ple should undergo fo complete an alteration. That severity of manners, which is a general characteristic of fectaries, and which is infeparable from a ftate of adverfity and oppreffion, still attached to the prefbyterian party after the attainment of power, and the independents and other fectaries who were the immediate fupporters of Cromwell, affected, if poffible, ftill greater aufterity. Men in office affumed a grave and even fanctified appearance; their favourite ftudy (if they ftudied at all) was theology; and their literature was the facred writings, and the more enthufiaftic defcription of commentators on the Bible. The imitative paffion, which is strongly predominant in the inferior claffes of fociety, introduced a fobriety of demeanour even among the loweft of the vulgar; and their taste, as far as they afpired to intellectual improvement, was congenial to that of their fuperiors. The royalifts were effentially different in almoft every refpect. Oppofition in interests commonly produces oppofition in habits and conduct, fince men will feldom adopt the manners of those by whom they are perfecuted. Charles too, and most of his near connections, had spent their latter years in the contaminated atmosphere of the French court; a country where vice and immorality feemed congenial to the national character, or, to fpeak more correctly, perhaps, to the character of its defpotic government. In fuch a fchool, where every fpecies of moral depravity that can eafily be imagined was taught and practifed, this worthless monarch was found an apt fcholar. He is characterifed by Burnett as "one who had one who had great vices, but fcarcely any virtues to correct them;" and the character, though fevere, is but too well juftified by his conduct. He was deftitute of every feeling of humanity, of every principle of honour; and was only reftrained from the most wicked exceffes of tyranny by his floth, his debauchery, and cowardice. Charles, it is well known, was an infidel with respect to all religion, natural and revealed; and fuch a profeffion only could fuit the profligate life in which he was engaged. Few, however, have the courage to die in the hopeless state in which unbelief involves them; and, at his latter moments, he caught eagerly at that delufive fupport which popery ex

tends

tends to the defpairing finner. His example, however, rendered infidelity and even atheifm popular. The bishop of Salisbury fays" that, when he faw young men of quality who had fomething more than ordinary in them, he drew them about him, and fet himself to corrupt them both in religion and morality; in which he proved fo unhappily fuccessful, that he left England much changed at his death from what he found it at his restoration."

That contemptible fabulift, Hume, who lofes no oppor tunity of applauding vice, profligacy, and irreligion, wherever they occur, makes it a queftion whether the nation were much lofers in point of morals in the main by the Restorati on, though he allows "that licentiousness and debauchery became prevalent in the nation. The pleafures of the table were much purfued. Love was treated more as an appetite than a paffion. The one fex began to abate of the national character of chastity without being able to infpire the other with fentiment or delicacy."-Admire, Chriftian reader, the pure ethics of an unbeliever! The deteftable and profligate Charles is reprefented by the fame author as one whofe conduct" in the duties of private life, though not free from exception, was in the main laudable!"

Under fuch a monarch fcience and found literature could fcarcely be expected to flourish, and of all departments theology was most likely to be left in a neglected fate. Under the temperate and judicious guidance of Clarendon, however, the first years of Charles paffed with fome credit to himself, and fome advantage to the nation. Clarendon, with fome faults, which were rather thofe of temper than of principle, was a found ftatesman and an excellent man. He was zealously attached to the ancient form of government, and the conftitutional liberties of his country. "He refolved," fays Burnett," not to ftretch the prerogative beyond what it was before the wars, and would neither fet afide the Petition of Right, nor endeavour to raise the courts of the ftar chamber or the high commiffion again." A domestic incident related

by the fame hiftorian of this great man, is worthy of attenti on, fince it is one of thofe little accidental occurrences which often ferve to determine the conduct and character of a man during the whole of his life. It was told by Clarendon himfelf to lady Ranelagh, and by her to the author from whom it is extracted. When he had attained fome reputation in the exercise of his profeffion, he went down to Wiltshire to vifit his ancient father, who, in one of their rural excurfions, remarked, "that men of his profeffion were too much inclined to ftretch law and prerogative to the prejudice of the liberty of the fubject, to recommend and advance themselves."

He charged him therefore, if ever he arrived at eminence in his profeffion, never to facrifice the liberties of his country to the will of a prince, or to his own interefts. He repeated this twice, and immediately fell down in an apoplectic fit, and expired in a few hours.

