P. 613. Burnet, in his character of Charles II., says:—­His person and temper, his vices as well as his fortunes, resemble the character that we have given us of Tiberius so much, that it were easy to draw the parallel between them.  Tiberius’s banishment, and his coming afterwards to reign, makes the comparison in that respect come pretty near.  His hating of business, and his love of pleasures, his raising of favourites, and trusting them entirely; and his pulling them down, and hating them excessively; his art of covering deep designs, particularly of revenge, with an appearance of softness, brings them so near a likeness, that I did not wonder much to observe the resemblance of their face and person.—­Swift. Malicious, and in many circumstances false.

P. 615. Burnet concludes his character of Charles II. with these words:—­How ungrateful soever this labour has proved to my self, and how unacceptable soever it may be to some, who are either obliged to remember him gratefully, or by the engagement of parties and interests are under other biasses, yet I have gone through all that I knew relating to his life and reign with that regard to truth, and what I think may be instructive to mankind, which became an impartial writer of history, and one who believes, that he must give an account to God of what he writes, as well as of what he says and does.—­Swift. He was certainly a very bad prince, but not to the degree described in this character, which is poorly drawn, and mingled with malice very unworthy an historian, and the style abominable, as in the whole history, and the observations trite and vulgar.

BOOK IV.

P. 623. Burnet. Because Chudleigh the envoy there had openly broken with the Prince [of Orange], (for he not only waited no more on him, but acted openly against him; and once in the Vorhaut had affronted him, while he was driving the Princess upon the snow in a trainau, according to the German manner, and pretending they were masked, and that he did not know them, had ordered his coachman to keep his way, as they were coming towards the place where he drove;) the King recalled him.—­Swift. A pretty parenthesis.

P. 626. Burnet. This gave all thinking men a melancholy prospect.  England now seemed lost, unless some happy accident should save it.  All people saw the way for packing a Parliament now laid open.—­Swift. Just our case at the Queen’s death.

P. 638. Burnet says that Musgrave and others pretended:—­when money was asked for just and necessary ends, to be frugal patriots, and to be careful managers of the public treasure.—­Swift. A party remark,

P. 651. Burnet. Goodenough, who had been under-sheriff of London when Cornish was sheriff, offered to swear against Cornish; and also said, that Rumsey had not discovered all he knew.  So Rumsey to save himself joined with Goodenough, to swear Cornish guilty of that for which the Lord Russell had suffered.  And this was driven on so fast, that Cornish was seized on, tried, and executed within the week.—­Swift. Goodenough went to Ireland, practised law, and died there.