the said Duke should succeed to the Imperial Crown of this Realm nothing is more manifest than that a total Change of Religion within these Kingdoms would ensue For the Preservation thereof be it Enacted by the King 's most Excellent Majesty by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and the Commons in this present Parliament assembled and by the Authority of the same That the said James Duke of York shall be and is by the Authority of this present Parliament excluded and made for ever incapable to inherit possess or injoy the Imperial Crown of this Realm and of the Kingdoms of Ireland and the Dominions and Territories to them or to either of them belonging or to have exercise or injoy any Dominion Power Jurisdiction or Authority in ihe same Kingdoms Dominions or any of them And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid That if the said James Duke of York shall at any Time hereafter challenge claim or attempt to possess or enjoy or shall take upon him to use or exercise any Dominion Power or Authority or Jurisdiction within the said Kingdoms or Dominions or any of them as King or chief Magistrate of the same that then he the said James Duke of York for every such Offence shall be deemed and adjudged guilty of High Treason and shall suffer the Pains Penalties and Forfeitures as in Case of High Treason And further That if any Person or Persons whatever shall assist or maintain abet or willingly adhere unto the said James Duke of York in such Challenge Claim or Attempt or shall of themselves attempt or endeavour to put or bring the said James Duke of York into the Possession or Exercise of any Regal Power Jurisdiction or Authority within the Kingdoms and Dominions aforesaid or shall by writing or preaching advisedly publish maintain or declare That he hath any Right Title or Authority to the Office of King or chief Magistrate of the Kingdoms and Dominions aforesaid that then every such Person shall be deemed and adjudged guilty of High Treason and that he suffer and undergo the Pains Penalties and Forfeitures aforesaid And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid That if he the said James Duke of York shall at any time from and after the Fifth of Nov. 1680. return or come into or within any of the Kingdoms or Dominions aforesaid then he the said James Duke of York shall be deemed and adjudged guilty of High Treason and shall suffer the Pains Penalties and Forfeitures as in case of High Treason And further That if any Person or Persons whatsoever shall be aiding or assisting unto such Return of the said James Duke of York that then every such Person shall be deemed and adjudged guilty of High Treason and shall suffer as in cases of High Treason And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid That he the said James Duke of York or any other Person being guilty of the Treasons aforesaid shall not be capable of or receive Benefit by any Pardon otherwise than by Act of Parliament wherein they shall be particularly named And that no Noli prosequi or order for stay of Proceedings shall be received in or upon any Indictment for any of the Offences mentioned in this Act. And be it further Enacted and Declared and it is hereby Enacted and Declared That it shall and may be Lawful to and for any Magistrates Officers and other Subjects whatsoever of these Kingdoms and Dominions oforesaid and they are hereby enjoyned and required to apprehend and secure the said James Duke of York and every other Person offending in any of the Premises and with him or them in case of Resistance to fight and him or them by force to subdue for all which Actings and for so doing they are and shall be by Virtue of this Act saved harmless and indemnified Provided and it is hereby Declared That nothing in this Act contained shall be construed deemed or adjudged to disenable any other Person from inheriting and injoying the Imperial Crown of the Realms and Dominions aforesaid other then the said James Duke of York but that in case the said James Duke of York should survive his now Majesty and the Heirs of his Majesty's Body the said Imperial Crown shall descend to and be injoyed by such Person or Persons successively during the Life of the said James Duke of York as should have inherited and injoyed the same in case the said James Duke of York were naturally dead any thing contained in this Act to the contrary notwithstanding And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid That during the Life of the said James Duke of York this Act shall be given in charge at every Assizes and General Sessions of the Peace within the Kingdoms Dominions and Territories aforesaid and also shall be openly read in every Cathedral Church and Parish Church and Chappels within the aforesaid Kingdoms Dominions and Territories by the several respective Parsons Vicars Curates and Readers thereof who are hereby required immediately after Divine Service in the Forenoon to read the same twice in every Year that is to say on the 25th of December and upon Easter Day during the Life of the said James Duke of York Which Bill was Read thrice and Passed the House of Commons and upon its being Rejected in the House of Peers behold this Address to the King your Brother The humble Address of the House of Commons presented unto his Majesty upon Tuesday the 21 th of December 1680. in answer to his Majesty's Gracious Speech to both Houses of Parliament upon the 15 th Day of the same December May it please your most Excellent Majesty WE your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal Subjects the Commons in this present Parliament assembled having taken