and all places Ecclesiastical Civil and Military were put into the papists hands In K. James's time the Protestants were two hundred to one papist and he could never have got a Popish Parliament The K. of Spain was then as Formidable to England as the French King is now and had much greater pretence He was Married to our Queen and all our Acts of Parliament were in his name he was stil'd King of England There were great Objections against Q. Mary's Title to the Crown The validity of K. Henry the VIII's Marriage with her Mother was disputed all over Christendom and the whole Nation was Sworn by Act of Parliament to adhere to the Issue of Queen Ann who was Mother to the Princess Elizabeth 26 Hen VIII C. 2. Yet all this notwithstanding neither did that Protestant Princess pretend to the Crown neither did the Protestants contend for her during her Elder Sisters Life tho' it was given out That there was a Design of imposing a False Son upon the Nation to Cut off the Princess Elizabeth's Succession who was next Heir to the Crown Publick Thanksgivings having been thro' the Nation for Queen Mary's being with child and some foolish Friars even in their Sermons giving out before hand That it must be a Prince of Wales which their Pryaers had obtain'd to prevent a Protestant Successor c. But none of these things had any Witch-craft then in that sober age of Protestancy to prevall with the Protestants to lift up a hand against the Right of Queen Mary tho' a Bill of Exclusion had past against her in her Fathers time and the Nation had sworn to adhere to the Princess Elizabeth the next Protestant Heir But they did not think their Oaths ought to bind them against the Right and notwithstanding that Queen Mary did plainly and without any Disguise endeavour to Defeat her Sister Elizabeth's Succession to the Crown having first got an Act of Parliament to Establish her own Legitimacy and consequently to throw off her Sister as Illegitimate But secondly She had sent her Sister Elizabeth to the Tower in order as was generally believ'd to Cut off her Head Speed tells That a Warrant was once Sign'd for her Execution Yet not to Rescue her nor to Assert her Right of Succession nor for any other cause whatsoever wou'd our Loyal Protestant Fore-Fathers take Arms against the Popish Queen either in behalf of this Princess Elizabeth or of Queen Jane another Protestant against whom they Fought to set up Queen Mary And thought they consulted best in so doing for the preservation of the Protestant Religion by asserting its Principles tho' to the Loss of its Legal Establishment and all other visible worldly Advantages These things the Jacobites urge And they Glory in the wonderful protection which GOD at that time shew'd towards these Protestants in their Faith and Dependance upon Him turning all the whole Scheme to the Protestants advantage taking away Q. Mary without their Guilt and giving her Condemn'd Sister Forty Four years Possession of her Throne to Establish Adorn and make Glorious that poor despis'd and persecuted Principle of Non-Resistance They tell us likewise of the Case of Theudas and Judas of Galilee Act. 5.36,37 who took Arms against the Romans in Defence both of their Religion and their Property It was against the grievous Taxing which was then impos'd by the Romans that Judas rose in Arms and Drew away much people after him They say That all the Declamations in this Letter to a Friend against the Jacobites will hold as strongly against the Protestants in Q. Mary's time But much more strongly against Gamaliel and other Jews who Condemn'd Theudas and Judas in behalf of their Lawful Governours the Romans who were profest Heathens Idolaters Despisers and Persecutors of the Law of Moses yet Fighting against them tho' in Defence of the True Faith was inferr'd to be Fighting against God Act. 5.39 And Christ would not be Defended by Resisting a Heathen Magistrate The same do the Jabobites think of fighting for a Religion in a Case which that Religion does not allow to be a Good Cause of fighting for it They think this to be fighting against that Religion On the other hand If we should fight to the visible prejudice of the outward profession and Legal Establishment of our Religion in pursuance of a Principle of that Religion This the Jacobites would call a fighting for our Religion That is To Maintain Assert and Honour the Principles of our Religion which only are the spiritual part of Religion tho' to the Loss of Temporal advantages and outward ornament which are but the Out-side and Trappings of Religion Therefore they go not upon the Outward advantages but upon the Justice of their Cause for the love of which they have forsaken all their Outward Advantages Upon the whole they say That unless you can prove their Principles to be Vnjust all you Argue against them is against the Law of God against Justice against Reason and all Christian Religion And that Humane politicks are too weak to over-ballance all these Nay they