Characters from 17th Century Histories and Chronicles eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 391 pages of information about Characters from 17th Century Histories and Chronicles.

Characters from 17th Century Histories and Chronicles eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 391 pages of information about Characters from 17th Century Histories and Chronicles.
them for his exercise, he had greate judgment in paintings, graving, sculpture, and all liberal arts, and had many curiosities of vallue in all kinds, he took greate delight in perspective glasses, and for his other rarities was not so much affected with the antiquity as the merit of the worke—­he took much pleasure in emproovement of grounds, in planting groves and walkes, and fruite-trees, in opening springs and making fish-ponds; of country recreations he lov’d none but hawking, and in that was very eager and much delighted for the time he us’d it, but soone left it off; he was wonderful neate, cleanly and gentile in his habitt, and had a very good fancy in it, but he left off very early the wearing of aniething that was costly, yett in his plainest negligent habitt appear’d very much a gentleman; he had more addresse than force of body, yet the courage of his soule so supplied his members that he never wanted strength when he found occasion to employ it; his conversation was very pleasant for he was naturally chearful, had a ready witt and apprehension; he was eager in every thing he did, earnest in dispute, but withall very rationall, so that he was seldome overcome, every thing that it was necessary for him to doe he did with delight, free and unconstrein’d, he hated cerimonious complement, but yett had a naturall civillity and complaisance to all people, he was of a tender constitution, but through the vivacity of his spiritt could undergo labours, watchings and journeyes, as well as any of stronger compositions; he was rheumatick, and had a long sicknesse and distemper occasion’d thereby two or three yeares after the warre ended, but elce for the latter halfe of his life was healthy tho’ tender, in his youth and childhood he was sickly, much troubled with weaknesse and tooth akes, but then his spiritts carried him through them; he was very patient under sicknesse or payne or any common accidints, but yet upon occasions, though never without just ones, he would be very angrie, and had even in that 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.

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Characters from 17th Century Histories and Chronicles from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.