IT is not my presumption, in this Sheet to write the Life of this great States-man, but to give the Reader a brief Account of some remarkable passages in the same, for the satisfaction of the meaner sort, that cannot purchase large volumes.

Anthony Earle of Shafisbicry, Baron Ashley of Wimbourn, and Lord Cooper of [...] as descended from the honourable and ancient Fa­mily of [...] [...]imbourn, St. Giles's, in the County of Dorset.

We [...] first place, (laying aside all his other vertues) treat of the Loyalty of this noble Peer, in the words of the late Author, saith he, Could we have taken a view of the inside of this noble Peer, we might have seen his heart full of Loyalty to his Prince, love to his Countrey, zeale for the Protestant Rellgion; the festlement of which can only secure us from the attempts of His Majesty's, and his people Enemies. With what admirable policy did influence and manage the Councils in the late times, in what he was concerned in? during the Inter Regnum, towards His Majesty's interest, and with what admira­ble subtilty did he turn the stream of their Counsells? and with un [...] wearied diligence did he tugg at the helm of State, till he had brought in his great Master the King into his Kingdomes again, in prosperity and safety, to the joy of all good Subjects.

His House was a Sanctuary for distressed Loyallists, and his correct pondency with the King: Friends, though closely managed, as the necessity of those times required, are not unknown to those that we [...] the principle managers of his Majesty affaires at that time; this ma [...] the late Usurper O. Cromwell so jealous of him, whose arbratary Go­vernment [Page 3]he withstood to the utmost of his power. And we find that Sir Anthony Ashly Cooper was accused before the RƲMP Parliament, in the Year 1659. for keeping intelligence with the King, and having provided Forces in Dorset-shire, to joyn with Sir George Booth, in at­tempting to bring in our noble King, that now is to his rightfull Throne; and also his concurrence with Generall Monke, in that im­portunant juncture, if we remember that his Regiment was one of the first that declared for a Free Parliament, and Generall Monke in March, 1659. so zealous was he in putting all his strength to turn the great Wheele of State.

And at the time of his Majesties Restoration, as most signal testimo­ny of His Majesty's good opinion of his former actions, he was ad­vanced to be one of the first rank in His Majesty's most honourable Privy Councel, and was placed above his Royall Brother the Duke of Glocester, even Generall Monke himself, whom the King used to call his political father: And three dayes after His Majesties Coronation, he was created Baron Ashley of Wimbourn St. Giles's, and also Lord Cooper of Paulet, and at last another mark of Royal favour in the Year 1672. He was made Earle of Shaftsbury, for his wise administration in his Majesty's affaires, he was made Chancellour of the Exchequer, and some time after that, made Lord High Chancellour of England, about the beginning of the year 1672. which place he executed with the greatest Judgment and Equity imaginable.

Thus having briefly traced this great Minister of State in these mighty imployments under his great and good master the King; I shall take some notice of his relinquishment of that high imployment, and what happened to him since:

About November, 1673. His Majesty was pleased to send for the Lord Chancellour to Whitehall, where he resigned the great Seale of England to his Majesty, and was dismist from being Treasurer of the Exchecquer; In the Afternoon of the same day the Earle of Shaftsbury was visited by Prince Rupert, with other great Lords, at Exeter house, whore they gave his Lordship thanks for his faithfull and honourable discharge of that great imployment. Thus this great Minister of State, to the universall satisfaction of all good men, being raised to that high degree of interest in his Masters favour, without a murmur, laid all his honour at his Majesties feet, and was observed not to abate of the cheerfulness of his temper, upon the loss of all these temporal, [Page 4]honourable, imployment: I shall conclude this part of his life with a Chanacter that a late Author gave of him.

His choice sagacity,

On the 16th. of February, 1676. this Earle was sent Prisoner to the Tower, by the order of the House of Lords; there were at the same time committed several other Lords, for maintaining, That the then Parliament was dissolved, and ought not to sit any longer; where he con­tinued Prisoner about a years time, and after his submitting himself to His Majesty and the Parliament, he was discharged by acknowledging his fault. A little after his releasement this parliament was preroged and after dissolved. Now was the wicked Plot of the Jesuites, and Papists, discovered by the great fidelity of Dr. Oates, which convineed both King, Lords, and Commons, and all the Nation in generall, of a damnable, treasonable, Popish design to murder our King, with the rest of the Nobility, and Gentry, and to reduce the Protestant Church to Komish Idolatry, and the State to a Catholique slavery.

