The Second Book 59 



After my return out of England, to my Lord, the creditors 

 supposing I had brought great store of money along with me, 

 came all to my Lord to solicit the payment of their debts ; but 

 when my Lord had informed them of the truth of the business 

 and desired their patience somewhat longer, with assurance 

 that so soon as he received any money, he would honestly and 

 justly satisfy them, they were not only willing to forbear the 

 payment of those debts he had contracted hitherto, but to 

 credit him for the future, and supply him with such necessaries 

 as he should desire of them. And this was the only happiness 

 which my Lord had in his distressed condition, and the chief 

 blessing of the eternal and merciful God, in whose power are 

 all things, who ruled the hearts and minds of men, and filled 

 them with charity and compassion. For certainly it was a 

 work of Divine Providence, that they showed so much love, 

 respect, and honour to my Lord, a stranger to their nation ; 

 and notwithstanding his ruined condition, and the small 

 appearance of recovering his own, credited him wheresoever 

 he lived, both in France, Holland, Brabant, and Germany ; 

 that although my Lord was banished his native country, 

 and dispossessed from his own estate, could nevertheless live 

 in so much splendour and grandeur as he did. 



In this condition (and how little soever the appearance was) 

 my Lord was never' without hopes of seeing yet (before his 

 death) a happy issue of all his misfortunes and sufferings, 

 especially of the restoration of his most gracious King and 

 master, to his throne and kingly rights, whereof he always had 

 assured hopes, well knowing, that it was impossible for the 

 kingdom to subsist long under so many changes of govern- 

 ment ; ,,and whensoever I expressed how little faith I had in 

 it, he would gently reprove me, saying, I believed least, what I 

 desired most ; and could never be happy if I endeavoured to 

 exclude all hopes, and entertained nothing but doubts and 

 fears. 



the gentleness of his disposition, the humility and meekness of his nature, and the viva- 

 city of his wit, was admirable. He was so modest that he could hardly be prevailed 

 with to enlarge himself on subjects he understood better than other men, except he were 

 pressed by his very familiar friends, as if he thought it presumption to know more than 

 handsomer men use to do. Above all, his virtue and piety was such that no tempta- 

 tion could work upon him to consent to anything that swerved in the least degree from 

 the precise rules of honour, or the most severe rules of conscience.' 



Several letters from Sir Charles Cavendish to Pell are printed in the second volume 

 of Robert Vaughan's Protectorate of Cromwell, others have been printed by Halliwell, 

 Letters on Scientific Subjects (1841). 



