Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A48038
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A Letter from Amsterdam to a friend in Paris
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1679
(1679)
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Wing L1439A; ESTC R43388
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9,588
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12
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A LETTER FROM AMSTERDAM TO A FRIEND IN PARIS Steriles dominantur auenae S R. I never complyed more chearfully with your commands then at present since I have the occasiō to discharge a debt I owe to the Christian World You desire to be satisfied concerning this so much talked of Plott in England which you say is the only subiect of all Discourses and as it hath alarmed all the King of Great Brittains Kingdomes and Dominions so it hath struck with astonishment the greatest part of Europe Iudicious People find them selues in great perplexity on the one side they cannot cōprehend how so many Religious Persons whose education hath been in the spirit of Meeknesse Humility so many men of Quality who have given such vnquestionable Proofs of their Loyalty and exposed both Fortunes lives to maintain the life and Autority of the late present Kings of England so many of all degrees and conditions hitherto reputed honest in their Actions and sincere in their words should vpon à suddaine bee engaged in à Diabolicall and Damnable Conspiracy to take away the life of the King subvert the Government On the other side if there bee noe plott how comes à whole Kingdome to be so imposed vpon as to believe it And then to use such severityes and Rigours far different from the vsuall temper of the Nation This is the Riddle which you desire to bee solved I shall doe it in brief and plainly for Truth never appears better then in downright and vnartificiall expressions Sr. I can assure you there is no such thing as à Plott of the Catholicks no designe against his sacred Majestyes Person Government or Laws of the Land If any particular Person has transgressed let him suffer for it Anima quae peccaverit ipsa morietur This is the desire of all good Christians and I am credibly informd that the Generall of the Iesuits vpon the first bruit of this Conspiracy should say of his Religious si se miscuerint istiusmodi Rebus dignum luant supplicium But as à bare Accusation without manifest proofs is deem'd a mere Calumny so a bare deniall is a slender Apology to take of a prejudicate opinion I shall therefore make it out with vndeniable Reasons You have rightly described the partyes accused I shall decypher the Accusers and then appeal to your Iudgment whether they bee Persons that deserve any Credit Sergeant Mainard in Mr. Colmans Triall pag. 8. saith Mr. Oates was the first man that wee heare of that discovered this Treason Hee was the single man that discovered so many Active Agents in so great a Treason It is worth the pains to informe you what this Oates is His Father in his younger dayes was a devoute silck weaver but in the late Rebellion found it more for his advantage to turn an Anabaptisticall Preacher After the Returne of his Majesty hee became a Minister and was beneficed in or near Hastings at present he is an old fornicator in Kingstreet southampton Buildings He trained vp his son Titus to the Pulpit and having him selfe procured a better living resigned that to his son but whether he was baptized or no is a great question though the son saith he was christened at seventeen yeares of Age yet I presume it was done after the Anabaptisticall forme His debaucheries are notoriously knowne in and about Hastings I shall not defile my paper with them yet I must not omitt to tell you how hee accused an Innocent man of Sodomie but was convicted of Perjury The Conviction stands vpon Record and was clapt in Prison but hee brake it Sometime After hee was embarcked for Tangers hee fell to his old Tricks of Sodomy in the ship and was taken in flagranti to escape hanging according to his demerit he adventured drowning and stole away narrowly to shore in the Cockboat But this you will say is not to the purpose his Majesties Indulgence has granted him a plenarie impunitie his infamous life does not de grade him from a capacity to bear wittnesse for the King nay his Patrons allow this and like him the better the more wicked he is the fitter instrument to make discoveries of wicked designes for who more proper to vnkennell a Fox then the Terrier that is part of him And as