A character of His Most Sacred Majesty, Charles the Second, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. written by Dr. Charleton, physician in ordinary to His Maiestie.

A character of His Most Sacred Majesty, Charles the Second, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. written by Dr. Charleton, physician in ordinary to His Maiestie.

Table of contents

Title page

AN Imperfect Pourtrait OF His Sacred MAJESTY.

[Page]

[Page]

AN Imperfect Pourtrait OF His Sacred MAJESTY.

SENECA the Rhetorician reports a misfortune that befell his dear Friend, Porcius Latro (whom neverthelesse he calls Declamatoriae Virtutis unicum Exemplum) which was, that brought from the shady Schools to Plead in publick, in defence of Rusticus Porcius, a near kinsman of His; He was so surprised with a fit of extreme bashfulnesse, that he began with a Solecism, and fell into confusion. So hard is it for one [Page] bred up in obscurity, and accustomed onely to private Exercises of his Wit, to conserve the serenity of his Understanding, and faithfulnesse of his Memory, when he comes to struggle with Arguments of publick use and importance.

This man's Example may be my Excuse, and I take liberty to lay hold of his failing then, to extenuate my own failing now. For, if He, who was so great a Master in the Art of Speaking well, and of so prodigious Abilities both Native and Acquired, found himself at a losse in the delivery of his Conceptions in a matter common and ordinary: well may I, a person of mean parts, and obscure conversation, find the like disorder in my Faculties, in my present Attempt. Nay, more favour is due to my Astonishment, than was to his. Our occasions, indeed, are different; but the disadvantage is greater on my side. His businesse at that time, was to vindicate a private man, his Equal: I have proposed to my self to adumbrate the Excellencies of a Prince, one as much Superior to all others in the divine Endowments of his Mind, as in the Height of his Condition. His Argument low, and familiar: Mine such, that, Divinity it self onely excepted, nothing is more noble, nothing more sublime. Philosophers teach, and Experience confirms, that Objects too strong and excellent hurt and weaken the outward Senses: and the same holds good also of the Internal, the Mind sometimes encountring Objects, whose exceeding Brightnesse doth so much the more [Page] dazel her Eye of Reason, by how much the more she dares to look upon them. No wonder, therefore, if so weak an Understanding as mine is, addressing it self to contemplate the resplendent Glories of a King (whom Providence Divine seems to have sent into the World on purpose to refine the Age by his Example) be forced to confesse its dimnesse and incompetency. The Difficulties I meet with, are many and great. When I consider, How many things occurr to be spoken of, and how few words I ought to use: my trouble is not so much, what I should mention, as what I should pretermit; nor is it easie to make a choice, where all parts of my Subject are equally transcendent. Here, Copiousness of matter, which in all other occasions is a Help, proves my Impediment: and I am reduced to this streight, either to be Sacrilegious in omitting Some particulars, or Profane in attempting to describe All. Besides, all Language must come as far short of this King's Perfections, as they exceed others Imitation: nor is it lesse difficult to advance Words agreeable to His Merits, than it is for Envy to Eclipse them. This considered, I deny not, but what Seneca said concerning the Divine Being, Deum colit, qui novit, he worships God best, who most contemplates and admires the super-excellent Proprieties of His Nature; may be true likewise if accommodated to this Vicegerent of God, His Sacred MAJESTY, and it may be well enough said, Regem colit, qui novit, that man doth best celebrate the King's Goodness, who by Reverence, Love, and Obedience, shews himself most sensible of it. And, [Page] therefore, I accordingly confesse, that Silence and Admiration are the most proper Expressions Subjects can use, to testifie their Veneration of so Incomparable a Prince.

