Writing yesterday about
Edward Hyde, Lord Clarendon, I remarked on the generosity of his
understanding: his capacity to see merit in adversaries like William
Hampden. But his capaciousness is not universal. Clarendon had no
such affection for Hampden's great ally, John Pym. Here is a bit of
Clarendon's judgment on Pym:
In
the short parliament ..., he spoke much, and appeared to be the most
leading man; for besides the exact knowledge of the forms, and orders
of that council, which few men had, he had a very comely and grave
way of expressing himself, with great volubility of words, natural
and proper; and understood the temper and affections of the kingdom
as any man; and had observed the errors and mistakes in government;
and knew well how to make them appear greater than they were. After
the unhappy dissolution of that parliament, he continued for the most
part about London, in conversation and great repute amongst those
lords who were most strangers to the court, and were believed most
averse to it; in whom he improved all imaginable jealousies and
discontents towards the state and as soon as this parliament was
resolve to be summoned, he was as diligent to procure such persons to
be elected as he knew to be most inclined to the way he meant to
take. At the first opening of this parliament, he … seemed to all
men to have the greatest influence upon the house of commons as of
any man; and, in truth, I think he was at this time, and for some
months after, the most popular man, and the most able to do hurt,
that hath lived in any time.
In short, an intriguer and
a natural trouble-maker. There's more, but nothing to alter the
tone. Earlier, Clarendon has let himself go: “No man had more to
answer for the miseries of his kingdom, or had his hand, or head,
deeper in their contrivance.” From Clarendon's History of the
Rebellion, excerpted in
Clarendon at 245-49,
246-7 (G. Huehns ed. 1978).
1 comment:
his descendants evolved into the tea party.
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