to his legall conviction of Perjury recorded In perpetuam rei memoriam tho it disables him from making a Legall Testimony yet it implyes only a Presumption semel malus semper praesumitur malus And not a necessity of allwayes lying from that time forward and who can Tell but heemay speake truth at present be it so yet it must bee granted that the Infamy of the Accuser takes of from his Credit with the Iudicious and obligeth a consciencious Person to waue his Iudgment untill better proofs bee produced as all so that every one must bee looked vpon as Innocent by the eye of the Law if there bee no allegation against him besides the testimony of a Person perjured vpon Record Iustice then and Charity That is the law of God and man maintaine a man in possession of his Innocency vntill he is either outed by the evidence of his owne Acts or ejected by a Legall formality This Argument must bee allowed to conclude thus far and I pretend no more This you say is too general and not to your entire satisfaction J will therefore descend to the particulars of the Accusation and make out with evidence that they are groundlesse and false On sonday 29. September 1678. stil v. his Majestye being present in Councell Titus Oates deposed vpon oath how hee had been employed by the Iesuits to Treat with Don Iohn of Austria and that hee did actually treat with him at Madrid about this Conspiracy and mentioned severall other passages happened at Madrid Hee repeats also his benig at Madrid Iuly 77. in his depositions taken by order of the house of Commons How wel he knew Don Iohn may be seen by the description hee made of his Person to his Majesty and Councell I report myselfe to those that were present That he never was at Madrid is thus made out Hee was not acquainted with the Iesuits before April 1677. This he cannot deny His great friend and acquaintance that first introduced him can testifie as much Towards the end of April hee was on shipboard in the downs as apears by his letter dated there As to his arrivall in spaine his stay there and returne for England I shall give you the Depositions of severall Persons vpon oath before a publick Notary Don Duarte sal Michael Hore and Iohn Grace Merchants of Bilbao deposed how they knew very wel Titus Ambrosius alias Oats an Engishman that hee landed at Bilbao on the 16. of May 1677. stilonovo brought from London in the ship called the Merchant of Biscay Lucas Roach Master hee stayd there 10. dayes or there abouts And thence went the nearest way to vagliadolid with Martin Lornitz Espinosa a Guide to
the Colledge of Saint Albans where hee continued as they vnderstood vntil hee set out back for Bilbao he arrived here the 3. of November following hee stayd in towne about 8. dayes and was shipd vpon the Marchant of Bilbao bound for Topsam in England Martin de Lornitz Espinosa a guide dwelling at Bilbao deposed vpon oath before a Notary that hee knew Titus Ambrosius as having conducted him on a Mule the right way from Bilbao to the Coledge of S. Alban in vagliadolid where they arrived on the beginning of June 1677. Moreover that hee is ascertaind how the said Titus was never 5. leagues out of vagliadolid vntill he returned for Bilbao for having occasion to travel frequently that way as being a Guide much employed because he knew the french Language as often as he past he found him at vagliadolid The foresaid depositions were taken on the secōd of Ianuarie 1679. stilo novo at Bilbao before Iohn Baptista de Asturiaca a publick notary the originals are kept at S. Omers together with an Authentical Attestation that the said Iohn Baptista is the Kings publick Notary That he went not to Madrid from the time of his arrival at the Colledge of S. Albans in vagliadolid vntil his departure from the Colledge is made out by the depositions vpon oath of F. Manuel de Calatajud Rector and F. Domingo Rames Procurator of the said Colledge as followeth Titus Ambrosius alias Oats departed from the Colledge of S. Albans in vagliadolid for Bilbao on saturday 30. October 1677. he entered vpon the ist of Iune about 4. or 5. in the afternoone in to the Colledge from the time of his entrance til the day of his expulsion he never lay one night out of the Colledge which also appears by the Books That he went not to Madrid from the Day of his departure from the said Colledge vntill his arrival at Bilbao vpon returne is made out by the Depositions of Iohn de Sandoval the Guide who furnished him with a Mule and accompanied him from vagliadolid to Bilbao as followeth On saturday the 30. October 1677. we