A.D. 1666. their detaining the island of Poleroon, contrary

to articles lately made; on their, also, obliging the King of Macassar to exclude the English by name from the trade of cloves; and on their expelling the Portuguese from the island of Ceylon, and depriving the English likewise of the cinnamon trade; by which means, being the sole masters of those commodities, they made the whole world pay at least four times the price for them which they formerly did.

He proposed that if this agreement should be made with the Dutch, the English, for their own security, should have a military command in those places; that caution should be taken at home for the performance of what was stipulated; that the commodities shipped from any of those islands to Europe, Persia, or other parts of the world, should be for a joint account of both nations; and that, if not the whole, at least half of the goods should be laden in English ships, and sold at such rates as should be mutually settled between the two powers but this representation had no effect. The war was neither entered into nor concluded with any regard to the interest of England. It was carried on without honour, and ended without advantage.

Southamp

On the 16th of May 1667, Lord Ashley lost A.D. 1667. his relation and great friend, the Earl of South- Earl of ampton; and in him the public was deprived of ton's death. a true patriot, and the protestant interest of an eminent support. He, in conjunction with Lord Ashley, Lord Roberts (lord privy seal), the Earl of Manchester (lord chamberlain), the Earls of Northumberland, Leicester, Sandwich, and Anglesey, Lord Holles, and Secretary Morrice, had given great opposition to the French interest, to the penal laws, and the schemes of arbitrary power.

After his death the following commissioners were appointed for executing the office of lord high treasurer, viz. the Duke of Albemarle, Lord Ashley (who continued chancellor of the exchequer), Sir William Coventry, Sir John Duncombe, and Sir Thomas Clifford.69

On the 23rd of May 1667, a treaty of com

69 Clarendon claims the merit of having recommended Lord Ashley upon this occasion. He says the king "named Sir Thomas Clifford, who was newly of the council and comptroller of the house, and Sir William Coventry, and said, he did not think there should be many;' and the duke then named Sir John Duncombe, as a man of whom he had heard well, and everybody knew he was intimate with Sir William Coventry. The king said, he thought they three would be enough, and that

A.D. 1667.

Treaty of

commerce

with Spain.

Peace with
Holland.

merce * was concluded with Spain, the instructions for forming which were drawn up by Lord

Ashley.

On the 24th of August in the same year, a peace was proclaimed with Holland. The share which Lord Ashley had in this transaction was so well known to the States General, that, when

*The heads of this treaty, in his own handwriting, interlined and corrected in some places, are among his papers;

and one remarkable article in the instructions was, that no searching of ships should be allowed.

a greater number would but make the despatch of business the more slow.'

Clarendon, who disapproved of executing offices by commission as a method adapted rather to the genius of a republic than to that of a monarchy, among other objections" put his majesty in mind that he must dismiss the Lord Ashley from his office of chancellor of the exchequer, if he did not make him commissioner of the treasury, and one of the quorum :" and he also pressed upon the king that it would be necessary to have persons to give some lustre to the others.

The king's answer was, that "he did not care if he added the general to the others, but the Lord Ashley gave him some trouble;" and, says Clarendon," he said enough to make it manifest that he thought him not fit to be amongst them, yet he knew not how to put him out of his place, but gave direction for preparing the commission for the treasury to the persons named before, and made the Lord Ashley only one of the commissioners and a major part to make a quorum; which would quickly bring the government of the whole business into the

they sent over their ambassadors, these had par- A.D.1667. ticular orders to wait on him, and delivered him a letter, in which the States desired the continuance of his friendship.

hands of those three who were designed for it: and Ashley rather chose to be degraded than to dispute it."-Life of Clarendon, p. 418.

Clarendon thought Ashley degraded, because it had always been usual in the choice of commissioners of the treasury, that the chancellor of the exchequer should be the sole person of the quorum.

Lord Clarendon disgraced.

CHAPTER IX.

Fall of the Earl of Clarendon.-Decline of the French interest at Court.-Domestic measures.-Satisfaction of the Parliament. Triple Alliance negociated. - Permanent Committees of the Privy Council established.-Care for the Navy. -Peace with Spain.-Conduct of the French King.—Terms of the Triple Alliance.-State of the English Council.Influence of the Duke of York. Lord Conway's Letter to Lord Ashley.-Memorial to the King.

A.D. 1667. On the 31st of August the seals were taken from the Earl of Clarendon, and given to Sir Orlando Bridgman, with the title of Lord Keeper. This is a critical part of Charles's reign; for some short time before the dismission of Lord Clarendon, and some time after it, the king seemed to have broken loose from the fetters in which he had been and was afterwards chained: there was a general alteration in his conduct, and this short interval might justly be called the golden age of his government. It may be proper therefore to take notice of the many remarkable and truly national transactions which preceded and attended