from an experienced old woman, that had been at many sick people's bed-sides, than from the learnedst but unexperienced physician.

'Tis not consistent with an harmonicall soul to be a woman hater neither had he an abhorrescence to good wine, but . . . this only inter nos. Temperance and Diet. He was, even in his youth, (generally) temperate, both as to wine and women.

Homo sum, humani nihil a me alienum puto.

I have heard him say that he did believe he had been in excess in his life, a hundred times; which, considering his great age, did not amount to above once a year. When he did drink, he would drink to excess to have the benefit of vomiting, which he did easily; by which benefit neither his wit was disturbed longer than he was spueing nor his stomach oppressed; but he never was, nor could not endure to be, habitually a good fellow, i.e. to drink every day wine with company, which, though not to drunkenness, spoils the brain. For his last thirty years, his diet, etc., was very moderate and regular. After sixty he drank no wine, his stomach grew weak, and he did eat most fish, especially whitings, for he said he digested fish better than flesh. He rose about seven, had his breakfast of bread and butter, and took his walk, meditating till ten, then he did put down the minutes of his thoughts, which he penned in the afternoon. He had an inch thick board about 16 inches square whereon paper was pasted. On this board he drew his lines. When a line came into his head, he would, as he was walking, take a rude memorandum of it, to preserve it in his memory till he came to his chamber. He was never idle; his thoughts were always working. His dinner was provided for him exactly by eleven, for he could not now stay till his Lord's hour (scil, about two) that his stomach could not bear. After dinner he took a pipe of tobacco, and then threw himself immediately on his bed, with his band off, and slept (took a nap of about half an hour). In the afternoon he penned his morning thoughts. Exercises. Besides his daily walking, he did twice

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or thrice a year play at tennis (at about 75 he did it); then went to bed there and was well rubbed. This he did believe would make him live two or three years the longer. In the country, for want of a tennis-court, he would walk uphill and downhill in the park, till he was in a great sweat, and then give the servant some money to rub him. Prudence. He gave to his amanuensis, James Wheldon (the Earl of Devon's baker; who writes a delicate hand) his pension at Leicester, yearly, to wait on him, and take a care of him, which he did perform to him living and dying, with great respect and diligence for which consideration he made him his executor. Habit. In cold weather he commonly wore a black velvet coat, lined with fur; if not, some other coat so lined. But all the year he wore a kind of boots of Spanish leather, laced or tied along the sides with black ribbons. Singing. He had always books of prick-song lying on his table:—e.g. of H. Lawe's etc. Songs, which at night, when he was abed, and the doors made fast, and was sure nobody heard him, he sang aloud (not that he had a very good voice) but for his health's sake: he did believe it did his lungs good, and conduced much to prolong his life. Shaking Palsy. He had the shaking palsy in his hands; which began in France before the year 1650, and has grown upon him by degrees, ever since, so that he has not been able to write very legibly since 1665 or 1666, as I find by some of his letters to me.

His Charity. His brotherly love to his kindred hath already been spoken of. He was very charitable (pro suo modulo) to those that were true objects of his bounty. One time, I remember, going in the Strand, a poor and infirm old man craved his alms. He, beholding him with eyes of pity and compassion, put his hand in his pocket, and gave him 6d. Said a divine (scil. Dr Jaspar Mayne) that stood by-" Would you have done this, if it had not been Christ's command?""Yes," said he.-"Why?" quoth the other.-"Because," said he, "I was in pain to consider the miserable condition of the old man; and now my alms, giving him some relief, doth also ease me."

WE

SIR PHILIP WARWICK

CHARLES I.