But, since His MAJESTY so often speaks to us in Blessings, it were an Ingratitude unpardonable in Us, never to answer Him, at least in our Acknowledgments. To Good and Pious Kings there are owing as well Offerings of affectionate Loyalty, as Tributes of Duty; and God hath given them as great a right to the Homage of the Heart, as to that of the Knee of every Subject. Reflecting upon this, together with the infatuation of some Evill-minded men (either so obdurate, as not to feel; or so depraved, as to contemn their own great Happinesse in being under His MAJESTY's blessed Government) who by their impious breath seek at once to stain the Honor of the Head, and re-inkindle the coals of Sedition and Rebellion in the Body of the State: I hope, I shall not offend, if I suffer my self to be so far transported by the devote Respects I bear to His MAJESTY's Fame, and the just Zeal I have for the Peace and Prosperity of my Country, as briefly to acknowledge the admirable Virtues of the One, and so the high Felicity of the Other. I say, to Acknowledge; because to Commend, or Ascribe, is impossible; it being the prerogative of His Virtues, that they are Endowments, not Attributes. I am not so ignorant, as not to understand, that among all Good Men His MAJESTIE's Honor is as [Page] highly Sacred, so impregnably Secure, and above all necessity of Vindication; nor so vain, as to expect ought I can say should be of such force, as to convert those unhappy Wretches, upon whom the more powerful influence of His Mercy and Goodnesse hath hitherto been lost. All the Design of this Paper, therefore, is to be a Free Oblation brought by a Loyal Heart to the Altar of His MAJESTIES most illustrious Name; and all its Hopes are, so to be accepted.

This being premised to clear the Readers Eyesight, I shall now adventure to set before him an imperfect Pourtraicture of His most Excellent MAJESTY, in some few of His Royal Virtues and Graces, those especially which have a more immediate influence upon His Government, and chiefly import the welfare and happinesse of all who live under it. And well may I call it an Imperfect Pourtrait, since it was taken by an unskilful hand, at an half-light, and at great distance; and since it is drawn, as in too small a Model, so likewise in faint and dead Colours; and therefore comes as much short of the inimitable Beauty of the Original, as a Sun painted doth of the true one. However, thus much of Resemblance there is in it, that it contains nothing which is not plainly visible in His MAJESTIE's Actions: so that every judicious Eye might soon have discerned whose Image it bears, though the Front had wanted the Ornament of His Glorious Name; and I am obliged to believe, that every ingenious person [Page] hath such lively sentiments of his Goodnesse imprinted upon his Heart, as amount to a Representation in most things agreeable to this. So that were I as well secured from being condemned of Disparagement, as I am from being accused of Flattery, I should think my Errors much more Venial than now they are.

Before we can look upon this inestimable Iewel, our Eyes are arrested by the correspondent Goodlinesse of the Cabinet wherein 'tis lodged. For His MAJESTY's PERSON, therefore, if it be true (as doubtlesse it is) that Masculine Beauty doth consist rather in the due Shape and Symmetry of parts, than in Colour; and that the most charming Amiableness of the Body results chiefly from a decent vivacity and gracefulness of Motion: then, certainly, may we give credit to our sight, which assures us, His MAJESTY is one of the Comeliest Personages of the Age. Which yet I mention not out of an opinion, that Eminent Virtue always chooseth the fairest Tenements of flesh to dwell in; for, that's no general Rule to judge by: but, because it is most certain, that her lovelinesse is most conspicuous in a Body that is Comely, though not of delicate Features, and which hath rather Dignity of Presence, than Beauty of Aspect; like a rich Stone, which is then set to most advantage of its lustre, when it is set plain. All men allow, there is a very near Affinity and Consent betwixt the Body and its Inmate, the Mind; and as Nature, when she erreth in the [Page] Fabrick of the one, is seldom observed to compensate that defect with extraordinary Qualities of the other: so contrariwise, where She is exact in the one, She as seldom fails to give proportionate perfection to the other. As is eminently Exemplified in His MAJESTY, betwixt the several Accomplishments of whose Body and Mind there is so rare a Harmony, that they reciprocally grace each other.

