alone, and to have nobody to converfe with. 'Tis certain there is nothing more dilagree able to the nature of mankind than a deprivation of all manner of fociety; and to think that it is poffible for a perfon to be really happy with ease, in deep fo itude, is turning a deaf ear to the voice of that nature, which perpetually demonftrates the neceflity it has of being fupported by a communication with men of wisdom and virtue. The dangers of a life too folitary may be fhewn by the errors which many have fallen into who have embraced it. They entered virtuous into that melancholy ftate, but came out of it criminals. Before they fecluded themselves from all fociety, they were men of fenfe, but afterwards they became fools. They would not have loft their virtue or their fenfe, if they had been affifted by that converfation with men of probity, of which they had deprived themfelves; for it is to the opinions and leffons of fuch men that the greateft of the philofophers were obliged for their virtues and their talents. If Plato had lived in a defart, he would not have had fuch a mafter as Socrates, but being left to himself might, perhaps, have turned out as bad a man as he was a good one. Many people are inclined to a retired life, for reasons that are very often bad, and not duly confidered. Sometimes it is a faintheartedness, which ought to be deemed a fort of cowardice, that makes us fearful of doing our duty: 'Tis often fpite, love, or fome other paflion which does not allow us time to reflect, but carries us away, and unaccountably leads us, we know not whither. We fly from mankind, and endeavour to hide ourselves, thinking that the vexation and perplexity, which prefs upon us with fuch a weight, will find relief in folitude; but inftead thereof they increase in it, and at length we find too late, that we can expect no comfort from a courfe that we took without confulting reafon, which ought to be a guide to all our actions. It must therefore be established as a certain maxim, that the moft proper ftate of life to render men really happy is that which is neither too public, nor too folitary; a ftate free from the hurry and tumult, to which thofe unavoidably are subject who pass their time with people in high life, and in the honourable, but fatiguing, exercise of employments; and a ftate, which, on the other hand, has not the dangers and inconveniencies of that which is too folitary.-A private man, who has a moderate income just to anfwer his occafions, keeps company with some virtuous friends, whofe temper he likes, and enjoys the charms of fociety in a kind of retirement and abfence from the bufy noify world, is in the fairest way to be happy. The LIFE of LUDLOW finished, from Page 239 of our laft. THE time for the meeting of the Houfe being now near at hand, the Lieutenant-general repaired to London, and lodged with a friend in Holborn, where he had not refided many days, before he had the mortification to hear, that the nominal Houfe of Commons, as he is pleafed to call them, though called by a Commonwealth writ in the name of the Keepers of the Liberties of England, paffed a vote, that the government of the nation fhould be by a King, Lords, and Commons; and that Charles Stuart fhould be proclaimed King of England, &c But the Lieutenant-general was fomething comforted, even under this heavy misfortune, by receiving advice that he had again efcaped the malice of his purfuers, who had fent orders, it feems, to feize his perfon in the Weft, the very day that he arived in London from thence; this obliged him, on receiving an order to attend his duty in the House, to apply to Mr. Arthur Annelley for inftructions how to behave in this critical conjuncture, who advifed him to take his feat as foon as he could, which he accordingly did. He now alfo fent or ders to collect his rents and difpofe of his effects in Ireland; but was prevented from doing either by Sir Charles Coote, who feized both, the frock alone amounting ta 1500l. Sir Charles having also seized Cooke, the Sollicitor againft Charles I, but then Chief-justice in Ireland; and others thereupon, without warrant or authority, ac cording to our author, feizing Col. Harris fon in England; the Cavaliers in the House of Commons eafily obtained an order to seize all who had figned the warrant for the King's execution, and confequently the Lieutenant-general; but he received timely notice to keep out of their reach, and to confult with his friends the propereft methods for his fecurity, the principal one now advifed and practifed being to fhift his abode very frequently. During his recefs, the Houfe was buy in preparing the bill of indemnity, in which he was more than once very near being inferted as one of the feven perfons to be excepted from all benefit thereby, either as to life or eftate. Herein Ge neral neral Monk and his Lady, with Col. Skipwith, were very affiduous; and, though they failed in that particular, yet they carried their point in another, which was the iffuing out a proclamation, foon after the King's return, for all the late King's Judges to furrender themfelves in fourteen days time, on pain of being excepted out of the faid act of indemnity This alarmed the Lieutenant-general greatly, and occafioned a confultation to be held with his friends, where it was debated whether, as he was not one of the feven excepted in the bill of indemnity, he should not furrrender himfelf according to the proclamation, as Mr. William Heveningham, Mr. Simon Mayne, and fome other of the late King's judges, had already done; but, being divided in their opinions, and fame, who femed to be beft verfed in the then ftate of