Life of Edward Earl of Clarendon, vol 2

Life of Edward Earl of
Clarendon, vol 2

Project Gutenberg's The Life of Edward Earl of Clarendon V2, by
Henry Craik Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to
check the copyright laws for your country before downloading or
redistributing this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.
This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project
Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the
header without written permission.
Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the
eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is
important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how
the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a
donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.
**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**
**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since
1971**
*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of
Volunteers!*****
Title: The Life of Edward Earl of Clarendon V2
Author: Henry Craik
Release Date: October, 2004 [EBook #6671] [Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on January 12,
2003]
Edition: 10

Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII, with some ISO-8859-1 characters
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EARL OF
CLARENDON V2 ***

Produced by Anne Soulard, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team.

THE LIFE OF EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON LORD HIGH
CHANCELLOR OF ENGLAND VOLUME II
BY SIR HENRY CRAIK, K.C.B., LL.D.

[Illustration: John Hampden from a miniature by Samuel Cooper in the
possession of Earl Spencer]

CONTENTS OF VOLUME II

CHAPTER
XIV. THE RESTORATION
XV. PROSPECT FOR THE RESTORED MONARCHY
XVI. DIFFICULTIES TO BE MET
XVII. SCOTTISH ADMINISTRATION
XVIII. THE PROBLEMS OF IRELAND
XIX. MARRIAGE TREATY AND RELIGIOUS SETTLEMENT
XX. DOMESTIC DISSENSION AND FOREIGN COMPLICATIONS
XXI. THE DUTCH WAR

XXII. ADMINISTRATIVE FRICTION
XXIII. DECAY OF CLARENDON'S INFLUENCE
XXIV. INCREASING BITTERNESS OF HIS FOES
XXV. THE TRIUMPH OF FACTION
INDEX

LIST OF PORTRAITS
VOLUME II
JOHN HAMPDEN _From a miniature by Samuel Cooper, in the
possession of Earl Spencer_
GEORGE MONK, DUKE OF ALBEMARLE _From the original by
Sir Peter Lely, in the National Portrait Gallery_
GENERAL LAMBERT _From the original by R. Walker, in the
National Portrait Gallery_
SIR HENRY VANE, THE YOUNGER _From the original by William
Dobson, in the National Portrait Gallery_
JOHN MAITLAND, DUKE OF LAUDERDALE _From the original
by Sir Peter Lely, in the National Portrait Gallery_
GEORGE DIGBY, SECOND EARL OF BRISTOL _From the original
by Sir Anthony Vandyke, in the Collection of Earl Spencer_
SIR EDWARD NICHOLAS _From the original by Sir Peter Lely, in
the National Portrait Gallery_
ANNE HYDE, DUCHESS OF YORK From the original by Sir Peter
Lely JAMES BUTLER, DUKE OF ORMONDE From the original by
Sir Godfrey Kneller

CHAPTER XIV
THE RESTORATION
After the death of Cromwell, on September 3rd, 1658, there ensued for
the exiled Court twenty months of constant alternation between hope

and despair, in which the gloom greatly preponderated. As the chief
pilot of the Royalist ship, Hyde, now titular Lord Chancellor, had to
steer his way through tides that were constantly shifting, and with
scanty gleam of success to light him on the way. Within the little circle
of the Court he was assailed by constant jealousy, none the less
irksome because it was contemptible. The policy of Charles, so far as
he had any policy apart from Hyde, varied between the encouragement
of friendly overtures from supporters of different complexions at home,
and a somewhat damaging cultivation of foreign alliances, which were
delusive in their proffered help, and might involve dangerous
compliance with religious tenets abhorred in England. The friends in
England were jealous and suspicious of one another, and their loyalty
varied in its strength, and was marked by very wide difference in its
ultimate objects. It would have been hard in any case to discern the true
position amidst the complicated maze of political parties in England; it
was doubly hard for one who had been an exile for a dozen years. To
choose between different courses was puzzling. Inaction was apt to
breed apathy; but immature action would only lead to further
persecution of the loyalists, and to disaster to the most gallant
defenders of the rights of the King. With the true instinct of a statesman,
Hyde saw that the waiting policy was best; but it was precisely the
policy that gave most colour to insinuations of his want of zeal. In spite
of his exile, he understood the temper of the nation better than any of
the paltry intriguers round him; to study that temper was not a process
that commended itself to their impatient ambitions. His pen