of his to those of Tully; and having
done ill, very well, he by degrees drew that respect to his parts,
which always carries some companion to the person, that he got leave
to compound for his transgression and them to accept of ten thousand
pounds for his liberty; whereupon he had leave to recollect himself in
another country (for his liberty was to be banishment) how miserable
he had made himself in obtaining that leave to live out of his own.
And there cannot be a greater evidence of the inestimable value of his
parts, than that he lived in the good affection and esteem of many,
the pity of most, and the reproach and scorn of few, or none.'

After this storm had subsided, Mr. Waller travelled into France, where
he continued several years. He took over his lady's jewels to support
him, and lived very hospitably at Paris, and except that of lord
Jermyn, afterwards earl of St. Alban's, who was the Queen of England's
prime minister when she kept her court there, there was no English
table but Mr. Waller's; which was so costly to him, that he used to
say, 'he was at last come to the Rump Jewel.' Upon his return to
England, such was the unsteadiness of his temper, he sided with those
in power, particularly the Lord Protector, with whom he lived in great
intimacy as a companion, tho' he seems not to have acted for him. He
often declared that he found Cromwell very well acquainted with the
Greek and Roman story; and he frequently took notice, that in the
midst of their discourse, a servant has come to tell him, that such
and such attended; upon which Cromwell would rise and stop them;
talking at the door, where Mr. Waller could over-hear him say, 'The
lord will reveal, the lord will help,' and several such expressions;
which when he returned to Mr. Waller, he excused, saying, 'Cousin
Waller, I must talk to these men after their own way.'

In 1654 he wrote a panegyric on Oliver Cromwell, as he did a poem on
his death in 1658. At the restoration he was treated with great
civility by King Charles II, who always made him one of his party in
his diversions at the duke of Buckingham's, and other places, and gave
him a grant of the provostship of Eaton-College; tho' that grant
proved of no effect. He sat in several Parliaments after the
restoration, and wrote a panegyric upon his Majesty's return, which
however, was thought to fall much short of that which he before had
wrote on Cromwell. The King one day asked him in raillery, '