Items related to The Life of Sidney; Earl of Godolphin, K. G., Lord...
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1888. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER IV. UNDER WILLIAM III. Good unexpected, evil unforeseen, Appear by turns, as fortune shifts the scene; Some rais'd aloft, come tumbling down amain, And fall so hard, they rise and bound again. Sir Robert Walpole had commemorated his imprisonment in the Tower by scrawling his name on a pane of glass, and thus Lord Lansdowne moralises on the vicissitudes of his career. A maker of epigrams or composer of rhymes, had there been one in readiness in 1688, might have described the various shifts and turns of Godolphin's fortune in much the same language. Twice had he risen to the pinnacle of prosperity, to find himself face to face with apparent failure. He had opposed James when he was Duke of York, and James had become King of England. He had opposed William when Prince of Orange, and William, contrary to the laws of nature and man, had mounted upon James's throne. Nine men out of ten would have quarrelled with their fate and surrendered themselves to despair. Not so Godolphin. Nobody knew better than he did how to repair a loss, or how to convert disaster into victory. He was versed in the intrigues of court, the knowledge of public business, and the management of men. The tools which had enabled him to construct his fortunes were still in his possession if he desired to restore them. Thus fortune, as men too often call the personal qualities which command success, still proved faithful, and the course of his official life was hardly interrupted by a change of sovereigns. On February 14, 1689, Godolphin was appointed by William a Commissioner of the Treasury. Lords Mordaunt and Delamere were the other Commissioners, and Mordaunt was placed at the head of the Board. They both hated Godolphin, and were furious at having him for a colleague. Nor was the ...
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- PublisherGeneral Books LLC
- Publication date2012
- ISBN 10 0217596215
- ISBN 13 9780217596213
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages104
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