On the 7th. of march, 1678. Another Parliament met at Westmin­ster; This Parliament did, like noble Patriots, endeavour to give check to the bloody Popish designes a foot, and passed many excellent Votes for that purpose, many Members acquited themselves in their Speeches like men of high sense of the miseries the nation was like to be involved in; this House carried up their impeachments to the House of Lords, against the Lord Pouis, Stafford, Arundel, Lord Peters, Lord Bellasis, for high Treason, and other high Crimes: But I shall forbear mentioning any farther, only instance how this noble Peer was struck at in the Hellish design; I shall referr the Reader to what hath been allready published in Print, onely note two or three things of some persons, that made attempts on the life of this noble Peer, first, by Dangerfield, who had a great summ offered him to have murdered the Earle of Shaftsbury, on whom the rage of the bloody Romish party was now so great, that they left no base and unwarrantable action un­attempted, To robb him of his life; some were hyred to stab or Pistoll him; others to swear Treason against him; or any other way [Page 5]the Devil put in their heads. Another design against this noble Peer was to have been acted by a woman, called, Madam C [...]llier, a Popish Midwife, which she attempted that cursed design under the pretence of a visite to the Earle, and under pretence of her paying her thanks for favours received through his meanes; but she had a consecrated Dag­ger under the skirt of her gown, ready to have exprest her gratitude, by opening the veins of this Protestant Peers heart.

Is then loyall innocency, and Protestant integrity, Armour of proof against Poysons, Pistolls, and Poniards? no; the Catholick Gallantry stops not here, but pursues this noble Peer with forgery of his hand, and other little sham-plotts; what base and villainous acts the bloody Papists used, to destroy the Earle of Shaftsbury, by many en­deavours to have stabb'd him, as hath been deposed by many persons, to whom the Parliament, as well as the nation, have given beleif. I shall instance one more of their mischeifous practises in this kind: There was a Gentleman who was a Commander of a Regiment of Horse, in the late King's Army, and lost all for his sake, and his present Majesty's, writ to this noble Peer about a remedy against the Gout, which he used to be afflicted with very much; this Letter was inter­cepted, and (the person then living in the French King's Dominions) after adding to it an account, that the Writer was able to furnish the Earle with forty thousand Souldiers from France, to oppose the D. of Yorks Interest; it was then conveyed to some of the French King's Ministers, who, they suppose, would send a Copy hither: but by a strange pro­vidence, the original was returned into the Gentleman's own hands.

Nor were they yet wanting in throwing dirt and slandring this No­ble Peer, in his Reputation, which faculty they are famous at, for now a Pacquet of base Libels and treasonable reflections were by the Penny post sent to a Printer, and Copies of the same disperst about the parts of Westminster, All of venomous and malicious slanders and imputations, tending to the taking away the Life of the Earl of Shafts­bury and divers other Peers of Honourable account; but the Printer detesting such a designe, published an invitation to any person that would discover the Author or publisher of that infamous Libel. And now we are got into such a bog of Plots, shamplots, Perjurers, subor­nations, as the histories of no Age can parallel: In October, during the Sessions of the last Parliament, its remarkable, that Francisco de Fa­ria Interpreter to the Portugal Embassadour, amongst other matters [Page 6]relating to the Plot, gave Information to the Bar of the house that he was tempted to kill the Earl of Shaftsbury by throwing a hand Grana­do into his Coach as he passed the rode into the Countrey. But to summ up all, several methods that were invented to be Executed a­gainst the Life of this Peer were innumerable by these Jesuited Crew, who set all her inventions and engines on work to make away the Earl of Shaftsbury, he was the Beam in their eye, and that clog that hindred the motion of their curst designes; what have they not at­tempted to make him distasteful to the King through the foulness of their treasons on him as was made appear before the King & Coun­cel in October 1681. that Fitzgerard told Mr. Haines that he the said Fitzgerard possessed his Majesty, and had given it under his hand and Seal, that the late Plot was a Presbyterian Plot, and invented by the Earl of Shaftsbury on purpose to exterpate the Royal Family, and to dethrone his present Majesty, and turn England into a Common­weal, or else to set the Crown upon the Earls own head, with more such wicked treasonable matter, a further Account you may have in his Tryal.

But a new Parliament was summoned to appear at Oxford, where things of as high nature was Agitated, as ever came before the consi­deration of a Parliament, no less then preservation of the Kings Ma­jesty's person, the Protestant Religion, & the good of the people of England, All which now was invaded by the bloody dsigns of the Papists, but being very hot about the business of Fitzharris & things of the like nature, it pleased his Majesty to dissolve them.

