. Historical portraits ... the lives of Fletcher .. . si-despotism morepowerful and more acceptable than his fathers had ever been. Theseresults he achieved by ingeniously using the men and the oppor-tunities at his disposal. Such patriotic feelings as he had were atleast practical; for he always displayed an intelligent interest in theNavy, the colonies, and the commerce of England. He projecteda Parliamentary union with Scotland and upheld for the greaterpart of his reign the wise rule of Ormonde in Ireland. The Dutchwere, he considered, our most dangerous rivals, and he thereforedeli
. Historical portraits ... the lives of Fletcher .. . si-despotism morepowerful and more acceptable than his fathers had ever been. Theseresults he achieved by ingeniously using the men and the oppor-tunities at his disposal. Such patriotic feelings as he had were atleast practical; for he always displayed an intelligent interest in theNavy, the colonies, and the commerce of England. He projecteda Parliamentary union with Scotland and upheld for the greaterpart of his reign the wise rule of Ormonde in Ireland. The Dutchwere, he considered, our most dangerous rivals, and he thereforedeliberately shut his eyes to the increasing danger from the ambitionof Louis XIV of France. Thus he was quite content to take largesupplies in cash from Louis, and, when Holland had exhausted herstrength in two successive wars, he avoided fulfilling the conditionsfor which the French King had given the bribes. In home politics,after parting with Clarendon in 1667, Charles saw wider possibilitiesbefore him. By means of plajing off the members of his discordant. CHARLES 11From llic portrait by Samuel Cooper belonging to the Duke of Richmond, , at Goodwood accp, 182 CHARLES II 183 cabinets against each other, he neutraUzed the more dangerous ofthem, such as Shaftesbury, and was able to rule through his owncreature, Danb}. Thus for fifteen years he subordinated Englandto France in return for a pension which might render him inde-pendent of Parliamentary supplies. But for the ferment caused bythe Popish plot and the Exclusion Bill, he might perhaps have donesomething to relieve the Catholics, but throughout this crisis heacted with his customary sang-froid, taking full advantage of hisenemies mistakes, until he finally emerged more popular andmore truly autocratic than before. During the last four years of hisreign he worked his own will, and, leaving to his brother a positionwhich a folly equal to the cleverness of its founder alone could over-throw, Charles died in February 1685,
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