chastity we now have. He was, indeed, remarkably grave and fober in his whole behaviour, with certainty to have pitched; not to take notice that the queen never was at Oxford after her return from France, as Peyton seems to affert. Milton is a name at all times to be mentioned with honour; but truth compels me to say, that what he here speaks has much, too much, the air of declamation to be entirely relied on. Buckingham was lewd; but no one, but Milton, hints that Charles was a partaker of his vices; and his evidence, delivered in fuch a way, (as he himself could not have been a spectator) is not fufficient to condemn him. The handling virgins and matrons breafts, though not feemingly confiftent with the gravity Charles remarkably preserved in his whole behaviour, depends much on the cuftom of ages and countries; and therefore, had it been ever fo publickly done, cannot of itself determine against a man's chastity. A fingle fact, advanced with proper vouchers, would have been of more force in determining the chastity of Charles, than a thousand of these kind of affertions and inferences. But as fuch a fact, properly attefted, has not been brought, even by Peyton or Milton, we may, I think, conclude that they could not; and confequently, that in this matter he was blamelefs.-There is a letter published lately, in Cibber's Lives of the Poets, faid once to have belonged to archbishop Sancroft, which is thought to evidence Charles's being engaged in one intrigue in his youth. It is addreffed to the duke of Buckingham, in the terms following: • Stenny, "I have nothing now to write to you, but to give you thanks both for the good counsel ye gave me, and for ⚫ the event of it. The king gave me a good fharp portion; but you took away the working of it, by the well-relished comfites ye fent after it. I have met with the party, that must not be named, once already; and the culler of writing this letter, fhall make me meet ⚫ with her on Saturday, altho' it is written the day being D 4 • Thurf (e) Cibber's lives of the poets, vol. ii. p. 302, Lond. 1753. 12mo. (ƒ) Claren- < P. 257. (g) King Charles's works, p. 206. viour, free from intemperance, and but little addicted to the foolish cuftom of fwearing, though 6 Thurfday. So, affuring you that the bufinefs goes fafely on, I reft your conftant friend, CHARLES." I hope you will not fhew the king this letter; but put it in the fafe cuftody of Mr. Vulcan (e).' That this letter relates to fome intrigue is certain : whether it was of the amorous, or whether of the political kind, may be pretty hard certainly to fay. Poffibly the business related in note (E) may help to explain it. I proceed now to give the direct proofs of Charles's chastity, that no fufpicion may be left in the mind of the reader. Lord Clarendon tells us, that he was fo great an example of conjugal affection, that they who did not imitate him in that particular, durft not brag of their liberty and he did not only permit, but direct his bishops to profecute thofe fcandalous vices, in the ecclefiaftical courts, against perfons of eminence, and near relation to his fervice (f).' And the day before don, vol. v. his death he bad his daughter Elizabeth tell her mother, that his thoughts had never strayed from her, and that his love fhould be the fame to the laft (g).' To these teftimonies I will add that of May, a writer profeffedly on the fide of the parliament, and fecretary for it, as he ftiles himfelf. The fame affections [of love and esteem] followed him [Charles] to the throne: fays he, the fame hopes and fair prefages of his future government, whilst they confidered the temperance of his youth, how clear he had lived from perfonal vice, being growne to the age of twenty-three; how untainted of thofe licentious extravagancies, which unto that age and for6 tune are not only incident, but almost thought excuseable (b). And in another place he obferves, that Charles lived more conformably to the rules of the proteftant religion, than any of his contemporary princes (b) May's history of the parliament of England, P. 7, folio, Lond. 1647. 'in though he kept not wholly free from it on particular occafions, or great provocations (i). (i) Claren(N) He was diligent and exact in the per- p. 451. formance of the external acts of religion, and don, vol. ii. II. (1) Sidney's in Europe (k).' And the earl of Leicester speaks of this (*) May's king's life as profitable to all Chriftians, by the exemhiftory, P. 