prefbyterians, feebly fupported by their own friends, and betrayed by Monk *, ftrove in vain to avert the impending storm, and were left to ftand alone amidst the ruins of a crumbling constitution. At this moment of general diftraction and difmay, the perfidious Monk, availing himself of the people's impatience for a fettlement on any terms, new moulded the parliament to his purpose, and took every other step that could fecure an unconditional fubmiffion to arbitrary power. * Never did any man profess a more devoted attachment to his lawful fuperiors than Monk did to this parliament. "Its being restored," he said, " could not be imputed to less than the greatest and most powerful manifestation of the arm of God that ever the present or former generations faw or heard of.""You are the people," adds he, " by whom God for fo many years filled the world with fo much admiration and terror."Again, "God was pleased to make you the praise and wonder of the earth, the glory and rejoicing of his people, and the terror of your adverfaries." Yet in contempt of such evidences of the divine favour, and of his own oaths and folemn proteftations, Monk foon enflaved this parliament, and was very zealous to send some of its members to Tyburn a year or two after. † He crushed the power of the independents by restoring a confiderable majority of prefbyterian members, who had been fecluded in 1648; and removed other obftacles to his designs by means, which will be explained and commented upon in the following work. ADVERTISEMENT. S any reader, who will take the trouble, of comparing the firft part of the following work with the Continuation of the earl of Clarendon's Life, printed at Oxford, must be struck with the exact fameness of some paffages, and the great fimilarity of others, it may be proper to explain the cause of so remarkable a circumftance. Some Letters to the People of England, published about forty years ago by the late doctor Shebbeare, feemed to breathe fuch a spirit of liberty, and afforded so many proofs of wit, genius, and political information, as recommended him to the esteem of Mr. Pitt, afterwards earl of Chatham. Shebbeare's name was at first concealed, for very obvious reafons; and Mr. Pitt did not contradict an infinuation thrown out in the house of commons of his being the author of those letters himself, in order to divert from Shebbeare the storm of ministerial vengeance. He gave the doctor a farther proof of his friendship and confidence by putting into his hands the manuscript of the following work, to prepare it for publication. But Shebbeare was in his heart a Tory; and having had another manuscript nearly on the fame fubject, and more agreeable to his own fentiments, given him a little time after, he refolved to print the latter, and to prevent, if poffible, the appearance of the former. The favourite manufcript had been long preferved in the old earl of Dorset's family, and was fuppofed to be written by the earl of Clarendon. It contained remarks on several occurrences during the earl's adminiftration from the year 1660 till his difgrace in 1667. But Shebbeare, Shebbeare, finding it in many parts very defective, made bold, before he returned the other work to Mr. Pitt, to select from it whatever he thought would eafily coalefce with his Tory performance; and filled up other chafms by the efforts of his own ingenuity. It was advertised with the earl of Clarendon's name, and being unexpectedly claimed by one of his descendants, the doctor chose rather to give up the eventual profits of the fale, than to difcover his own artifice. The Oxford editors took Shebbeare's copy; and without any other proof of its genuinenefs than his filence, they printed it as a Continuation of the earl of Clarendon's Life. Hence the fameness and fimilarity of many paffages in two productions fo very different in every other respect. The nature of the additions made to the original manufcript by the prefent editor has been explained in the Introduction. He also ventured to retrench a few redundancies of expreffion in the work itself, and to correct the phrafeology, where he found it obfcure, or obfolete; but never from any affectation of modern refinement. An architect, in repairing an old family manfion, may be allowed to remove the cumbrous ornaments, and to introduce fome alterations for the purpose of real utility and convenience, provided he does not wantonly deface the marks of its antiquity, or deftroy through faftidiousness its venerable appearance. THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE REIGN OF CHARLES THE SECOND. CHAP. I. Triumph of the royalists at the Restoration-Retrospect of the paft-Anticipation of the future-Defign of the prefent work-Political furvey of the ftate of the kingdom at this period-Conftitution of the king's council and attendants-Apology for the king's fuppofed ingratitude-Occurrences at Canterbury-Curious trait of Monk's character-Proceffion from Rochefter to London-His Majesty's reception at Whitehall-Prefbyterians amufed-Charles's impatience for the fettlement of the revenue, and the difbanding of the army-Impolitic conduct towards the military-Jealoufies and difunion of the royal party -Prevalence of drunkenness-Appointment of a select committee-Establishment of the household-Other B promotions VOL. I. |