Nor is it fit we should proceed, without a glance of Reverence upon the Memory of that refulgent Rock from whence this Gemme was taken; I mean His MAJESTIES Royal FATHER, who, by the Confession of even His Enemies (yet those were savage Beasts in Human shape) well deserved to be enrolled in the Eternal Registers of Fame, the Greatest, Wisest, most Pious, most Christian King of the Age in which he lived. A Prince, into whose truly Heroical breast Divinity had infused a Soul so pure and white, that not with sufficient caution reflecting upon the great depravity of the Times, and corruption of Mens Manners, He as freely confided in the faith of Others, as His own Uprightnesse and Sincerity suggested to Him, they ought to have confided in His: nor was He capable of being deceived, otherwise than through His own exceeding Goodness. A Prince so Iust, He scarce knew Wrong, but what He suffer'd: nor is it easie for Malice to find wherein He ever did an Injury, unlesse in conferring upon some Men Benefits [Page] so great, they understood not how to use them as they ought. Hanc unam, Caesar, habeo à Te injuriam; effecisti ut viverem, & morerer ingratus, was Furnius his Complement to Augustus, for pardoning his Father, who had been in Arms against him: and there were, who returned the same to This Good King, though in the worst sense; abusing the power and trust they had received from Him to His ruine, and by the destruction of the Benefactor, cancelling those Obligations, which were too great to be requited. So dangerous even to their Fountain are the Streams of Favour and Bounty, where they flow upon persons, in whom Ambition is confederate with Ingratitude. In a word, He was a Prince, who lived Innocently, ruled Justly, and died Holily: being, after sundry Afflictions (and those so sharp ones too, as no Patience but His could have conquer'd them) restored to Heaven by a most glorious Martyrdom, inflicted by the barbarous hands of most accursed Traitors and Regicides. And, certainly, the Virtues of such a Father cannot but be derived to His MAJESTY by the right of Nature, the Inheritance of His Royal Blood. Besides, The Memory of a Good and Merciful Prince deceased, doth always highly endear His Progeny, and redouble upon His Son, who succeeds Him, the Fidelity and Affections of His People.

Among all the Characters of the Deity, that remain impressed upon Man's Soul, the most excellent, and that by which she doth best testifie her Original, [Page] is that which the Grecians call [...], the Latines Humanitas, and we Goodness of Nature; being a certain inherent disposition of the Mind to affect and desire the weal of all Mankind, and answering that highest of Theological Virtues, Charity. This Virtue His MAJESTY hath as well in the Habit, as in the Inclination, in so full a measure, that it seems the Master Ingredient in His Composition. Insomuch that it is harder for Him to be offended, than to pardon; more agreeable to His nature to confer Benefits, than to resent Injuries. He is Gracious even to Strangers; which shews, that though His Dominions be an Island separate from the rest of the World, yet His generous Heart is none, but a vast Continent joyned to all Lands: nor is it more His Care of His Subjects (though that also be greater for them than for Himself) than His Kindnesse to them, which by so strong a Title denominates Him the FATHER of His Country. All we, who are His Subjects, with joy acknowledge our selves strictly bound to Him, by His Laws, and our Allegiance: but by His courteous stooping beneath His Height, and Majesty not hard to be approach'd, even such find and confesse themselves more strictly bound, who otherwise are most Free. So Universal is the Soveraignty of His Goodnesse, that Princes have wish'd themselves under His Command: and Ambassadors not willingly return home to their Masters; finding Here, if not more of Protection, yet more of Encouragement and honorable Hopes, than in their own Countries. The just and equitable desires of His People, He doth rather anticipate, than expect, but [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] never delay: and whomsoever, Strangers or Natives, Fame inviteth to behold the Magnificence of His Court, His Affability most gratefully admits; nor do they ever depart from His Presence sad, unlesse it be because they are to depart. For, what Horace said to Augustus Caesar, is more due to His MAJESTY,

Instar veris enim, vultus ubi Tuus

Affulsit, populo gratior it dies,

Et soles melius nitent.

The lustre of His Royal sight

Makes the day passe with more delight,

And Suns to shine more bright.

So powerful in their operation upon the Affections of even the vulgar, are the beams of MAIESTY, when mitigated by a gracious Aspect, and conjoyn'd with the Emanations of a Benignity diffusive upon all. But, this makes but one Twist in that manifold Chord, by which our Hearts are fastned to His MAJESTY's Footstool. For,

