A Character of King Charles the Second

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A CHARACTER OF KING CHARLES THE SECOND:

AND

POLITICAL, MORAL and MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS and REFLECTIONS.

By GEORGE SAVILE, MARQUIS of HALIFAX,

LONDON:

Printed for J. and R. TONSON and S. DRAPER in the Strand. M DCC L.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE following CHARACTER of King CHARLES the Second, with the Political, Moral and Miscellaneous THOUGHTS and REFLECTIONS were written by GEORGE SAVILE Marquis of HALIFAX, and were taken from his original Manuscripts, in the Possession of his Grand-daughter DOROTHY Countess of BURLINGTON.

CONTENTS.

Page

Character of King CHARLES II. 1

Political Thoughts and Reflections. Of Fundamentals, 63 Of Princes, 77 Princes, (their Rewards of Servants) 79 Princes, (their Secrets) 80 Love of the Subjects to a Prince, 81 Suffering for Princes, ibid. Of Ministers, 82 Wicked Ministers, 84 Instruments of State Ministers, 85 Of the People, 86 Of Government, 89 Clergy, 92 Religion, 93 Of Prerogative, Power and Liberty, 94 Of Laws, 101 Of Parliaments, 103 Of Parties, 105 Of Courts, 111 Of Punishment, 114

Moral Thoughts and Reflections. Of the World, 116 Of Ambition, 119 Of Cunning and Knavery, 121 Of Folly and Fools, 126 Of Hope, 132 Of Anger, 134 Of Apologies, 136 Of Malice and Envy, 139 Of Vanity, 141 Of Money, 145 False Learning, 147 Of Company, 148 Of Friendship, 150

Miscellaneous Thoughts and Reflections. Of Advice and Correction, 152 Of Alterations, 153 Bashfulness, 154 Boldness, ibid. Borrowers of Opinions, 155 Candour, ibid. Of Caution and Suspicion, 156 Cheats, 161 Complaint, ibid. Content, 162 Converts, ibid. Desires, 162 Difficulty, 163 Dissembling, 164 Dreams, ibid. Drunkenness, ibid. Experience, 165 Extremes, ibid. Faculties of the Mind, 166 Families, 168 Fear, 169 Flattery, 170 Forgetfulness, 171 Good-manners, ibid. Good-nature, 172 Good-will, ibid. Heat, ibid. Honesty, ibid. Hypocrisy, 173 Injuries, ibid. Integrity, 174 Justice, ibid. To Love, and to be in Love different, 175 Lucre, ibid. Lying, ibid. Names, 176 Partiality, ibid. Patience, 177 Positiveness, 177 Prosperity, ibid. Quiet, ibid. Reason and Passion, 178 Reputation, 179 Self-Love, ibid. Shame, ibid. Singularity, ibid. Slander, 180 Speakers in Publick, ibid. Time, the Loss of it, 181 Truth, ibid. Wisdom, ibid. Youth, 182

A CHARACTER OF KING CHARLES II.

I. Of his RELIGION.

A Character differeth from a Picture only in this, every Part of it must be like, but it is not necessary that every Feature should be comprehended in it as in a Picture, only some of the most remarkable.

This Prince at his first entrance into the World had Adversity for his Introducer, which is generally thought to be no ill one, but in his case it proved so, and laid the foundation of most of those Misfortunes or Errors, that were the causes of the great Objections made to him.

The first Effect it had was in relation to his Religion.

The ill-bred familiarity of the Scotch Divines had given him a distaste of that part of the Protestant Religion. He was left then to the little Remnant of the Church of England in the Fauxbourg St. Germain; which made such a kind of figure, as might easily be turn'd in such a manner as to make him lose his veneration for it. In a refined Country where Religion appeared in Pomp and Splendor, the outward appearance of such unfashionable Men was made an Argument against their Religion; and a young Prince not averse to rallery, was the more susceptible of a contempt for it.