You have Restor’d, Adorn’d, and Repair’d our Courts of Judicature, turning the Shambles where your Subjects were lately butcher’d, into a Tribunal, where they may now expect due Justice; and have furnish’d the Supreame seat there with a Chancelour of antient candor, rare experience; just, prudent, learned and faithfull; in summe, one, whose merits beget universal esteem, and is amongst the greatest indications of your Majesties skill in persons, as well as in their Talents and perfections to serve you.  Thus you have gratified the long robe, so as now again,

           Te propter colimus leges, animosque ferarum
    Exuimus——­And there is hope we may again be civiliz’d.

For you are (we hear) publishing Sumptuary Lawes to represse the wantonness and excess of Apparel, as you have already testifi’d your abhorrency of Duelling, that infamous and dishonourable gallantry:  In fine, you have establish’d so many excellent constitutions, that you seem to leave nothing for us to desire, or your Successor to add either in the Ethicall or Politicall.

——­Similem quae pertulit aetas
Consilio, vel Marte virum?——­

O happy Greece for Eloquence, that hast celebrated the fortune of thy Heroes trifling Adventures! who shall set forth and immortalize the glory of our illustrious Prince, and advance Great CHARLES to the skies?  You had Poets indeed that sung the fate of an unfortunate Lady, the theft of a simple fleece; what wouldst thou have done, had the glorious Actions of such a King been spread before thee, who has not robbed with Armies, depopulated Cities, or violated the Rights of Hospitality; but restor’d a broken Nation, repair’d a ruin’d Church, reform’d, and re-establish’d our ancient Laws; in summe, who has at once render’d us perfectly happy?  What then have we to do with Augustus, or Titus, with Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus, Theodosius or even Constantine himself?  There is not in any, there is not in all these Subjects more worthy of praise, and to which your Majesty; O best of Princes, ought at all to render.

We are told Periculosae rem aleae esse, de iis scribere quibus sis obstrictus; because it is so difficult to observe a mediocrity, where our affections are engaged:  But your Majesty is as secure from flattery, as your Virtues are above its reach; and to write thus of ill Princes, were both a shame and a punishment:  For this the Senate condemn’d the History of Cremutius to the flames; and Spartianus told Dioclesian boldly, how hard it would be to write their Commentaries, except it were to record their Impudence, Murthers, Injustice, and the (for most part) fatal periods of Tyrants; which if any esteem a glory, you envy not, whilst your Majesty is resolv’d to secure your own by your virtue and your Justice; so as no age to come shall possibly find an aemulator, or produce an equall.