He is, moreover, a KING of so Mild, and withall so Great a Spirit, that His Severity (if He hath any) is conceal'd, but Clemency visible to all. Whence it comes, that He punisheth but rarely, never with Rigor; being better pleas'd with Attonement made by Tears, than Expiation by Blood. For Offences against His sacred Person, He yet hath punish'd none: for offences against His Laws, very few; and those Villains [Page] of desperate contumacy, such as appeared to have made a Vow, never to repent, never to be innocent. Nor did He punish These, but (like the impartial Law) that by their Example others might be deterred from committing the like horrid Crimes, and that the Good might live in more security, the Bad being taken away. [...]osmus Duke of Florence had a desperate saying, That we are commanded to forgive our Enemies, but no where commanded to forgive our Friends; intimating, that Wrongs from a Friend are unpardonable. But His MAJESTY shews His Spirit to be of a more Christian temper, detesting such unchristian Policy; For He hath pardoned as well Secret, as Professed Enemies, and extended His Mercy not onely to the Weaknesses of His Friends, but even to their Neglects and Perfidiousnesse. Which seems to be a chief reason, why the wounds of our State heal so fast; that otherwise might have remained long green, and perhaps have fester'd. In a word; His MAJESTY's Fortune is so Sublime, He cannot want the Solace of Revenge; His Mind so Generous, He cannot be delighted with it: well remembring, that it is a Princes part to remit offences; and as well understanding, that no Ornament is more worthy and becoming the Head of a King, than that Civic Crown, with this Inscription, FOR SUBIECTS SAVED.

He is a KING, whom God hath endowed with that Perspicacity of Wit, and a Iudgment so discerning; and (what is most happy in a King) brought up and exercised from His Childhood, in those various [Page] encounters of adverse Fortune, in Exile, Travels, Cares, Hardships, Wants, and continual Dangers: that we may fafely prophesie, that hereafter no Disaster shall occurr to disturb the Peace of His Reign, that can be inscrutable to His Wisdom, or insuperable to His Fortitude.

For the Latter of these two Virtues; certainly, no man ever gave clearer proof of it in himself, than His MAJESTY hath done: The greatest part of His Life hitherto having been no other but a continued Triumph over the sharpest Afflictions and Calamities; in all which He hath born Himself with such undaunted Courage, & bravery of Resolution, as if he had at once Fragilitatem Hominis, & Securitatem Dei. Which the Stoicks themselves allow to be the highest command over Nature, and most Heroical pitch of Magnanimity, of which Mortality is capable. Of his Active Valour likewise, other Nations besides this have had more than sufficient Experience: and He hath more than once demonstrated, that of all the Passions, His Breast is least capable of that of Fear, unlesse of doing Evil. Insomuch that those of His Followers, who had the Honor to attend Him upon a Charge, have found it a harder task, to with-hold Him from too far endangering His Sacred Person, than to beat the Enemy.

And as for the Former, viz. His Wisdom; though that be as plainly visible in His MAJESTY's so speedy and dextrous Composure of the many and great Distractions of these Nations, since His [Page] most happy Restitution; as our Madnesse, in forcing Him so long to remain in forein Countries, was in the extreme Miseries we suffer'd the while: yet I ask leave to instance it in one or two Particulars, which being the proper Effects, may well be alleged as certain Signes of great Wisdom and Sagacity in a Prince. First, then,

Principis est virtus maxima, nosse suos;

it is an infallible Oracle of Time, that nothing doth more demonstrate and commend the judgment of Princes, than their Election of Grand Officers, and publick Ministers, of eminent parts and singular abilities in their several Functions; such as may not onely comport with the dignity of their Places, but also encrease and illustrate it. And it is in vain for Rulers to take counsel concerning Matters, if they take no counsel likewise concerning Persons fit to manage them: Matters being as dead Images, and the life of the Execution of Affairs wholly resting in the good choice of Individuals. Now, if we reduce all men more immediately entrusted by Princes, to four Orders or Degrees; viz. Participes curarum, such upon whom the Soveraign dischargeth the greatest weight of his affairs of State; Duces Militiae, principal Captains or Leaders of His Forces; Gratiosos, Favourites, such as are a solace to Himself, and harmlesse to the People; and Negotiis Pares, such as hold great Places, and execute them with sufficiency: and then reflect upon the admirable choice His MAJESTY hath at present made in all th [...]se; we shall [Page] soon be convinced, that His natural Abilities are improved to a high degree of Perfection by Observation and Experience, and that He is deeply read in the Natures and dispositions of Men; one of the most important points in the Art of Government.

