The Life of Edward Earl of Clarendon ... in which is included a continuation of his History of the Grand Rebellion. Written by himself

Preface

TO THE FIRST EDITION. JLlIE reader can desire no better recommendation of the History now published, than to be assured that it is the genuine Work of the great earl of Clarendon. The Work itself bears plain characteristics of its Author. The same dignity of sentiment and style Avhich dis tinguishes the History of the Rebellion, and all other the works of this noble Writer, breathes through the Avhole of this performance. The reason why this History has lain so long concealed Mill appear from the title of ita, which shews that his lordship intended it only for the information of his children. But the late lord Hyde, judging that so faith ful and authentic an account of this interesting peri' our history would be an useful and acceptable present to the" public, and bearing a grateful remembrance of this place of his education, left by his will this, and the other remains of his great grandfather, in the hands of trustees, to be printed at our press, and directed that the profits arising from the sale should be employed toAvards the establishing a Riding-school in the University.

But lord Hyde dying before his father, the then earl of Clarendon, the property of these papers never became vested in him, and consequently this bequest AA-as void. HoMever, the noble heiresses of the earl of Clarendon, out of their regard to the public, and to this seat of learning, have been pleased to fulfil the kind intentions of lord Hyde. ■' See Continuation, ]j. a6jf of this volume, par. 1. a

PREFACE.

TO IV and adopt a scheme recommended both by him and his great grandfatherb. To this end they have sent to the University this History, to be printed at our press, on condition that the profits arising from the publication or sale of this Work be applied as a beginning for a fund for supporting a Manege, or Academy for Riding, and other useful exercises, in Oxford. The Work here offered to the public consists of two parts. The second, which is the most important and interesting part of the Work, is the History of the Earl of Clarendon's Life, from the year 1660 to 1667, from the restoration to the time of his banishment, and in cludes in it the most memorable transactions of those times. It may be therefore considered in two views. It is a second part of Lord Clarendon's Life ; and is also a Continuation of his former History, entitled, The History of the Rebellion, from the year 1660, where that ends, to the year 1667.

This is carefully printed, without any material variations, from a manuscript, all of lord Cla rendon's own hand-writing, excepting some few pages in the hand of his amanuensis, which are only transcripts from two papers ; the one, a letter from the Chancellor to the King on the subject of his Majesty's declared dis pleasure ; the other, a paper containing his reasons for withdrawing himself, which he left behind him to be presented to the House of Peers. To this our noble benefactresses have thought fit to prefix, as a first part, the History of the Earl of Claren don's Life, from his birth, to the year 1660, extracted from another manuscript of Lord Clarendon's own hand writing. This other manuscript is entitled by his Lordship, The History of his own Life, and contains likewise the substance of the History of the Rebellion.

However, it is not the manuscript from whence that History was printed, but appears rather to be the rough draught from 15 See his Dialogue on Education, p. 325, &c. THE FIRST EDITION. V whence that History, or, however, great part of it, was afterwards compiled. For although he tells us, towards the close of this Work, that he Avrote the first four books of the History of the Rebellion in the island of Jersey, (many years before the date of this History of his Life,) yet he likeM'ise informs us, that he did not proceed to complete that History till after his banishment. It is there fore supposed by the family, (and the supposition seems to carry with it great probability,) that, seeing an unjust and cruel persecution prevail against him, he was induced at that time to extend the original plan of his Work, by introducing the particular History of his oavii Life, from his earliest days doAvn to the time of his disgrace, as the most effectual means of vindicating his character, wickedly traduced by his enemies, and artfully misrepresented to a master, whom he had long and faithfully served, whose countenance and favour being transferred to the authors and abettors of his ruin, might probably, in the eyes of the world, give too much colour to their aspersions.