Sometime after Fiezharris was tryed and Executed, The Earle of Shaftsbury was again committed to the Tower of London, the cir­cumstance of his Examination and Aquital would take too much room here to be recited. To finish this tragical story, only I cannot omit that on the 15. August 1681. Mrs, Fitzharris gave a deposition on Oath, that her husband a little before his Execution, not only told her what great offers he had made him if he would have charged that trea­sonable and infamous Libel (for which he was executed afterwards for,) on this Noble Peer, and the Lord Howard, and that he advised her to do it to save his life, though he protested at the same time that they were wholly innocent; she likewise deposed that a certain Gen­tleman assured her that she should have what money she pleased, if she would accuse the Earl and the Lord Howard as the Authors of the said [Page 7]Libel, but they having tampered with so many on the account of this basted design, but that it was impossible but their consult must take wind, especially when we consider they were a people, that either to supply their necessities, or to feed their ambition, or more probable thought inresistable fatility had blab'd and discovered the secrets of holy mother, and had spake so unseasonably in her tip that they had spoyld her game, what security could these Romish Sophisters have, but that their cork'd vessel would prove leaky again? I shall give one memorable passage, said to have passed between the Earl and one of the Popish Lords, soon after his Commitment; the story is this, mee­ting accidently with one of the Popish Lords, he was asked by him what his Lordship did there, and that he little thought to have his good compa­ny? to which the Earl of Shaftsbury replyed, that he had lately been sick of an Ague, and was come there to take some Jesuits powder. It was said, during the whole time of his Lordship being in the Tower, he remai­ned very chearful beyond what could have been expected from a per­son labouring under such extream pains and diseases; during the Earls imprisonment, many made it their business to detract and villify him and it was their mode to drink his health at an hepenstring, and call him Tony Tapskin and King of Poland. After the Earls Tryal, it is re­ported he Arrested one Baines, one of the witnesses for a Conspiracy, also several others, but being not suffred to have his Tryal against them in London, and Midlesex, he remitted the same till another oportunity. Thus have we given a brief account of the most remarka­ble things relating this great Peer, to this time, after which he lived very private at his house in Aldersgate street, till the beginning of the month of November, when tis reported he left England and landed at Brill in Holland, where he was nobly entertained by the States, and as some say, hath put into their stock a considerable summ of mony.

But amongst the rest, let us take cognizance of his deportment in the time of his seeming affliction, he was little or nothing dismaid at the contrary current which opposed the stream of his aspiring mind, which was a generous and magnanimous spirit in him, for indeed he was as much befriended by unexpected favours abroad, as afflicted by domestick troubles in his own native soil, his reception in Hol­land was unquestionably very kind, as doubtless was appertinent to a person of his parts. It is not to be doubted but the many transacti­ons happening in his time had recorded him there as well as in other [Page 8]Countries for a Polititian, and so was he received by them. His de­portment there was such, that he obliged all that came near him, in­dulged all that knew him, and at this death, left no man without an obligation of a memento. It was much to be taken notice of, that du­ring the time of his ilness, he rather seemed to be of better composure in mind than ordinary, as seeming to imbrace his malady, with a kind of welcome, that might transmute his soul into that endless hap­piness which he had been so long labouring for, he seemed to covet after that continual blessing which alone makes happy, and rejoyc'd at his approching change; Oh happy is that man, who like an un­daunted Champion, can boldly look upon the pale messenger of grim death without terrour, when no astonishment comes to amaze the drooping sences, but on the contrary, if silled with comfort, at the perfect assurance of a better state, by the help and assistance of a blessed change, no peace like a quiet mind, no comfort like the peace of conscience, nor no conquest like the victory over sin, thrice hap­py is that man whom the thoughts of death cannot terrify; then let us all labour so to live here, that we may assure our selves of an inhe­ritance hereafter that shall furnish our souls with joys everlasting that have no end. But when he perceived that his fatal hour was most cer­tainly appreaching, with a most heavenly frame he prepared himself to meet with that unwelcome messenger, taking great and particular care of his Menial servants, that will imprint a memorial in their (now bleeding) hearts; so having setled affairs in his house according to his own mind and Will, he recommended his soul to him that gave it, in these following words and manner.

O Most gracious and merciful Lord God, who out of thy infinite mercy and goodness hast preserved and protected me through an O­cean of trouble and perplexity, yea, and brought me out of a laba­rinth of danger, which without thine assistance I could never have waded through, and now since by thy mercy I am made sensible of thy unspeakable Love so me in this my last hour; I beseech thee with an unfeigned desire to have mercy upon my immortal soul, and let thine Angel conduct it to the Throne of thine everlasting happiness. Lord preserve and keep my Severaign Leige Charles the II. King of the Land of my Nativity, protect that poor Nation, now in a tottering condition, from the yoke and burthen of Popish tyranny, that the Gospel may flourish in the dominions thereof, Lord strengthen me in this hour of tribulation, that I may cheerfully pass through the dark passage, which leads to thy never fading light; Amen.