1829.] AJairs ill General. 431 



that it has the merit of antiquity, and written by an author of whom we 

 have only the initials W. B. So that it was probably written by some 

 lover of truth, who knew popery too well to trust it with the secret of 

 an honest man's name. 



The Duke. — " He was the greatest hypocrite that lived in the realm of 

 England, and knew no use of language, but, as the witty Italian said, for 

 the disguise of his thought. He had a habit of lofty talldng, which con- 

 sisted of abrupt sayings and proud maxims, which he would deliver in a 

 very solemn, and, as it were, passionate manner, particularly caring, how- 

 ever, that they were said only to tliose with whom he could take that 

 licence without fear, namely, certain slavish lords about the court, and 

 also commoners, for whom nobody had any soi't of honour. 



'' He was very liberal of what was not in his own gripe, and would 

 rather part with one hundred pistoles he had not in his own keeping, 

 than with one twenty shilling piece from his own pocket. 



" He was crafty and cunning in ]5etty things ,as the circumventing any 

 great man, or the change of a public servant, insomuch, that a very wise 

 man was wont to say, that ' he believed him the wisest Duke in Chris- 

 tendom ;' tliereby meaning him wise in small things, but a fool in 

 weighty affairs. 



" In his early days he was, like James I., afraid of the sight of a sword ; 

 though tliis went off after, and he saw some fighting with foreigners ; 

 and when he came to the throne, there were enough to call him 

 Hannibal and Alexander, and such like names ; but wise men said that 

 there was more luck in all this than nature. 



" He ever desired to prefer mean men to gTeat places, that when he 

 turned them out, they should have no friend to bandy with them ; and, 

 besides, tliey were so hated for their meanness, that every one held it 

 a pretty recreation to have them often turned out. 



" One of his pleasantest ti'icks was to keep people waiting for dead men's 

 shoes, whereby he made his flatterers many, and his expectants slaves. 

 Thus was he wont to say, when he wished to keep men quiet — " So 

 and so is a going — or he hath a mortal disease — or his physician doth 

 declare that nought but a voyage to tlie Western Indies can help," or 

 such like speech, to freslien their faith, tired by a too long disappoint- 

 ment. Thus he had at one instant three lords treasurers, four keepers, 

 seven first secretaries, three chief justices of the king, one hundred 

 bishops at the least, being more than double the actual and existent 

 prelacy, two masters of the rolls, besides a mighty multitude of deans, 

 counsel to the king, king's chaplains, judges, generals, and so forth, all 

 willing to be servants to tlie king, though few of them, poor devils, 

 ever tasted of the king's l)ay, so he had his use out of them, cheating 

 them to their faces, wliere.at the people were well pleased. This I 

 account one of his best devices. 



" He was always tallcing of himself as one of the poorest men in his 

 own realm, and yet what he did with the large sums that he contrived 

 to squeeze out of the people, no man can tell unto this day. He 

 encouraged nothing in the way of the past raonarchs of this great and 

 gracious c )untvy, neither learned men, nor great divines, nor poets, nor 

 famous men for handling the pencil, nor the like. But always getting 

 and never giving, he was, nevertheless, always seemingly a beggar. 

 Where his money went I wot not; though Sir Hildebrand IMontague 

 said, with a bold wit, * tliat his prayers and his purse went together to 

 the .' " 