But aftei-M-ards, on more mature thoughts, his great benevo lence and public spirit prevailed on him to drop the de fence of his OAvn private character, and resume his original plan of the History of the Rebellion. However, his noble descendants, willing to do justice to the memory of their great grandfather, and thinking it might be also of service to the public to deliver his exemplary life as complete as they could authentically collect it, have caused such parts of this manuscript, as related to the Earl of Clarendon's private life, to be extracted ; and according to their directions it is printed. The directions are as follows : " The life of Lord Chancellor Clarendon from his Birth to the Restoration of the Royal Family is extracted from a large manu script in his own hand-writing, in which i*? contained what has already been printed in the History of the Rebellion ; and there fore care has been taken to transcribe only what has never yet VI

PREFACE.

. been published : but as those passages are often intermixed with the History already printed, it has been found necessary to preserve connection by giving abstracts0 of some parts of the printed history, with references to the pages, where the reader may be satisfied more at large. And, as great pains have been taken to put this first part in the order it now stands, it is desired that in this first edition it may be printed exactly after the copy to be sent. " The original manuscript of the Continuation of Lord Chan cellor Clarendon's Life from 1660 to 1667 inclusive is very in correct, many words being omitted, that must necessarily be supplied : but it is desired that no other alterations may be made, except in the orthography, or where literal or gramma tical errors require it, or where little inaccuracies may have escaped the attention' of the author.

The work must be printed entire, as it now stands, no part of it left out, not an abstract, nor a reference omitted." These directions have been punctually observed. The second part is printed from his lordship's manuscript en tire, without any omission or variation, except as above ; and Avith regard to the first part, the extract sent to us has been carefully compared Avith the original manuscript itself, and found to agree : so that the whole here offered to the public is the genuine M'ork of the Lord Chancellor Clarendon. And both these valuable original manuscripts are given to the University by our noble benefactressesj to be deposited in the public library. c The passages here referred to are now printed in Italics. The present edition of the Life and Continuation is printed on the plan adopted in the impression of the History of the Rebellion published in 1849, the particulars of which are stated in p. iv. of the Advertisement to that edition. i THE LIFE OF EDWARD EARL OF CLARENDON; FROM HIS BIRTH TO THE RESTORATION OF THE ROYAL FAMILY IN THE YEAR 1660.

Part I

Montpelier, July 2:3, 1668. JtXE was born in Dinton in the county of Wilts, six miles from Salisbury, in the house of his father, who Avas Henry Hyde, the third son of Laurence Hyde, of West- Hatch, esquire ; which Laurence was the younger son of Robert Hyde of Norbury in the county of Chester, esquire ; which estate of Norbury had continued in that family, and descended from father to son from before the Con quest, and continues to this day in EdAvard Hyde, M'ho is possessed thereof: the other estate of Hyde having some ages since fallen into that of Norbury, by a marriage, and continues still in that house. Laurence, being, as was said, the younger son of Robert Hyde of Norbury, and the custom of that county of Ches ter being to make small provisions for the younger sons of the best families, was, by the care and providence of his mother, well educated, and M'hen his age Avas fit for it, Avas placed as a clerk in one of the auditor's offices of the exchequer, where he gained great experience, and Avas CLARENDON, LIFE, VOL. I. B I. 2 Some account of Mr. Hyde's family .* 0 employed in the affairs and business of sir John Thynne, who, under the protection and service of the duke of So merset, had in a short time raised a very great estate, and was the first of that name who was known, and left the house of Longleat to his heir, with other lands to a great value.

