Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/292

 254 Readings in European History 324a. How England went mad over the return of Charles II. (From Burnet.) being easy and the making everything easy to him. He had made such observations on the French government that he thought a king who might be checked, or have his ministers called into account by a Parliament, was but a king in name. He had a great compass of knowledge, though he was never capable of great application or study. He understood the mechanics and physic, and was a good chemist, and much set on several preparations of mercury, chiefly the fixing it. He understood navigation well; but above all, he knew the architecture of ships so perfectly that in that respect he was exact rather more than became a prince. His apprehension was quick and his memory good, and he was an everlasting talker. He told his stories with a good grace, but they came in his way too often. He had a very ill opinion both of men and women, and did not think there was either sincerity or chastity in the world out of principle, but that some had either the one or the other out of humor or vanity. He thought that nobody served him out of love ; and so he was quits with all the world, and loved others as little as he thought they loved him. He hated business and could not be easily brought to mind any; but when it was necessary, and he was set to it, he would stay as long as his ministers had work for him. The ruin of his reign, and of all his affairs, was occasioned chiefly by his delivering himself up at his first coming over to a mad range of pleasure. The king's subjects, according to Burnet, also delivered themselves up to wild rejoicing and indulgence. With the restoration of the king, a spirit of extravagant joy being spread over the nation, that brought on with it the throwing off the very professions of virtue and piety : all ended in entertainments and drunkenness, which overran the three kingdoms to such a degree that it very much corrupted all their morals. Under the color of drinking the king's health, there were great disorders and much riot everywhere ; and the pretenses to religion, both in those of the hypocriti- cal sort and of the more honest but no less pernicious