Secondly, it is a sound Maxim in Politiques, That in difficult and corrupt times, one of the most effectual Antidotes against the Contagion of popular Discontentments and Seditions, is for a Prince to nourish Hopes, and so to order matters, as that unquiet and tumultuous Spirits may be calmed by Expectation, where they cannot presently be laid by Satisfact on. And of this Preservative His MAJESTY, like a skilful Esculapius of the State, hath made good use, since God so miraculously brought Him to the Execution of His Kingly Office. For, observing the diversity of Factions, and multitude of Exorbitant and Male contented Spirits swarming in His Kingdoms; and finding it not onely unsafe to the publick, but also impossible, at once to gratifie Interests manifestly repugnant each to other, and to content men who were so immodest and unreasonable, as to make themselves Judges of what was fit for Him to grant, and measure the Equitablenesse of their Desires by no other Rule but that of their own and their Parties advantage: He hath had most timely recourse to this Expedient, and handled things in so prudent a manner, that no Evil, either present, or impendent, hath appeared so peremptory, but that it still hath had some out-let of Hope; thereby leaving no party to shipwrack themselves upon [Page] the Rock of Despair, and most wisely imitating Epimetheus, who when Griefs and Evils of all sorts flew abroad out of Pandora's Box to infect Mankind, at last shut the lid, and kept Hope in the bottom. Now, This, as it shews the Universality of His MAJESTY's Care, and His willingnesse to include all men in the Circle of His Providence: so doth it shew likewise the profoundnesse of His Iudgment, in that He estimates His Concessions rather by the real Utility, than the Importunity of Suters; and that He is not forgetful of that Saying of Seneca (2 de Benef.) Sunt quaedam nocitura impetrantibus, quae non dare, sed negare, beneficium est.

To these may be added a Third Instance of His MAJESTY's extraordinary Sufficiency in the Sacred Mysteries of Empire; and that is, His great Preparations to improve the principal Dowry of this His Kingdom of Great Britain, the Vantage of Strength by Sea, that Nature hath given it. The daily encrease of His Royal Navy speaks Him to be of that opinion, which Cicero (in Epist. ad Atticum) ascribes to Pompey the Great, where he saith, Confilium Pompeii plane Themistocleum est, putat enim, qui Mari potitur, eum Rerum etiam poti [...]i: Which, doubtless, is true, the vast excesse of Power His MAJESTY hath in that particular above all Princes and States of Europe, duely consider'd: as well because he that is Master of the Sea, is at liberty to begin or end a Warre, where, when, and upon what Terms He pleaseth; as because [Page] the Wealth of both Indies seems in great part but an Accessary to the Soveraignty of the Seas. But, why do I single out Particular testimonies of that Prudence, which is in it self General, and runs in full streams through all His MAJESTY's Counsels and proceedings? Especially when it is already visible to the world, that in Nature nothing is so Sublime, But it may be comprehended by His MAJESTY's vast Understanding; nothing so Mean, as to escape His Curiosity. Wherefore, as the sacred Scripture saith of the wisest King, that his Heart was as the sands of the Sea; which, though one of the largest bodies in the bulk or masse, is yet made up of the smallest particles: so may I say of His MAJESTY, to whom God hath given an Intellect so exceeding capacious, as it seems able to comprehend the Greatest matters, and to apprehend the Smallest, and not to suffer them to escape His Observation.

As Wisdom appears to direct His Counsels, so doth JUSTICE to regulate His Power; which accordingly he useth to no other end, but the vindication of Right, and suppression of Wrong. If, with Moralists and Civil Lawyers, we understand Iustice to be Constans & perpetua voluntas jus suum cui (que) tribuendi, a constant and unalterable Will of giving to every man what is his due; and grant that the Precepts, or (rather) duties of a man perfectly just, are all comprehended in these Three, Honestè vivere, Alterum non laedere, Suum cui (que) tribuere: then may [Page] we safely conclude His MAJESTY to be s [...]rictly Iust. For, He lives uprightly, doth injury to none, gives every man his due: as is evident from hence, that in so short (and, as he might have made it, to Himself so advantagious) a time, no Prince ever took more care, or made better prov [...]sion to redresse publick Wrongs and Oppressions, than He hath done; and from hence, that even in matters appertaining to His Royal Prerogative, He still hath referred Himself to the Determination of the Law, which, as it is in it self the Rule of Justice, so doth He make it the Rule of His Will; in all deliberations keeping His Eye rather upon the Equity, than the Utility of the thing proposed. Plato, I remember, in his Dialogue betwixt Euthryphro and Socrates, concerning Sanctity, brings in the Former speaking to the Latter in these words; Iusti partem, O Socrates, sanctum & pium essereor; quae scilicet circa▪ Deorum curam versatur; eam verò quae ad Hominum curam pertinet, reliquam esse justitiae partem: plainly importing, that Justice hath Two main Branches, one that points upwards, and contains a due care of the Worship of God; another that shoots forth in a streight line, and extends it self to a care of the good and welfare of Men in Societies. Now if we reflect upon what His MAJESTY hath already done in both these Respects, we cannot but acknowledge Him to be a Iust Prince, also according to this Opinion of Plato. For,

