By the death of Southampton and the exile of Clarendon Ormonde was left with but little support at court. His old friend’s dismissal was quite unexpected by him, and at first he did not think his own position would be much affected. The King’s main argument was that the Chancellor’s unpopularity, faithfully reflected in the House of Commons, made it impossible to carry on the government, and against this Ormonde protested. No prominent statesman, he said, could escape popular clamour, and the advantage of yielding to it was very uncertain, and ‘should never be brought in competition with honour and justice, which are the only lasting supports to greatness.’ Charles replied that his old servant’s humour had become unsupportable to him and to all the world; but, he added, ‘I assure you that your former friendship to the Chancellor shall not do you any prejudice with me, and that I have not in the least degree diminished that value and kindness I ever had for you, which I thought fit to say to you upon this occasion, because it is very possible malicious people may suggest the contrary to you.’[78]
Ormonde and Orrery.
Clarendon left England at the end of November 1667, and in the following February the King sent for Ormonde, directing him to make Ossory his deputy and to give him such instructions as he thought fit, but not to start if his health would be likely to suffer, nor until the state of business was such that he could be spared. He had long hesitated about the policy of going to confront his enemies or staying to look after his own interests, and he shrank also from the expense of moving. The return of Ossory to Ireland early in March turned the scale. He left Ireland in the middle of April, and Orrery, who had been detained by illness, followed him in June. Ormonde had been warned by his son some time before that the Lord President of Munster was intriguing against him, but was very unwilling to believe it in view of the latter’s constant expressions of goodwill. Perhaps, indeed, he protested rather too much, but Ormonde trusted him so far as to send a copy of the anonymous articles of impeachment secretly devised against himself: ‘I desire your lordship that no copy may be taken of them, lest it may thereby come to be suspected how I came by them.’ But before Orrery got to London it was well known that he was working against the Lord Lieutenant, though the latter was anxious for his presence as likely to be useful to the service. After three months’ experience he was telling everyone that Orrery was no friend of his.[79]
Ormonde recalled.
Of all the bad men in a bad time Buckingham was perhaps the worst, without shame, honour, or decency. He amused Charles and those about him, and his career is disposed of in a single line of Dryden—he had his jest and they had his estate. Ormonde was an offence unto him both for his high character and for the universal respect in which he was held. Nevertheless he made some approaches to Ossory, who refused to be reconciled to him unless he would act a friendly part to his father. In fact he intrigued incessantly against him, trying first to capture his position as Lord Steward, and when that failed, hoping to succeed him as Lord Lieutenant, going so far as to make nominations to offices in Ireland. Arlington, whose wife was Lady Ossory’s sister, did not openly oppose Ormonde, though he gave him little help. He had to hold his own against Buckingham, and did in fact secure the weight of business while his rival made a show in public. An attempt was made to prove financial mismanagement in Ireland, and this involved Anglesey, who had lately resigned the Vice-treasurership. The attack failed, and the idea of an impeachment was soon dropped. Ormonde seldom used strong language, but in writing to his son he said that Buckingham was a vile man, that Orrery’s gout was the least of his infirmities, and that Lord Meath, upon whose articles it was hoped to found an impeachment, had lost more than he could spare of the sense God gave him. Meath’s name was struck off the Irish Privy Council, and Charles repeatedly affirmed his confidence in the Lord Lieutenant. Towards the end of 1668 well-informed people still thought that he would not be removed, and even in February he wrote himself to that effect. Four days later his supersession was finally decided on, which, says Pepys, ‘is a great stroke to show the power of Buckingham and the poor spirit of the King; and little hold that any man can have of him.’ But to the end Charles continued to speak well of Ormonde, who told the Irish Chancellor that he was much more surprised at the praise than at the recall.[80]
FOOTNOTES:
[61] Irish Commons Journal, January to August, 1666. Irish Lords Journal, July 16, and August 3 and 7. Ormonde to Arlington, January 17 and April 4, State Papers, Ireland; Leigh to Williamson, ib. August 6. Writing to Ormonde, August 14, Arlington regrets that the Bill of Indemnity had not passed—‘the persecutions all parties, at least two considerable ones, are exposed to for want of it,’ were certain to give trouble.—Miscellanea Aulica, p. 413.
[62] Ormonde to Arlington, January 20, 1665-6, May 25 and 30, State Papers, Ireland; letters, May 25-29, ib.; G. Warburton to Williamson, June 27, ib.; a memorandum, July 17, ib.; Clarendon to Ormonde, July 7, Carte Transcripts, vol. xlvii.; Arran’s account, May 28, ib. vol. xxxiv.
[63] Statutes at Large, 15 Car. II. cap. 7. Petty’s Political Anatomy of Ireland, chap. x. On January 1, 1668, Pepys heard much about the almost miraculous cheapness of corn, ‘so as the farmers can pay no rent, but do fling up their lands,’ and he had noted the same thing at April 9, 1667. Shaftesbury to the King in Christie’s Life, vol. ii. appx. 1. His estimate of losses from plague is more than confirmed by Clarendon, Life, Cont., p. 821. Anglesey’s protest against the 1663 Act is in Rogers’ Protests of the Lords, i. 27.
[64] Clarendon’s Life, Cont., pp. 610-630. Lister’s Life of Clarendon, ii. 424, iii. 530. Evelyn’s Diary, October 27, 1664. Pepys has frequent notices, particularly at October 8, 1666, and June 27, 1667. State Papers, Ireland, July 1665 to July 1668, particularly Ormonde to Arlington, July 25 and 27 and August 26, 1666.