The Nobility

The aristocrats that Thomas Shadwell stages in his play The Libertine evolve in a Spanish tale but at no moment can their attitude, their remarks or their cynicism relate to the culture of that country.
They are all, and especially the hero Don John, perfect English nobles, and above all nobles who closely resemble those that form the Court of Charles II in Restoration England.
At the time the aristocracy is still all-powerful, although the bourgeoisie, becoming wealthier thanks to the maritime trade, is fast gaining importance and preparing to upset the traditional social hierarchy in the following century. On the margin of the urban aristocracy, the gentry, constituted of landowning nobility, continues to live from the rents of their estates, respecting very conservative values such as the Monarchy, Church and property.
The horse,
an English gentleman's pleasure.
   

On the other hand the nobles at Court have the worst possible reputation and never did a king permit such a depraved climate during his reign.
The comedies of manners of the time, that merely set out to amuse the gentilshommes with their own excesses, are the most flagrant and direct testimonies of the debaucheries of the Court and The Libertine only mirrors the contemporary habits. For irrefutable proof of this, all that is needed is to compare the progress of this play with the annotations made by Samuel Pepys in his methodical Diaries concerning the King's entourage, and the King himself. One echoes the other to the point where the exploits of Don John appear far less fictional and exaggerated.

   

In Act I of The libertine, Don John positions himself in relation to his father's generation, in these words:

 (…) his whole design was to debar me of my pleasures: he kept his purse from me, and could not be content with that, but still would preach his senseless morals to me, his old dull foolish stuff against my pleasure.

Thus indicating that he no longer belongs to the traditional nobility, the one that existed before Cromwell's time. He then lays out his ambitions (Act I):

 Don John :
My business is my pleasure; that end I will always compass, without scrupling the means; there is no right or wrong, but what conduces to, or hinders pleasure.

Thus with glee his friends share with him his excessive licentiousness.
(Act II):

 Don John :
Now, gentlemen you shall see I'll be civil to you; you shall not ravish alone: indeed I am loth to meddle with mine old acquaintance, but if my man can meet with a woman I have not lain withal, I'll keep you company; let her be old or young , ugly or handsome, no matter.

Don Lopez :
My faith, I will say that you are a very polite man.

Don Antonio :
A very civil person, a man of honour.

  
   
Parade of English gentlemen - 1674 -
The children of Charles I
by Van Dyck around 1641
- Sabauda Gallery - Turin

Now, examining the notes of Samuel Pepys, one can easily see how fiction joins reality:

August 31, 1661 (…) At the Court, all goes very badly: rivalries, lack of money, drunkenness, blasphemies and licentious loves. What will come out of such a mess ?
October 24, 1662 (…) He told me how badly all goes at Court.
The King is uncivil with the Queen's people, especially with those that are English, for fear that they reveal to her his conduct towards Lady Castlemaine.
It is said that the Queen is already informed, but that she believes it to be better politics to accept all at present. God give us peace, because this deviousness dissatisfies the people.
November 3, 1662 (…) Lady Castlemaine is with child. The child is the King's. (…) All this is very regrettable, but it is the result of indolence. They have no other means to exercise their ardour.
February 8, 1663 (…) again another story: a few days ago, Lady Castlemaine had invited Miss Stuart to a feast. In the evening, by way of a joke, it was decided that they were going to be married, and a true marriage took place, with the ring, the religious ceremonies, the ribbons, mulled wine in bed and the throwing of the hose; but it appears that at the end Lady Castlemaine, who played the bridegroom's role, rose and that the King came to replace her beside the beautiful Stuart.
May 15, 1663 (…) The King only thinks of his pleasures. The very thought of business brings him horror. Lady Castlemaine has him round her little finger. She practices, one says, all the tricks of Aretino needed to give pleasure. At this sport he himself is only too expert. (…) And should some good adviser come to ask his sage opinion, the others, his companions of pleasure, never fail to convince him not to listen to these old dodderers.
August 8, 1663 (…) (…) it appears that Lord Sandwich is in love with one of Mrs. Becke's girls with whom he lodges. He spends with her all his time and all his money. She is a woman of ill repute and very frivolous. (… ) I can well see that Milord compromises himself with this girl; I am annoyed but it doesn't surprise me (…) he allows himself the same liberties that he sees everybody take at Court.
November 9, 1663 (…) At Court, manners are still as dissolute. The King is more and more infatuated with Miss Stuart whom he drags into corners to kiss in full sight of all for half-hours at a time.
January 20, 1664 (…) among other things, he told me that the King has not quite abandoned Lady Castlemaine. But he is besotted with Miss Stuart, to the point of disregarding all work and to overtly lack consideration to the Queen. Without caring who sees him or is near at hand, he frolics in public with her; and in particular in the lady's room, on the lower floor, where even the sentries see them entering and leaving. So much that the Duke and the courtiers, when they want to know where is the King, have the habit to ask
“ is The King above or below? ”
September 26, 1666 (…) in the evening I entered the Palace dining hall where I saw several beautiful ladies, among them Lady Castelmaine and especially Lady Denham whom the Duke of York, in front of everybody, took aside to speak to her alone. It is most singular and it hardly pleases me. I met the good Mr. Evelyn who is very indignant at this conduct and called it chiennerie because, often, when the Duke says some words to the lady, she leaves and he follows her like a dog.
December 31, 1666 (…) a miserable Court, licentious, indolent, where all serious people dread the coming ruin of the Kingdom.
April 26, 1667 (…) He also has (Louis XIV) mistresses, but he ridicules our King's stupidity that gives his illegitimate children the title of Prince, wastes his income on them and makes his mistresses, his masters.
Portrait of a gentleman
with his daughter
Thomas de Keyser (1596-1667)
   
English knight 17 th century

These testimonies are spread throughout the Diaries written by Pepys over ten years. Don John, violent, cruel, disrespectful and even sometimes obscene is therefore merely the true representative of the aristocracy at Court.
The latter is composed of young Cavaliers who haven't had their fathers' strong education because of war, and who for these reasons have consorted with stable Grooms, endured poverty and exile and wandered in the districts and inns of low regard. It is not surprising to see behaviour of such laxity, brutality and licentiousness.