]?0 C O O 
cerated many years after, and was opened when he was 
chancellor. 
Upon the king’s coming over, he was fworn of his 
majefty’s privy-council. He was alfo one of the com- 
rniflionei'i for the trial of tire regicides ; and though the 
Oxford hi'ftorian is very feveve againft him on this occa- 
fion, yet he is not believed to have been any way con¬ 
cerned in betraying or Ihedding the blood of his fove- 
reign. By letters patent, dated April 20, 1661, he was 
created baron Afhley of Winborne St. Giles ; foon after 
made chancellor and under-treafurer of the exchequer, 
and then one of the lords commilfioners for executing 
the office of high treafurer. He was afterwards made 
lord lieutenant of the county of Dorfet; and, April 23, 
1672, created baron Cooper of Pawlet, in the county of 
Somerfet, and earl of Shaftefbury. November 4, follow¬ 
ing, he was raifed to the pod of lord high chancellor of 
England. The fhort time he was at the helm, was a 
feafon of dorms and tempefts ; and it is but judice to 
fay, that they could not either affright or didradl him. 
November 9, 1673, he refigned the great feal, and in a 
very fingular manner : foon after the breaking up of the 
parliament, as Echard relates, the earl was lent for on 
Sunday morning to court; as was alfo fir Heneage Finch, 
attorney-general, to whom the feals were promiled. As 
foon as the earl came, he retired with the king into the 
clofet, while the prevailing party waited in triumph to 
fee him return without the purfe. His lordfhip being 
alone with the king, faid : “ Sir, I know you intend to 
give the feals to the attorney-general, but I amfure your 
majedy never intended to difmifs me with contempt.” 
The king, who could not do an ill-natured tiling, re¬ 
plied, “ Gods fifh, my lord, I will not do it with any 
circumdance that may lock like an affront.” “Then, 
fir,” faid the earl, “ I defire your majedy will permit 
me to carry the feals before you to chapel, and fend for 
them afterwards from my houfe.” To this his majedy 
conlented; and the earl entertained the king with news and 
diverting dories, till the very minute he was to go to 
chapel, purpofely to amufe the courtiers and his fuccef- 
for, who he believed was upon the rack, for fear lie 
fiiould prevail upon the king to change his mind. The 
king and the earl came out of the clolet, talking and 
{hailing, and went together to chapel, which greatly 
furpriled them all : and Lome ran immediately to tell 
the duke of York, that all his meafures were broken. 
After divine fervice the earl went home with the feals, 
and that evening tire king gave them to the attorney-ge¬ 
neral . 
After he had quitted the court, he continued to make 
a conliderable figure in parliament : his abilities enabled 
him to Urine, and lie was not of a temper to red. In 
1675, tire treafurer Danby introduced the ted-bill into 
the houle of lords, which was vigoroufly oppoied by the 
earl of Shaftelbury ; who, if we may believe Burnet, 
didinguiflied himfelf more in this feflion than ever he 
had done before. This difpute occafioned a proroga¬ 
tion ; and there enfued a recefs of fifteen months. When 
the parliament met again, February 16, 1667, the duke 
of Buckingham argued, that it ought to be confidered 
as diffolved: the earl of Shaftefbury was of the fame 
opinion, and maintained it with fo much warmth, that, 
together with the duke before mentioned, the earl of Sa- 
lilbury, and lord Wharton, he was fent to the Tower; 
where he continued thirteen months, though the other 
lords, upon their fubmiiTion, were immediately dis¬ 
charged.. When lie was fet at liberty, he managed the 
oppofition to the earl of Danby’s adminiftration with 
fuch vigour and dexterity, that it was found impoffible 
to do any thing effectually in parliament, without chang¬ 
ing the fyftem which then prevailed. The king, who 
delired nothing fo much as to be eafy, refolved to-inake 
a change ; difmiffed all the privy-council at once, and 
formed a new one. This was declared April 21, 1679; 
and at the fame time the earl of Shaftelbury was ap- 
P E ft, . 
