Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A29401
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A Breif [sic] account of many memorable passages of the life & death of the Earle of Shaftsbury ... who departed this life the 21st day of December, 1683 ...
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1683
(1683)
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Wing B4503; ESTC R17676
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6,304
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10
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A Breif Account of many memorable Passages of the LIFE DEATH OF THE EARLE OF SHAFTSBURY Sometime Lord High Chancellor of ENGLAND Who Departed this life the 21st day of 〈…〉 1683. GIVING An impartiall Relation of his Loyalty to His Majesty in the late times and the great endeavours he used to bring in the King into England unto his just rights in peace and safety with His Majesties gratefull acknowledgment of these his kindnesses to him in preferring him to several Eminent Places of Honour and Trust Together with his great patience under the loss of the same Also his twice Imprisonment in the Tower and his witty answer to one of the Popish Lords upon his Imprisonment his Releasement and severall Plotts and Sham-Plotts of the Papists used to take away his Life for his vigalancy and care for the Protestant Religion and their disappointments Of his arrivall in Holland and his kind entertainment there Together with his Sickness and worthy Speeches a little before his death Concluded with a Prayer worthy of the perusall of all persons Printed for J. Coniers in Duck-Lane A breif Account of some Remarkable passages of The LIFE DEATH OF THE EARLE of SHAFTSBURY IT is not my presumption in this Sheet to write the Life of this great States-man but to give the Reader a brief Account of some remarkable passages in the same for the satisfaction of the meaner sort that cannot purchase large volumes Anthony Earle of Shafisbicry Baron Ashley of Wimbourn and Lord Cooper of 〈◊〉 as descended from the honourable and ancient Family of 〈…〉 â—â—imbourn St. Giles's in the County of Dorset We 〈…〉 first place laying aside all his other vertues treat of the Loyalty of this noble Peer in the words of the late Author saith he Could we have taken a view of the inside of this noble Peer we might have seen his heart full of Loyalty to his Prince love to his Countrey zeale for the Protestant Rellgion the festlement of which can only secure us from the attempts of His Majesty's and his people Enemies With what admirable policy did influence and manage the Councils in the late times in what he was concerned in during the Inter Regnum towards His Majesty's interest and with what admirable subtilty did he turn the stream of their Counsells and with unâ—â— wearied diligence did he tugg at the helm of State till he had brought in his great Master the King into his Kingdomes again in prosperity and safety to the joy of all good Subjects His House was a Sanctuary for distressed Loyallists and his correct pondency with the King Friends though closely managed as the necessity of those times required are not unknown to those that weâ— the principle managers of his Majesty affaires at that time this maâ— the late Usurper O. Cromwell so jealous of him whose arbratary Government he withstood to the utmost of his power And we find that Sir Anthony Ashly Cooper was accused before the RVMP Parliament in the Year 1659. for keeping intelligence with the King and having provided Forces in Dorset-shire to joyn with Sir George Booth in attempting to bring in our noble King that now is to his rightfull Throne and also his concurrence with Generall Monke in that importunant juncture if we remember that his Regiment was one of the first that declared for a Free Parliament and Generall Monke in March 1659. so zealous was he in putting all his strength to turn the great Wheele of State And at the time of his Majesties Restoration as most signal testimony of His Majesty's good opinion of his former actions he was advanced to be one of the first rank in His Majesty's most honourable Privy Councel and was placed above his Royall Brother the Duke of Glocester even Generall Monke himself whom the King used to call his political father And three dayes after His Majesties Coronation he was created Baron Ashley of Wimbourn St. Giles's and also Lord Cooper of Paulet and at last another mark of Royal favour in the Year 1672. He was made Earle of Shaftsbury for his wise administration in his Majesty's affaires he was made Chancellour of the Exchequer and some time after that made Lord High Chancellour of England about the beginning of the year 1672. which place he executed with the greatest Judgment and Equity imaginable Thus having briefly traced this great Minister of State in these mighty imployments under his great and good master the King I shall take some notice of his relinquishment of that high imployment and what happened to him since About November 1673. His Majesty was pleased to send for the Lord Chancellour to Whitehall where he resigned the great Seale of England to his Majesty and was dismist from being Treasurer of the Exchecquer In the Afternoon of the same day the Earle of Shaftsbury was visited by Prince Rupert with other great Lords at Exeter house whore they gave his Lordship thanks for his faithfull and honourable discharge of that great imployment Thus this great Minister of State to the universall satisfaction of all good men being raised to that high degree of interest in his Masters favour without a murmur laid all his honour at his Majesties feet and was observed not to abate of the cheerfulness of his temper