affairs, not encouraging him to venture his life on fuch a rifque, there being strong expectations that the Lords would increafe the number to be excepted, he chose to wait the event a little longer, before he put himself into their power; and, though inclined to furrender, that he might have the more time to fettle his private affairs, yet he firft drew up a petition, fetting forth, that, though he had been engaged in the establishing a Commonwealth, during which he had behaved with as much tenderness as affairs would permit, yet now, the former government being reestablished, he thought it his duty to fub it thereto, that he might be intitled to the protection thereof. This he fent by his wife to Mr. Annelley for his opinion; but that Gentleman, being now, fays our author, fworn a Privy-counfellor, on perufal, faid he thought it would be better to fay nothing, than endeavour to juftify any thing that had been done. Upon this he fent his wife to the Earl of Ormond, to afk his advice how to demean himself; who made large promifes, but would enter into no particulars, unless he would difcover whether her hufband was ftill in England, as to which the begged his excufe. The Lieutenant-general then fent her to Sir Harbottle Grimfton, Speaker of the Houfe of Commons, to acquaint him with her husband's difficulties and doubts. Sir Harbottle entered very fiely into the affair with her, telling her, He believed the Houfe of Lords would be content with what was already done; but, if they should not, it would be the most horrid thing in the world, if the Houfe of Commons fhould join in excepting any man who had rendered himself. Letting her know, at the fame time, that there was no undertaking for what they would not do; but that he would confult Mr. Hollis, and other Leading men with whom he should dine that day, and inform himself fully in every particular, and would then give her the best advice he could. The confequence was, that they were unanimously of opinion, that the Houfe would never be guilty of fo unworthy an action; and therefore the Lieutenant general's best way would be to come in; and, to make it both the fafer and eafier, Sir Harbottle granted him his warrant to protect him from arrefts by the way, and promised to speak to the Serjeant to be moderate in his demands; which he accordingly did, and the Lieutenant-general furrendered. As this furrender was chiefly made to get time and opportunity to settle his affairs, the bail he procured were not very substantial, and those he honestly told, that, if he found his life was at all in danger, he would go off, if poffible; he therefore kept the strictest guard during the fitting of the Houfe every day, to prevent being feized by any order of theirs during the contests about the bill, which was hotly debated in the Houfe of Lords, where the Royal party feemed inclined to except all the Judges of Charles I, and did add feveral to the bill, even of those who had come in upon the proclamation. Yet the Lieutenant-general was fortunate enough to escape being named, and well it was for him that he did; for the Heufe of Commons confirmed the additions made by the Lords, with very few restrictions; no less than 19 who had furrendered themfelves being inferted, and delivered over by the Serjeant at Arms to the Lieutenant of the Tower, as the Lieutenant-general would have been, though not yet inkerted, if he had not withdrawn to Richmond on notice that the Lieutenant of the Tower, Sir John Robinson, would move the House, that all the perfons in the Serjeant's custody might be delivered up to him. On notice of thefe proceedings, and that there was much clamour at his fecreting himself, he came privately to town, and again fent his wife to Sir Harbottle Grimfton for advice, who was ftill pofitive for his furrendering himself into cuftody: At which the hef tating, he told her, that he would wash his hands of her husband's blood, by affuring her, that, if he would furrender himfelf, his life would be as fafe as his own; but, if he refused to hearken to that advice, and fhould happen to be feized, he was like to be the firft man they would execute, and fhe would be left the pooreft widow in England.' But the advice of another friend. backed with the friendly counfel of Lord Clory, fon to the Marquis of Ormond, out weighed 002 to withdraw to Lausanne, and feek protec tion from the canton of Bern; which was readily granted, both for themfelves and Ludlow, who in a few days followed them. Here the Lieutenant-general remained a few years, in the two firft of which, the Duchefs of Anjou, he fays, meaning Madame Henrietta Duchefs of Orleans, offered a perfon of quality 10,000 crowns to affiaffinate him; hut the bribe was refused, and the offer difcovered to a merchant at Laufanne, who informed the Lieutenant-general thereof. In September 1662, they were joined by feven more of their party, viz. Mr. Serjeant Dandy, Mr. Nicholas Love, Mr. Andrew Broughton, Mr. Slingby Bethel, Colonel Bitcoe, Mr William Say, and Mr. Cornelius Holland. Thefe perions paffed through Bern in their way, and paid a vifit to Mr. Humelius, the principal Minister there. By him they were informed of the Lieutenant-general and his companions refiding at Lautanne, in procuring the order for which, he had been very ferviceable; and now, by this means, gave them notice, that it would be much better for them to remove to Vevay, then to remain any longer where they were: On which fix of them, amongst whom was the Lieutenant-general, accord weighed all that the Speaker had faid, and determined the Lieutenant-general's refolution to quit England; which he inftantly put in practice, and, having