Laurence Hyde continued not above a year (or very little more) in that relation, and never gained any thing by it; but shortly after married Anne, the relict and widoAV of Matthew Calthurst, esquire, of Claverton near Bath in the county of Somerset, by whom he had a fair fortune : and by her had four sons and four daughters, that is to say, Robert, Laurence, Henry, and Nicholas ; Joanna, married to EdAvard Younge of Durnford near Salisbury, esquire; Alice, married to John St. Loe of Kingston in the county of Wilts, esquire ; Anne, married to Thomas Baynard of Wanstrow in the county of So merset, esquire ; and Susanna, married to sir George Fuy of Kyneton in the county of Wilts, knight : and these four sons and four daughters lived all above forty years after the death of their father. Laurence, shortly after his marriage with Anne, purchased the manor of West-Hatch, where he died, and several other lands ; and having taken care to breed his sons at the University of Oxford, and inns of court, leaAing his wife, the mother of all his children, possessed of the greatest part of his estate, presuming that she would be careful and kind to all their children, upon that account left the bulk of his estate to Robert his eldest son, who married Anne the daughter of Castilian of Benham in the county of Berks, esquire, who had many children, and lived to the age of eighty, and left his estate, a little impaired by the marriage of many daugh ters, to his son.

To Laurence his second son (who was afterwards sir Laurence, and attorney general to queen Anne, and a lawyer of great name and practice) he left the impropriate rectory of Dinton, after the life of Anne ■4 4 of his father. ( 1 608.) his mother, charged vvith an annuity of forty pounds per annum to his third son Henry for his life; and he charged some other part of his estate with an annuity of thirty pounds per annum to his youngest son Nicholas, for his life, relying upon the goodness of his wife, who was left very rich, as well by his donation, as from her husband Calthurst, that she would provide for the better support of the younger children ; tAvo of which raised their for tunes by the law, Laurence, as was said before, being attorney general to the queen, and Nicholas, the youngs son, living to be lord chief justice of the king's bench, and dying in that office ; both of them leaving behind them many sons and daughters. *.

Henry, the third son, being of the Middle Temple at his father's death, and being thought to be most in the favour of his mother, and being ready to be called to the bar, though he had studied the laAV very Avell, and Avas a very good scholar, having proceeded master of arts in Oxford, had yet no mind to the practice of the law, but had long had an inclination to travel beyond the seas, which in that strict time of queen Elizabeth was not usual, except to merchants, and such gentlemen avIio resolved to be soldiers; and at last prevailed with his mother to give him leave to go to the Spa for his health, from whence he followed his former inclinations, and passing through Ger many, he went into Italy, and from Florence he went to Syena, and thence to Rome : which was not only strictly inhibited to all the queen's subjects, but Mas very danger ous to all the English nation M'ho did not profess them selves Roman catholics ; to which profession he Avas very averse, in regard of the great animosity Sixtus Quintus (M'ho was then pope) had to the person of queen Eliza beth : yet cardinal Allen, Avho Mas the last English cardinal, being then in Rome, he received so much protection from him, that during the time he stayed there, which Avas some months, he received no trouble, though many B I.4 -I- Of Mr. Hyde's father.

English priests murmured very much, and said, " that my lord cardinal was much to be blamed for protecting such men, who came to Rome, and so seeing the ecclesiastical persons of that nation, discovered them afterwards when they came into England, and so they were put to death." 5 After he was returned into England his mother was very glad, and persuaded him very earnestly to marry, offering him in that case, that whereas she had the rectory of Dinton in jointure for her life, upon which he had only an annuity of forty pounds per annum, for his life, the remainder being to come to Laurence the second brother and his heirs for ever, she would immediately resign her term to him, for his better support, and would likewise purchase of Laurence the said rectory for the life of Henry, and such a wife as he should marry; upon which encouragement, and depending still upon his mother's future bounty, about the thirtieth year of his age, he married Mary, one of the daughters and heirs of Edward Langford of Trowbridge in the county of Wilts, esquire, by whom in present, and after her mother, he had a good fortune, in the account of that age.

