_Thomas Wentworth, knighted 1611, second baronet 1614, created
Viscount Wentworth 1628, Earl of Strafford 1640._
_Born 1593. Beheaded 1641._
By CLARENDON.
All thinges beinge thus transacted, to conclude the fate of this
greate person, he was on the 12. day of May brought from the Tower of
London, wher he had bene a prysoner neere six moneths, to the Skaffold
on Tower Hill, wher with a composed, undaunted courage, he told the
people, he was come thither to satisfy them with his heade, but that
he much feared, the reformation which was begunn in bloode, would not
proove so fortunate to the kingdom as they exspected, and he wished,
and after greate expressyons of his devotion to the Church of
Englande, and the Protestant Religion established by Law and professed
in that Church, of his loyalty to the Kinge, and affection to the
peace and welfare of the Kingdome, with marvellous tranquillity of
minde, he deliver'd his Heade to the blocke, wher it was sever'd from
his body at a blow; many of the standers by, who had not bene over
charitable to him in his life, beinge much affected with the courage
and Christianity of his death. Thus fell the greatest subjecte in
power (and little inferiour to any in fortune) that was at that tyme
in ether of the three Kingdomes; who could well remember the tyme when
he ledd those people, who then pursued him to his grave. He was a man
of greate partes and extraordinary indowments of nature, not unadorned
with some addicion of Arte and learninge, though that agayne was more
improoved and illustrated by the other, for he had a readynesse of
conception, and sharpnesse of expressyon, which made his learninge
thought more, then in truth it was. His first inclinations and
addresses to the Courte, were only to establish his Greatnesse in
the Country, wher he apprehended some Actes of power from the[1]
L'd Savill, who had bene his ryvall alwayes ther, and of late had
strenghtened himselfe by beinge made a Privy Counsellour, and Officer
at Courte, but his first attempts were so prosperous that he contented
not himselfe with beinge secure from his power in the Country, but
rested not till he had bereaved him of all power and place in Courte,
and so sent him downe a most abject disconsolate old man to his
Country, wher he was to have the superintendency over him too, by
getting himselfe at that tyme made L'd President of the North. These
successes, applyed to a nature too elate and arrogant of it selfe, and
a quicker progresse into the greatest imployments and trust, made him
more transported with disdayne of other men, and more contemninge the
formes of businesse, then happily he would have bene, if he had mett
with some interruptions in the beginning, and had passed in a more
leasurely gradation to the office of a Statesman. He was no doubte of
greate observation, and a piercinge judgement both into thinges and
persons, but his too good skill in persons made him judge the worse
of thinges, for it was his misfortune to be of a tyme, wherin very few
wise men were æqually imployed with him, and scarce any (but the L'd
Coventry, whose trust was more confined) whose facultyes and abilityes
were æquall to his, so that upon the matter he wholy relyed upon
himselfe, and decerninge many defects in most men, he too much
neglected what they sayd or did. Of all his passyons his pryde was
most prædominant, which a moderate exercise of ill fortune might have
corrected and reformed, and which was by the hande of heaven strangely
punished, by bringinge his destruction upon him, by two thinges, that
he most despised, the people, and S'r Harry Vane; In a worde, the
Epitaph which Plutarch recordes, that Silla wrote for himselfe, may
not be unfitly applyed to him; That no man did ever passe him, ether
in doinge good to his frends, or in doinge mischieve to his enimyes,
for his Actes of both kindes were most exemplar and notorious.
[Footnote 1: 'old' inserted in another hand before 'L'd'.]
18.
By SIR PHILIP WARWICK.
