He gave an early specimen of the roughnes of his nature, when in the eager pursuit of the House of Commons after the Duke of Buckingham, he advised or gave a counsel against another, which was afterwards taken up and pursued against himselfe.  Thus pressing upon another man’s case, he awakened his own fate.  For when that House was in consultation, how to frame the particular charge against that great Duke, he advised to make a generall one, and to accuse him of treason, and to let him afterwards get off, as he could; which befell himselfe at last.  I beleive he should make no irrational conjecture, who determined, that his very eminent parts to support a Crown, and his very rugged nature to contest disloyalty, or withstand change of government, made his enemies implacable to him.  It was a great infirmity in him, that he seem’d to overlooke so many, as he did; since every where, much more in Court, the numerous or lesser sort of attendants can obstruct, create jealousies, spread ill reports, and do harme:  for as ’tis impossible, that any power or deportment should satisfy all persons:  so there a little friendlines and opennes of carriage begets hope, and lessens envy.

In his person he was of a tall stature, but stooped much in the neck.  His countenance was cloudy, whilst he moved, or sat thinking; but when he spake, either seriously or facetiously, he had a lightsom and a very pleasant ayre:  and indeed whatever he then did, he performed very gracefully.  The greatnes of the envy, that attended him, made many in their prognosticks to bode him an ill end; and there went current a story of the dream of his Father, who being both by his wife, nighest friends, and Physicians, thought to be at the point of his death, fell suddenly into so profound a sleep, and lay quietly so long, that his Wife, uncertain of his condition, drew nigh his bed, to observe, whether she could hear him breath, and gently touching him, he awaked with great disturbance, and told her the reason was, she had interrupted him in a dream, which most passionately he desired to have known the end of.  For, said he, I dream’d one appear’d to me, assuring me, that I should have a son, (for ’till then he had none) who should be a very great and eminent man:  but—­and in this instant thou didst awake me, whereby I am bereaved of the knowledge of the further fortune of the child.  This I heard, when this Lord was but in the ascent of his greatnes, and long before his fall:  and afterwards conferring with some of his nighest Relations, I found the tradition was not disown’d.  Sure I am, that his station was like those turfs of earth or sea-banks, which by the storm swept away, left all the in-land to be drown’d by popular tumult.

19.

THE EARL OF NORTHAMPTON.

Spencer Compton, second Earl of Northampton.

Born 1601.  Fell at Hopton Heath 1643.

By CLARENDON.