continuing ftill to perform all good Offices to his old Friends, complied very punctually with all the Obligations and Duties which his Place required, never failed being at Chapel and at all the King's Devotions with all imaginable Decency; and, by his extraordinary Civilities and Behaviour towards all Men, did not only appear the fittest Person the King could have chofen for that Office in that Time, but rendered himself fo acceptable to all Degrees of Men, that none, but fuch, who were implacable towards all who had ever differved the King, were forry to fee him fo promoted. And it must be confeffed, that as He had expreffed much Penitence for what He had done amifs, and was mortally hated and perfecuted by Cromwell, even for his Life, and had done many Acts of Merit towards the King; fo He was of all Men, who had ever born. Arms against the King, both in the Gentleness and Justice of his Nature, in the Sweetness and Evenness of his Converfation, and in his real Principles for Monarchy, the most worthy to be received into the

Truft

Trust and Confidence in which He was placed. With his, the two other white Staves were difpofed of to those to whom they were defigned, when the King was Prince of Wales, by his Father: And all other inferiour Officers were made, who were to take Care of the Expenses of the Houfe, and were a great Part of it.

AND thus the King's Houfe quickly appeared in its full Luftre, the Eating and Drinking very grateful to all Men, and the Charge and Expense of it much exceeding the Precedents of the most luxurious Times; and all this before there was any Provision of ready Money, or any Affignation of a future Fund, to dif charge or fupport it. All Men were ready to deliver their Goods upon Truft, the Officers too remifs in computing the Disbursements; infomuch as the Debts contracted by thofe Exceffes in less than the first Year broke all the Measures in that Degree, that they could not fuddenly be retrenched for the future; and the Debt itself was not discharged in many Years.

THE King had in his Purpose, long before his Return, to make the Earl of Southampton (who was the most valued and esteemed of all the Nobility, and generally thought worthy of any Honour or Office) Lord High Treasurer of England; but He defired first to fee fome Revenue fettled by the Parliament, and that Part of the old, which had been fold and difperfed by extravagant Grants and Sales, reduced into the old Channel, and regularly to be received and paid, and the Customs to be put in fuch Order (which were not yet granted, and only continued by Orders as illegal as the late Times had been accustomed to, and to the Authority whereof He had no Mind to adminifter) before He was willing to receive the Staff. And fo the Office of the Treasury was by Commiffion executed by feveral Lords of the Council, whereof the Chancellor, as well by the Dignity of his Place, as by his ftill being Chancellor of the Exchequer, was one, and fo engaged in the putting the Customs likewise