His defense of her innocence,
involving, as it did, a continuance of the matrimonial tie, which bound
them together when all the world supposed that he wished it sundered,
seems to have resulted from a conscientious sense of duty, and implies
certain latent traits of generosity and nobleness in Charles's
character, which, though ordinarily overpowered and nullified by the
influences of folly and vice, still always seem to have maintained
their hold, and to come out to view from time to time, in the course
of the gay monarch's life, whenever any emergency occurred sufficient
to call them into action.
The reign of King Charles the Second was signalized by many other
untoward and disastrous events besides those which we have enumerated.
There were unfortunate wars, great defeats in naval battles, unlucky
negotiations abroad, and plots and conspiracies, dangerous and
disgraceful, at home. The king, however, took all these things very
good naturedly, and allowed them to interfere very little with his own
personal pleasures.
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