E shall give the true character of this highly good, but most unfortunate prince. He was a person, tho' born sickly, yet who came thro' temperance and exercise, to have as firm and strong a body, as most persons I ever knew, and throughout all the fatigues of the war, or during his imprisonment, never sick. His appetites was to plain meats, and tho' he took a good quantity thereof, yet it was suitable to an easy digestion. He seldom ate of above three dishes at most, nor drank above thrice: a glass of small beer, another of claret wine, and the last of water; he ate suppers as well as dinners heartily; but betwixt meals he never meddled with anything. Fruit he would eat plentifully; and with this regularity, he moved as steadily as a star follows its course. His deportment was very majestic; for he would not let fall his dignity, no, not to the greatest foreigners that came to visit him and his court; for tho' he was far from pride, yet he was careful of majesty, and would be approached with respect and reverence. His conversation was free, and the subject matter of it (on his own side of the Court) was most commonly rational; or if facetious, not light. With any Artist, or good mechanic, traveller, or scholar, he would discourse freely; and as he was commonly improved by them, so he often gave light to them in their own art or knowledge. For there were few gentlemen in the world, that knew more of useful or necessary learning, than this prince did and yet his proportion of books was but small, having like Francis the First of France, learnt more by the ear, than by study. His way of argueing was very civil and patient; for he seldom contradicted another by his authority, but by his reason: nor did by any petulant dislike quash another's arguments; and he offered his exception by this civil introduction; By your favour, Sir, I think otherwise on this or that ground: yet he

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would discountenance any bold or forward address unto him. And in suits or discourse of business he would give way to none abruptly to enter into them, but looked, that the greatest Persons should in affairs of this nature address to him by his proper ministers, or by some solemn desire of speaking to him in their own persons. His exercises were manly; for he rid the great horse very well; and on the little saddle he was not only adroit, but a laborious hunter or field-man: and they were wont to say of him, that he failed not to do any of his exercises artificially, but not very gracefully; like some well-proportioned faces, which yet want a pleasant air of countenance.

He had a great plainness in his own nature, and yet he was thought even by his friends to love too much a versatile man; but his experience had thoroughly weaned him from this at last.

He kept up the dignity of his Court, limiting persons to places suitable to their qualities, unless he particularly called for them. Besides the women, who attended on his beloved Queen and Consort, he scarce admitted any great officer to have his wife in the family. Sir Henry Vane was the first, that I knew in this kind, who having a good diet as Comptroller of the Household, and a tenuity of fortune was winked at; so as the Court was filled, not crammed.

His exercises of Religion were most exemplary; for every morning early, and evening not very late, singly and alone, in his own bedchamber or closet he spent some time in private meditation (for he durst reflect and be alone) and thro' the whole week, even when he went a-hunting, he never failed, before he sat down to dinner, to have part of the Liturgy read unto him and his menial servants, came he never so hungry, or so late in: and on Sundays and Tuesdays he came (commonly at the beginning of service) to the Chapel, well-attended by his Court, Lords, and chief attendants, and most usually waited on by many of the nobility in town, who found those observances acceptably entertained by him.

His greatest enemies can deny none of this; and a man of

this moderation of mind could have no hungry appetite to prey upon his subjects, tho' he had a greatness of mind not to live precariously by them.

OLIVER CROMWELL

I HAVE no mind to give an ill character of Cromwell; for in his conversation towards me he was ever friendly; tho' at the latter end of the day finding me ever incorrigible, and having some inducements to suspect me a tamperer, he was sufficiently rigid. The first time, that ever I took notice of him, was in the very beginning of the Parliament held in November, 1640, when I vainly thought myself a courtly young gentleman; (for we Courtiers valued ourselves much upon our good clothes) I came one morning into the House well clad, and perceived a gentleman speaking (whom I know not) very ordinarily apparelled; for it was a plain cloth-suit, which seemed to have been made by an ill country-tailor; his linen was plain, and not very clean; and I remember a speck or two of blood upon his little band, which was not much larger than his collar; his hat was without a hat-band; his stature was of a good size, his sword stuck close to his side, his countenance swoln and reddish, his voice sharp and untunable, and his eloquence full of fervour; for the subject matter would not bear much of reason; it being in behalf of a servant of Mr Prynne's, who has dispersed libels against the Queen for her dancing and such like innocent and courtly sports; and he aggravated the imprisonment of this man by the Council Table unto that height, that one would have believed the very Government itself had been in great danger by it. I sincerely profess it lessened much by reverence unto that great Council; for he was very much hearkened unto. And yet I lived to see this very gentleman, whom out of no ill will to him I thus describe, by multiplied good success, and by real, (but usurpt) power: (having had a better tailor, and more converse among good company) in my own eye, when for six weeks together I was a prisoner in his sergeant's