From that time, he lived a private life at Dinton aforesaid, with great cheerfulness and content, and with a general reputation throughout the whole country ; being a person of great knowledge and reputation, and of so great esteem for integrity, that most persons near him referred all matters of contention and difference which did arise amongst them to his determination ; by which, that part of the country lived in more peace and quietness than many of their neighbours. During the time of queen Elizabeth he served as a burgess for some neighbour boroughs in many parliaments; but from the death of queen Elizabeth, he never was in London, though he lived above thirty years after; and his wife, who was married to him above forty years, never was in London in her life ; the wisdom and frugality of that time being Birth of Mr. Hyde.

(i6oy.) 5 such, that few gentlemen made journeys to London, or any other expensive journeys, but upon important busi ness, and their wives never ; by which providence they enjoyed and improved their estates in the country, aud kept good hospitality in their houses, brought up their children well, and were beloved by their neighbours ; and in this rank, and with this reputation, this gentleman lived till he was seventy years of age; his younger brother the chief justice dying some years before him, and his two elder brothers outliving him.

The great affection betAA'een the four brothers, and towards their sisters, of whom all enjoyed plenty and coiitentedne-^s, was very notorious throughout the country, and of credit to them all. 6 Henry Hyde, the third son of Laurence, by his intermarriage with Mary Langford, had four sons and five daughters, and being by the kindness and bounty of his mother, who lived long, and till he had seven or eight children, possessed of such an estate as made his condition easy to him, lived still in the country, as Avas said before, Laurence his eldest son died young; Henry his second son lived till he was tAventy-six or twenty-seven yea age ; Edward his third son was he avIio came afterwards to be earl of Clarendon, and lord high chancellor of England ; Nicholas died young ; Henry and EdAvard Avere both in the university of Oxford together ; Henry being master of arts the act before his younger brother Edward came to the university, who Avas then but thirteen years of age, and designed by his father to the clergy. 7 EdAvard Hyde, being the third son of his father, Avas born at Dinton upon the eighteenth day of February in the year 1608, being the fifth year of king James; and was always bred in his father's house under the care of a schoolmaster, to Avhom his father had giA'en the vicarago of that parish, avIio, having been always a schoolmaster; ■(though but of very indifferent parts,) had bred many good scholars, and this person of Avhom we now speak, prin- Mr. Hyde is sent to Oxford: 1-7 6 cipally by the care and conversation of his father, (who was an excellent scholar, and took pleasure in conferring with him, and contributed much more to his education than the school did,) was thought fit to be sent to the university soon after he was thirteen years of age; and being a younger son of a younger brother, was to expect a small patrimony from his father, but to make his own fortune by his own industry; and in order to that, was sent by his father to Oxford at that time, being about Magdalen election time, in expectation that he should have been chosen demy of Magdalen college, the election being to be at that time, for which he was recommended by a special letter from king James to Dr.

Langton then president of that college ; but upon pretence that the letter came too late, though the election M'as not then begun, he was not chosen, and so remained in Magdalen hall (where he was before admitted) under the tuition of Mr. John Oliver, a fellow of that college, who had been junior of the act a month before, and a scholar of eminency, who was his tutor. 8 The year following, the president of the college having received reprehension from the lord Conway then secretary of state, for giving no more respect to the king's letter, he was chosen the next election in the first place, but that whole year passed without any avoidance of a demy's place, which was never known before in any man's memory, and that year king James died, and shortly after, Henry his elder brother, and thereupon his father having now no other son, changed his former inclination, and resolved to send his son Edward to the inns of court : he was then entered in the Middle Temple by his uncle Nicholas Hyde, who M'as then treasurer of that society, and aftervA'ards lord chief justice of the king's bench ; but by reason of the great plague then at London in the first year of king Charles, and the parliament being then adjourned to Oxford, whither the plague Avas likewise then ■9 9 iters the Middle Temple.

