By the death of Southampton and the exile of Clarendon Ormonde was left with but little support at court. His old friend's dismissal was quite unexpected by him, and at first he did not think his own position would be much affected. The King's main argument was that the Chancellor's unpopularity, faithfully reflected in the House of Commons, made it impossible to carry on the government, and against this Ormonde protested. No prominent statesman, he said, could escape popular clamour, and the advantage of yielding to it was very uncertain, and 'should never be brought in competition with honour and justice, which are the only lasting supports to greatness.' Charles replied that his old servant's humour had become unsupportable to him and to all the world; but, he added, 'I assure you that your former friendship to the Chancellor shall not do you any prejudice with me, and that I have not in the least degree diminished that value and kindness I ever had for you, which I thought fit to say to you upon this occasion, because it is very possible malicious people may suggest the contrary to you.'[78] [Sidenote: Ormonde and Orrery.] Clarendon left England at the end of November 1667, and in the following February the King sent for Ormonde, directing him to make Ossory his deputy and to give him such instructions as he thought fit, but not to start if his health would be likely to suffer, nor until the state of business was such that he could be spared. He had long hesitated about the policy of going to confront his enemies or staying to look after his own interests, and he shrank also from the expense of moving. The return of Ossory to Ireland early in March turned the scale. He left Ireland in the middle of April, and Orrery, who had been detained by illness, followed him in June. Ormonde had been warned by his son some time before that the Lord President of Munster was intriguing against him, but was very unwilling to believe it in view of the latter's constant expressions of goodwill. Perhaps, indeed, he protested rather too much, but Ormonde trusted him so far as to send a copy of the anonymous articles of impeachment secretly devised against himself: 'I desire your lordship that no copy may be taken of them, lest it may thereby come to be suspected how I came by them.' But before Orrery got to London it was well known that he was working against the Lord Lieutenant, though the latter was anxious for his presence as likely to be useful to the service. After three months' experience he was telling everyone that Orrery was no friend of his.[79] [Sidenote: Ormonde recalled.]