[Page] As to the First; He is a KING, to whom no Interest is so dear, no Care so constant, as that of RELIGION, and the true Worship of God. Which (that I may omit His interiour Piety, and impregnable Constancy in the Faith, in which He was educated) is unquestionably evident in this, that though it be not long since Providence Divine restored Him to the Throne of His Royal Progenitors; yet hath He already restored God to His Country, to God his Temples, to Temples their Sacred Things, to Sacred Things Reverend Prelates, to Prelates their Dignities with security: and this by a Zeal most noble, a Prudence admirable, and a Felicity not only to Posterity, but even to Us, who are at this day blest therewith; well nigh incredible. Nor doth it seem, that Reason of State, or a consideration of the neer Sympathy that alwayes is between the State Civil, and the State Ecclesiastical, (which even the Scripture intimates in that saying, translato Sacerdotio, necesse est ut & Legis fiat translatio) alone induced His MAJESTY to the restitution of Episcopacy: but rather a judicious Piety, grounded upon a strong assurance, that of all Orders in the Church, none is more Antient, none more Sacred and Venerable, none more beneficial to the peace and unity of it, than that of Bishops. Moreover, what by gentle Counsels, what by convincing Arguments, what by His own great Example; His MAJESTY hath reduced to their Wits again, and almost to Conformity with both the Doctrine and Discipline of Holy Church, no small number of Fanatiques: a most refractary Sect of People, who so make themselves [Page] Arbiters of Religion and Governours, that they measure their Duties to Both, not by the rule of Precepts Divine, not by their Countries Lawes and Rites; but only by their own delusive Dreams, which, like Furies, drive them head-long upon all the absurdities and extravagances of a distracted Superstition. Yea, (what is yet more horrid) they seem to o [...]tvy the Devil himself in Blasphemy. For, He said, I will ascend, and be like the Highest: but they personate God, and bring Him in saying, I will [...]scend, and be like the Prince of Darknesse; in that they pretend the inspiration of His Holy Spirit, to justifie their cruel and execrable actions of taking up Armes against their Soveraign, murthering their fellow Subjects, and attempting to subvert Government.

As to the Other; His MAJESTY is a KING, who hath as it were by His very Presence, brought present Remedy to the inveterate and otherwise n [...]urable Distempers of Great Britain: and like Iupiter the Preserver, as it were in a moment recomposed His Country, almost torn in pieces by Civil Discords and Factions. Nine moneths are not yet fully past, when we beheld before our eyes the Image of a Commonwealth most sad and deplorable, when all things appear'd dolefull, troubled and confused; and when we complained, that to compleat our Calamities nothing remained, but the total Extirpation of Three famous Nations: and yet at this thrice happy day, so hath His MAJESTY changed the condition of His three Kingdomes, that all things are not only in a deep [Page] Quiet, but also in Prosperity; the Laws are so religiously observed, that we find our selves in the arms of a most delightfull Peace; nor can we imagine what is wanting to our highest Liberty, unlesse it be the Licence of destroying our selves.

Iam Fides, et Pax, et Honor, Pudorque

Priscus, et neglecta redire Virtus

Audet, apparetque beata pleno

Copia cornu.

Now Faith, and Peace, and Shame begin

To rise again, as from the dead:

Now antient Virtue dares come in,

And shew her long-neglected head:

And blessed Plenty, with her load,

Appears abroad.

Under His MAJESTIE's Administration of the State, now doth deep and rich Security thrive; Right thrives, placed above all Injury; the Studies of Learning thrive, and the Honours of those Studies: and All His sober and ingenuous Subjects are ready to make this twofold gratefull Confession, that they are Happy, and that to these Blessings nothing can be added, unlesse that they may be Perpetual.

