the death of his father, Charles the first. As some of my young readers may be gratified to hear what a worthy minister would dare say to a great king, I shall subjoin the letter.

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"29th of January, 1679-80..

May it please your Majesty,

"I have not presumed to "trouble your Majesty for some months, "not having any thing worthy your time "to offer; and now I choose rather this

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way, since the infinite duty I owe you

puts me under restraints in discourse. "which I cannot so easily overcome.

"What I shall now suggest to your Majesty, I'do as in the presence of Almighty "God, to whom I must give an account

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" of

66 of all my actions; I therefore beg you "will be graciously pleased to accept this "most faithful zeal of your poor subject, "who has no other design in it than your good, and the discharge of his own ❝ conscience..

.

"There is one thing, and indeed "the only thing, in which all honest 66 men agree, as that which can easily "extricate you out of all your troubles; "it is not the change of a minister,. "or of a council, a new alliance, or a "session of parliament, but it is, (and "suffer me to speak it with more than "ordinary earnestness) a change in your "own heart, and in your course of life. "And now, Sir, if you do not throw this 66 paper from you, permit me, with all the "humility of a subject prostrate at your “feet, to tell you that all the distrust your "people have of you, all the necessities

" you

you are now under, all the indignation "of Heaven that is now upon you, and

appears in the defeating all your councils, "flow from this that you have not feared "nor served God, but have given yourself. up to so many sinful pleasures.

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"Your Majesty may perhaps justly "think, that many of those that oppose

you have no regard for religion; but "the body of your people consider it "more than you can imagine. I do "not desire your Majesty to put on "an hypocritical shew of religion,

as

Henry the Third of France did, "hoping thereby to have weathered the "storms of those times. No! that would "be soon seen through; and as it would provoke God more, so it would increase jealousies.-No! Sir, it must be real, and "the evidence of it signal;-all those "about you who are the occasions of sin

"must

1

"must be removed, and your court be "reformed..

"Sir, if you will turn to religion "seriously and sincerely, you will quickly "find a serene joy of another nature possess

your mind, than what arises from gross "pleasures. God would be at peace with you, and direct and bless your councils; "all good men would presently turn to you, and ill men would be ashamed and "have a thin party. For I speak it know

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ingly, there is nothing has so alienated the body of your people from you, as " what they have heard of your life, which

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disposes them to give an easy belief to all "other scandalous reports. Sir, this "council is almost as necessary for your "affairs, as it is for your soul; and though

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you have highly offended that God, who "has been infinitely merciful to you, in "preserving you at Worcester fight, and "during

"during your long exile, and who brought you back so miraculously, yet he is still "good and gracious, and will, upon your "sincere repentance and change of life, σε pardon all your sins, and receive you into

"his favour.

"Oh, Sir, what if you should die in the "midst of all your sins? At the great "tribunal, where you must appear, there "will be no regard to the crown you now 66 wear; it will but aggravate your pu"nishment, that being in so eminent a "station, you have so much dishonoured "God. Sir, I hope you believe there is "a God, and a life to come, and that sin. "shall not pass unpunished.

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"If your Majesty will reflect upon your having been now twenty years upon the "throne, and in all that time, how little you have glorified God, how much you

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