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tained to the laft moment of his life. For (L) he was remarkably uxorious, confulted

their fall, but they should brave juftice and efcape its ftroke, yet their names fhall be branded with infamy and reproach in the annals of the times in which they Jived, though pimps and parafites have ever fo loudly founded their praifes.

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The following account of Felton may be looked on as no improper fupplement to this note. He was of a 6 religious and quiet converfation, given to no open vice nor whimsical opinions, being a frequent hearer of thofe preachers as were never found to give encouragement to fuch practices, but rather the contrary.-Nor was honeft fack, a title always given him, (though rendered after more diffufive, by the duke's enemies, than fo ill a confequence might merit) agitated by revenge, or any privater fpirit than what he was perfuaded did regard the commonweal; as I heard William earl of • Pembroke proteft, who could not but be the best informed, having affifted at his examinations: who did withal aver, he never faw piety and valour better or more temperately mixed in one perfon; nor was he (t) Ofborn's found, as the fame lord attested, in any untruth (t).' works, p. I think I had reason to give Felton the epithet of wellLond. 1673. meaning.

224, 8vo.

() Memoirs,

p. 204.

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(1) He was remarkably uxorious, &c.] Sir Philip Warwick tells us, that king Charles was always more chairy of the queen's perfon, than of his bufinefs (u)." -Burnet obferves, that he was unreasonably feeble to (z) Burnet's those whom he trufted, chiefly to the queen (w).' hiftory of his And if we turn to his letters, taken at Nafeby, we fhall own times, find the ftrongeft proofs of the regard he paid to her advol. i. p. 70. Dutch edit, vice, and her influence over him. I will transcribe a few

paffages from among many. In a letter, dated Oxford,
13 Feb. 1643, we have the following expreffions:-
I think it not the leaft of my misfortunes, that, for my
fake, thou haft run fo much hazard; in which thou
haft expreffed fo much love to me, that I confefs it is
impoffible to repay, by any thing I can do, much less

by

fulted his wife in all his affairs, was influenced by her, and, in a manner, wholly

at

by words: but my heart being full of affection for thee, admiration of thee, and impatient paffion of gratitude to thee, I could not but fay fomething, leaving the reft to be read by thee, out of thine own noble 'heart. Some finds fault as too much kindness to thee; • but I affure fuch, that I want expreffion, not will, to do it ten times more to thee, on all occafions. Others press me, as being brought upon the ftage; but I anfwer, that having profest to have thy advice, it were

cabinet

a wrong to thee to do any thing before I had it (x).' (x) King's Nor were these meer expreffions; for, in fact, he cared opened, P. not to do any thing without first consulting her majesty, 38. and obtaining her approbation.

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Now,' fays he, in a letter to the queen, dated May 14, 1645, I must make a complaint to thee of my fon Charles; which troubles me the more, that thou mayest fufpect I feek by equivocating to hide the breach of my word, which I hate above all things, efpecially to thee. It is this: he hath fent to defire me, that fir John • Greenfield may be fworn gentleman of his bedchamber; but already fo publickly engaged in it, that the ' refufal would be a great difgrace both to my fon and the young gentleman, to whom it is not fit to give a just distaste, especially now, confidering his father's merits, his own hopefulness, befides the great power that family has in the Weft; yet I have refufed the admitting of him until I shall hear from thee. Where⚫fore I defire thee, firft, to chide my fon for engaging himself without one of our confents; then, not to refuse thy own confent; and lastly, to believe, that, <directly or indirectly, I never knew of this while yefterday, at the delivery of my fon's letter. So farewel, fweet heart, and God fend me good news from • thee (y).'

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And in a letter, dated 9 June 1645, speaking of the good state of his affairs to her, he adds, Yet I muft tell thee, that it is thy letter by Fitz williams, affuring

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• me

() Id. p.10.

(x) King's cabinet, p.

14.

at her difpofal. So that we may reasonably

minious.

pre

me of thy perfect recovery, with thy wonted kindnefs, which makes me capable of taking contentment in thefe good fucceffes; for as divers men proposes • feveral recompences to themselves for their pains and hazard in this rebellion, fo thy company is the only reward I expect and wifh for (z).' From these and many like paffages, it appears how uxorious Charles was, how much governed by a woman! And confequently, in the opinion of fome brave fpirits, in a state moft ignoAn ille mihi liber, cui mulier imperat? ⚫ cui leges imponit, præfcribit, jubet, vetat quod videtur? qui nihil imperanti negare poteft, nihil recufare audet? pofcit? dandum eft: vocat? veniendum: ejicit? abeundum: minatur? extimefcendum. Ego verò iftum non modo fervum, fed nequiffimum fervum, etiam fi in ampliffima familia natus fit, appellandum puto (a).” radoxa, vol. i. e. Shall I efteem the man to be free who is the flave ii. of a woman, who impofes laws on him, commands, forbids, and regulates his conduct at pleasure; who • neither can refuse what the requests, nor dares difobey her orders? If the afks any thing, it must be given; does the call? he muft anfwer; when fhut out, he must quietly be gone: in a word, if fhe threatens him, he • muft of course be filled with terror. Such a man, let • his birth and family be ever fo illuftrious, deferves, in my opinion, not fimply the appellation of flave, but that of the moft fervile of all flaves.'