taken leave of all his friends, he went over London-bridge in a coach to St. George's Church in the Borough of Southwark, where he took horfe, and, travelling all night, arrived at Lewes, a fea-port on the coaft of Suflex, by break of day the next morning, without having paffed through any principal town by the way. The precife time of his elcape is not mentioned by him, but may be fixed to the beginning of September, 1665. On the Tuefday after he left London, he went on board a fall open veilel prepared for him; but, the weather being very bad, he quitted that, and took shelter in a larger, which had been got ready for him (and in which, but a few weeks before, Richard Cromwell had gone over to France) but ftruck upon the fands in going down the river, and lay then aground; and was hardly got on board this, when fore perfons came to fearch that he had quitted, but, not fufpe&ting any body to be in that afhore, did not examine it, by which means he efcaped : And, waiting a day and a night for the form to abate (during which the Mafter of the veffel alked him, Whether he had heard that Lieutenant-ingly removed thither, where they were regeneral Ludlow was confined amongst the reft of the King's Judges) the next morning he put to fea, and landed at Dieppe that evening, before the gates were shut. He was recommeded to the houfe of one Madame de Caux, who with great civility making him an offer of going to her country-houfe, he readily embraced it, as will to avoid the many Irish then in the town, as to enjoy the liberty of taking the air. Soon after his going off, a proclamation was publithed for apprehending and fecuring him, with a reward of 300l. One of thele proclamations came to his hands, inclofed in a pacquet of letters, where in his friends ently dfied he would remove to iome place more diitant from England; and this made him refolve for Geneva; in pursuance of which refolution, he travelled thither, and took up his quarters at one Mr. Ferret's, who had $rved in the Parliament army during the civil war, and thereby had acquired the EngJuh language. Here he was joined by Miers. Lifle and Cowley, two of those who fat as Judges on the late King, and, together with them, made private application to one of the principal Syndics for the protection of the Republic, which was fecretly promid; but his two companions, not being fatisfied therewith, would addreis the Council publicly against his advice, and thereby we offence; to that they found it neceflary ceived with great kindness, and vifited in form by the Chief Magiftrates. Here they were visited alfo by Mr. Algernoon Sidney, as he returned from Rome; and who, when he left them, paffed through Bern, where he did them fome kind offices, and informed them, that it would be proper for those amongst them, who could bear travel ing, to make a tour to Bern, to pay their public rcknowledgments to the Lords, for their kind protection granted to them. Hereup the Lieutenant general, accompanied with Meffrs. Love and Broughton, who were accidentally come over from Laufinne, set out for Bern. Being arrived there, they firt paid their respects to Mr Humelius, as well to thank him for the many kind offices he had done for them, as to beg he would affift them in making their addrefs to the Council in as private a manner as they could; which he approved of, and obtained liberty for them to do it in what manner they thought proper, either by fpeech or writing; which latter method they chose, and prefented by the hands of the Advoyer or President of the Council. This addrefs was drawn in the ufual forma and style of fuch papers, and presented the 3d of September 1663, as appears from the date of the answer returned by the Council, which is as follows: Se ten September the 3d, 1663. Concerning the three English Gentlemen who have for fome time refided at Vevay, and have this day prefented, in our Af femely of Council, their thanks for our protection formerly granted to them; it is refolved, that they shall be faluted on our part with a prefent of wine, and that Mr. Treafurer Steiger, with Mr. Kilberger, and you our Doyne, do acquaint them with our affection and good-will to them, and affure them of the continuation of the fame for the time to come.' This was brought to them the day after the date by their friend Mr. Humelius, who had, in the interim, very politely entertained them with the fight of every thing curious in Bern. The next day after prefenting this addrefs, three of the Senators came to dine with them; and, when dinner was over, one of them asking how it came to pafs, that they, who for many years had the whole power of the three nations in their hands, were removed from the Government without fhedding one drop of blood;' I told them, fays our author, with all the brevity I could, that most of thefe perfons, who at first engaged in the war, having made their own peace, had endeavoured to deliver us and the cause itself into the hands of our enemies; and though they had many opportunities to have ended the difpute, by destroying the King's army; they neglected all and only endeavoured to reduce the Crown to their own terms. This was vifible in the conduct of the Earl of Effex on feveral occafions, and that of the Earl of Manchefter after the battle of Newbury, who, though he had 20,000 men in his army flushed with that victory, yet fuffered the King, with 7000 only, to carry off the cannon he had left at a place which stood near the ground, where he had been routed a few weeks before, without once offering to attack him; giving this at a Council of war for the reafon of his refufing to fight, that, if the King were beaten