On the twenty-first day of May, the king's mar- A. C. 1662, riage with Catharine, Infanta of Portugal, was cele- The king's brated with great magnificence. Though a virtu- marriage. ous princefs, the poffeffed no perfonal attractions; but Charles was captivated by her portion, which amounted to three hundred thousand pounds, together with the fortrefs of Tangier in Africa, and Bombay in the Eaft-Indies. Notwithstanding all these supplies, the king dealt out his treafure with fuch a lavish hand, that his coffers were quickly exhausted; and he was obliged to devife extraordinary means to recruit his finances. His difficul- Sale of ties were confiderably increased by the expence of Dunkirk, maintaining Dunkirk; and therefore he refolved. to fell it for a fum of money to the French ministry. Clarendon and Southampton, though virtuous ministers, were both concerned in this tranfaction; but, in all probability, the expedient was first proposed by Charles himself. The chancellor invited D'Eftrades, the French minifter at the Hague, to come over to London, where he managed this negotiation; and the French king purchased Dunkirk, with all the artillery and ammunition in the place, for the confideration of four hundred thousand pounds. A Okey, While this affair was in agitation, Berkstead, Execution of Cobbet, and Okey, three of the regicides, who had Berkeftead, Cobbet, and efcaped to the continent, were discovered, and arrested in Holland by Downing the English refident at the Hague, who had formerly served the commonwealth, and been chaplain to the regiment commanded by Okey. He now feized and conveyed them on board of an English ship, without giving them time to claim the protection of the States; and they were executed at Tyburn, where they behaved with equal moderation and decorum. Their trial was foon followed by that of Sir Henry Vane and general Lambert, who had been excepted C 2 fiom A. C. 1662. from the act of indemnity, as principal authors of the troubles, though they were not in the number of those who fat in judgment upon the king. Their execution had been fufpended, at the interceffion of the convention-parliament; but this, out of its great zeal, petitioned for their trial. Vane was indicted for his conduct after the king's death : and defended himself with great ability. He faid, that he had acted in obedience to an established authority; and if an acknowledgment of that authority was criminal, the whole nation was guilty: he pleaded the ftatute of the feventh Henry, enacting, That no man fhould be queftioned for adhering to the established prince: he disclaimed all the cruelties that had been practised upon the parliament and the king: he reminded them of the perfecution he had undergone for opposing the ufurpation of Cromwell; and obferved, that altho' he could have escaped from his enemies, at the restoration, he chofe rather to ftay, and give teftimony with his blood, to the cause of liberty which he had espoused. The law was ftrained for his conviction; and he fell, in all probability, a facrifice to the manes of the earl of Strafford, against whom he had acted with the most rancorous enmity. Though naturally fearful, he was fo animated by his enthufiafm, as to bear his fate with fortitude and compofure. When he was brought to the fcaffold to fuffer decapitation, he fpoke to the multitude in juftification of the caufe in which he had embarked; but he was filenced by the noife of drums and trumpets. Lambert was likewife found guilty and condemned; but, in confequence of his fubmiffive behaviour at his trial, he obtained a reprieve, and was confined to the island of Guernsey, where he lived twenty years in oblivion, Two thou fand prefby When the act of uniformity took place, fo conterian mini- trary to the king's declaration from Breda, and fo fters refign their livings, much 1 much to the dishonour of Charles, two thousand A. C. 1662. prefbyterian minifters chose rather to refign their benefices, and embrace beggary, than fubfcribe the articles. They thought that the bishops would not venture to expel fuch a number of popular preachers; and that the king, who was indifferent to all forms of religion, would not fuffer his promife to be violated, on account of any religious difpute. Charles was wholly paffive on this occafion. He did, indeed, hate the manners of the prefbyterians; but he was now directed by the earl of Clarendon, who thought it reasonable that the church should be purged of those intruders, who had deformed her beauties, perfecuted her minifters, and taken poffeffion of her wealth. In order to mitigate in some measure the severity of this act, the king iffued a declaration, promifing to use his influence with the parliament, to concur in paffing a law by which he might be enabled more fully