, the other day, in the House; but that he thinks that
he is not liable to any hurt they can fasten on him for anything, he
is so well armed to justify himself in every thing, unless in the old
business of selling places, when he says every body did; and he will now
not be forward to tell his own story, as he hath been; but tells me he
is grown wiser, and will put them to prove any thing, and he will defend
himself: besides that, he will dispute the statute, thinking that it
will not be found to reach him. We did talk many things, which, as they
come into my mind now, I shall set down without order: that he is weary
of public employment; and neither ever designed, nor will ever, if his
commission were brought to him wrapt in gold, would he accept of any
single place in the State, as particularly Secretary of State; which, he
says, the world discourses Morrice is willing to resign, and he thinks
the King might have thought of him, but he would not, by any means, now
take it, if given him, nor anything, but in commission with others, who
may bear part of the blame; for now he observes well, that whoever did
do anything singly are now in danger, however honest and painful
they were, saying that he himself was the only man, he thinks, at the
council-board that spoke his mind clearly, as he thought, to the good of
the King; and the rest, who sat silent, have nothing said to them,
nor are taken notice of. That the first time the King did take him
so closely into his confidence and ministry of affairs was upon the
business of Chatham, when all the disturbances were there, and in the
kingdom; and then, while everybody was fancying for himself, the King
did find him to persuade him to call for the Parliament, declaring that
it was against his own proper interest, forasmuch as [it was] likely
they would find faults with him, as well as with others, but that he
would prefer the service of the King before his own: and, thereupon, the
King did take him into his special notice, and, from that time to this,
hath received him so; and that then he did see the folly and mistakes
of the Chancellor in the management of things, and saw that matters were
never likely to be done well in that sort of conduct, and did persuade
the King to think fit of the taking away the seals from the Chancellor,
which, when it was done, he told me that he himself, in his own
particular, was sorry for it; for, while he stood, there was he and my
Lord Arlington t