into our serious Consideration your Majesty's gracious Speech to both your Houses of Parliament on the Fifteenth of this instant December and do with all the grateful Sence of faithful Subjects and sincere Protestants acknowledg your Majesty's great Goodness to us in renewing the Assurances you have been pleased to give us of your Readiness to concur with us in any means for the Security of the Protestant Religion and your gracious Invitation of us to make our Desires known to your Majesty But with grief of Heart we cannot but observe That to these Princely Offers your Majâ—sty has been advised by what secret Enemies to your Majesty and your People we know not to annex a Reservation which if insisted on in the Instance to which alone it is applicahle will render all your Majesty 's other gracious Inclinations of no Effect or Advantage to us Your Majesty is pleased thus to limit your Promise of concurrence in the Remedies which shall be proposed That they may consist with preserving the Succession of the Crown in its due and legal Course of Descent ond we do humbly inform your Majesty That no Interruption of that Descent has been endeavoured
your Nose and say nothing and let them Play the Game as they lifted and when they were strengthened by your Interest and the French Kings Power they could send you Trudging into the Kingdom of Darkness as you did your Brother But to come home to your Jesuits Sir let me put you in mind that upon the fifth of April we had notice from Thomas VVhite and the Fathers in London that a General Consult was to be held on April the 24th and the Fathers of Leige and Ghent and VVatton and St. Omers were ordered to attend the said Consult and the Summons was to this effect Thus all that had Jus Suffragij was to be there and that they were not to hasten to London long before the time appointed nor to appear much about the Town till the meeting was over least occasion should be given to suspect the Design and Secrecy as to the time and place was much Recommended to all those that were Summoned as it would appear of its own Nature necessary this was the Summons and to this Summons we all obeyed and to London we came and there met about 50 or 60 of the Society from all parts of the Kingdome who before the Consult was disolved did resolve upon the Death of the King either by Shooting Poysoning or Stabbing Conyers the Benedictin was pitcht upon and four Irish Russians to Stab him and Pickering and Grove were pitcht upon to shoot him and Sir George VVakeman to Poyson him thus your Brothers death was resolved upon and what they could not effect in 1678 they did in 1684 and to this of 78 your Servant Coleman was not only Privy too but was aiding and advising and consenting and how could you be Ignorant of it then For what you did in 1684 you had long designed of which Sir no doubt in the least can be made and therefore it s in vain for you or any of your Villains to dispute it can you deny that you sought the Destruction of the Prince of Orange whilst he was in that Station only because he had Married your Daughter can you or your Brother of France deny that the Papists were to have your Aid and Power to subdue the Northern Heresy Can you deny that Coleman laboured for a Peace that the French King might be at leasure to assist you here in England And that you might not have one to hand a Party against you was not the Duke of Monmouth kept under the Hatches by you and your Party And was not the Parliament to be disolved And by the Dissolution of the Parliament a Peace could be procured upon more Advantageous Terms to the French and in order to your regaining your Power and Interest which was hurt by quitting the Office of Lord High Admiral it was contrived that you should be restored and that the King your Brother should put the Fleet into your Hands as the only Person that could give a good account of it and farthermore that for all the Places of importance of the Kingdom put into his Hands till the Popish Religion and Arbitrary Power was fixed and you at the Hand of it in which Post you were to be but a Royal Tool to serve their base Ends and Purposes and if you did not comply they knew how to dispose of you even in no worse way than they designed upon your Brother which I say through Gods Mercy to England and your Clemency they did effect and then Popery had but two Legs whereas in his time she had four such as they were Objection That it was objected against me that I was not in Town in the Months of April and May this was one main Objection against my Discovery and to this end the Jesuits produced a Number of rascally Boys from St. Omers to prove my being there those Two Months nay some of them Swore from December till June And to answer this Objection I brought in Seven or Eight Witnesses to prove my being in Town which gave the Court great Satisfaction 1. The first Witness I called was Mr. Walter sometimes Vicar of Rainham in Kent who did declare that he had known me several Years and had met me in Newgate Market and in the Month of April he saw me in a Disguise in a grey Serge Coat and a grey Hat at the first Sight this Minister did not know me to be the Man but upon due recollection he found me to be the Man that he had seen and to confirm his Judgment in it he went to a Gentlewoman whose Name also he did not know he went to her because he had seen me at her House to enquire of her what was become of me and how I did and the Gentlewoman not knowing the End of my going beyond the Seas answered him thus Oh says she he is an undone Man he is turned to the Church of Rome and Absconds and hides himself I know not where Can all this