The moderation of Clarendon's principles extended to moft of the departments of adminiftration. At a time when the parliament, in the firft paroxyfm of loyalty, was difpofed to grant almost every requeft, this wife and upright minifter afked only 1,200,oool. per ann. for the whole ordinary expenfes of government a fum which, at the prefent period, feems almost incredible for its moderation; and, though he might have obtained two millions, as Burnett remarks, the chancellor "had no mind to carry it farther, or to truft him (the king) too much."

In these measures Clarendon was fupported by the virtuous Southampton; and it is impoffible to cite an instance more illuftrative of their love of liberty and their country, than their averfion to war, and their deteftation of ftanding armies. After the difbanding of Monk's army a plan was in agitation to raife a certain force to be fo choten and modelled that the king might depend upon it in every emergency.-To this plan Southampton ftrongly objected-He faid, "they had felt the effects of a military government, though fober and religious, in Cromwell's army: he believed vicious and dif

folute

folute troops would be much worfe; the king would grow fond of them, and they would become infolent and ungovernable." He added, that " he would not look on and fee the ruin of his country begun, and be filent; a white staff fhould not bribe him." Clarendon acceded to the fentiments of Southampton, and the fcheme was abandoned.

The law as well as the church was chiefly modelled on the restoration by the earl of Clarendon's influence. Burnett allows, that he put the justice of the nation in very good hands." He feated on the bench fome of those who had officiated as judges under the commonwealth, particularly the eftimable and learned Sir Matthew Hale. The clerical appointments alfo were bestowed with decency at least. Juxton, as the oldeft prelate, and the friend of the unfortunate Charles, was advanced to the fee of Canterbury, though from his learning and talents he was little entitled to fo eminent a ftation. Sheldon, a man of fome learning, and dextrous in bufinefs, was first made bishop of London, and, on the death of Juxton, was advanced to the primacy. Morley, the friend of the amiable and gallant Faukland, was made bishop of Worcester. Some advances were even made to the most eminent of the prefbyterian clergy. Bishoprics were offered to Calamy, Baxter, and Reynolds. The two former refused till the fcheme of comprehenfion projected by Clarendon could be adopted, and an union of parties effected by adjusting the difputed points; but they were both, in the mean time, appointed chaplains to the king; and Reynolds, who was lefs fcrupulous, accepted of the fee of Norwich. The fcheme of comprehenfion above alluded to was much promoted by Southampton, and when Clarendon gave way to the influence of the bishops and the high church party, who ftrongly oppofed it, he was much difgufted. The king, at Clarendon's inftance, published a declaration foon after the restoration, which, in the opinion of the most judicious perfons, would have quieted moft of the religious animofities, had it fortunately been adhered to; and, foon after, a commiffion was granted for a conference at the Savoy, to which twelve

of each party were nominated, with nine affiftants, to confider of the union between the church and the prefbyterians. The latter party propofed archbishop Ufher's reduction as the groundwork of the conference. They then produced a feries of objections to the church liturgy. They defired that no leffons fhould be taken out of the apocryphal books; and that the pfalms used in the daily prayers fhould be according to the new tranflation. To the office of baptifm they particularly excepted; and to the posture of kneeling at the lord's fupper. In conclufion, they produced a new form of prayer drawn up by the celebrated Baxter, who was the principal manager for the non-conformist party. To Baxter was oppofed a clergyman of the name of Gunning, who was afterwards fucceffively made bishop of Chichester and of Ely. Of thefe men the bifhop of Salisbury remarks, that they "were the moft unfit to heal matters, and the fitteft to widen them that could have been found out." They were both men of character and of learning, both fubtle metaphyficians, and too fond of fpeculation. Many days were spent in the logical contentions of thefe acute difputants; and the conference at the Savoy was made a matter of amufement to the town, and not of edification to the church. As therefore the commiffion was limited to a certain number of days, the whole time elapfed without coming to a fingle conclufion; and, instead of any good, much evil was produced by the afperity of language, and the violence of the difputants. The epifcopal party, as foon as the conference was diffolved, laboured to render the terms of conformity ftill more fevere. The act of uniformity was paffed, and the diffidents were in the end ejected from their benefices.

Previous to the paffing of the act of uniformity, however, fome alterations were made in the liturgy by the bishops themfelves. The prayer " for all forts and conditions of men," and "the general thanksgiving," were both added — compofitions which have never been excelled, and but seldom equalled. The piety, the fpirit, the happy adaptation of language confpicuous in thefe prayers, muft ever render them

fubjects