pretend that even Humane policy and the Good of the Nation is on their side That K. James's Tyranny suppose it as bad as you will would not have Cost the Nation so many Lives so much Money nor been so hard to be Redrest after his Death as the present Revolution Now they complain That all this is not sufficiently Answered in this Letter to a Friend where it sayes page 28. which is all the Answer given to it in that Letter that If they the Jacobites say they would fight for him K. J. I give them over sayes the Letter as profess'd Enemies to the True Religion and the Liberties of Man-kind And This I hope sayes the Letter may satissy the Non-swearers that they are not bound in Conscience to Fight for the late King c. Now these perverse Jacobites do say That they can see no Reason why the Author of this Letter 's Giving them over should be a Satisfaction to their Consciences They call this Scolding instead of Answering Whereas they pretend that their Principle is pursuant to the True Religion and most for the Good and Liberties of Man kind to Save men from the Great Destruction of Civil-War and Rebellion which they say is infinitely of more mischief to man kind than any Tyranny ever was in the world And that Religion loses more Ground and lessens more in the Opinion of man-kind by a change of principles which have been long profess'd than by suffering persecution in Defence of those Principles These things they think a full and sufficient Answer to all this whole Letter to a Friend And therefore do insult and rejoyce that no Answer is possible to be given to them since this Best Answer which is yet come out has not one word against the Truth or Honesty of their Principles only argues from Inconveniencies that may attend them which is incident to the
best actions in the world especially if Christianity have any Truth in it And therefore I do earnestly Advise in behalf of the Present Government that the Ingenious Author of this Letter to a Friend would study somthing to be said as to the Truth Honesty and Religion of the Revolution lest the Jacobites Triumph But I must not forget one thing which the Letter to a Friend pag. 5 6 does mainly Insist upon as the Chief Argument why if K. James should Return we were to expect no Mercy from him which is his Barbarous treatment of the Protestants in Ireland after he went over thither in the year 88 89. The Jacobites are Glad that they have got this hold against Us for they insist upon it That K. James shew'd not only Great Lenity and Compassion but Care and Concern for the Protestants in Ireland while he was there insomuch that they can hardly instance any Request ever they made to him which was deny'd He was so far from Disobliging them that he really Courted them to the no small Disturbance of the Irish who thought themselves not so much Regarded as their Merit in their own conceit above that of the Protestants did require The Jacobites Appeal in this to the Magistrates and Representatives of the Chief Towns in the North of Ireland which was the only part of the Kingdom where they stood out in Arms against K. James viz. Derry and Eneskâ—llen and among them Belfast was the Richest and most populous of any of the Cityes in the North And consequently which had most occasion to make application to the Government upon several Emergencies And the Jacobites do put it upon that Issue that the then Sovereign of Belfast who was and is still an unsuspected Protestant will not say that one of the many Addresses to K. J. was rejected or not fully and readily Answered which he made in behalf of that Town or of the Protestants in those parts of the Country And that the Orders which K. J. gave upon these addresses of the Protestants were not duely and punctually observ'd and where any Breaches were made upon them by the Irish who were very ill pleas'd with them which was but seldom they were not severely Punish'd for it as far as K. J ' s. power did extend But as it was he made these his Protections very effectual to the Protestants And this will be justified not only at Belfast but by the Rest of the Magistrates and other Men of Note in all the North and in the whole Kingdom of Ireland during K. J's being among them And this the Jacobites are positive in notwithstanding all that is endeavour'd in a late Book call'd The State of the Protestants of Ireland under the late K. James's Government c. which they pretend to Disprove in Matter of Fact and say They would expose it to the world if any who think the contrary wou'd for a Tryal obtain for them the Liberty of the Press That Generosity wou'd become the Author that he might Fight his Adversary upon Equal Terms But in the mean time till that can be done they do proclaim it and I am sorry to find that they have the suffrage of the Irish Protestants here and even of the English Army which went over thither That the Protestants of Ireland Suffered more and the Country was more Ruin'd by K. W.'s Army than by K. J.'s They tell