subscribed by adventurers for the reducing of Ireland should be paid at four payments, and if any subscriber should advance the first, and fail in any other of the three payments, he should forfeit his entire fourth part, and all the benefit of his subscription. Several persons who had made their first payment, seeing the money misapplied by the parliament for the support of the war in England, declined paying the rest. By the act of settlement, these forfeited subscriptions were vested in the king, who, by letters patent Sept. 12, 1663, granted a full third part thereof, and of all lands to be set out in satisfaction thereof, to the earl of Orrery. By the explanatory act, the king, for the better increasing of the stock of undisposed forfeited lands, to the end that more of the ancient proprietors might be restored, relinquished his satisfaction for this money out of the forfeited lands, accepting in lieu thereof thirty thousand pounds to be assessed by the lord lieutenant and council, upon the lands of such Roman catholics as were restored; the first payment to be made on May 1, and the second on Oct. 1, 1666. The poverty and distress of the kingdom hindered it from being levied at that time; and the king by his letters dated June 3, 1674, reciting that nine thousand pounds, part of the said thirty thousand pounds, had been granted to the earl of Orrery, required the lord lieutenant and council to proceed to the assessing and levying it for his benefit. They accordingly ordered a particular to be made out of all the lands chargeable with that money. The Roman catholics liable to the assessment opposed it by a petition on July 6, because the earl of Orrery had not given up his right to the third part of the money granted him, and the paying him the nine thousand pounds besides would be giving him a double satisfaction, which was never intended, and therefore prayed that he might take his satisfaction in lands according to the first act of settlement. In this way nothing could be got, since it was not to be satisfied

till satisfaction had been first made to all the adventurers, many whereof were still deficient for want of forfeited 441 lands. The same want had been the occasion that no one Roman catholic proprietor had been restored in virtue of that clause in the explanatory act about the thirty thousand pounds; and where no benefit accrued, it was hard to charge them with a burden to which they had consented purely in consideration of that benefit; which as they had never received, so the times of assessing the money had lapsed. 145 The council of Ireland, on Nov. 13 following, hearing the case, adjudged that the thirty thousand pounds was still due and payable to the king; and certifying the same into England, an order was sent from thence on Feb. 1 for levying the whole money in the most equal and indifferent manner. The duke of Ormond was then in Ireland; and though he had hitherto stuck to his resolution of not taking notice of any thing that passed in the government of that kingdom, yet on this occasion, considering the hardship it would be to the Roman catholics, he did all that he could for them at the distance he was then at from the court. That was by writing on Dec. 19 to Mr. secretary Coventry, and representing, that as the king intended, by taking that thirty thousand pounds for what devolved to him by the lapse, to enlarge the stock for the advantage of the old proprietors (who, as entitled to the sole benefit of it, were only chargeable with the compensation); so that composition not having the designed effect, it seemed reasonable to discharge them of the payment. It was apparent that those upon whom the thirty thousand pounds was to be raised neither had, nor were ever like to have, any thing in consideration of that sum; so that, though his majesty had by unavoidable. grants disposed of all or the greatest part of that money, and thereby in a manner divested himself of the means of relieving them, yet he should think the king in honour

and equity obliged to take some other way to satisfy the grantees, than by undoing in effect so many persons of quality, as, after vast expenses in recovering their lands, would in this case be charged with sums which they were in an ill condition to raise. It appeared by the assessment, that the earls of Clanrickard and Carlingford would have been obliged to pay towards it, the one two thousand six hundred and ninety pounds, and the other seven hundred and forty-four pounds, and others proportionably. The duke, when he got back to England, espoused the affair so heartily, that though such as had grants for this money were very importunate, and made strong interest to have the money raised, and did two years afterwards get an order for that purpose, yet he still found means to prevent its being levied till he was restored again to the government of Ireland; and then it was entirely laid aside.

146 It was certainly a very disagreeable time which the duke passed in this interval between his governments; yet he supported it with a temper and an equality of mind which were wonderful. He never failed to speak his mind in council upon all occasions; but, content with having done his duty, he shewed no resentment if his advice was not followed. He laboured more zealously, and with better judgment, integrity, and success, than any of the ministers, to advance the king's service, and to prevent the ill effects of the measures of an administration in which he was not concerned. All his views were directed to the support of the constitution; and he endeavoured both in and out of parliament to contribute all he could to the true service of the church and crown, without flattering any body's discontents, or embarking in any party. The duke of Buckingham pushed several times to have him put out of the stewardship of the household, but the king could never be brought to consent to that step. Yet some mortification or other was

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daily contrived and put upon the duke of Ormond to force him to quit it himself, but he bore them all with invincible patience: and as his conduct under his disgrace was so irreproachable, that his enemies could find no objection to it; so the firmness and temper which he shewed in that melancholy situation were so remark-442 able, that the bystanders admired it above every thing he had done before, and thought it the most glorious part of his life. This was the very expression which archbishop Sheldon used to sir R. Southwell on that

occasion.

Besides the main defect and objection to his grace, the inviolable attachment which he had to the church of England, there were two other things which contributed to make him out of favour at court, being extremely contrary to the humours which there prevailed. The one was, his want of complaisance at all times to those ladies whose influence and power were most prevalent. The other was, a very cold deportment towards the French interest; and either of these were misfortunes enough for a courtier. M. de Ruvigny, the French envoy, was once so frank as to complain to his grace himself, and to ask the reason why he appeared so cold, whilst every one else admired his master. The duke made him this answer, that he thought his master the greatest king that France ever had; that he governed a great nation, warlike and obedient to him, men of sense, and so well bred, that he thought even their civility was formidable. These sentiments and behaviour were so contrary to those of every body else about court, that they could not bear that the king should ever speak to him in public, or shew him any respect. One day the duke being in the drawing-room, and with his easy address and cheerful manner of conversation entertaining some who had no dependance on the court, and therefore dared to discourse with him, the king, whose great civility had engaged him to

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shew a regard to almost every body else, appeared in some confusion because he durst take no notice of his grace. The duke of Buckingham observing it, whispered in his ear, and said, "I wish your majesty would resolve me one question, whether it be the duke of Ormond that is out of favour with your majesty, or your majesty that is out of favour with the duke of Ormond? for of the two, you really look the most out of countenance."

The duke's own resolution was, never to be out of humour with his prince, however his prince might be out of humour with him. In consequence of this maxim, he still went duly every day to court to pay his compliments to the king; and though his majesty scarce ever spoke to him, industriously looking another way, and avoiding him, yet he never failed in this part of the duty and attendance of a courtier. The day that the earl of Shaftsbury was declared lord chancellor, the king broke through his ordinary rule, and, either in doubt about the wisdom of the step he had taken, or out of curiosity to know the duke of Ormond's sentiments of it, went up to him, and taking him aside to a window, asked what he thought of his giving the seals to lord Shaftsbury, whether he had done prudently or no? His grace replied, "Your majesty has doubtless acted very prudently in so doing, if you know how to get them from him again."

Nothing provoked the duke's enemies more, than that all the mortifications they threw in his way did neither on the one hand humble and make him crouch to them, nor on the other drive him to offend the king, to fling up his staff, or join with the disaffected. He knew how to maintain his dignity at court, though out of power, and to preserve his credit in the world, whilst he lived in the midst of a court where nobody else had any. This was owing chiefly to the integrity of his heart, and to the calmness and steadiness of his temper; besides, he was naturally averse to all intriguing, and hated all intriguers