'plarinefs thereof (1).' I think here is fuch fufficient evidence of Charles's chastity, that he cannot, state-papers, with the leaft fhadow of reafon, be deemed guilty of vol. ii. p. incontinence, and confequently in this respect that he 418. was praife-worthy. For chastity, even in a prince, is a virtue, and productive of many happy effects. Vice, though not extirpated by the royal example, will fkulk into corners, and be afraid to fhew her head: infamy and dishonour will attend those who are known publickly to practise it; the marriage-bed will be reverenced and honoured, and peace, harmony, and concord in families prevail. Whereas if the prince is lewd and debauched, if he roams abroad and violates the virgin, or adulteroufly invades the matron's bed t, and fears not to proclaim his unchafte deeds; no wonder thofe around him are emboldened by his example, and openly practise every act of uncleannefs. (N) He was diligent and exact in the performance of the external acts of religion.] As this part of Charles's character has not been denied, a few teftimonies will be fufficient to confirm it. He was, fays lord Clarendon, very punctual and regular in his devotions: he was + Princes, addicted to this practice, fhould ask themselves, how they would like to be addreffed in Butler's lines to Charles II. Thy great example prompts each spouse To make a jeft of marriage-vows; Encourages each beauteous dame To fin, without the fear of fhame; I fancy, few princes would think these verses contained an encomium. P. 257. and is faid to have been regular and constant in the private exercise of devotion, setting a pat never known to enter upon his recreations or sports, though never fo early in the morning, before he had • been at publick prayers; fo that, on hunting-days, his chaplains were bound to a very early attendance. He was likewife very ftrict in obferving the hours of his private cabinet-devotion; and was fo fevere an exactor of gravity and reverence, in all mention of religion, that he could never endure any light or profane word, with what sharpness of wit foever it was covered; and C though he was well pleafed and delighted with reading verfes made upon any occafion, no man durft bring (m) Claren-before him any thing that was profane or unclean (m).' don, vol. v. Laud, fays Heylin, humbly moved his majefty, that he would be prefent at the Liturgy, as well as the fer'mon every Lord's-day; and that at whatsoever part of prayers he came, the priest, who miniftred, fhould < proceed to the end of the fervice. To which his majefty moft readily and religiously condefcended, and gave him thanks for that his feasonable and pious mo(n) Heylin's tion (n).' Let us add hereunto Dr. Perinchief's teftilife of Laud, fol. p. 166, mony, concerning this king's devotion, that we may fee Lond. 1668, it in its full extent. His majefty's conftant diligence in those duties [of religion] did demonftrate, that nothing but a principle of holiness, which is always uniform, both moved and affifted him in thofe facred performances, to which he was obferved to go with an exceeding alacrity as to a ravishing pleasure, from which no leffer pleasures nor bufinefs were ftrong enough for a diverfion. In the morning, before he went to hunting, his beloved fport, the chaplains were before day called to their miniftry: and when he was at Brainford, among the noife of arms, and near the affaults of his enemies, he caufed the divine, that then waited, to perform his accuftomed fervice, before he provided for fafety, or attempted at victory; and would firft gain upon the love of heaven, and then afterwards repel the malice of men.-At fermons he carried him 6 felf pattern to others in what related to the worThip and fervice of almighty God: fo that it of king P. • felf with fuch a reverence and attention, (that his ene'mies which hated, yet did even admire him in it) as if he were expecting new inftructions for government ' from that God whofe deputy he was, or a new charter for a larger empire: and he was fo careful not to ne< glect any of thofe exercises, that if on Tuesday mornings, on which days there used to be fermons at court, he were at any distance from thence, he would ride hard to be prefent at the beginnings of them (0).' (0) PerinThough we make fome allowances for what thefe chief's life writers panegyrically have written, concerning the devo- Charles, p. tion of this prince, we fhall be forced to own, that his 60. behaviour in matters of religion was indeed exemplary, and that he was at a great distance from the character of the fcorner. It is true, a man's character is not to be determined by these external acts of piety; it being very poffible that men may, with respect to thefe, be blamelefs, though the weightier matters of the law be neglected. For which reafon, Milton, without difputing the fact, obferves, that he who from fuch kind of pfalmiftry, 6 or any other verbal devotion, without the pledge and • earnest of fuitable deeds, can be perfuaded of a zeal ❝ and true righteousness in the person, hath much yet to learn, and knows not that the deepeft policy of a ty rant hath been ever to counterfeit religious. And Ariftotle, in his Politics, hath mentioned that fpecial craft, among twelve other tyrannical fophifms. Neither ' want we examples: Andronicus Comnenus, the Byzantine emperor, though a moft cruel tyrant, is reported, by Nicetas, to have been a conftant reader of St. Paul's Epiftles; and, by continual study, had fo incorporated the phrase and ftile of that tranfcendent apostle into all his familiar letters, that the imitation feemed to vie with the original. Yet this availed not to deceive the people of that empire, who, notwithstanding his faint's vizard, tore him to pieces for his tyranny. From ftories of this nature, both antient and modern, which abound, |