Life of Edward Earl of Clarendon — Volume 02

The volume retraces the statesman’s central role during the Restoration and the early reign that followed, depicting his leadership within an informal council that steered domestic and foreign policy. It examines his management of Scottish and Irish affairs, the negotiation of a marriage settlement and a religious compromise, and the handling of colonial and continental complications that produced naval conflict with the Dutch. The narrative follows ensuing administrative friction, rising court and parliamentary faction, and sustained attacks by ambitious rivals, showing how these pressures gradually undermined his authority and culminated in the triumph of opposing political interests.