who had been so lately raised by the profusion of her favours upon
him. Certain it is, that he began then to show a still greater
remissness in all parts of his Ministry, and to affect to say that
from such a time, the very time I am speaking of, he took no share
in the direction of affairs, or words to that effect.

He pretended to have discovered intrigues which were set on foot
against him, and particularly he complained of the advantage which
was taken of his absence during the journey he made at his son's
marriage to undermine him with the Queen. He is naturally inclined
to believe the worst, which I take to be a certain mark of a mean
spirit and a wicked soul. At least, I am sure that the contrary
quality, when it is not due to weakness of understanding, is the
fruit of a generous temper and an honest heart. Prone to judge ill
of all mankind, he will rarely be seduced by his credulity, but I
never knew a man so capable of being the bubble of his distrust and
jealousy. He was so in this case, although the Queen, who could not
be ignorant of the truth, said enough to undeceive him. But to be
undeceived, and to own himself so, was not his play. He hoped by
cunning to varnish over his want of faith and of ability. He was
desirous to make the world impute the extraordinary part, or, to
speak more properly, the no part, which he acted with the staff of
Treasurer in his hand, to the Queen's withdrawing her favour from
him and to his friends abandoning him--pretences utterly groundless
when he first made them, and which he brought to be real at last.
Even the winter before the Queen's death, when his credit began to
wane apace, he might have regained it; he might have reconciled
himself perfectly with all his ancient friends, and have acquired
the confidence of the whole party. I say he might have done all
this, because I am persuaded that none of those I have named were so