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he had absolutely refused, though it was represented as necessary to keep the parliament in good humour, and defeat the schemes which his enemies were forming to exclude him from the succession. The duke of Monmouth had been made master of the horse, and was grown a great favourite at court, as well as among the populace. He was thought by the earl of Shaftesbury and the republican party a proper instrument for the carrying on their measures, imagining, that if they could once break the order of succession, and root out of the minds of the people the notions they were possessed with of an hereditary right in the prince, they could with ease establish a commonwealth on the ruins of the rightful monarchy. He was ambitious and weak, and therefore the easier to be managed by them for their purpose; to which the popularity which he much affected, and had laboured with success to gain, would not a little contri-466 bute. He was in high favour with the king at this time, and so well with the duchess of Portsmouth and the lord treasurer, that they solicited the king very earnestly to make him lord lieutenant of Ireland.

This alarmed the duke of York exceedingly, who did not care that the young spark should there get a taste of sovereignty, and be master of the whole power of that kingdom, to support his pretensions on occasion. He considered how to prevent it, and finding no person capable of being opposed to Monmouth in a competition for that government but the duke of Ormond, he laboured to restore him to the king's favour and to his former employment. He succeeded easily in a point, wherein there was not on his majesty's part so much want of inclination as there was of resolution. The suddenness of the turn, and its being brought about by the duke of York, made those whom it displeased charge his grace with popish inclinations; and even his friends the bishops, over whom the lord treasurer, setting up for a

patron of the church, had then a great ascendant, joined also for a time in this suspicion and censure. Some of them were weak enough to take the liberty of expressing their suspicions in such a manner, that the duke of Ormond was told of it; but all he said on that occasion was, that whatever particular persons in their order might utter to his disadvantage, yet it should never hinder him from reverencing their function. These suspicions and conjectures lasted but a few days, vanishing as suddenly as they had been lightly entertained.

3 All matters being settled with the earl of Essex for the surrender of the sword, the duke of Ormond set out for Ireland in the beginning of August. On Saturday the 4th of that month, the weather being wet and unseasonable, he came into Oxford at the East-Gate, between one and two in the afternoon, accompanied with fourteen coaches or more; in which, besides himself, were his duchess and other ladies, with the earls of Anglesea and Arran, the viscounts Galmoy and Longford, and several other noblemen and gentlemen. The vice-chancellor, doctors, and masters, who had been called together about an hour before, by the ringing of St. Mary's great bell, received him at the door of that church. His grace's coach stopped there and stood still, whilst Dr. South, the orator, welcomed him to Oxford by a speech in the name of the university. The undergraduates had been summoned at the same time and by the same bell as the doctors and masters, and were ranged on both sides of Southgate-street from Carfax to Christ Church. The reason why they were not placed in the High-street was because it was market-day, and that street was taken up by the stalls of butchers, and a concourse of marketing people. As the duke entered with his coach into the great quadrangle at Christ Church, he was received by the dean and students; and being conducted into his lodgings, was welcomed with a speech by Thomas vis

count Killmurrey, an upper commoner of that college. His grace, after tarrying there somewhat more than half an hour, went in his coach, with his retinue, by Merton to Magdalen college, where, being received by Dr. Henry Clerk (president of that house, and vice-chancellor of the university) and the fellows, he was entertained with another speech by Mr. Richard Annesley, bachelor of divinity, and son to the earl of Anglesea. The speech being ended, he was conducted into the hall or public refectory of the college to a noble dinner provided at the charge of the university. The next day, Mr. George Roberts of Merton, who should have preached in his own college according to custom and statute, it being the next Sunday after Lammas-day, preached at St. Mary's before the chancellor and his court. His grace went from thence to Christ Church hall, where a sumptuous dinner was provided for him at the charge of Dr. Fell, dean of that 467 house, and bishop of Oxford. In the afternoon, at three of the clock, he went to St. Mary's, where he heard a sermon preached by Mr. Haselwood of Oriel college, and then went to church prayers.

4 This was the first time that his grace had been at Oxford since his election to the office of chancellor, and he proposed to have been there at the time of the act, and to have heard the exercises. Bishop Fell, in a letter, represented to him the inconveniences of that time, as well as the fears of the university in another respect. He did not question but his grace would be moved at his being there to confer degrees by creation among the persons of his train, who would not so much receive as give honour to their titles. To these there was no objection, but only to a sort of bold and unworthy men who would thrust themselves forward, and sue for degrees purely to gain by them, and would be a reproach both to them and the university. The conferring them on such was at all times grievous to the whole body, but would be more

especially so at the time of an act, when men, after long attendance, the performance of troublesome exercises, and the payment of expensive fees, were to be admitted to those honours, which others in a moment, and without any previous qualification, might obtain by creation. The bishop represented to his grace, that he could not do an act that would more encourage the studies, or be more obliging to the sentiments of all in the university, than to shut the door against all such persons, how importunate soever they were in their requests. To prevent those solicitations, his grace deferred his journey till after the act; yet when he came, many offered themselves and pressed for degrees, which the heads of houses strenuously opposed, as an injury to those who had taken them regularly. The chancellor replied, that he had fixed a list of such as he intended to create, and he must needs make about twenty doctors; but they had no reason to fear they would make any gain or advantage by their degrees; for he would answer for all their insufficiencies. Under this elogy were a number of gentlemen in his retinue dignified.

5 On Aug. 6, at eight in the morning, a convocation was held in the theatre, where the vice-chancellor recommended to the doctors and masters several noblemen, knights, and esquires, to be created doctors either of civil law or physic; and their grace was readily granted. In the mean time the chancellor, who was in the convocation-house, and the rest of his retinue, put on scarlet habits; and when the vice-chancellor had finished, his grace, preceded by the bedels, and followed by the gentlemen in scarlet, entered the theatre, all bareheaded, whilst the organ played. Being come up to his chair, the vice-chancellor retired back, and stood on his right hand, saluting him with a short oration. When all the company was settled, the orator rose up and made a speech; which being ended, the following per

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sons were created doctors; viz. Richard earl of Arran, Piers viscount Galmoy, Francis viscount Longford, Robert Fitzgerald, son to the earl of Kildare; sir Kingsmil Lucy, baronet; sir Thomas Estcourt, sir Robert Southwell, sir Edward Scot, and sir James Boteler, knights; the colonels John Fitz-Patrick, Edward Vernon, and Garret More; major Thomas Fairfax; captain Gustavus Hamilton, George Matthews, Basil Brooke, Remigius Bermingham, Brian Fairfax, Denny Muschamp, James Thynne, Thomas Sheridan, and Henry Gascoigne, esquires. This ceremony ended, the comitia philologica began; after the two first speeches of which, the music, both vocal and instrumental, continued for half an hour; and then the rest of the performances being finished, the orator concluded all with another speech. After which, the chancellor and the doctors went into the convocation-house, and put off their formalities; and his grace having received a present of some books richly bound, 468 immediately took coach for Banbury in his way to the countess of Chesterfield's, from whence he proceeded to Ireland.

The earl of Essex was still in that kingdom, which he had taken great pains to understand thoroughly, and had governed with great integrity. Reflections however had in council been thrown upon his administration, but he was effectually vindicated from them by the duke of Ormond, who, always a friend to truth and justice, stood up in his defence, and gave such an account of his conduct as was exceedingly to his honour. This had happened in the February before, and either the recent sense of that obligation, or his real esteem for the person of the duke of Ormond, reconciled the earl of Essex very well to his successor. He was apprehensive that some other person would have been named, and in such case, when the king left the manner of his quitting the government to himself, he would have desired that lords justices might have