us from the Mouths of Gentlemen coming over every day from thence That last Winter there was a great Famine in that Country the poor Irish being suffer'd to Starve in the High-ways eating dead Horses and Carrion This I had from several Gentlemen who have seen it The Jacobites infer from this That the Consequences of that War are not over as yet in that Kingdom no nor in this For who can tell the Issue of the present War with France when our Taxes will be at an end and whether it be not possible that England may be Drain'd as poor as Ireland They say we are ingag'd in a Contest like that of York and Lancaster which lasted above a hundred years and Rooted out many of the Noble Families of England with vast Consumption of Blood and Treasure They say That when all this is put into the Scales it will infinitely out weigh all the Frightful Apprehensions of K. J.'s Reign And consequently that his Return would be the Greatest Blessing to this Nation That nothing he can be fancy'd to do in the short Remainder of his Reign carryes any proportion to the Continuance of this War to our Posterities And they say That his Mild and Gentle Carriage towards the Protestants of Ireland when as many of them as could to a very small number were in actual Rebellion against him and they were the most bitter and implacable Enemies he had and are so still They say that his Tenderness and Preservation of these under all these provoking Circumstances is a great specimen of his Nature and what we might expect from him if he should Return again into England But chiefly for this Reason That if he came into England his Interest would be to preserve England and with all his objected Faults I think none ever doubted but that he alwayes endeavoured what he thought was for the Good of England But on the other hand it was certainly his Interest to have Destroy'd at least to have Disabled the Protestants in Ireland because he was morally assured they would Joyn with K. W. when he came over which they did as soon as they were able and were the men who had the chief hand in the Victories abtain'd against K. J. at the Boyn Athlone Agram c. and of whom the Irish were most afraid as Doctor Gorge Secretary to Schomberg in Ireland Witnesses under his hand And if K. J. had Destroy'd these Enemies of his the Irish Protestants when it was in his Power for a whole Summer together he had not in probability been Driven out of Ireland to this day at least you will Grant me that it had not been so easily done Now Consider say these Jacobites If K. J.'s Good Nature tho' Baited by all the violence of the Friars and Irish who would fain have Destroyed these Protestants to Secure themselves If All this and his own visible Security for who would not Destroy his Enemies could not prevail upon his natural Goodness and Clemency to Suffer or Connive at the Irish for it needed not have appeared to be His Act to Destroy these Protestants What Malice can Suggest that it was his Design to Destroy them The Jacobites speak not in this of all the Irish they say we cannot Deny that many of them have Approv'd themselves Loyal and Gallant Men not only in Foraign Countrys but now at Home where tho' Vn-Disciplin'd Vnarm'd bred many Ages in Servitude and Vnacquainted with War yet without Aid of any Foraign Troops except at the Boyne made such Defence as Oblig'd K. William in Person to Raise
the King and when every Body was pursuing after Du-mont who was Invisible having a Secret to charm People's Eyes they should have time to escape and save themselves This was the Scheme and Manner of executing the said Design which was contrived by the Marquiss of Barbesieux Son to the Marquiss of Louvois as also Secretary of State to the French King Mounsieur Paparell and some of the Ministers in the highest Employments and of the greatest Credit in the French Court as the True Account says If they could contrive no better than this the Jacobites think we should not find so much trouble in our War with Frarce They desire to be excused if it be not in their power to believe that the Great Ministers of France could concert their Business no better than this Not to name several lesser Matters as that Du-mont was to shoot at King William at an hundred paces distance he might have come nearer being Invisible If King William had been alone there was hazard of missing or not killing kim at that distance But consider him surrounded with his Officers and Attendants and that his Stature is not so Great as to be hit over other People's Heads at a hundred paces distance you must then shoot through two or three likely before the Bullet could come at him But perhaps Du-Mont had an Invisible way of taking aim too and could charm his Bullet to follow his Directions It was likewise pretty difficult which was contrived by the Marquiss of Barbesieux Paparel c. pag. 5 6. viz. That after Du-Mont had shot King William at his Grand Guard the Prisoner Grandval and Parker who was in England with fifteen