The Diary of John Evelyn (1677-1706)

CHARACTERS FROM THE HISTORIES amp MEMOIRS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY By DAVID NICHOL SMITH With an Essay on THE CHARACTER and Historical Notes CONTENTS ESSAY ON THE CHARACTER I. The Beginnings II. The Literary Models III. Clarendon IV. Other Character Writers CHARACTERS JAMES I THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM SIR THOMAS COVENTRY. SIR RICHARD WESTON. THE EARL OFVUDEL THE EARL OF PEMBROKE SIR FRANCIS BACON. BEN JONSON. HENRY HASTINGS. CHARLES I THE EARL OF STRAFFORD THE EARL OF STRAFFORD THE EARL OF NORTHAMPTON THE EARL OF CARNARVON LORD FALKLAND LORD FALKLAND SIDNEY GODOLPHIN. WILLIAM LAUD. WILLIAM JUXON. THE MARQUIS OF HERTFORD THE MARQUIS OF NEWCASTLE THE LORD EKCY THE LORD CAPEL ROYALIST GENERALS: PATRICK RUTHVEN, EARL OF BRENTFORD PRINCE RUPERT GEORGE, LORD GORING HENRY WILMOT, EARL OF ROCHESTER. JOHN HAMPDEN. JOHN PYM. OLIVER CROMWELL. OLIVER CROMWELL SIR THOMAS FAIRFAX. SIR HENRY VANE COLONEL JOHN HUTCHINSON. THE EARL OF ESSEX THE EARL OF SALISBURY THE EARL OF WARWICK THE EARL OF MANCHESTER THE LORD SAY JOHN SELDEN. JOHN EARLE. JOHN HALES. WILLIAM CHILLINGWORTH. EDMUND WALLER. THOMAS HOBBES. THOMAS FULLER. JOHN MILTON. ABRAHAM COWLEY. CHARLES II. CHARLES II. THE EARL OF CLARENDON THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM s, THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM THE MARQUIS OF HALIFAX SIR EDMUND SAUNDERS. Two GROUPS OF DIVINES NOTES INDEX. "THE CHARACTER THE seventeenth century is rich in short studies or characters of its great men. Its rulers and statesmen, its soldiers and politicians, its lawyers and divines, all who played a prominent part in the public life, have with few notable exceptions been described for us by their con temporaries. There are earlier characters in English literature but as a definite and established form of literary composition the character dates from the seven teenth century. Even Sir Robert Nauntons Fragmenta Regalia, or Observations on the late Queen Elizabeth her Times and Favourites, a series of studies of the great men of Elizabeths court, and the first book of its kind, is an old mans recollection of his early life, and belongs to the Stuart period in everything but its theme. Nor at any later period is there the same wealth of material for such a collection as is given in this volume. The eighteenth century devoted itself rather to biogrlphy. When the facts of a mans life, his works, and his opinions claimed detailed treatment, the fashion of the short character had passed. Yet the seventeenth century did not know its richness. None of its best characters were then printed. The writers themselves could not have suspected how many others were similarly engaged, so far were they from belonging to a school. The characters in Clarendons History of the Rebellion were too intimate and searching The Character. to be published at once, and they remained in manu script till about thirty years after his death. In the interval Burnet was drawing the characters in his History of His Own Time.