The Lord Viscount Wentworth, Lord President of the North, whom the
Lord Treasurer Portland had brought into his Majestie's affairs, from
his ability and activity had wrought himselfe much into his Majestie's
confidence; and about the year 1632 was appointed by the King to be
Lord Deputy of Ireland, where the state of affairs was in no very
good posture, the revenue of the crown not defraying the standing army
there, nor the ordinary expences; and the deportment of the Romanists
being there also very insolent, and the Scots plantations in the
northern parts of that Realm looking upon themselves, as if they had
been a distinct body. So as here was subject matter enough for this
great man to work on; and considering his hardines, it may well be
supposed, that the difficulties of his employment, being means to shew
his abilities, were gratefull to him; for he was every way qualified
for busines; his naturall faculties being very strong and pregnant,
his understanding, aided by a good phansy, made him quick in
discerning the nature of any busines; and thro' a cold brain he became
deliberate and of a sound judgement. His memory was great, and he made
it greater by confiding in it. His elocution was very fluent, and it
was a great part of his talent readily to reply, or freely to harangue
upon any subject. And all this was lodged in a sowre and haughty
temper; so as it may probably be believed, he expected to have more
observance paid to him, than he was willing to pay to others, tho'
they were of his own quality; and then he was not like to conciliate
the good will of men of the lesser station.
His acquired parts, both in University and Inns-of-Court Learning, as
likewise his forreign-travells, made him an eminent man, before he was
a conspicuous; so as when he came to shew himselfe first in publick
affairs, which was in the House of Commons, he was soon a bell-weather
in that flock. As he had these parts, he knew how to set a price on
them, if not overvalue them: and he too soon discovered a roughnes in
his nature, which a man no more obliged by him, than I was, would have
called an injustice; tho' many of his Confidents, (who were my good
friends, when I like a little worm, being trod on, would turn and
laugh, and under that disguise say as piquant words, as my little wit
would help me with) were wont to swear to me, that he endeavoured to
be just to all, but was resolv'd to be gracious to none, but to those,
whom he thought inwardly affected him: which never bowed me, till his
broken fortune, and as I thought, very unjustifiable prosecution,
made me one of the fifty six, who gave a negative to that fatall Bill,
which cut the thread of his life.
He gave an early specimen of the roughnes of his nature, when in the
eager pursuit of the House of Commons after the Duke of Buckingham,
he advised or gave a counsel against another, which was afterwards
taken up and pursued against himselfe. Thus pressing upon another
man's case, he awakened his own fate. For when that House was in
consultation, how to frame the particular charge against that great
Duke, he advised to make a generall one, and to accuse him of treason,
and to let him afterwards get off, as he could; which befell himselfe
at last. I beleive he should make no irrational conjecture, who
determined, that his very eminent parts to support a Crown, and
his very rugged nature to contest disloyalty, or withstand change
of government, made his enemies implacable to him. It was a great
infirmity in him, that he seem'd to overlooke so many, as he did;
since every where, much more in Court, the numerous or lesser sort of
attendants can obstruct, create jealousies, spread ill reports, and
do harme: for as 'tis impossible, that any power or deportment should
satisfy all persons: so there a little friendlines and opennes of
carriage begets hope, and lessens envy.
In his person he was of a tall stature, but stooped much in the neck.
His countenance was cloudy, whilst he moved, or sat thinking; but when
he spake, either seriously or facetiously, he had a lightsom and a
very pleasant ayre: and indeed whatever he then did, he performed very
gracefully. The greatnes of the envy, that attended him, made many in
their prognosticks to bode him an ill end; and there went current a
story of the dream of his Father, who being both by his wife, nighest
friends, and Physicians, thought to be at the point of his death,
fell suddenly into so profound a sleep, and lay quietly so long, that
his Wife, uncertain of his condition, drew nigh his bed, to observe,
whether she could hear him breath, and gently touching him, he
awaked with great disturbance, and told her the reason was, she had
interrupted him in a dream, which most passionately he desired to have
known the end of. For, said he, I dream'd one appear'd to me, assuring
me, that _I should have a son_, (for 'till then he had none) _who
should be a very great and eminent man: but--and in this instant thou
didst awake me, whereby I am bereaved of the knowledge of the further
fortune of the child_. This I heard, when this Lord was but in the
ascent of his greatnes, and long before his fall: and afterwards
conferring with some of his nighest Relations, I found the tradition
was not disown'd. Sure I am, that his station was like those turfs
of earth or sea-banks, which by the storm swept away, left all the
in-land to be drown'd by popular tumult.
19.