65 that of his beauty and his prosti tu tion. The parliament had drawne up a charge against him, and though the king seem'd to protect hill)., yet knowing the fearefnllnesse of his nature, and doubting his ~onstancy, it was believ'd he added some helpe to an ague that kill'd that king; however the king died, and the Duke continued as high in the favour of the next succeeding as of the deceased prince ; wherenpon one, not unaptly, sayes of him , " he seem'd as an un- " happie exhalation, drawne up fi·om the earth , not only to clowd " the setting, but the rising sun."' The face of the court was much chang'd in the change of the king; for King Charles was temperate, chast, and serious; so that the fooles and bawds, mimicks and catamites, of the former court, grew out of fashion; and the nobillity and courtiers, who did not quite abandon their debosheries, had yet that reverence to the king, to retire into corners to practise them : men of learning and ingenuity in all arts were in esteeme, and receiv'cl encouragement fi·om the king; who was a most excellent iudge and a greate lover of paintings, carvings, gravings, and many other ingenuities, }ess offensive then the bawdry and prophane abusive witt, which was the only exercise of the other court. But as in the primitive times, it is observ'd that the best emperors were some of them stirr'd up by Sathan to be the bitterest persecutors of the church, so this king was a worse encroacher upon the civill and spirituall liberties of his people by farre then his father. He married a papist, a French lady, of a haughty spiritt, and a greate wiLt and beauty, to whom he became a most uxorious husband. By this meanes the court was replenisht with papists, and many who hoped to advance themselves by the change, turned to that religion ; all the papists in the kingdom were favour'd, and, by the king's example, matcht into the e The justice of the character here given of James, as well as the candour of that about to be given to Charles, will; it is hoped, be recog ni zed by every .reader.
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