hat such a grace as made him
to be fear'd, yet he was never outragious in passion; he had a very
good facultie in perswading, and would speake very well pertinently
and effectually without premeditation upon the greatest occasions
that could be offer'd, for indeed his judgment was so nice, that he
could never frame any speech beforehand to please himselfe, but his
invention was so ready and wisdome so habituall in all his speeches,
that he never had reason to repent himselfe of speaking at any time
without ranking the words beforehand, he was not talkative yett free
of discourse, of a very spare diett, not much given to sleepe, an
early riser when in health, he never was at any time idle, and hated
to see any one elce soe, in all his naturall and ordinary inclinations
and composure, there was somthing extraordinary and tending to vertue,
beyond what I can describe, or can be gather'd from a bare dead
description; there was a life of spiritt and power in him that is not
to be found in any copie drawne from him: to summe up therefore all
that can be sayd of his outward frame and disposition wee must truly
conclude, that it was a very handsome and well furnisht lodging
prepar'd for the reception of that prince, who in the administration
of all excellent vertues reign'd there awhile, till he was called back
to the pallace of the universall emperor.

44.

THE EARL OF ESSEX.

_Robert Devereux, third Earl of Essex._

_Born 1591. Died 1646._

By CLARENDON.

The Earle of Essex hath bene enough mentioned before, his nature and
his understandinge have bene described, his former disobligations
from the Courte, and then his introduction into it, and afterwards his
beinge displaced from the office he held in it, have bene sett forth,
and ther will be occasion heareaffter to renew the discource of him,
and therfore it shall suffice in this place to say, that a weake
judgement, and a little vanity, and as much of pryde, will hurry a
man into as unwarrantable and as violent attempts, as the greatest and
most unlimited and insaciable ambition will doe. He had no ambition
of title, or office, or praeferment, but only to be kindly looked
upon, and kindly spoken to, and quyetly to injoy his owne fortune, and
without doubte, no man in his nature more abhorred rebellion then he
did, nor could he have bene ledd into it by any open or transparent
temptation, but by a thousand disguises and cozinages. His pryde
supplyed his want