_Chancellor of the Exchequer 1621. Lord Treasurer 1628. Baron Weston
1628, and Earl of Portland 1633._
_Born 1577. Died 1635._
By CLARENDON.
S'r Richard Weston had bene advanced to the white staffe, to the
office of L'd High Treasurer of England, some moneths before the
death of the Duke of Buckingham, and had in that shorte tyme so much
disoblieged him, at least disappointed his exspectation, that many who
were privy to the Dukes most secrett purposes, did believe that if
he had outlived that voyage, in which he was ingaged, he would have
remooved him, and made another Treasurer: and it is very true that
greate office to had bene very slippery, and not fast to those who
had trusted themselves in it, insomuch as there were at that tyme
five noble persons alive, who had all succeded on another immediately
in that unsteady charge, without any other person interveninge, the
Earle of Suffolke, the L'd Viscount Mandevill, afterwards Earle of
Manchester, the Earle of Middlesex, and the Earle of Marleborough, who
was remooved under prætence of his age, and disability for the work
(which had bene a better reason against his promotion, so few yeeres
before, that his infirmityes were very little increased) to make roome
for the present Officer, who though advanced by the Duke, may properly
be sayd to be establish'd by his death.
He was a gentleman of a very good and auncient extraction, by father
and mother; his education had bene very good, amongst bookes and
men. After some yeeres study of the law in the Middle temple, and at
an age fitt to make observations and reflexions, out of which that
which is commonly called exsperience is constituted, he travelled
into forrainge partes, and was acquainted in forrainge partes;[1] he
betooke himselfe to the courte, and lyved ther some yeeres at that
distance, and with that awe, as[2] was agreable to the modesty of that
age, when men were seene some tyme, before they were knowne, and well
knowne before they were præferred, or durst prætende to be præferred.
He spent the best parte of his fortune, a fayre on, that he inherited
from his father, in his attendance at courte, and involved his
frends in securityes with him, who were willinge to runn his hopefull
fortune, before he receaved the least fruite from it, but the
countenance of greate men, and those in authority, the most naturall,
and most certayne stayres to ascende by: He was then sent Ambassadour
to the Arch-Dukes Alberte and Isabella into Flanders, and to the Diett
in Germany, to treate aboute the restitution of the Palatinat, in
which negotiation he behaved himselfe with greate prudence, and with
the concurrent testimony of a wise man, from all those with whome he
treated, Princes and Ambassadours: and upon his returne was made a
Privy Councellour, and Chauncelour of the Exchequer, in the place of
the L'd Brooke, who was ether perswaded, or putt out of the place,
which beinge an office of honour and trust, is likewise an excellent
stage for men of parts to tread, and expose themselfes upon, and
wher they have occasion of all natures to lay out and spredd all
ther facultyes and qualifications most for ther advantage; He behaved
himselfe very well in this function, and appeared æquall to it, and
carryed himselfe so luckily in Parliament, that he did his master much
service, and præserved himselfe in the good opinion and acceptation
of the house, which is a blessinge not indulged to many by those high
powers: He did swimme in those troubled and boysterous waters, in
which the Duke of Buckingham rode as Admirall, with a good grace, when
very many who were aboute him, were drowned or forced on shore, with
shrewde hurtes and bruises, which shewed he knew well how and when to
use his limbes and strenght to the best advantage, sometimes only to
avoyde sinkinge, and sometymes to advance and gett grounde; and by
this dexterity he kept his creditt with those who could do him good,
and lost it not with others, who desyred the destruction of those upon
whome he most depended.