(a) Cic. Pa

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God's univerfal law

Gave to the man defpotic power
Over his female in due awe,

Nor from that right to part an hour,

Smile fhe or lour:

So fhall he leaft confufion draw

On his whole life, not fway'd

By female ufurpation, or dismay'd.

Milton.

These things are boldly faid! but poffibly they who uttered them, might not themselves have been able wholly

to

prefume, (M) the reproaches which have been caft on him of infidelity to the marriage

to make them good; for women, in all ages, have had great fway. Beauty has triumphed over the wife, the brave, and good; and therefore Charles, in this respect, may be intitled to fome degree of pity! Though, after all, to admit a wife to dictate and direct in matters of ftate, to interfere in the affairs of a kingdom, to whofe laws and customs she was a stranger, and whose religious opinions and practices the abhorred; I say, to do this, was weak and inexcufable.

(M) The reproaches that have been caft upon him of infidelity to the marriage-bed, are without foundation, &c.] The licentioufnefs of fome writers is very amazing: not content to reprefent princes as they really were, they study to blacken them, though without foundation. This has happened to Charles very remarkably. One should have thought his attachment to the queen, her ascendency over him, the regard he paid her, and his having never a mistress publickly mentioned, fhould have hindered even a thought of his unchaftity. But he has not passed unsuspected of this, as well as other matters, in which, probably, he had no concern.-Let us hear his accufation. He did not greatly court the ladies, nor ← had he a lavish affection unto many: he was manly, and well fitted for venereous fports, yet rarely frequented illicit beds. I do not hear of above one or two natural children he had, or left behind him (b).'— (b) Lilly's

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on the life

Sir Edward Peyton tells us, the queen was very jealous obfervations of the king; infomuch as he, loving a very great lady, of king < now alive, whom he had for a miftrefs, to the intent Charles, p. ⚫ he might have more freedom with her, fent her lord 11.

into the Low Countries. In the mean while, he daily courted her at Oxford, in her husband's and the queen's absence: but the lord returning, the king diverted his 'affectionate thoughts to another married lady, of whom the queen was jealous at her return from France; fo that, on a time, this lady being in queen Mary's prefence, and dreffed à-la-mode, the queen viewing her

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round,

(c) Divine catastrophe,

P. 33.

(d) Milton's works, vol.

ii. p. 315.

.

riage-bed, are without foundation, though we had not those strong affurances of his chastity

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round, told the lady, fhe would be a better mistress for a king than a wife for a knight. The lady replied, Madam, I had rather be mistress to a king, than any < man's wife in the world. For which anfwer, fhe was obliged to abfent herself from court a long time (c).” The laft evidence againft Charles, on this head, fhall be Milton, who, in his Defenfio pro Populo Anglicano, has these words: Caftimoniam tu ejus & continentiam laudes, quem cum duce Buckingamio flagitiis omnibus coopertum novimus? fecretiora ejus & receffus perfcrutari quid attinet, qui in theatro medias mulieres petulanter amplecti, & fuaviari, qui virginum & matronarum papillas, ne dicam cætera, pertractare in propatulo confueverat. Te porrò moneo pfeudo Plutarche, ut iftius modi parallelis ineptiffimis de hinc superfedeas, ne ego quæ tacerem alioqui libens de Carolo, neceffe habeam enuntiare (d).' i. e. • Have you the impudence (ipeaking to Salmafius) to commend his chastity and fobriety, who is known to have committed all manner of lewdnefs in company with his confident the duke of Buckingham? It were to no purpose to enquire into the private actions of his life, who publickly, at plays, would embrace and kifs the ladies lafciviously, and handle virgins and matrons breasts, not to mention the reft. I advise you therefore, you counterfeit Plutarch, to abftain from fuch like parallels, [between Charles and David, and Solomon] left I be forced to publish those things concerning Charles, which I am willing to conceal.

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Many objections arife on the face of this evidence againft Charles's chastity. Lilly does not pofitively say that he had any natural children, but that he did not hear of above one or two; which is a very indeterminate way of talking, in fuch an affair. Peyton is very pofitive, we fee; but he names no lady, tho' he speaks of two: which I am perfuaded, from his hatred to the memory of Charles, he would have done, had he known on whom with

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