_Born 1613. Beheaded 1662._
By CLARENDON.
The other, S'r H. Vane, was a man of greate naturall parts, and of
very profounde dissimulation, of a quicke conception, and very ready
sharpe and weighty exspression. He had an unusuall aspecte, which
though it might naturally proceede both from his father and mother,
nether of which were beautifull persons, yett made men thinke ther was
somewhat in him of extraordinary, and his whole life made good that
imagination. Within a very shorte tyme after he returned from his
studyes in Magdalen Colledge in Oxforde, wher, though he was under the
care of a very worthy Tutour, he lyved not with greate exactnesse, he
spent some little tyme in France, and more in Geneva, and after his
returne into Englande, contracted a full præjudice and bitternesse
against the Church, both against the forme of the goverment and the
lyturgy, which was generally in greate reverence, even with many of
those, who were not frends to the other. In this giddinesse which then
much displeased, or seemed to displease his father, who still appeared
highly conformable, and exceedingly sharpe against those who were not,
he transported himselfe into New Englande, a Colony within few yeeres
before planted by a mixture of all religions, which disposed the
professors to dislike the goverment of the church, who were qualifyed
by the Kings Charter to chuse ther owne goverment and governors, under
the obligation that every man should take the othes of Allegiance and
Supremacy, which all the first planters did, when they receaved ther
charter, before they transported themselves from hence, nor was ther
in many yeeres after the least scruple amongst them of complyinge with
those obligations, so farr men were in the infancy of ther schisme,
from refusinge to take lawfull othes. He was no sooner landed ther,
but his partes made him quickly taken notice of, and very probably his
quality, beinge the eldest sunn of a Privy Councellour, might give
him some advantage, insomuch that when the next season came for the
election of ther Magistrates, he was chosen ther governour, in which
place he had so ill fortune, his workinge and unquyett fancy raysinge
and infusinge a thousande scruples of conscience which they had not
brought over with them, nor hearde of before, that he unsatisfyed
with them, and they with him, he retransported himselfe into
Englande, havinge sowed such seede of dissention ther, as grew up to
prosperously, and miserably devyded the poore Colony into severall
factions and devisions and persequtions of each other, which still
continue to the greate prejudice of that plantation, insomuch as
some of them, upon the grounde of ther first exspedition, liberty of
conscience, have withdrawne themselves from ther jurisdiction, and
obtayned other Charters from the Kinge, by which in other formes of
goverment they have inlarged ther plantations within new limitts,
adjacent to the other. He was no sooner returned into Englande, then
he seemed to be much reformed in those extravagancyes, and with his
fathers approbation and direction marryed a Lady of a good family,
and by his fathers creditt with the Earle of Northumberland, who was
high Admirall of Englande, was joyned presently and joyntly with S'r
William Russell in the office of Treasurer of the Navy, a place of
greate trust, and profitt, which he æqually shared with the other, and
seemed a man well satisfyed and composed to the goverment. When his
father receaved the disobligation from the L'd Straforde, by his
beinge created Baron of Raby, the house and lande of Vane, and which
title he had promised himselfe, which was unluckily cast upon him,
purely out of contempt, they sucked in all the thoughts of revenge
imaginable, and from thence he betooke himselfe to the frendshipp
of M'r Pimm and all other discontented or seditious persons, and
contributed all that intelligence, which will be hereafter mentioned,
as he himselfe will often be, that designed the ruine of the Earle,
and which grafted him in the intire confidence of those, who promoted
the same, so that nothinge was concealed from him, though it is
believed that he communicated his owne thoughts to very few.
42.
By CLARENDON.
Ther hath bene scarce any thinge more wounderfull throughout the
progresse of these distractions, then that this Covenant did with such
extraordinary exspedition passe the two houses, when all the leadinge
persons in those Councells were at the same tyme knowne to be as
greate enimyes to Presbitery (the establishment wherof was the sole
end of this Covenant) as they were to the Kinge or the Church, and
he who contributed most to it, and who in truth was the Principle
contriver of it, and the man by whome the Committee in Scotlande was
intirely and stupidly governed, S'r Harry Vane, the younger, was not
afterwards knowne to abhorr the Covenant and the Presbiterians [more]
then he was at that very tyme knowne to do, and laughed at them then,
as much as ever he did afterwards.
He[1] was indeede a man of extraordinary parts, a pleasant witt, a
greate understandinge, which pierced into and decerned the purposes
of other men with wounderfull sagacity, whilst he had himselfe vultum
clausum, that no man could make a guesse of what he intended; he was
of a temper not to be mooved, and of rare dissimulation, and could
comply when it was not seasonable to contradicte without loosinge
grounde by the condescention, and if he were not superiour to M'r
Hambden, he was inferiour to no other man in all misterious artifices.
Ther neede no more be sayd of his ability, then that he was chosen
to cozen and deceave a whole nation, which excelled in craft and
dissemblinge, which he did with notable pregnancy and dexterity, and
prævayled with a people, which could not be otherwise prævayled upon,
then by advancinge ther Idoll Presbitery, to sacrifice ther peace,
ther interest, and ther fayth, to the erectinge a power and authority,
that resolved to persequte presbitery to an extirpation, and very
neere brought ther purpose to passe.
[Footnote 1: Before 'He was indeede' Clarendon had written 'S'r Harry
Vane the yonger, was on of the Commissyoners, and therfore the other
neede not be named, since he was All in any businesse wher others
were joyned with him.' He cancelled this on adding the preceding
paragraph.]
43.