to exert his difpenf ing power in favour of those who, from confcientious motives, could not comply with the act of uniformity. This was intended as a preliminary to a general toleration, the benefit of which might extend to the catholics, to whom the king had a fecret propensity. They had fupported the rights of the crown during the late troubles. There was à fplendor and magnificence in their mode of worship that captivated the fancy of Charles. The importunities of his mother, and the perfuafions of those with whom he lived in exile, are faid to have prevailed upon him to embrace that religion; and his brother the duke of York, who had great influence over his conduct, was fuperftitiously addicted to popery. The commiffioners appointed by parliament to fee the corporation-act put in execution, used their authority with such rigour, that there was not an officer left in any community, who did not warmly C 3 espouse executed for A.C. 1662. espouse the principles of the parliament. They moreover demolished the walls of Gloucefter, Coventry, Northampton, and Leicester, becaufe these places in the civil war had distinguished themfelves by their zeal against monarchy. About the Six fanatics latter end of the year, fix fanatics were executed a confpiracy. for having engaged in a confpiracy to murder the king, his brother, the duke of Albemarle, and to furprise the Tower of London and the caftle of Windfor. Though no person of confequence was concerned in this defign, it was reprefented as a very serious affair by the ministry, who pretended that Ludlow, and all the republican officers, were ready to appear in open rebellion. Ludlow had made his escape into Switzerland immediately after the restoration; and there he lived without making the least attempt to retrieve the fortune of himself and his affociates. In the course of this year, admiral Lawson failing with a fquadron to the coaft of Barbary, compelled the dey of Algiers to conclude a peace with England: then the king made Tangier a free-port, and favoured it with particular privileges. Burnet. Rapin. A. C. 1663. The prefbyterians thinking themselves unjustly oppreffed, petitioned the king and council, that they might be exempted from the penalties fpecified in the act of uniformity; and his majesty published a proclamation, declaring, that although he adhered with all his heart to that act; nevertheless, out of regard to fome of his fubjects, he was willing to dispense with their obferving certain articles therein contained. This indulgence was planned on purpose to favour the catholics, and therefore tranfacted without the privity and concurrence of the chancellor, whofe credit with the king now began to decline. He was a violent enemy to the papifts, and therefore hated by the queen-mother, the duke of York, and the earl of Bristol, Bristol, who had turned Roman-catholic during his A. C. 1663. exile. He now employed all his wit, humour, Clarendon's and vivacity, in ridiculing the earl of Clarendon, credit hegins and rendering that faithful minifter difagreeable to decline, in the eyes of his fovereign. The chancellor was likewise detefted by Mrs. Palmer, the king's favourite concubine, who was afterwards created dutchess of Cleveland. She was a woman abandoned by every fentiment of virtue and decorum; proud, revengeful, profligate, and rapacious. Clarendon difdained to flatter her vanity, or gratify her avarice; therefore all her influence upon Charles was used to his prejudice. Secretary Nicholas, the chancellor's intimate friend, was deprived of his office, which the king conferred upon his profeffed enemy Sir Henry Bennet, a reputed papift, who was afterwards created lord Arlington. for his gra Charles has left very few inftances of his grati- Charles not tude upon record. He granted penfions to the remarkable Pendrells, to Mrs. Lane, and fome other perfons, titude. who had contributed to his preservation after the battle of Worcester; but he neglected the poor cavaliers who had been ruined by their zeal for him and his father's houfe. A fum of money had been once raised by the parliament for their relief, but this was by no means proportioned to their merits and neceffities. Charles was fo prodigal in the articles of his common expence, that he could not fupply them from his own revenue; and he found it convenient to employ another fort of people, whofe affection it was neceffary to conciliate fo that the unfortunate royalifts being difappointed in their fanguine hopes, loudly complained of his ingratitude; but he fled from their clamours to scenes of mirth, jollity, and fenfual pleasure. The parliament's aver The commons, alarmed at the declaration for indulgence, in which the king affumed a difpenfing fion to an C 4 indulgence power, in matters of religion. |