THE RESTORATION AND THE "GLORIOUS
REVOLUTION," 1660-1689 A.D.
REIGN OF CHARLES II, 1660-1685 A.D.
Charles II, on mounting the throne, pledged himself to
maintain Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, and other statutes limiting the
royal power. The people of England wished to be governed by the king, but they
also wished that the king should govern by the advice of Parliament. Charles,
less obstinate and more astute than his father, recognized this fact, and, when
a conflict threatened with his ministers or Parliament, always avoided it by
timely concessions. Whatever happened, he used to say, he was resolved
"never to set on his travels again." Charles's charm of manner, wit,
and genial humor made him a popular monarch, in spite of his grave faults of
character. One of his own courtiers well described him as a king who
"never said a foolish thing and never did a wise one."
REACTION AGAINST PURITANISM
The period of the Restoration was characterized by a
reaction against the austere scheme of life which the Puritans had imposed on
society. Puritanism not only deprived the people of evil pleasures, such as
bear- baiting, Cock-fighting, and tippling, but it also prohibited the Sunday
dances and games, the village festivals, and the popular drama. When Puritanism
disappeared, the people went to the opposite extreme and cast off all
restraint. In this the king, who had lived long at the gay court of Louis XIV,
set the example. England was nevermore merry and never less moral than under
its "Merry Monarch."
