Bristol, George Digby, 2d earl of, 1612–77, English courtier; son of John Digby, 1st earl of Bristol. At first a member of the parliamentary opposition to Charles I, he later fought for the king in the English civil war. Afterward he served Louis XIV of France. On his return to England after the Restoration (1660), he was ineligible for office because he had been converted to Roman Catholicism. Having served Charles II in exile as secretary of state, he exerted some influence at court until his attempt to impeach the earl of Clarendon for treason failed in 1663.
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