twenty times by us, he would be still King, but, if he thould once beat us, we should be all held as traitors; for which, being accused in the Heufe of Commons, though they thought not convenient to proceed against him crimimaliy, yet upon this, and divers other confiderations, they removed him, together with the Earl of Effex, and the rest of the Nobility, from their commands in the army, making choice of Commoners to fill up their places, whole intereft they knew it was to take away the monarchy itfelt. By this means, they foon put an end to the war, fentenced the King to die for the blood that had been shed, established a free Commonwealth, brought their enemies at home to fubmit to their authority, and reduced thofe abroad to accept fuch terms as they would give. In the midst of all this profperity they were betrayed by Oliver Cromwell, whom they had intrusted with the command of their army; who, having moulded the greatest part of the Officers to his purpofe, by calumniating the Parliament, propofing advancement to the ambitious, and deluding the fimple with a fhew of religion, backed by the affistance of the clergy and lawyers (who had been threatened by the Parliament with a reformation of their practices) ejected his Mafters, and ufurped their authority; endeavouring, during the five years of his reign, to ruin all that had been faithful to the intereft of the Commonwealth, and advancing thofe who would not scruple to facrifice their confciences to his ambition. By these ways the army became so corrupted, that, though after the Ufurper's death they had been perfuaded with great difficulty to depofe the fon, and to permit the reftitution of the Parliament, they were foon after induced, under frivolous pretences, to offer violence to them a fecond time; which, rendering them odious to the people, gave an opportunity to Monk, by declaring for the Parliament, to divide their Councils and to render them useless. And, when the Parliament had, in gratitude for their reftitution, conferred many undeserved favours upon Monk, he alfo, who had been a creature of Cromwell, and advanced by him, betrayed his truft, and, contrary to many proteftations, oaths, and folemn affeverations, brought a great number of perfons to vote in Parliament who had forinerly been ejected by the House, which turned the balance from the fide of the Commonwealth; and, under the influence of his forces, brought in the son of the late King. Our author, on this occafion alfo, gives us the history of the first establishment of the Republic of Bern, with which he is so tranfported, that he forgets, while he applauds the fpirit of freedom, that he is an advocate for the doctrine of affaffination, against which, in his own perfon, he raifes great exclamation, and, indeed, not without reafon; for, foon after his coming to Vevay, he received information that an Irishman called Riardo, and faid to belong to the Duchefs- of Orleans, was come to Turin, with an intention to form fome defign against the lives of our author and the other English fugitives; and it was alf reported, that King Charles 11. had wrote to the Magiftracy at Bern, to demand the delivery of their perfons. Ma ny letters from Turin, Geneva, Lyons, and refide in the town without giving an exact account of themselves and their business, to double the guards at Vevay, and to give the Lieutenant-general and his companions leave to ring the alarm-bell, which being fituated near one of the gates, they could do from one of their own apartments, in case of any fudden attack. The Bailiff of Morges foon after apprehended one of the watermen who had brought the affaffins, who were twelve in nu ber, to Vevay, and, upon threatening him with the ftrappado, he confeffed the whole affair, but pretended he knew nothing of it till after the mifcarriage. To thofe al ready named he joined De la Brecte and Du Fargis, two of Savoy; adding that Dupre, on their return, told them, had they fuc ceeded, they should have had money enough. Notwithstanding this difappointment and difcovery, many of the Lieutenant-general's friends, it being publicly given out that he was the perfon principally pursued, and a mongst them Mr. Steiger, Treasurer of Bern, propofed his removal with his friends from Vevay to fome place more in the cen ter of their territories, as Yverden or Laufanne, where their enemies would not have the advantage of coming by water to attack or furprise them; but he refolved to remain where he was. Mr. Lifle, however, took the advice, and removed to Lausanne, where, on Thursday the 21ft of July, 1664, he was way-laid by fome of the fame gang, but, not happening to go to church that morning, and they being fufpected by the townimen, they returned to Savoy by water, as they had come, faying, loud enough to be overheard, Le Bougre ne viendra pas,' the scoundrel won't come, while they waited near the church : But on Thuridday, the 11th of August following, N. S. he was fhot dead in the church-yard by a perfon who had a companion on horseback, with a horfe for the affaffin, on which, though knocked down with the recoil of his piece, he efcaped. Wharton, a ftaunch Cavalier, in his Gefta Britannorum, page 504, has tranfmitted an account of this manly exploit to pofterity, in the following words: · Auguit the 21ft, that notorious regicide Lifle, overtaken by divine vengeance at Lausanne, where the miferable wretch was thot dead by the gallantry of three Irish Gentlemen, who attempted the furprifal of him and four more impious parricides. Thus party zeal extinguishes every Chriftian and humane fentiment, and makes the all-gracious Su preme Being the author of the blacket |