any yeeres; And in this retirement, the discountenance which his
father underwent at Courte, the conversation of that family into which
he was now marryed, the bewitchinge popularity which flowed upon him
with a wounderfull Torrent, with the want of those guardes which a
good education should have supplyed him with, by the cleere notion of
the foundation of the Ecclesiasticall as well as the Civill goverment,
made a greate impression upon his understandinge (for his nature was
never corrupted but remayned still in its integrity) and made him
believe, that the Courte was inclined to hurte and even to destroy the
country, and from particular instances to make generall and daungerous
conclusions. They who had bene alwayes enimyes to the Church,
praevayled with him to lessen his reverence for it, and havinge not
bene well instructed to defende it, [he] yeilded to easily to those
who confidently assaulted it, and thought it had greate errors which
were necessary to be reformed, and that all meanes are lawfull to
compasse that which is necessary, wheras the true Logique is, that
the thinge desyred is not necessary, if the wayes are unlawfull which
are proposed to bringe it to passe. No man was courted with more
application by persons of all conditions and qualityes, and his
person was not lesse acceptable to those of steddy and uncorrupted
principles, then to those of depraved inclinations; and in the
end, even his piety administred some excuse to him, for his fathers
infirmityes and transgressions had so farr exposed him to the
inquisition of justice, that he found it necessary to procure the
assistance and protection of those, who were stronge enough to violate
justice itselfe, and so he adhered to those, who were best able to
defende his fathers honour, and therby to secure his owne fortune, and
concurred with them in ther most violent designes, and gave reputation
to them; and the Courte as unskilfully, tooke an occasion to soone to
make him desperate, by accusinge him of high Treason, when (though he
might be guilty enough,) he was without doubte in his intentions at
least as innocent, as any of the leadinge men; and it is some evidence
that God Almighty saw his hearte was not so malicious as the rest,
that he praeserved him to the end of the confusion, when he appeared
as gladd of the Kings restoration, and had heartily wished it
longe before, and very few who had a hand in the contrivance of the
rebellion gave so manife