hundred Horse from the Grand Guard of the Duke of Luxemburg's Army were to rescue Du-Mont and bring him off the said Du-Mont giving timely notice to the Prisoner Grandval of the intended Execution Thus the True Account The Jacobites think this almost as impracticable as the other Contrivance of the Charm For Du Mont was to watch his Opportunity to shoot King William as he went to visit the Grand Guard and had no choice left by this Contrivance but to charm King William to stand still and in the same Posture he lik'd till he could give timely notice to the Prisoner of the intended Execution Or if he had a Familiar to fly swiftly with the Errand yet after he had shot King William he would need another Secret to charm Peoples Hands from falling upon him till his Friends should come from the Duke of Luxemburg's Grand Guard to rescue him But this True Account ends with a Material Objection viz. That it was like enough Monsieur Barbesieux would disown that he gave any such Orders or that he was any ways concerned in a Business of this Nature To which Grandval reply'd let him deny what he pleases yet if I were put upon it I would make it appear very plain for I have an Original Paper under Monsieur Barbesieux's own hand which I have Lodg'd with a Friend of Mine who will not part with it to any one but my self and no Body else knows with whom I have Intrusted it Thus ends The True Account To which the Jacobites reply that either the Prisoner was then put upon it since as the True Account tells us in the same place that he sought to Justify himself upon the Orders he had received from the Marquis of Barbesieux or when or how was it he could be put upon it if not to Defend his Life And when he thought that proving the Marquis Barbesieux Orders to him would be a Justification of him why would not he Produce the Orders Was not he then put upon it Would he give such a Ridiculous Answer as to say he had left them with a Friend whom no Body knew and who was Engag'd not to part with them to any but himself after he had without Torture so frankly Confest all the rest of the Conspiracy No. â—ay the Jacobites this has not Common Sense in it this would be rather to Provoke and Defy his Judges than to Plead for himself To say he had Evidence but would not Produce it There must be some other meaning in it And the Jacobites say they can think of nothing else but that Grandval has been put upon to give this Evidence to Blacken K. James and the French Court with promise of Life in ultimo â—…ticulo and then has been taken Short as we know others have been in the like Case of which in likely-hood he being Apprehensive kept this pretended Original Paper of Barbesieux as a Pawn for his Life that if they carryed the Jest too far and gave him short Turn they should never get that Paper of Barbesieux for he had left it with a Friend whom he 〈◊〉 Engag'd not to part with it to any one but himself and no Body else knows says he with whom I have Enâ—…d it And these Jacobites are the rather Induc'd to believe this not only because they can put no other Meaning upon that Passage of Grandval But because that Council of War which 〈…〉 was Compos'd of the Men in the World most Violent and Regâ—…ed against K. James â—… Some of his own Deserters and Prayers Men highly Obliged Rait'd and Trusted by him and who had basely Deserted and Betray'd him past hopes they think of his Mercy and a few Dutch Men whose Affections and Candor to K. James or the French are very well known Those were the Council Ginckle lately made Earl of Athlone General Van Scravenmore and Lieutenant General Talmash the Marquis Da la Forest the Heer Van Weede Count Noijelles and the Heer Zabel Majors General and the Brigadeers Churchill and Ramsey Cornelius Van Wou and Richard Vthwayt Judgas Advocates Assisting who have shewn as much Integrity as Ingenuity say the Jacobites Sir These are some of the Objections which I have heard the Jacobites Urge to Invalidate this pretended Evidence of Grandval against K. James And he came not off so well as the Sham Spy who was to be Hang'd at Notingham when Princess Ann was there But Grandval is taken out of the way to give farther Evidence Therefore it will concern the Government that something be said to this least the Reflection which this Account of Grandval is thought to bring upon K. James return double upon our selves And tho' this has been Published since the Writing of your Letter to a Friend yet I know of no better Hand to whom to Recommend so necessary a Vindications of our Proceedings in this Matter and therefore I Intreat that you would Consider it together with the other Jacobite Objections which I have offered to you in this Paper to receive your Answer for the Good of the Nation And do not think that this is sufficiently done by those Papers that have been cry'd about the Streets and Licens'd by the Government telling us of several Apparitions to Private Souldiers in K. Williams's Army in Flanders giving Account of this