be true Then Mr. Walter told her That he had seen me later than she had done for he had seen me the Day before at the upper end of St. Martin's Lane near Leicester House 2. Sarah Ives was another Witness in the Case to confirm what Mr. Walter had said this was the Woman of whom he enquired concerning me who owned she had not seen me but my Friends had told her that they judged me about the Town Incognito and she proved that Walter had the aforesaid Discourse with her concerning me and that he had told her that he had seen me the Day before and she tells you a particular Token That my Father came then unto her House to see her and she did ask my Father to eat some thin Cheese that was newly come in and the first she had come in and she enquired of my Father when he did see me my Father told her That he had not seen me of late then said she I can tell you News of your Son here was one Mr. VValter in my Shop that says he met him in Leicester Fields but in a Disguise and that he had told her what Habit I was in 3. A third Witness that proved me in Town at that time was one Butler that was Coach man to Sir Richard Barker who said That he was about his Coach which stood in the Gate-way and that I came in and asked him whether Dr. Tonge was within and he answered No At the first Sight he did not know me by reason of the Disguise that I was in but had known me well before because that I wore a Minister's Habit as I did then at the Tryal of the Jesuits but upon calling to mind who I was he did bid me welcome into England again but he said I took no notice of him but went on forward into the House But I made but little stay in the House because a young Fellow had affronted me for the sake of the Habit I was then in and this he swore was in the Month of May
Party 10. A great number of Officers that were Papists had been imployed and several under half Pay and many other Things of the like Nature All which Particulars laid before your Brother in this Address justify the Credit the Evidences of the Popish Plot had in Parliament But that I may not leave you so I pray peruse the Address it self it was a Swinger I 'll assure you and much to the purpose The humble Address of the Commons in Parliament assembled Presented to his Majesty Munday the 29th of Nov. 1680. May it please your most Excellent Majesty WE your Majesty's most Obedient and Loyal Subjects the Commons in Parliament assembled having with all Duty and Regard taken into our serious Consideration your Majesty's late Message relating to Tangier cannot but account the present Condition of it as your Majesty is pleas'd to represent in your said Message after so vast a Treasure expended to make it useful not only as one Infelicity more added to the afflicted Estate of your Majesty's faithful and loyal Subjects but as one result also of the same Counsels and Designs which have brought your Majesty's Person Crown and Kingdoms into those great and imminent Dangers with which at this Day they are surrounded and we are the less surprised to hear of the Exigencies of Tangier when we remember that since it became a part of your Majesty's Dominions it hath several Times been under the Command of Popish Governors particularly for some Time under the Command of a Lord impeach'd and now Prisoner in the Tower for that execrable and horrid Popish Plot that the Supplies sent thither have been in a great Part made up of Popish Officers and Soldiers and that the Irish Papists amongst the Soldiers of that Garison have been the Persons most countenanced and encouraged To that part of your Majesty's Message which expresses a Reliance upon this House for the Support of Tangier and a Recommendation of it to our speedy Care we do with all Humility and Reverence give this Answer That although in due Time and Order we shall omit nothing incumbent on us for the Preservation of every Part of your Majesty's Dominions and advancing the Prosperity and flourishing Estate of this your Kingdom yet at this Time when a Cloud that hath long threatned this Land is ready to break upon our Heads in a Storm of Ruin and Confusion to enter into any further Consideration of this Matter especially to come to any Resolutions in it before we are effectually secured from the imminent and apparent Dangers arising from the Powâ—r of Popish Persons and Counsels we humbly conceive will not consist either with our Duty to your Majesty or the Trust reposed in us by those we represent It is not unknown to your Majesty how restless the Endeavors and how bold the Attempts of the Popish Party for many Years last past have been not only in this but other your Majesty's Kingdoms to introduce the Romish and utterly to extirpâ—te the Protestant Religion The several Approaches they have made towards the compassing this their Design assisted by the Treachery of perfidious Protestants have been so strangely successful that 't is matter of Admiration to us and which we can only ascribe â—o an over-ruling Providence that your Majesty's Reign is still continued over us and that we are yet assembled to câ—nsult the Means of our Preservation This bloody and restless Party not content with the great Liberty they had a long time enjoyed to exercise their own Religion privately among themselves to partake of an equal Freedom of their Persons and Estates with your Majesties Protestant Subjects and of an Advantage above them in being excused from chargeable Offices and Employments hath so far prevailed as to find Countenance for an open and avowed Practice for their Superstition and Idolatry without controul in several Parts of the Kingdom Great swarms of Priests and Jesuits