He was made L'd Treasurer in the manner, and at the tyme mentioned
before, upon the remoovall of the Earle of Marleborough, and few
moneths before the death of the Duke; the former circumstance, which
is often attended by compassion towards the degraded, and præjudice
toward the promoted, brought him no disadvantage, for besydes the
delight that season had in changes, there was little reverence towards
the person remooved, and the extreme, visible poverty of the Exchequer
sheltered that Provence from the envy it had frequently created,
and opened a doore for much applause to be the portion of a wise and
provident Minister: For the other of the Dukes death, though some who
knew the Dukes passyons and præjudice (which often produced rather
suddayne indisposition, then obstinate resolution) believed he would
have bene shortly cashiered, as so many had lately bene, and so that
the death of his founder, was a greater confirmation of him in the
office, then the delivery of the white staffe had bene, many other
wise men, who knew the Treasurers talent, in remoovinge præjudice and
reconcilinge himselfe to waveringe and doubtfull affections, believed
that the losse of the Duke was very unseasonable, and that the awe or
apprehension of his power and displeasure, was a very necessary allay
for the impetuosity of the new officers nature, which needed some
restrainte and checque for some tyme to his immoderate prætences and
appetite of power. He did indeede appeare on the suddayne wounderfully
elated, and so farr threw off his olde affectation to please some very
much, and to displease none, in which arte he had excelled, that in
few moneths after the Dukes death, he founde himselfe to succeede him
in the publique displeasure, and in the malice of his enimyes, without
succeedinge him in his creditt at courte, or in the affection of any
considerable dependants; and yett, though he was not superiour to all
other men, in the affection, or rather resignation of the Kinge, so
that he might dispence favours and disfavours accordinge to his owne
election, he had a full share in his masters esteeme, who looked upon
him as a wise and able servant and worthy of the trust he reposed
in him, and receaved no other advice in the large businesse of his
revennue, nor was any man so much his superiour, as to be able to
lessen him in the Kings affection, by his power; so that he was in a
post in which he might have founde much ease and delight, if he could
have contayned himselfe within the verge of his owne Provence, which
was large enough, and of such an extente, that he might at the same
tyme have drawne a greate dependance upon him of very considerable
men, and appeared a very usefull and profitable Minister to the Kinge,
whose revennue had bene very loosely managed duringe the late yeeres,
and might by industry and order have bene easily improoved, and no
man better understoode what methode was necessary towards that good
husbandry then he. But I know not by what frowardnesse in his starres,
he tooke more paynes in examininge and enquiringe into other mens
offices, then in the discharge of his owne, and not so much joy in
what he had, as trouble and agony for what he had not. The truth is,
he had so vehement a desyre to be the sole favorite, that he had
no relish of the power he had, and in that contention he had many
ryvalls, who had creditt enough to do him ill offices, though not
enough to satisfy ther owne ambition, the Kinge himselfe beinge
resolved to hold the raynes in his owne handes, and to putt no further
trust in others, then was necessary for the capacity they served
in: which resolution in his Majesty was no sooner believed, and the
Treasurers prsetence taken notice,[3] then he founde the number of
his enimyes exceedingly increased, and others to be lesse eager in the
pursuite of his frendshipp; and every day discovered some infirmityes
in him, which beinge before knowne to few, and not taken notice,[3]
did now expose him both to publique reproch, and to private
animosityes, and even his vices admitted those contradictions in them,
that he could hardly injoy the pleasante fruite of any of them. That
which first exposed him to the publique jealosy, which is alwayes
attended with publique reproch, was the concurrent suspicion of
his religion. His wife and all his daughters were declared of the
Roman religion, and though himselfe and his Sunns sometimes went to
church, he was never thought to have zeale for it, and his domestique
conversation and dependants, with whome only he used intire freedome,
were all knowne Catholiques, and were believed to be agents for the
rest; and yett with all this disadvantage to himselfe, he never had
reputation and creditt with that party, who were the only people of
the kingdome, who did not believe him to be of ther profession, for
the penall lawes (those only excepted, which were sanguinary, and even
those sometimes lett loose) were never more rigidly executed, nor had
the Crovme ever so greate a revennue from them, as in his tyme, nor
did they ever pay so deere for the favours and indulgencyes of his
office towards them.
