_John Maitland, second Earl, created Duke 1672, Secretary of State for
Scotland 1660-1680._
_Born 1616. Died 1682._
By CLARENDON.
The Earle of Latherdale, who had bene very eminent in contrivinge
and carryinge on the kings service, when his Majesty was crowned in
Scotlande, and therby had wrought himselfe into a very particular
esteme with the kinge, had marched with him into Englande, and behaved
himselfe well at Worcester, wher he was taken prissoner, had besydes
that meritt, the sufferinge an imprysonment from that very tyme,
with some circumstances of extreme rigour, beinge a man against whome
Crumwell had alwayes professed a more then ordinary animosity, and
though the sceane of his imprysonment had bene altred, accordinge
to the alterations of the goverments which succeeded, yett he never
founde himselfe in compleate liberty, till the kinge was proclaymed by
the Parliament, and then he thought it not necessary to repayre into
Scotlande for authority or recommendation, but sendinge his advise
thither to his frends, he made hast to transporte himselfe with the
Parliament Commissyoners to the Hague, where he was very well receaved
by the kinge, and left nothinge undone on his parte, that might
cultivate these old inclinations, beinge a man of as much addresse,
and insinuation, in which that nation excells, as was then amongst
them. He applyed himselfe to those who were most trusted by the kinge
with a marvellous importunity, and especially to the Chancellour, with
whome as often as they had ever bene togither, he had a perpetuall
warr. He now magnifyed his constancy with lowde elogiums as well to
his face, as behinde his backe, remembred many sharpe exspressions
formerly used by the Chancellour which he confessed had then made
him mad, though upon recollection afterwards he had founde to be very
reasonable. He was very polite in all his discources, called himselfe
and his nation a thousand Traytors, and Rebells, and in his discourses
frequently sayd, when I was a Traytour, or when I was in rebellion,
and seemed not æqually delighted with any argument, as when he
skornefully spake of the Covenante, upon which he brake a hundred
jests: in summ all his discourses were such, as pleased all the
company, who commonly believed all he sayd, and concurred with him. He
[renew]ed his old acquaintance and familiarity with Middleton, by all
the protestations of frendshipp, assured him of the unanimous desyre
of Scotlande, to be [un]der his commaunde, and declared to the kinge,
that he could not send any man into Scotlande who would be able to
do him so much service in the place of Commissyoner as Middleton, and
that it was in his Majestys power to unite that whole kingdome to his
service as one m[an:] all which pleased the kinge well, so that by the
tyme that the Commissioners appeared at London, upon some old promise
in Scotlande, or new inclination upon his longe sufferings, which he
magnifyed enough, the kinge gave him the Signett, and declared him to
be Secretary of State of that kingdome, and at the same tyme declared
that Middleton should be his Commissyoner, the Earle of Glengarne
his Chancellour, the Earle of Rothesse, who was likewise one of the
Commissyoners, and his person very agreable to the kinge, President of
the Councell, and conferred all other inferiour offices, upon men most
notable for ther affection to the old goverment of Church and State.
67.
By BURNET.
The Earl of _Lauderdale_, afterwards made Duke, had been for many
years a zealous Covenanter: But in the year forty seven he turned to
the King's interests; and had continued a prisoner all the while after
_Worcester_ fight, where he was taken. He was kept for some years in
the tower of _London_, in _Portland_ castle, and in other prisons,
till he was set at liberty by those who called home the King. So he
went over to _Holland_. And since he continued so long, and contrary
to all mens opinions in so high a degree of favour and confidence,
it may be expected that I should be a little copious in setting out
his character; for I knew him very particularly. He made a very ill
appearance: He was very big: His hair red, hanging odly about him:
His tongue was too big for his mouth, which made him bedew all that
he talked to: And his whole manner was rough and boisterous, and very
unfit for a Court. He was very learned, not only in _Latin_, in which
he was a master, but in _Greek_ and _Hebrew_. He had read a great deal
of divinity, and almost all the historians ancient and modern: So that
he had great materials. He had with these an extraordinary memory,
and a copious but unpolished expression. He was a man, as the Duke of
_Buckingham_ called him to me, of a blundering understanding. He was
haughty beyond expression, abject to those he saw he must stoop to,
but imperious to all others. He had a violence of passion that carried
him often to fits like madness, in which he had no temper. If he took
a thing wrong, it was a vain thing to study to convince him: That
would rather provoke him to swear, he would never be of another mind:
He was to be let alone: And perhaps he would have forgot what he had
said, and come about of his own accord. He was the coldest friend and
the violentest enemy I ever knew: I felt it too much not to know it.
He at first seemed to despise wealth: But he delivered himself up
afterwards to luxury and sensuality: And by that means he ran into a
vast expence, and stuck at nothing that was necessary to support it.
In his long imprisonment he had great impressions of religion on his
mind: But he wore these out so entirely, that scarce any trace of them
was left. His great experience in affairs, his ready compliance
with every thing that he thought would please the King, and his bold
offering at the most desperate counsels, gained him such an interest
in the King, that no attempt against him nor complaint of him could
ever shake it, till a decay of strength and understanding forced him
to let go his hold. He was in his principles much against Popery
and arbitrary government: And yet by a fatal train of passions and
interests he made way for the former, and had almost established
the latter. And, whereas some by a smooth deportment made the first
beginnings of tyranny less discernible and unacceptable, he by the
fury of his behaviour heightned the severity of his ministry, which
was liker the cruelty of an inquisition than the legality of justice.
With all this he was a Presbyterian, and retained his aversion to King
_Charles_ I. and his party to his death.
68.