THE CHARACTER OF CHARLES II. King of England, &c.

THE CHARACTER OF CHARLES II. King of England. With a Short ACCOUNT Of his being Poyson'd.

Written by a Person of Honour.

With an Introduction exhibiting the Dif­ferent Characters given him by the several different Parties of Roman Catholicks, Churchmen, and Dissenters, &c.

BY ANOTHER HAND.

London Printed, and are to be Sold by Richard Baldwin, near the Oxford-Arms-Inn in Warwick-lan, 1696.

Price 6 d.

THE INTRODUCTION.

THE following Cha­cter having been much taken notice of, and many Coppies of it handed about, it's hop'd that the rendring of it publick may be very acceptable. The Prince whose Character it is, was generally belov'd by the People; yet his faults both as a King and a Man, [Page] were Universally observ­ed, so that it can be no surprize to any one to find him both well and ill spoken of; for his Greatest Enemies will allow that he was endowed with many Princely Vertues; and the Greatest of his Friends must likewise confess that he had his Remarkable Vi­ces. It cannot be denyed, but that in both those Re­spects the different Factions have been guilty of Excess, and have exceeded the Rules of Modesty, both in ap­plauding and condemning [Page] him; for every one speaks of him according as they were advantag'd or endama­ged by him; or accord­ing as the Humour or In­terest of the Party which they espouse inclines them.

The Roman-Catholicks, tho they cannot deny his many good offices to them, and their Church; yet they accusse him of Cowardice and Dissimulation, as hav­ing plaid fast and loose with them, and were therefore impatient to have his Bro­ther on his Throne.

[Page] The high flown Church­men did mightily admire him, because he restor'd them to their ancient Dig­nities, and made them Lords paramount to all other Par­ties: so that they would neither see any of his faults when he was Alive, nor will they hear of 'em now he's Dead.

The Cavaliers were some of them very well pleas'd, and others of 'em as highly disgusted with his Conduct, according as he answered or disappointed their Expecta­tions: And it was very ob­servable, [Page] that his Cousin Prince Rupert the Cavalier-General, with many of those who had fought for his Father, did at last grow dissatisfied with his Admi­nistration.

The Tories ador'd him for advancing the Prerogative, and giving them the ascen­dant over the Whiggs, whom they prosecuted for their Lives, Reputations and Estates.

The Whiggs, tho many of them had a personal esteem for him, were never conten­ted with his Administration; [Page] and Generally entertained this Character of him, That he gave himself up to all sensual Pleasures without Controul: And was irreconci­lable to any who interrupted his Lusts; that he debaucht the Nation more in its Manners than ever any other King did before him; that he squandred away the anci­ent Revenues of the Crown, which were esteemed sacred; and left such a Debt upon it as was never before heard of. That he prostituted his Majesty, by being a Pensio­ner to France: And ad­vanced [Page] the Power of that Monarch, to the endanger­ing of the Liberties of Europe. That he imbroil'd his own Subjects in Intestine Feuds; and did so vitiate all publick Offices, both Sacred, Civil and Military, with Bribery and Corrupti­on, as it will be hard to re­form them. That he was ungrateful to the Nation for their Loyalty, and the incredible Sums which they powr'd upon him. That he lessened the Reputation and strength of the King­dom; overturned the Laws, [Page] and invaded the Properties of his Subjects.

The Dissenters again scarcely afford him one good word, but attribute all the Corruption of our Morals to the ill Conduct of his Reign, and his own bad Ex­ample. They charge him with advancing the Interest of the Church of Rome, and as having been an open Fautor of Hobbism, Deism and what not. They charge him also with the greatest Perjuries that ever were heard of, as the breach of their solemn League and [Page] Covenant, and his Delara­tion from Breda. They complain of his having weakned the Protestant In­terest in the Nation, by setting one party of Prote­stants to destroy another; and exposing all Piety and Seriousness to Ridicule; they upbraid his Memory with his manifold Whoredoms, which hath so much infected the Youth of the Nation, and is attended by such dismal Consequences. And in short, there's scarcely any Party who speak moderately of him; but do either exceed in [Page] his praise or his dispraise; and therefore there's rea­son to conceive that the following Character of him by a person of Honour, who had the opportunity of knowing him so well, and who is so duly qualified in all Respects to write it, will be very acceptable.

