A fit of slavishness now befell the English nation, as remarkable in
its extent as the late fury against the court and the Catholics.
Supported by this mood of the people, Charles caused all the
corporations in the kingdom to give up their old charters, and accept
of new ones, by which he became all-powerful over the elections of
magistrates, and consequently, over those of parliamentary
representatives should ever another election of that kind take place.
The leaders of the late majority in Parliament, comprising the Duke of
Monmouth, Lord Russell (son of the Earl of Bedford), the Earl of
Essex, Lord Howard, the famous Algernon Sydney, and John Hampden,
grandson of the patriot who first resisted Charles I, being reduced to
absolute despair, formed a project for raising an insurrection in
London, to be supported by one in the west of England, and another
under the Earl of Argyle in Scotland, and the object of which should
be confined to a melioration of the government. They were betrayed by
an associate named Rumsay, and implicated, by a train of unfortunate
circumstances, in a plot for assassinating the king (styled the
Rye-house Plot), of which they were perfectly innocent. By the
execution of Russell and Sidney, and some other severities, the
triumph of the king might be considered as completed. After having
been an absolute sovereign for nearly four years, he died (February 6,
1685), professing himself at the last to be a Catholic, and was
succeeded by the DUKE OF YORK.
Charles II was a prince of a gay and cheerful disposition, and so
noted a sayer of witty things, and so addicted to humorous amusements,
that he was called ‘the Merry Monarch.’ His wit, shrewdness, and good
humor, form the best side of his character. On the other side, we find
a deficiency of almost every active virtue and of all steady
principle. He never allowed any duty of his station, or any claim upon
his justice or clemency, to interfere with his own interests, or even
to disturb him in his indolent and vicious pleasures. Neglecting his
wife, who never had any children, he spent most of his time with his
various mistresses, who openly lived at court, and were even received
by the queen. Of these ladies, the most remarkable were Louisa
Querouaile, whom he created Duchess of Portsmouth, and Barbara
Villiers, whom he made Duchess of Cleveland. Six sons of the king by
his mistresses were made dukes, and five of these were the progenitors
of families in the present English nobility.
During the reign of Charles II, the nation advanced considerably in
the arts of navigation and commerce; and the manufactures of brass,
glass, silk, hats, and paper, were established. The post-office, set
up during the Commonwealth as a means of raising money, was advanced
in this reign, and the penny-post was now begun in London by a private
person. Roads were greatly improved, and stage-coach traveling was
commenced, though not carried to any great extent. During this reign,
tea, coffee, and chocolate, which have had a great effect in improving
and softening manners, were first introduced. In 1660, the Royal
Society was established in London, for the cultivation of natural
science, mathematics, and all useful knowledge. The science of
astronomy was greatly advanced by the investigations of Flamstead and
Halley. But the greatest contribution to science was made by Sir Isaac
Newton, whose Principles of Natural Philosophy were published in 1683:
in this work, the true theory of planetary motion was first explained,
in reference to the principle of gravitation. Among the literary men
of the period, the first place is to be assigned to John Milton,
author of the ‘Paradise Lost’ and other poems: Samuel Butler shines as
a humorous and satirical poet, and Edmund Waller as a lyrist. Amongst
divines, the highest names connected with the church are those of
Jeremy Taylor and Isaac Barrow; while the highest among the
Nonconformists are those of Richard Baxter and John Bunyan. The
theatre, which had been suppressed during the Commonwealth, was
revived in this reign; but the drama exhibited less talent and more
licentiousness than it did in the previous reigns. Female characters,
which had formerly been acted by men, were now for the first time
performed by females.