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 more than became a Prince.  His apprehension was quick, and his memory good.  He was an everlasting talker.  He told his stories with a good grace:  But they came in his way too often.  He had a very ill opinion both of men and women; and did not think that there was either sincerity or chastity in the world out of principle, but that some had either the one or the other out of humour or vanity.  He thought that no body did serve him out of love:  And so he was quits with all the world, and loved others as little as he thought they loved him.  He hated business, and could not be easily brought to mind any:  But when it was necessary, and he was set to it, he would stay as long as his Ministers had work for him.  The ruine of his reign, and of all his affairs, was occasioned chiefly by his delivering himself up at his first coming over to a mad range of pleasure.

64.

By BURNET.

Thus lived and died King Charles the second.  He was the greatest instance in history of the various revolutions of which any one man seemed capable.  He was bred up, the first twelve years of his life, with the splendor that became the heir of so great a Crown.  After that he past thro’ eighteen years in great inequalities, unhappy in the war, in the loss of his Father, and of the Crown of England. Scotland did not only receive him, tho’ upon terms hard of digestion, but made an attempt upon England for him, tho’ a feeble one.  He lost the battle of Worcester with too much indifference:  And then he shewed more care of his person, than became one who had so much at stake.  He wandered about England for ten weeks after that, hiding from place to place.  But, under