Characters from the Histories & Memoirs of the Seventeenth Century
History
Characters from the Histories & Memoirs of the Seventeenth Century
Great Britain -- Biography; Great Britain -- History -- Stuarts, 1603-1714
Aboute this tyme the Councells at Westminster lost a principle
supporter, by the death of John Pimm, who dyed with greate torment and
agony, of a disease unusuall, and therfore the more spoken of, morbus
pediculosus, which rendred him an objecte very lothsome, to those who
had bene most delighted with him. Noe man had more to answer for the
miseryes of the Kingdome, or had his hande or heade deeper in ther
contrivance, and yet I believe they grew much higher even in his life,
then he designed. He was a man of a private quality and condition of
life, his education in the office of the Exchequer, wher he had bene
a Clerke, and his partes rather acquired by industry, then supplyed
by nature, or adorned by Arte. He had bene well knowen in former
Parliaments and was one of those few who had sate in many, the longe
intermissyon of Parliaments havinge worne out most of those who
had bene acquainted with the rules and orders observed in those
conventions, and this gave him some reputation and reverence amongst
those, who were but now introduced. He had bene most taken notice of,
for beinge concerned and passyonate in the jealosyes of religion,
and much troubled with the Countenance which had bene given to those
opinions which had bene imputed to Arminius; and this gave him greate
authority and interest with those, who were not pleased with the
goverment of the Church, or the growinge power of the Clargy, yet
himselfe industriously tooke care to be believed, and he professed
to be, very intire to the doctryne and disciplyne of the Church of
Englande. In the shorte Parliament before this, he spake much, and
appeared to be the most leadinge man, for besydes the exacte knowledge
of the formes and orders of that Councell, which few men had, he had
a very comely and grave way of expressinge himselfe, with greate
volubility of wordes, naturall and proper, and understoode the temper
and affections of the kingdome as well as any man, and had observed
the errors and mistakes in goverment, and knew well how to make them
appeare greater then they were. After the unhappy dissolution of
that Parliament he continued for the most parte about London, in
conversation and greate repute amongst those Lords, who were most
strangers, and believed most averse from the Courte, in whome he
improoved all imaginable jealosyes and discontents towards the State,
and as soone as this Parliament was resolved to be summoned, he was as
diligent to procure such persons to be elected, as he knew to be most
inclined to the way he meant to take.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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