He lived with his Ministers as he did with his Mistresses; he used them,
but he was not in love with them. He shewed his Judgment in this, that he
cannot properly be said ever to have had a _Favourite_, though some might
look so at a distance. The present use he might have of them, made him
throw Favours upon them, which might lead the lookers on into that
mistake; but he tied himself no more to them, than they did to him, which
implied a sufficient Liberty on either side.
Perhaps he made _dear Purchases_: If he seldom gave profusely, but where
he expected some unreasonable thing, great Rewards were material Evidences
against those who received them.
He was _free of access_ to them, which was a very gaining Quality. He had
at least as good a Memory for the Faults of his Ministers as for their
Services; and whenever they fell, the whole Inventory came out; there was
not a slip omitted.
That some of his Ministers seemed to have a _Superiority_, did not spring
from his Resignation to them, but to his Ease. He chose rather to be
_eclipsed_ than to be _troubled_.
His Brother was a Minister, and he had his Jealousies of him. At the same
time that he raised him, he was not displeased to have him lessened. The
cunning Observers found this out, and at the same time that he reigned in
the Cabinet, he was very familiarly used at the private Supper.
A Minister turned off is like a Lady's Waiting-Woman, that knoweth all her
Washes, and hath a shrewd guess at her Strayings: So there is danger in
turning them off, as well as in keeping them.
He had back Stairs to convey _Informations_ to him, as well as for other
Uses; and though such Informations are sometimes dangerous, (especially to
a Prince that will not take the pains necessary to digest them) yet in the
main, that humour of _hearing every body against any body_, kept those
about him in more awe, than they would have been without it. I do not
believe that ever he trusted any Man, or any set of Men so entirely, as
not to have some Secrets, in which they had _no share_: As this might make
him less well served, so in same degree it might make him the less imposed
upon.
You may reckon under this Article his _Female Ministry_; for though he had
Ministers of the Council, Ministers of the Cabinet, and Ministers of the
Ruelle; the Ruelle was often the _last Appeal_. Those who were not well
there, were used because they were _necessary_ at the time, not because
they were _liked_; so that their Tenure was a little uncertain. His
Ministers were to administer Business to him as Doctors do Physick, wrap
it up in something to make it _less unpleasant_; some skilful Digressions
were so far from being Impertinent, that they could not many times fix him
to a fair Audience without them. His _aversion to Formality_ made him
dislike a _serious Discourse_, if very long, except it was mixed with
something to _entertain_ him. Some even of the graver sort too, used to
carry this very far, and rather than fail, use the coarsest kind of
youthful talk.
In general, he was upon pretty _even Terms_ with his Ministers, and could
as easily bear _their_ being _hanged_ as some of them could _his_ being
_abused_.