No man had greater ambition to make his family greate, or stronger
designes to leave a greate fortune to it, yett his exspences were so
prodigiously greate, especially in his house, that all the wayes he
used for supply, which were all that occurred, could not serve his
turne, insomuch that he contracted so greate debts, (the anxiety
wherof he prætended broke his minde, and restrayned that intentnesse
and industry which was necessary for the dew execution of his office)
that the Kinge was pleased twice to pay his debts, at least towards
it, to disburse forty thousande pounde in ready mony out of his
Exchequer; besydes his Majesty gave him a whole forrest, Chute forrest
in Hampshyre, and much other lande belonginge to the Crowne, which
was the more taken notice of, and murmured against, because beinge the
chiefe Minister of the revennue, he was particularly oblieged as
much as in him lay to prævent and even oppose such disinherison; and
because under that obligation, he had avowedly and sowrely crossed the
prætences of other men, and restrayned the Kings bounty from beinge
exercised almost to any; and he had that advantage (if he had made the
right use of it) that his creditt was ample enough (secounded by the
Kings owne exsperience, and observation, and inclination) to retrench
very much of the late unlimited exspences, and especially those of
bountyes, which from the death of the Duke, rann in narrow channells,
which never so much overflowed as towards himselfe; who stopped the
current to other men.
He was of an imperious nature, and nothinge wary in disoblieginge
and provokinge other men, and had to much courage in offendinge and
incensinge them, but after havinge offended and incensed them, he
was of so unhappy a feminine temper that he was always in a terrible
fright and apprehension of them. He had not that application, and
submissyon and reverence for the Queene as might have bene exspected
from his wisdome and breedinge, and often crossed her prætences and
desyres, with more rudenesse then was naturall to him; yett he was
impertinently sollicitous to know what her Majesty sayd of him in
private, and what resentments shee had towards him; and when by some
confidents (who had ther ends upon him from those offices) he was
informed of some bitter exspressions fallen from her Majesty, he was
so exceedingly afflicted and tormented with the sense of it, that
sometimes by passionate complaints and representations to the Kinge,
sometimes by more dutifull addresses and expostulations with the
Queene in bewaylinge his misfortunes, he frequently exposed himselfe,
and left his condition worse then it was before: and the eclarcicement
commonly ended in the discovery of the persons from whome he had
received his most secrett intelligence. He quickly lost the character
of a bold, stoute, and magnanimous man, which he had bene longe
reputed to be, in worse tymes, and in his most prosperous season, fell
under the reproch of beinge a man of bigg lookes, and of a meane and
abjecte spiritt....
To conclude, all the honours the Kinge conferred upon him, as he made
him a Barren, then an Earle, and Knight of the Gartar, and above
this, gave a younge, beautifull Lady, neerely allyed to him and to the
Crowne of Scotlande, in marriage to his eldest Sunn, could not make
him thinke himselfe greate enough; nor could all the Kings bountyes
nor his owne large accessions, rayse a fortune to his Heyre, but after
six or eight yeeres spent in outward opulency, and inward murmur and
trouble, that it was no greater, after vast summes of mony and greate
wealth gotten and rather consumed then injoyed, without any sense
or delight in so greate prosperity, with the agony that it was no
greater, He dyed unlamented by any, bitterly mentioned by most, who
never pretended to love him, and sevearely censured and complayned of,
by those who exspected most from him, and deserved best of him, and
left a numerous family, which was in a shorte tyme worne out, and yett
outlyved the fortune he left behinde him.
[Footnote 1: In the MS. the words 'he travelled into forrainge parts'
occur after 'Middle temple', as well as after 'constituted'. The whole
sentence is faulty. 'After this' is inserted in the edition of 1702
before 'he betooke'.]
[Footnote 2: 'as' inserted in late hand in MS. in place of 'and'.]
[Footnote 3: 'off' added in later hand in MS.; 'notice of', ll. 2, 6,
ed. 1704.]
6.