(1625.) brought by sir James Hussy, one of the masters of the chancery, Avho died in New college the first night after his arrival at Oxford, and shortly after Dr. Chaloner, principal of Alban hall, who had supped that night with sir James Hussy, he did not go to the Middle Temple till the Michaelmas term after the term at Reading, but re mained partly at his father's house, and partly at the university, where he took the degree of bachelor of arts, and then left it, rather with the opiniou of a young man of parts and pregnancy of wit, than that he had improved it much by industry, the discipline of that time being not so strict as it hath been since, and as it ought to be; and the custom of drinking being too much introduced and practised, his elder brother having being too much cor rupted in that kind, and so having at his first coming given him some liberty, at least some example towards that license, insomuch as he Avas often heard to say, "that it was a very good fortune to him that his father so soon removed him from the university," though he ahvays re served a high esteem of it. 1 Before the beginning of Michaelmas term (which was in the year 1625) the city being then clear from the plague, he went from Marlborough after the quarter sessions with his uncle Nicholas Hyde, avIio Avas aftei'Mards chief justice, to London, and arrived there about ten of the clock in the morning, the eve of the term, and dined that day in the Middle Temple hall, being then betAveen sixteen and seventeen years of age.

In the eA'euing he went to prayers to the Temple church, and was there seized upon by a fit of an ague very violently, M-hich proved a quartan, and brought him in a short time so weak, that his friends much feared a consumption, so that his uncle thought fit shortly after Alhollandtide to send him into the country to Pirtou in North Wiltshire. whither his father had removed himself from Dinton ; choosing rather to live upon his oavii land, the which la' I.9 Mr. Hyde sets out 8 had purchased many years before, and to rent Dinton, which was but a lease for lives, to a tenant. He came home to his father's house very weak, his ague continuing so violently upon him (though it sometimes changed its course from a quartan to a tertian, and then to a quoti dian, and on new year's day he had two hot fits and two cold fits) until Whitsunday following, that all men thought him to be in a consumption ; it then left him, and he greAv quickly strong again.

In this time of his sickness his uncle was made chief justice : it was Michaelmas following before he returned to the Middle Temple, having by his want of health lost a full year of study ; and when he returned, it was Avithout great application to the study of the law for some years, it being then a time when the town was full of soldiers, the king having then a war both M'ith Spain and France, and the business of the Isle of Ree shortly folloMed ; and he had gotten into the acquaintance of many of those officers, which took up too much of his time for one year : but as the war was quickly ended, so he had the good fortune quickly to make a full retreat from that company, and from any conversation with any of them, and Avithout any hurt or prejudice from their conversation; insomuch as he used often to say, " that since it pleased God to preserve him whilst he did keep that company, (in Avhich he wonderfully escaped from being involved in many inconveniences,) and to withdraw him so soon from it, he Mas not sorry that he had some experience in the conversation of such men, and of the license of those times," which was veiy exorbitant : yet when he did indulge himself that liberty, it M'as Avith out any signal debauchery, and not M'ithout some hours every day, at least every night, spent amongst his books ; yet he would not deny that more than to be able to ansM'er his uncle, who almost every night put a case to him in law, he could not bring himself to an industrious pursuit of the law study, but rather loved polite learning and on the Norfolk circuit.

(1628.) 9 10 history, in which, especially in the Roman, he had been always conversant. In the year 1628 his father gave him leave to ride the circuit in the summer with his uucle the chief justice, who then rode the Norfolk circuit; and indeed desired it, both that he might see those counties, and especially that he might be out of London in that season A\'hen the smallpox raged very furiously, and many persons, some whereof were very familiar with him, died of that disease in the Middle Temple itself. It was about the middle of July when that circuit began, and Cambridge Mas the first place the judges begun at ; Mr. justice Harvey (one of the judges of the common pleas) was in commission with the chief justice : they both came into Cambridge on the Saturday night, and the next day Mr. Edward Hyde fell sick, which was imputed only to his journey the day before in very hot weather; but he continued so ill the day or tAvo folloAving, that it Avas apprehended that he might have the smallpox ; whereupon he Avas removed out of Trinity college, Avhere the judges Avere lodged, and M'here he had a chamber, to the Sun inn, over against _the college gate, the judges being to go out of toAvn the next day ; but before they went, the small pox appeared ; AA'hereupon his uncle put him under the care of Mr. Crane an eminent apothecary, who had been bred up under Dr. Butler, and M'as in much greater practice than any physician in the university ; and left with him Laurence St. Loe one of his servants, Avho av;is likeMise his nephew, to assist and comfort him.

