that, when a great time of trial
approaches a man, either he has some kind of a premonition that trouble
is coming upon him, or that he has not. Certainly it is strange enough
that some sense, of which we know nothing, should scent danger when
there are no outward signs that any is near; but it appears even more
strange to me that the storm should break all of a sudden without any
cloud in the sky to shew its coming. It was the latter case with me; and
the storm came upon me as I shall now relate.

* * * * *

It was now for the first time that I began to see something of the way
the Court lived--I mean as one who was himself a part of it. I had
looked on it before rather as a spectator at a show, observing the
pageants pass before me, but myself, from the nature of my employment,
taking no part in it from within.

A great deal that I saw was very dreadful and unchristian. Many of the
persons resembled hogs and monkeys more than human beings; and a great
deal of what passed for wit and merriment was nothing other than pure
evil. Virtue was very little reckoned of; or, rather reckoned only as
giving additional zest to its own corruption. I do not mean that there
were no virtuous people at all--(there were virtuous people in Sodom and
Gomorrah themselves)--but they were unusual, and were looked upon as a
little freakish or mad. Yet, for all that, side by side with the evil,
there went on a great deal of seemliness and religion: sermons were
preached before the Court every Sunday; and His Majesty, who by his own
life was greatly responsible for the wickedness around him, went to
morning-prayers at least three or four times in the week; though I
cannot say that his behaviour there accorded very well with the business
he was engaged upon. Some blamed the Bishops and other ministers for
their laxity and the flattery that they shewed to His Majesty: but I do
not think that charge is a fair one; for they were very bold indeed upon
occasion. Dr. Ken, who preached pretty often, was as outspoken as a
preacher well could be, denouncing the sins of the Court in unmeasured
language, even in His Majesty's presence: and a certain Bishop, whose
name I forget, observing on one occasion during sermon-time that the
King was fast asleep, turned and rebuked in a loud voice some other
gentleman who was asleep too.

"You snore so loudly, sir," he cried, "that you will awake His Majesty,
if you do not have a c