departed from the Colledge of vagliodolid and lodged that night at Torquemada ten leagues of the next morning I told him I would heare Masse hee said he would not heare The next night we lodged at Burgos and the morning after being the Feast of all saints wee both heard Masse at the Dominicans then wee kept on our Iourney and at noone arrived at a place cald the White Inne having broke fast in the morning he inquired of the host whether hee might say Mass in the Chappel over the way I asked him how hee could say mass having broke his fast in the morning Hee answered that 's no great matter I have several times said 3. or 4. Masses after breakfast On the third of November about noone wee arrived at Bilbao The said depositions were made before Joseph Morales at vagliadolid the Kings publick Notary on the 20. of December 1678. The Originals with all the usual Formalities in such cases are kept at S. Omers How after his arrival at Bilbao he never went out of the towne before he was shipt for England is attested by Mr. Michael Hore Marchant of Bilbao Titus Ambrosius alias Oates arrived here with the Castilian Guide who returned homewards the next day Titus stayed here about 8. or 10. dayes during which time hee never went from Bilbao but kept Company with the English in Towne vntil he was shipt for England which was in the Katch cald the Bilbao Merchant Thomas Richard Master bound for Exon to which place I vnderstood the vessell belongs I hope this fully satisfies you that Oates was not at Madrid and therefore that he is perjured as to this point Titus Oates being expell'd out of the Colledge of Vagliadolid with a very bad caracter which will shortly be published in a larger treatise departed out of spaine came to London in November 1677. And before the end of the same moneth prevailed with the Jesuits to bee sent over to S. Omers He departed November 26. sti v on a munday from London in a coach to Dover and arrived at S. Omers 10. of December st no. Now he deposed vpon Oath at the Kings bench Bar Colemans Triall pag 18. How he brought a packet of Letters From Mr. Coleman delivered to him by Fenwick at London which saith he I opened when I came to S. Omers And some few lines after being asked by the Chief Iustice Did you break it open Oates I was at the opening of it and saw it and read it But this is a peccadillio not worth an animadversion What is material is that in the Packet there was a letter of thanks to Father Lechese for the 10000. pounds given for the propagation of the Catholick Religion and it should be employed for no other intent but for that for which it was sent which was to cut of the King of England pag. 19. Oates saith I delivered this letter to Father Lechese his owne hand pag. 20. he spoke Latin to P. Lechese which Lechese sends an Answer to this Letter I brought it to Saint Omers and there it was enclosed in a letter from the Society to Coleman Jt is not worth an observation that Oates spoke latin an Jgnorant Dolt that could not speak six words nor write 3. lines of true latin I must tell you the Character the spaniards gave of him wee have a mean opinion of the English Hereticks since so ignorant and ridiculous an animal could gain esteem amongst them This Letter mentioned in Col Trial contained Treason of the highest degree Oates received it at London from Fenwick brought it to S. Omers where hee was present at the opening and reading he delivered it to Lechese his owne hands and brought back his Answer to S. Omers so that Oates after his arrival at S. Omers must have gone to Paris to deliver the Letter and then returnd back to S. Omer But from his arrival at S. Omers which was the tenth day of December st n til the 23. of Iune st no on which day he departed for good and all hee never lay out of S. Omers but one or two nights at Watten the Iesuits Noviship 2. leagues distant this is deposed vpon Oath by 20. Persons before the Eschevins of the place and an Authentical Testimony is extant of it Are you satisfied now that Oates is perjured in another material point relating to this pretended conspiracy I come now to the maine body of the Plott Colemans Trial pag. 21. Mr. Oates speaks In the moneth of Aplil st ve in the moneth of may no sti there was a Consult held at London it was begun at the white Horse Tauern after they had consulted to send a Procurator to Rome they adjourn'd themselves to seueral clubs and meetings They went on to these Resolves that Pickering and Groves should continue in attempting to assassinate the kings Person Groves was to have 1500.l Pikering 30000.