pointed lord prefident, Ke did not hold this employ¬ 
ment longer than Oftober the 5th following. He had 
drawn upon himfelf the implacable hatred of the duke 
of York, by promoting, if not originally inventing, the 
exclufion bill. Upon the king’s lummoning a parlia¬ 
ment to meet at Oxford, March 21, 1681, he joined 
with fe.eral lords in a petition to prevent its meeting 
there, whiclphowever failed of fuccels. He was prefent 
at that parliament, and flrenuoufly fupported the exclu¬ 
fion bill : but the duke foon contrived to make him feel 
the weight of his refentment: for his lordfhip was ap¬ 
prehended for high treafon, July 2, 1681 ; and, after 
being examined by the king in council, was committed 
to the Tower, where he remained upwards of four 
months. He was tried, acquitted, and difebarged ; yet 
did not think himfelf fafe, while his enemies were in. 
the zenith of their power. He thought it right to leek 
for fome place of retirement, where he might wear out 
the fmall remainder of his life in peace : with this view, 
November 16S2, he embarked for Holland, and arrived 
fafe at Amfterdam. He was however foon ieized by his 
old diffemper the gout, which, falling on the ftomach, 
became mortal ; and he expired January 32, 1683, in his 
62d year. His body was brought to England, and in¬ 
terred with his anceffors at Winborne. 
It feems to have been the misfortune of this noble¬ 
man, that thofe who were the mod angry with him, 
were aimed the only perfons who tranfmitted to pofte- 
rity the hirtttry of the times in which he lived, and cf 
that government in which he had fo large a lhare. 
Marchmont Needham publifhed a fevere pamphlet 
againft him, intituled, “A packefof advices fent from 
London to the men of Shaftelbury, which is of ufe for 
all his majfefty’s fubjedts in the three kingdoms. London, 
1676:” and, what is remarkable enough, the abule it 
contains is transferred verbatim into the account given 
of him by the Oxford hiftorian. He was alfo l'eprefented 
as having had the vanity to expedt to be chofen king of 
Poland ; and this made way for calling him count Tap- 
Iky, alluding to the tap, which had been applied upon 
the breaking out of the ulcer between his ribs, when he 
was chancellor. It was alfo a Handing jeft with the lower 
form of wits, to Hile him Shiftjbury inltead of Shaftelbu¬ 
ry. The author who relates this, tells us alfo, that 
when he was chancellor, one fir Paul Neal watered his 
mares with rhenilh and fugar : that is, entertained his 
miftreffes. Fie is fuppofed to have been a little intem¬ 
perate in this way ; and it is recorded, that Charles II. 
laid to him, “ Shaftelbury, I believe thou art the wick- 
edeft fellow in my dominions.” He bowed and replied, 
“Of a J'ubjecl, fir, I believe I am. 
The charadter of Antonio, the old fenator, raving 
about plots and other things, in Venice Prelerved, is 
fuppofed to have been intended to ridicule this extraor¬ 
dinary peribnage. Yet his fovereign, Charles II. laid 
of lord Shaftelbury, that “he polfelfed in luma chan¬ 
cellor, who had more law than all his judges, and more 
divinity than all his biftiops.” 
COO'PER (Anthony Afhley), third earl of Shaftef¬ 
bury, the celebrated author of the Charadleriftics, born 
February 26, 1671, at Exeter-houfe in London. His 
father was Anthony, fecond earl of Shaftelbury ; his 
mother lady Dorothy Manners, daughter oi John earl 
of Rutland. He was born in the houle of his grandfa¬ 
ther Anthony Afhley, firftearl of Shaftefbury, and chan¬ 
cellor of England, who was fond of him from his birth, 
and undertook the care of his education. He purfued 
almoft the lame method in teaching him the learned lan¬ 
guages, as Montaigne’s father did in teaching his fon ; 
that is, he placed a perfon about him, who was fo tho¬ 
roughly verled in the Greek and Latin tongues, as to 
fpeak either of them with the greateft fluency. By this 
means lord Shaftelbury made fo great a progrefs, that lie 
could read both thefe languages with eafe when- but 
eleven years old. He began his travels in 1686, and 
{pent 
