You may reckon under this Article his _Female Ministry_; for though he had Ministers of the Council, Ministers of the Cabinet, and Ministers of the Ruelle; the Ruelle was often the _last Appeal_. Those who were not well there, were used because they were _necessary_ at the time, not because they were _liked_; so that their Tenure was a little uncertain. His Ministers were to administer Business to him as Doctors do Physick, wrap it up in something to make it _less unpleasant_; some skilful Digressions were so far from being Impertinent, that they could not many times fix him to a fair Audience without them. His _aversion to Formality_ made him dislike a _serious Discourse_, if very long, except it was mixed with something to _entertain_ him. Some even of the graver sort too, used to carry this very far, and rather than fail, use the coarsest kind of youthful talk. In general, he was upon pretty _even Terms_ with his Ministers, and could as easily bear _their_ being _hanged_ as some of them could _his_ being _abused_. V. _Of his_ WIT _and_ CONVERSATION. His wit consisted chiefly in the _quickness_ of his _Apprehension_. His Apprehension made him _find Faults_, and that led him to short Sayings upon them, not always equal, but often very good. By his being abroad, he contracted a Habit of conversing familiarly, which added to his natural Genius, made him very _apt to talk_; perhaps more than a very nice judgment would approve. He was apter to make _broad Allusions_ upon any thing that gave the least occasion, than was altogether suitable with the very Good-breeding he shewed in most other things. The Company he kept whilst abroad, had so used him to that sort of Dialect, that he was so far from thinking it a Fault or an Indecency, that he made it a matter of Rallery upon those who could not prevail upon themselves to join in it. As a Man who hath a good Stomach loveth generally to talk of Meat, so in the vigour of his Age, he began that style, which by degrees grew so natural to him, that after he ceased to do it out of Pleasure, he continued to do it out of Custom. The Hypocrisy of the former Times inclined Men to think they could not shew too great an Aversion to it, and that helped to encourage this unbounded liberty of Talking, without the Restraints of Decency which were before observed. In his more familiar Conversations with the Ladies, even they must be passive, if they would not enter into it. How far Sounds as well as Objects may have their Effects to raise Inclination, might be an Argument to him to use that Style; or whether using Liberty at its full stretch, was not the general Inducement without any particular Motives to it.