The following Character of King Charles the Second, with the Political, Moral and Miscellaneous Thoughts and Reflections were written by George Savile Marquis of Halifax, and were taken from his original Manuscripts, in the Possession of his Grand-daughter Dorothy Countess of Burlington.

CONTENTS.

Page
Character of King Charles II.[1]
Political Thoughts and Reflections.
Of Fundamentals,[63]
Of Princes,[77]
Princes, (their Rewards of Servants)[79]
Princes, (their Secrets)[80]
Love of the Subjects to a Prince,[81]
Suffering for Princes,[ibid.]
Of Ministers,[82]
Wicked Ministers,[84]
Instruments of State Ministers,[85]
Of the People,[86]
Of Government,[89]
Clergy,[92]
Religion,[93]
Of Prerogative, Power and Liberty,[94]
Of Laws,[101]
Of Parliaments,[103]
Of Parties,[105]
Of Courts,[111]
Of Punishment,[114]
Moral Thoughts and Reflections.
Of the World,[116]
Of Ambition,[119]
Of Cunning and Knavery,[121]
Of Folly and Fools,[126]
Of Hope,[132]
Of Anger,[134]
Of Apologies,[136]
Of Malice and Envy,[139]
Of Vanity,[141]
Of Money,[145]
False Learning,[147]
Of Company,[148]
Of Friendship,[150]
Miscellaneous Thoughts and Reflections.
Of Advice and Correction,[152]
Of Alterations,[153]
Bashfulness,[154]
Boldness,[ibid.]
Borrowers of Opinions,[155]
Candour,[ibid.]
Of Caution and Suspicion,[156]
Cheats,[161]
Complaint,[ibid.]
Content,[162]
Converts,[ibid.]
Desires,[162]
Difficulty,[163]
Dissembling,[164]
Dreams,[ibid.]
Drunkenness,[ibid.]
Experience,[165]
Extremes,[ibid.]
Faculties of the Mind,[166]
Families,[168]
Fear,[169]
Flattery,[170]
Forgetfulness,[171]
Good-manners,[ibid.]
Good-nature,[172]
Good-will,[ibid.]
Heat,[ibid.]
Honesty,[ibid.]
Hypocrisy,[173]
Injuries,[ibid.]
Integrity,[174]
Justice,[ibid.]
To Love, and to be in Love different,[175]
Lucre,[ibid.]
Lying,[ibid.]
Names,[176]
Partiality,[ibid.]
Patience,[177]
Positiveness,[177]
Prosperity,[ibid.]
Quiet,[ibid.]
Reason and Passion,[178]
Reputation,[179]
Self-Love,[ibid.]
Shame,[ibid.]
Singularity,[ibid.]
Slander,[180]
Speakers in Publick,[ibid.]
Time, the Loss of it,[181]
Truth,[ibid.]
Wisdom,[ibid.]
Youth,[182]

A
CHARACTER
OF
KING CHARLES II.

I. Of his Religion.

A Character differeth from a Picture only in this, every Part of it must be like, but it is not necessary that every Feature should be comprehended in it as in a Picture, only some of the most remarkable.

This Prince at his first entrance into the World had Adversity for his Introducer, which is generally thought to be no ill one, but in his case it proved so, and laid the foundation of most of those Misfortunes or Errors, that were the causes of the great Objections made to him.