[Page] These are Great things, You'l say: and yet, truly, they make but a part of the inestimable Benefits we have received from His MAJESTY; while He, (as if observing the precepts of that Platonique Iustice, which of all others described by Men, seems to be the most Perfect and Difficult) dividing His Cares betwixt our Spiritual and Temporal Good, hath been so wonderfully successfull in them, that it must be wholly our own fault, if we be wanting in either.

In fine, He is a KING, in whom Clemency and Iustice, Piety and Fortitude, Modesty and Magnanimity, (Virtues that seldom co-habit in one breast) are with so perfect an Union married together: that they conspire to give more lustre to His Crown, than that can to His Royal Head; that Men are compelled to place their Veneration, rather upon His Person and Divine Endowments of Mind, than upon His Fortune; that He is become at once the Glory and Envy of Kings; that supreme Soveraignty is his due, as much by Merit, as by Fate; and (in a word) that no man can propose to His MAJESTY an Example more worthy His imitation in the future, than that of Himself in the present. To conclude, therefore; as Astro [...]omers observe, that when three of the Superior Luminaries meet in Conjunction, that Aspect alwayes produceth Effects singularly good and happy to Mankind: so may we, upon more certain grounds, be confident, that this great Conjunction of so many [Page] Godlike Virtues and Graces, that like stars of the first magnitude, shine together in the firmament of His MAJESTIE's Royal Mind, cannot but have so benign an influence upon His Government, as to make it highly Glorious to Himself, and perfectly Happy to His People.

His MAJESTIE's vast Goodnesse, and therein our own great Happinesse thus considered; what can we do lesse than to Love, Honour and Obey Him? Gratitude obligeth us to acknolwedge Him to be the Preserver of Great Britain, Hope of Europe, supporter of the Faith truly Apostolique, Example of Princes, and the Love and Delight of all Good Men. And our own Interest, as well as Loyalty, obligeth us to endeavour His defence and preservation to the utmost of our power; and withall, to make it our daily Prayer to God Almighty, that He would be pleased to establish and preserve His Most Excellent MAJESTY in the Rule of these His Kingdomes, which by His Virtue begin to recover that Glory and Felicity they so long enjoy'd under the Scepters of His Royal Ancestors; to make His Renown immortal by the greatnesse of His Actions and Atchievements; and after a long and prosperous Reign, to put Him in possession of a Celestial Crown, in the same instant He shall see good to translate Him from His Terrestrial one. And to this Prayer, I am well assured, there are none, who are not Enemies to God, to [Page] Government, to the Peace of their Country, to Themselves; but will, with all sincerity of Devotion, and fervency of spirit, say, Amen.

‘Tyrannorum caede, & Clementis Principis succedentis imperio nihil jucundius, nihil utilius subditis accidere potest.’Herodian. Lib. 2.

FINIS.

[Page]

[Page]

§

§

[Page]

[Page] A CHARACTER Of His most Sacred Majesty Charles the Second, KING of Great BRITAIN France and Ireland, defender of the Faith, &c. Written by Dr CHARLETON, Physician in Ordinary to His MAIESTIE.

Who most Religiously affirms, Se non diversas spes, sed incolumitatem Caesaris simpliciter spectare.

LONDON, Printed for Henry Herringman at the Anchor on the lower walk of the New Exchange, 1661.

Information about this book

Title statement

A character of His Most Sacred Majesty, Charles the Second, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. written by Dr. Charleton, physician in ordinary to His Maiestie.

Charleton, Walter, 1619-1707.

Edition statement

1661

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2004-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A32690

ID [STC]

Wing C3665

ID [STC]

ESTC R10217

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

12148818

ID [OCLC]

ocm 12148818

ID [VID]

55023

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A32690)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 55023)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 87:1)

Source

— A character of His Most Sacred Majesty, Charles the Second, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. written by Dr. Charleton, physician in ordinary to His Maiestie., Charleton, Walter, 1619-1707..

Extent

[2], 23 p.

Printed for Henry Herringman ...,. London :: 1661.. (Reproduction of original in Yale University Library.)

Creation

Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford.

Editorial practices

EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.

EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).

The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.

Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data.

Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.

Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.

The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site.