r ourselves that we always
continue to be so, or at least forget how much we are mistaken in it.

63.

By BURNET.

The King was then thirty years of age, and, as might have been
supposed, past the levities of youth and the extravagance of pleasure.
He had a very good understanding. He knew well the state of affairs
both at home and abroad. He had a softness of temper that charmed all
who came near him, till they found how little they could depend on
good looks, kind words, and fair promises; in which he was liberal
to excess, because he intended nothing by them, but to get rid of
importunities, and to silence all farther pressing upon him. He seemed
to have no sense of religion: Both at prayers and sacrament he, as it
were, took care to satisfy people, that he was in no sort concerned in
that about which he was employed. So that he was very far from being
an hypocrite, unless his assisting at those performances was a sort of
hypocrisy, (as no doubt it was:) But he was sure not to encrease that
by any the least appearance of religion. He said once to my self, he
was no atheist, but he could not think God would make a man miserable
only for taking a little pleasure out of the way. He disguised his
Popery to the last. But when he talked freely, he could not help
letting himself out against the liberty that under the Reformation
all men took of enquiring into matters of religion: For from their
enquiring into matters of religion they carried the humour farther,
to enquire into matters of state. He said often, he thought government
was a much safer and easier thing where the authority was believed
infallible, and the faith and submission of the people was implicite:
About which I had once much discourse with him. He was affable and
easy, and loved to be made so by all about him. The great art of
keeping him long was, the being easy, and the making every thing easy
to him. He had made such observations on the _French_ government, that
he thought a King who might be checkt, or have his Ministers called
to an account by a Parliament, was but a King in name. He had a great
compass of knowledge, tho' he was never capable of much application
or study. He understood the Mechanicks and Physick; and was a good
Chymist, and much set on several preparations of Mercury, chiefly the
fixing it. He understood navigation well: But above all he knew the
architecture of ships so perfectly, that in that respect he was exact
rather