Life of the Duke 85 



never sure after one meal to have another: and 

 though I was not afraid of starving or begging, yet 

 my chief fear was, that My Lord for his debts would 

 suffer imprisonment, where sadness of mind, and 

 want of exercise, and air, would have wrought his 

 destruction, which yet by the mercy of God he happily 

 avoided. 



Some time before the restauration of His Majesty 

 to his royal throne, My Lord, partly with the 

 remainder of his brother's estate, which was but little, 

 it being wasted by selling of land for compounding 

 with the parliament, paying of several debts, and 

 buying out the two houses aforementioned, viz. 

 Welbeck and Bolsover ; and the credit which his sons 

 had got, which amounted in all to ^£2400 a year, 

 sprinkled something amongst his creditors, and 

 borrowed so much of Mr. Top and Mr. Smith (though 

 without assurance) that he could pay such scores 

 as were most pressing, contracted from the poorer 

 sort of tradesmen, and send ready mony to market, 

 to avoid cozenage (for small scores run up most 

 unreasonably, especially if no strict accounts be kept, 

 and the rate be left to the creditor's pleasure) by 

 which means there was in a short time so much saved, 

 as it could not have been imagined. 



About this time, a report came of a great number 

 of sectaries, and of several disturbances in England, 

 which heightened My Lord's former hopes into a firm 

 belief of a sudden change in that kingdom, and a 

 happy restauration of His Majesty, which it also 

 pleased God to send according to his expectation; 

 for His Majesty was invited by his subjects, who were 

 not able longer to endure those great confusions and 

 encumbrances they had sustained hitherto, to take 

 possession of his hereditary rights, and the power of 