It is also to be noted that as there is a great difference amongst Men and Parties, as to their Accounts of this Prince's Life, they are at no less variance as to the man­ner of his Death; in which most are agreed that there [Page] was some Fraud, tho they differ exceedingly as to the Means and Instruments. Some ascribe it to the Intrigues of France, who as they undid the Father by a Wife, they ruin'd the Son by a Mistress, and therefore al­ledge that Lewis XIV. being weary of feeding him with Pensions, and dreading his Natural Parts, if upon any disgust he should come to unite against France with his Parliaments, he thought it his Interest to take him off, and make way for a Successor, who, as he made [Page] open profession of his own Religion, would be more pli­able to his Dictates.

Then as to the method of effecting it, they say it was thus, that the D.—es of P—th who bewitch'd him with her Amours, and had not only drain'd the sub­stance of his Body, but likewise the substance of his Purse, either of which being once brought to pass, the Love of a St—et to her Para­mour vanishes, so that ha­ving a mind to Change Gal­lants, or seeing no more hopes of former advantages, [Page] she gave him such Provoca­tives as made him act beyond his natural strength, and threw him into these Apoplectick Fits which carried him off.

There are others who as­cribe it to the R. C. Facti­on, who being angry at his having so frequently decei­ved them; and impatient till they came to a Trial of Skill for establishing their Religion, while Lewis XIV. was in the height of his Power and Glory, did therefore ad­minister the Fatal Dose, which sent King Charles II. a going, and brought his [Page] Brother to the Throne, under whose Auspicious Conduct they made no doubt of restor­ing the Church of Rome to the full possession of all that she had formerly enjoyed in Britain and Ireland; and to make an amends to his Soul for the Injury they did his Body, they took care to have those about him that should perform the last Offices, in making him an intire Prose­lyte to the Romish Faith. There are others who say, that all this was a sham, tho attested by his Brother, and the other unexceptionable [Page] Evidence the Strong-Box; and that all the time which they pretended to spend in taking care of his Soul was really taken up in Cheating the Nation of their Money, by Sealing a Lease of the Customs; that so they might be enjoyed by his Successor after his Death, whereas the Parliament had only settled them upon him­self during Life. This is what is thought fit to be said by way of Preface to the Character of a Prince, concerning whose Life, Reli­gion [Page] and Death there are so many various sentiments.

It's true that there are some who would excuse his Brother from having any accession to his death, there's none who have any reason to doubt that if he came to an untimely end, it was by the Hands of the Papists, for the high Church of England­men they had no reason to be weary of his Grovern­ment, nor ground to expect the like favours from his Brother that they receiv'd from him. As to the State Whiggs or Exclusioners, it [Page] was not their Interest nei­ther, for they had no rea­son to think that ever they should enter into his Bro­thers rest as the late King himself is said to have ex­prest it to some of that Party, who attended him upon his Coming to the Throne: Nor were they in a Condition to have favour'd Monmouth's Title at the time of King Charles his Death, as ap­pear'd by that unfortunate Gentleman's deplorable fate when he put in so boldly for his Father's Crown, so that Malice it self cannot [Page] fasten it on the Whiggs as having cut him off to make way for Monmouth.

Then for the Protestant Dissenters, they had no Access to his Court nor person and were under the least tentati­on of any Party to wish for his death, seeing they knew the D. of York to be their Irreconcileable Enemy, and always the greatest promo­ter of their persecution, ex­cept when the Interest of his own Party perswaded him to moderation.