It pleased God to preserve him from that devouring disease, which was spread all over him very furiously, and had so far prevailed over him, that for some hours both his friends and physician consulted of nothing but of the place and man ner of his burial ; but as I said, by God's goodness he escaped that sickness, and within few days more than a month after his first indisposition he parsed in moderate Character of sir Nicholas Hyde. I 1 : 10 1 1 ■ 2 journeys to his father's house at Pirton, where he arrived a day or two before Bartholomew day.

He was often wont to say, that he Avas reading to his father in Camden's Annals, and that particular place, in which it is said, "Johannes Feltonus, qui bullam pontificiam valvis palatii episcopi Londinensis affixerat jam deprehen sus, cumfugere nollet, factum confessus quod tamen crimen agnoscere noluit," &c. when a person of the neighbourhood knocked at the door, and being called in, told his father that a post was then passed through the village to Charleton, the house of the earl of Berkshire to inform the earl of Berkshire that the duke of Buckingham was killed the day before (being the 24th of August, Bartho lomeAv day, in the year 1628) by one John Feltona, which dismal accident happening in the court, made a great change in the state, produced a sudden disbanding of all armies, and a due observation of and obedience to the laws ; so that there being no more mutations in view (which usually affect the spirits of young men, at least hold them some time at gaze) Mr. Hyde returned again to his studies at the Middle Temple, having it still in his resolution to dedicate himself to the profession of the law, without declining the politer learning, to which his humour and his conversation kept him ahvays very indulgent; and to lay some obligation upon himself to be fixed to that course of life, he inclined to a proposition of marriage, which, having no other passion in it than an appetite to a convenient estate, succeeded not, yet produced new ac quaintance, and continued the same inclinations.

About this time his uncle sir Nicholas Hyde, lord chief justice of the king's bench, died of a malignant fever, gotten from the infection of some gaol in his summer circuit. He was a man of excellent learning for that a For the particulars of the duke of Buckingham's death, and of the alterations it produced at court and in public affairs, vid. Hist, of the Rebellion, vol. i, p. 37, &c. ed. 1849. marriage: death of his wife. (1629.) 11 province he was to govern, of unsuspected and unble mished integrity, of an exemplar gravity and austerity, which was necessary for the manners of that time, corrupted by the marching of armies, and by the license after the disbanding them ; and though upon his promotion some years before, from a private practiser of the law to the supreme judicatory in it, by the poMer aud recom mendation of the great favourite, of whose council he had been, he was exposed to much envy and some prejudice ; yet his behaviour M'as so grateful to all the judges, who had an entire confidence in him, his service so useful to the king in his government, his justice and sincerity so conspicuous throughout the kingdom, that the death of no judge had in any time been more lamented.

The loss of so beneficial an encouragement and sup port in that profession did not at all discourage his nephew in his purpose ; rather added new resolution to him ; and to call home all straggling and Avandering appetites, which naturally produce irresolution and inconstancy in the mind, with his father's consent and approbation he married a young lady very fair and beautiful, the daughter of sir George Ayliffe, a gentleman of a good name and fortune in the county of Wilts, where his OAvn expectations lay, and by her mother (a St. John) nearly allied to many noble families in England. He enjoyed this comfort and composure of mind a very short time, for within less than six months after he Avas married, being upon the way from London toAvards his father's house, she fell sick at Reading, and being removed to a friend's house near that town, the small pox discovered themselves, and (she being with child) forced her to miscarry ; and she died within tAvo days.