upon the loss of all these temporal honourable imployment I shall conclude this part of his life with a Chanacter that a late Author gave of him His choice sagacity Strait solved the knot that subtile Lawyers ty'd And through all foggs discern'd the oppressed side Banish'd delays and so this noble Peer Became a Star of honour in our Sphere Aneedfull Atlas of our State On the 16th of February 1676. this Earle was sent Prisoner to the Tower by the order of the House of Lords there were at the same time committed several other Lords for maintaining That the then Parliament was dissolved and ought not to sit any longer where he continued Prisoner about a years time and after his submitting himself to His Majesty and the Parliament he was discharged by acknowledging his fault A little after his releasement this parliament was preroged and after dissolved Now was the wicked Plot of the Jesuites and Papists discovered by the great fidelity of Dr. Oates which convineed both King Lords and Commons and all the Nation in generall of a damnable treasonable Popish design to murder our King with the rest of the Nobility and Gentry and to reduce the Protestant Church to Komish Idolatry and the State to a Catholique slavery On the 7th of march 1678. Another Parliament met at Westminster This Parliament did like noble Patriots endeavour to give check to the bloody Popish designes a foot and passed many excellent Votes for that purpose many Members acquited themselves in their Speeches like men of high sense of the miseries the nation was like to be involved in this House carried up their impeachments to the House of Lords against the Lord Pouis Stafford
labouring under such extream pains and diseases during the Earls imprisonment many made it their business to detract and villify him and it was their mode to drink his health at an hepenstring and call him Tony Tapskin and King of Poland After the Earls Tryal it is reported he Arrested one Baines one of the witnesses for a Conspiracy also several others but being not suffred to have his Tryal against them in London and Midlesex he remitted the same till another oportunity Thus have we given a brief account of the most remarkable things relating this great Peer to this time after which he lived very private at his house in Aldersgate street till the beginning of the month of November when t is reported he left England and landed at Brill in Holland where he was nobly entertained by the States and as some say hath put into their stock a considerable summ of mony But amongst the rest let us take cognizance of his deportment in the time of his seeming affliction he was little or nothing dismaid at the contrary current which opposed the stream of his aspiring mind which was a generous and magnanimous spirit in him for indeed he was as much befriended by unexpected favours abroad as afflicted by domestick troubles in his own native soil his reception in Holland was unquestionably very kind as doubtless was appertinent to a person of his parts It is not to be doubted but the many transactions happening in his time had recorded him there as well as in other Countries for a Polititian and so was he received by them His deportment there was such that he obliged all that came near him indulged all that knew him and at this death left no man without an obligation of a memento It was much to be taken notice of that during the time of his ilness he rather seemed to be of better composure in mind than ordinary as seeming to imbrace his malady with a kind of welcome that might transmute his soul into that endless happiness which he had been so long labouring for he seemed to covet after that continual blessing which alone makes happy and rejoyc'd at his approching change Oh happy is that man who like an undaunted Champion can boldly look upon the pale messenger of grim death without terrour when no astonishment comes to amaze the drooping sences but on the contrary if silled with comfort at the perfect assurance of a better state by the help and assistance of a blessed change no peace like a quiet mind no comfort like the peace of conscience nor no conquest like the victory over sin thrice happy is that man whom the thoughts of death cannot terrify then let us all labour so to live here that we may assure our selves of an inheritance hereafter that shall furnish our souls with joys everlasting that have no end But when he perceived that his fatal hour was most certainly appreaching with a most heavenly frame he prepared himself to meet with that unwelcome messenger taking great and particular care of his Menial servants that will imprint a memorial in their now bleeding hearts so having setled affairs in his house according to his own mind and Will he recommended his soul to him that gave it in these following words and manner O Most gracious and merciful Lord God who out of thy infinite mercy and goodness hast preserved and protected me through an Ocean of trouble and perplexity yea and brought me out of a labarinth of danger which without thine assistance I could never have waded through and now since by thy mercy I am made sensible of thy unspeakable Love so me in this my last hour I beseech thee with an unfeigned desire to have mercy upon my immortal soul and let thine Angel conduct it to the Throne of thine everlasting happiness Lord preserve and keep my Severaign Leige Charles the II. King of the Land of my Nativity protect that poor Nation now in a tottering condition from the yoke and burthen of Popish tyranny that the Gospel may flourish in the dominions thereof Lord strengthen me in this hour of tribulation that I may cheerfully pass through the dark passage which leads to thy never fading light Amen FINIS