There's no doubt but this Introduction will be as vari­ously [Page] censured as there are Variety of Factions, but see­ing every body takes the li­berty to think and speak of the two Princes who are the Subject of these few Sheets, according as their Interest and Inclination leads them, it's but reasonable that they should allow others the same privilege with themselves; and if they have better rea­sons for the Negative than are here laid down for the Affirmative, they have the same liberty of making them known to the World, and thus they are left to the per­usal [Page] of what follows, which is enough to satisfie them that the Author is no big­got in the matter, seeing he does as willingly publish the Character drawn by others, as that which is drawn by himself.

A Short Character OF CHARLES II. King of England.
Setting forth his untimely Death.

I Have pitched on this Chara­cter of King Charles the II. not for his being a King, or my having had the Honour to serve him. The first of these would be too vulgar a consideration, and the [Page 2] other too particular: but I think it a Theme of Great Variety, and whatever is wanting in the Writer, may, I hope, be Recompenced, in the agreeableness of the Subject, which is sometimes enough to recommend a Picture (tho' ill drawn) and to make a face one likes oftner look'd on, than the best Peice of Ra­phael.

To begin then according to Cu­stom with his Religion, which since his death hath made so much noise in the World, I yet dare confident­ly affirm it to be only that which is Vulgarly (tho' unjustly) counted none at all, I mean Deism. And this uncommon Opinion he owed more to the Liveliness of his parts, and carelessness of his Temper, than either to reading or much consideration; [Page 3] for his quickness of Apprehension at first View could discern thro' the several Cheats of Pious pretences, and his natural Laziness confirm'd him in an equal mistrust of them all, for fear he should be troubled with Examining which was best.

If in his early Travels, and late designs, he seem'd a little Byassed to one sort of Religion; The first is only to be imputed to a certain easi­ness of Temper, and a Complaisance for that Company he was then for­ced to keep; and the last was no more than his being tired (which he soon was in any difficulty) with those bold oppositions in Parliament, which made him almost throw himself into the Arms of a Roman Catholick party, so Remarkable of late for their Loyalty, who imbraced him gladly, [Page 4] and lull'd him asleep with those En­chanting Songs of Soveraignty, which the best and wisest of Princes are of­ten unable to resist.

And tho engaged himself on that side more fully at a time, when 'tis in vain, and too late to dissemble, we ought less to wonder at it, than to consider, that our very Judge­ments are apt to grow in time as partial as our affections; And thus by accident only, he became of their Opinion in his weakness, who had so much endeavoured always to contribute to his Power.

He loved ease and quiet, to which his unnecessary Wars, are so far from being a Contradiction, that they are rather proof of it, since they were made only to comply with those per­sons, [Page 5] whose disaffections would have proved more uneasy to one of his humour, than all that distant noise of Cannon which he would often listen to, with a great deal of Tranquility. Besides the great and almost only pleasure of mind, he appears addicted to, was Shipping and Sea affairs, which seemed to be so much his Ta­lent both for knowledge, as well as inclination, that a War of that Kind, was rather an Entertainment, than any Disturbance to his thoughts.

If he did not go himself at the head of so magnificent a Fleet, 'tis on­ly to be imputed to that eagerness of Military Glory, in his Brother, which under the show of a decent care for preserving the Royal person from danger, ingrossed all that sort of honour to himself, with as much [Page 6] jealousie of any others interposing in it, as a King of another Temper would have had of his. 'Tis certain no Prince was ever more fitted by nature for his Countries interest than he was, in all his Maritime Inclina­tions, which might have proved of sufficient advantage to this Nation, if he had been as carefull in depres­sing all such improvements in France, as of advancing and encouraging our own; but it seems he wanted jealousy in all his inclinations; which leads us to consider him in his Plea­sures.

Where he was rather Abandoned than Luxurious, and like our Fe­male Libertines, apter to be perswa­ded into Debauches for the satis­faction of others, than to seek with choice where most to please himself; [Page 7] I am of Opinion also, that in his lat­ter times there was as much of Lazi­ness, as of Love, in all those hours he passed among his Mistresses, who after all only served to fill up his Seraglio, while a bewitching kind of pleasure called Sauntring, and talk­ing without any constraint, was the true Sultana Queen he Delight­ed in.

