of his autumnal field diverfions, defigning a palace there, where the ancient castle stood, infinitely indeed preferable to Newmarket for prospects, air, pleasure and provifions. The furveyor has already begun the foundation for a palace, estimated to cost £35,000, and his majesty is purchafing ground about it to make a park, &c."*

These royal vifits to Winchester brought together a concourse of people of all claffes, greater than the town could conveniently hold.

"The Duchefs of Portsmouth finished out of hand a house for herself." Of her ordinary habits of extravagance we may form fome idea from Evelyn's description of her apartments in the palace at Whitehall. He fays, "following the king (14 Oct. 1683) through the gallery, I went with the few who attended him into the Duchefs of Portsmouth's dreffing-room within her bed-chamber. That which engaged my curiofity was the rich and fplendid furniture of this woman's apartment, now twice or thrice pulled down. and rebuilt, to fatisfy her prodigal and expensive pleasures, whilst her Majesty does not exceed fome gentlemen's ladies in furniture and accommodation. Thus for japan cabinets, fcreens, pendule clocks, great vases of wrought plate, tables, stands, chimney furniture, fconces, branches, braferas, all of maffive filver, and out of number, - besides fome of her Majesty's best paintings."

Nell Gwyn also was one of the court circle, and of course to be provided for, though not so handsomely.

* Evelyn's Diary, vol. i. p. 562.

+ Ibid.

Strange to fay, this was the occafion of placing Ken in a difficulty. He had a good house in the Cathedral Clofe, oppofite to the Deanery where the king was to lodge. When "his Harbinger," whom we may fuppofe was an officer of the household, "came to Winton, he marked the Doctor's house, which he held in right of his prebend, for the use of Mrs. Gwin." But Ken's fearless heart at once prompted him to vindicate the holiness of his office. "He abfolutely refused her admittance, declaring that a woman of ill repute ought not to be endured in the house of a Clergyman, efpecially the King's Chaplain." This must have excited no small surprise among the courtiers; but as he was peremptory," she was forced to feek other lodgings."* A small building was put up for her at the fouth end of the Deanery. "It was ever afterwards known by the name of Nell Gwyn, and has only been removed within the present century."†

He could not enter into the little worldly confiderations of policy and prudence, that so often outweigh the clear dictates of confcience. His was no falfe or partial rule of conduct. The fame fimple zeal which had moved him, in the palace at the Hague, to protect the honour of Jane Worth, at the risk of offending the Prince of Orange, at once made him reject Nell Gwyn, though it should expofe him to the king's refentment. Hawkins fays, "his refufal of Mrs. Gwyn was publickly known." He had, in his measure, the

*Hawkins's Life of Ken, p. 9.

+ Dr. Moberly's Biographical Memoir of Bishop Ken, 1840, p.

holy courage of the Baptift, to reprove adultery even in a palace: but very different was his reward. So far from being offended, Charles appears to have admired the Chriftian boldness of his chaplain, who was fhortly after engaged in a fecret service, which about that time occupied much of the King's thoughts.

CHAPTER X.

Ken appointed Chaplain of the Fleet on the expedition to Tangier-Voyage-The vicious government of Tangier - Corrupt ftate of the Navy.

T was now eight years fince Ken had studied the polity and religion of Italy, and scarcely three fince his return from KGE the less polished court of Holland, when he received a hafty fummons to leave once more his friends and flock for a barbarous and diftant spot. The town of Tangier, in the ftraits of Gibraltar, had long been a fource of great outlay to the king. At length his "intolerable expence, profufe gaming and dallying," as Evelyn defcribes them, brought him into fuch embarraffments that he could no longer afford to maintain the place.

He had received this African fortress and the island of Bombay on his marriage with Catherine of Braganza, as part of her dower. Bombay, at that time esteemed of minor importance, has fince become one of the most flourishing colonies of Britain; while Tangier, which now barely helps to fupply Gibraltar with provifions, was reckoned of great value, as the key of the Mediterranean. The king had expended vaft fums in conftructing a mole for the defence of the harbour, made it a free port, and conferred upon it extenfive privileges: but the money, being lavishly

applied, served rather to enrich the governors and engineers, than to promote the public fervice. The Parliament refufed any further grants, diftrusting the right application of them, and Charles was driven by his neceffities to abandon this useless poffeffion, where nothing but diforder, extravagance, and profligacy had prevailed. He determined, in the fummer of 1683, to fend a naval force of twenty fhips, under Lord Dartmouth, with fecret orders to destroy the fortifications, left they should become formidable in the hands of the Moors.

Lord Dartmouth had always been high in favour with the King and Duke of York, out of respect both to the memory of his father, and his own loyal attachment to the throne. He was a rare example of fidelity and virtue in an age when public corruption fo generally prevailed. His father was the brave Colonel Legge, one of the three devoted companions of Charles, when he escaped from Hampton Court. It is difficult to account for his not having met the fame fate that befel fo many loyalifts, as he was several times imprifoned by the rebels. On one occafion at Coventry he was faved by the ingenious device of his wife, and paffed through the guards without challenge in female disguise. The King, a fhort time before his execution, bequeathed this faithful friend as a legacy to the Prince of Wales, "charging him to take care of honeft Will Legge, for he was the faithfullest servant that ever any Prince had." He declined the offer of a peerage on the Restoration, and died in 1670. The fon distinguished himself in the naval fervice, rose to the rank of Admiral, was made mafter of the Ordnance, and a