uch in his presence, and so admitted to that
conversation with which that prince always abounded at his meals. He
had not acted five weeks on this stage, to use the noble historian's
expression, till he mounted higher, being knighted, and made gentleman
of the bed-chamber, and knight of the most noble order of the garter,
and in a short time a baron, a viscount, an earl, a marquis, and lord
high-admiral of England, lord warden of the cinque ports, master of
the horse, and entirely disposed all the favours of the King, acting
as absolutely in conferring honours and distinctions, as if he himself
had wore the diadem.

We find him soon after making war or peace, according to humour,
resentment, or favour. He carried the prince of Wales into Spain to
see the Infanta, who was proposed to him as a wife; and it plainly
enough appears, that he was privy to one intrigue of prince Charles,
and which was perhaps the only one, which that prince, whom all
historians, whether friends or enemies to his cause; have agreed to
celebrate for chastity, and the temperate virtues. There is an
original letter of prince Charles to the duke, which was published by
Mr. Thomas Hearne, and is said once to have belonged to archbishop
Sancroft. As it is a sort of curiosity we shall here insert it,

"STENNY,

"I have nothing now to write to you, but to give you thankes both for
the good councell ye gave me, and for the event of it. The King gave
mee a good sharpe potion, but you took away the working of it by the
well relished comfites ye sent after it. I have met with the partie,
that must not be named, once alreddie, and the culler of wryting this
letter shall make mee meet with her on saturday, although it is
written the day being thursday. So assuring you that the bus'ness goes
safely onn, I rest

"Your constant friend
"CHARLES.

"I hope you will not shew the King this letter, but put it in the safe
custody of mister Vulcan."

It was the good fortune of this nobleman to have an equal interest
with the son as with the father; and when prince Charles ascended the
throne, his power was equally extensive, and as before gave such
offence to the House of Commons and the people, that he was voted an
enemy to the realm, and his Majesty was frequently addressed to remove
him from his councils. Tho' Charles I. had certainly more virtues, and
was of a more military turn than his father, yet in the circumstance
of doating upon favourites, he w