He was surely inclined to justice, for nothing else would have retained him so fast to the succession of a Brother against a Son he was so fond of. And the humour of a Party which he so much feared, I am willing also to impute to his Justice, whatever seems in some measure to contradict the general Opinion of his Clemen­cy, as his suffering always the Rigor of the Law, to proceed not only a­gainst [Page 8] all Highwaymen, but also several others, in whose Cases the Lawyers, according to their wonted custom, had used some­times a great deal of Hardship and Severity.

His understanding was quick and lively, in little things, and some­times would soare high enough in great ones, but unable to keep it up, with any long attention or applica­tion; witty in all sorts of Conversa­tion, and telling a story so well, that not out of flattery, (but for the pleasure of hearing it) we used to seem ignorant of what he had re­peated to us ten times before, as a good Comedy will bear the being often seen.

[Page 9] Of a wonderfull mixture, losing all his time, and setting his whole heart on the Fair Sex, yet neither Angry with Rivals, nor in the least Nice as to the being beloved, and while he sacrificed all things to his Mistresses, he would use to grudge, and be uneasie at their losing a lit­tle of it again at Play, tho' never so necessary for their diversion, nor would he Venture 5 l. at Tennis to those Servants who might obtain as many thousands, either before he came thither, or as soon as he left of.

Full of Dissimulation, and very adroit at it, yet no man easier to be imposed on, for his great dexterity was in cozening himself, by gaining a little one way, while it cost him ten [Page 10] times as much another, and by Caressing those persons most, who had deluded him the oftnest, and yet the quickest in the world at Spying such a Ridicule in another.

Easy and good natured to all people in trifles, but in greater af­fairs severe, and inflexible, in one weeks absence, quite forgeting those Servants to whose faces he could hardly deny any thing.

In the midst of all his Remis­ness so industrious, and indefati­gable on some particular occasi­ons, that no man would either toil longer, or be able to manage it better.

He was so Liberal as to Ruine his affairs by it, for want in a K. [Page 11] of England turns things just up­side down, and Exposes a Prince to his peoples mercy, it did yet worse in him, for it forced him also to depend on his great Neigh­bour of France, who played the Broker with him sufficiently, in all those times of Extremity, yet this profuseness of his did not so much proceed from his over valuing those he favoured, as from his un­dervaluing any summs of Money, which he did not see tho' he found his Error in this, but I con­fess a little of the latest.

He had so natural an Aversi­on to all formality, that with as much Wit as most men ever had, and as Majestick a Mien, yet he could not on premeditation act the Part of a King for a mo­ment, [Page 12] either at Parliament or Coun­cil, either in Words or Gesture, which carried him into the other Entream, more inconvenient of the two, of letting all Distinction and Ceremony fall to the Ground, as use­less and foppish.

His Temper both of Body and Mind was Admirable, which made him an easie generous Lover; A Civil obliging Husband, a Friendly Brother, an Indulgent Father, and a good natured Master. If he had been as Solicitous about improv­ing the faculties of his mind, as he was in the Management of his bodi­ly health, (tho' alas 'tis proved un­able to make his life long) that had not failed to have made it Famous.

He was an illustrious Exception, [Page 13] to all the Common Rules of Physiog­nomy, for with a most Satur [...]ine harsh sort of Countenance, he was both of a Merry and Mercifull Disposition, and in the last 30. years of his life, as Fortunate as those of his Fathers had been Dis­mal and tumultuous. If his Death had some appearance of being un­timely, it may be Partly imputed to his Extream, healthy constitution, which made the world as much sur­prized at his dying before threescore, as if nothing but an ill accident could have Killed him.

I would not say any thing on so sad a Subject; If I did not think si­lence it self in such a Case, would signifie too much; And therefore as an Impartial Writer, I am oblig'd to Observe, that I am assured, the [Page 14] most [...]ing and most deserving of all his Physicians did not only be­lieve him, Poysoned, but thought himself so too, nor long after, for ha­ving Declared his Opinion a little too boldly.

FINIS.

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