69 of the councell in the north, to be a baron, after an earle, then deputy of Ireland; the neerest to a fltvourite of any man since the death of the duke of Buckingham, who was rays'd by his first master, and kept up by the second, upon no account of personall worth or any deserving abillities in him, but only upon violent and private inclinations of the princes; but the earle of Strafford wanted not any accomplishment that could be desir'd in the most serviceable minister of state: besides he having made himselfe odious to the people, by his revolt fi·om their interest to that of the oppressive court, he was now oblig'd to keepe up his owne interest with his new party, by all the mallitious practises that pride and revenge could inspire him with.' But above all these the king had another instigator of his owne violent purpose, more powerfull then all the rest, and that was the queene., who, growne out of her childhood, began to turn her mind from those vaine extravagancies she Jiv'd in at first, to that which did !esse become her, and was more fatall to the kingdome, which never is in any place happie, where the hands which were made only for distaffes affect the management of sceptres.-If any one obiect the fresh example of Queene Elizabeth, let them remember that the felieity of her reigne was the effect of her ~ubmission to her masculine and wise councellors; but wherever male princes are so effeminate as to suff'er weomen of fon·eigne birth and different 1·eligions to ·entermeddle with the affairs of state, it is alwayes found to produce sad desolations; and it hath bene observ'd that a French queene never brought any happinesse to England: soml: kind of fatality too the English imagin' d to be in her name of Marie, which, 'tis said, the king rather chose to have her call'd by then her other, I-Ienrietta, because the land should find a blessing in that name, which had bene more unfortunate; but it was not in his power, though a greate prince, to controule destiny. This lady ~ Called by Lord Digby the grand apostate of the commonwealth.
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