UNDER CHARLES THE SECOND.

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of the old school, a zealous champion of the crown and of the chap.

Church, and a hater of Republicans and Nonconformists. He-

had consequently a great body of personal adherents. Theclergy especially looked on him as their own man, and ex-tended to his foibles an indulgence of which, to say the truth,he stood in some need: for he drank deep; and when he wasin a rage, — and he very often was in a rage, — he swore likea porter.

He now succeeded Essex at the Treasury. It is to be ob-served that the place of First Lord of the Treasury had notthen the importance and dignity which now belong to it.

When there was a Lord Treasurer, that great officer wasgenerally prime minister: but, when the white staff was incommission, the chief commissioner did not rank so high as aSecretary of State. It was not till the time of Walpole thatthe First Lord of the Treasury was considered as the head ofthe executive administration.

Godolphin had been bred a page at Whitehall, and had Sidneyearly acquired all the flexibility and the self-possession of apy d n °. 1_veteran courtier. He was laborious, clear-headed, and pro-foundly versed in the details of finance. Every government,therefore, found him an useful servant; and there wasnothing in his opinions or in his character which could preventhim from serving any government. “Sidney Godolphin,”said Charles, “is never in the way, and never out of the way.”

This pointed remark goes far to explain Godolphin’s extra-ordinary success in life.

He acted at different times with both the great politicalparties: but he never Bhared in the passions of either. Likemost men of cautious tempers and prosperous fortunes, hehad a strong disposition to support whatever existed. Hedisliked revolutions; and, for the same reason for which hedisliked revolutions, he disliked counterrevolutions. Hisdeportment was remarkably grave and reserved: but his