Page:English Historical Review Volume 37.djvu/56

48 COUNCIL AND CABINET, 1679-88 January been disgraced in August 1682. In addition Monmouth and Sey- mour, though never formally removed, had ceased to attend, the former after his disgrace in 1679, the latter as a result of his annoyance at the appointment of Halifax instead of himself to succeed Anglesey as lord privy seal. 1 The additions, however, more than compensated for the losses. They were, in 1679, Laurence Hyde ; 2 in 1680, Godolphin, Daniel Finch, 3 Sir Leoline Jenkins, Ossory, Clarendon, and Sir Robert Carr ; in 1681, Oxford, Chesterfield, Ailesbury, Con way, Craven ; in 1682, George Legge, 4 Lindsey, Sir F. Pemberton ; in 1683, Huntingdon, Peterborough, Jeffreys ; in 1684, Moray and Middleton ; and in 1685, John Drummond, afterwards earl of Melfort. Of these twenty-one new councillors Ossory and Carr died; and Pemberton was dismissed before the end of the reign, so that when James II commanded that all the members of the council of Charles II should be sworn their number was thirty-six. He himself was relatively more lavish in his creations than his brother had been. His additions in 1685 were eight in number : George, prince of Denmark, Perth and Queensberry, respectively lord chancellor and lord treasurer of Scotland, Mulgrave, Berkeley, Sir Edward Herbert, chief justice of the king's bench, Preston and Plymouth. In 1686 the subservient bishop of Durham took the place of the suspended bishop of London, on 1 1 March Arundell of Wardour, Belasyse, Dover, and Powis, all catholics, were sworn, and in October Tyrconnel was similarly honoured. In 1687 three more catholics were admitted and only one protestant, Castle- maine, Sir N. Butler, Hamilton, and Edward Petre the Jesuit. In 1688 three nonconformists were added on 6 July, 5 Sir J. Trevor, Silas Titus, 6 and Christopher Vane, and another catholic on 13 July, Sir R. Strickland. To counterbalance this increase of twenty-two, seven councillors died Arlington, Henry Coventry, Jenkins, Guilford, Bridgewater, Ailesbury, and Plymouth ; and three were dismissed, Halifax and Compton in 1685, and 1 Monmouth's name does not appear in the list for June 1683 (Privy Coun. Reg., Ixx) ; that of Seymour is included at that date but omitted in February 1685 (ibid. Ixxi), although James ordered the admission of all his late brother's councillors. Seymour attended for the last time 20 September 1682 (ibid. Ixix. 545). Cf. Ormonde to Arran, 29 October 1682 : ' Mr. Seymour has yet left us ... palpably in discontent because hee was not presently made lord privy seale ' (Bodl. Lib., Carte MS. 219, fo. 396). 2 Created earl of Rochester November 1682. 3 Succeeded as second earl of Nottingham December 1682. 4 Created Lord Dartmouth December 1682. 8 The astonishment caused by these nominations is well illustrated by the entry in Clarendon's Diary : ' Good God bless us ! What will the world come to ? ' ' In December 1694 Titus is reported to have said in parliament : ' He had indeed that title, but knew no more of that king's council than the yeoman of the guard who stood at the door ' (Lexington Papers, p. 22). Yet he attended with fair regularity aud was present at the last meeting recorded in the register on 16 December 1688.