have resorted hither and have here exercised their Jurisdiction and been daily tampering to pervert the Consciences of your Majesty's Subjects their Opposers they have found means to disgrace and if they were Judges Justices of the Peace or other Magistrates to have them turned out of Commission and in contempt of the known Laws of the Land they have practised upon People of all Ranks and Qualities and gained over divers to their Religion some openly to profess it others secretly to espouse it and most conduced to the Service thereof After some time they became able to influence Matters of State and Government and thereby to destroy those they cannot corrupt The Continuance or Prorogation of Parliaments has been accommodated to serve the Purposes of the Party Money raised upon the People to supply your Majesty's extraordinary Occasions was by the prevalence of Popish Counsels imployed to make War upon a Protestant State and to advance and augment the dreadful Power of the French King though to the apparent Hazard of this and all other Protestant Countries Great Numbers of your Majesty's Subjects were sent into and continued in the Service of that King notwithstanding the apparent Interest of your Majesty's Kingdoms the Addresses of the Parliament and your Majesty's gracious Proclamations to the contrary Nor can we forbear to mention how that at the beginning of the same War even the Ministers of England were made Instruments to press upon that State the acceptance of one Demand among others from the French King for procuring their Peace with him That they should admit the publick Exercise of the Roman Catholick Religion in the Vnited Provinces the Churches there to be divided and the Popish Priests to be maintained out of the publick Revenue At home if your Majesty did at any time by the Advice of your Privy Council or of your Two Houses of Parliament command the Laws to be put in due Execution against Papists even from thence they gained Advantage to their Party while the Edge of those Laws was turned against Protestant Dissenters and the Papists escaped in a manner untoucht The Act of Parliament enjoining a Test to be taken by all Persons admitted into any publick Office and intended for a Security against Papists coming into Employment had so little effect That either by Dispensations obtained from Rome they submitted to those Tests and held their Ofces themselves or those put in their Places were so favourable to the same Interests that Popery it self has rather gained than lost Ground since that Act. But that their Business in hand might yet more speedily and strongly proceed at length a Popish Secretary since executed for his Treasons takes upon him to set a foot and maintain Correspondencies at Rome particularly with a Native Subject of your Majesty 's promoted to be a Cardinal and in the Courts of other foreign Princes to use their own form of Speech for the subduing the pestilent Heresy which has so long domineer'd over this Northern World that is to root out the Protestant Religion out of England and
ΕΙΚΩΠΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΗ ΤΕΤΑΡΤΗ OR THE PICTURE OF THE Late King James Further drawn to the LIFE In which is made manifest by several Articles That the whole Course of his Life hath been a continued Conspiracy against the Protestant Religion Laws and Liberties of the Three Kingdoms In a Letter to Himself The Fourth Part. By TITVS OATES D. D. LONDON Printed and are to be sold by Richard Baldwin 〈◊〉 the Oxford-Arms Inn in Warwick-Lane MDCXCVII TO His most Excellent Majesty WILLIAM III. By the Grace of God And the Choice of the Good People of England Of Great Britain France and Ireland Rightful and Lawful KING Defender of the Faith and Restorer of our LAWS and LIBERTIES As well as the Victorious PROTECTOR of Oppress'd Europe TITVS OATES D. D. His Faithful Dutiful and Loyal Subject and Servant most humbly dedicates this ensuing MEMORIAL ΕΙΚΩΠΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΗ ΤΕΤΑΡΤΗ Or The Fourth Part of the Picture of the Late King JAMES SIR I Know you expect I should be as good as my word and truly so I will to the utmost of my poor power because of the great regard I have for your Person Cause and Interest and before I enter upon any more lines of your sweet face in order to perfect your Picture let us take a dish of drink together and give you a true state of your interest here in England and when we consider the excellent qualifications of your Hell-born Crew here you may easily conclude what a nasty pickle you and my old Landlady are in and that I shall do in these six particulars 1. Your Cattel here have acted their parts in tampering to make parties against the present Government which parties were to have been made either of your Friends or your Enemies the former are such a parcel of Cowardly Rascals that to tell you the truth as they quitted your Father in the time when he had most occasion for them so they did you witness your friends both here and in Scotland too notwithstanding the application they made by your especial direction to Sir Timothy Stiff-Jaws when old Preston's hopeful design was baffled by the vigilance of the present Government nay I doubt not but that they might by Scotch Robin have made some effort of that nature upon some of our Dissenters but alas it was to no purpose for they understood their Interest as well as an old friend of yours did of cheating your Brother of a tickling summ you know for what use and therefore all attempts if ever any were to all intents and purposes fruitless and vain well I pray what tools did you make use of very sorry ones upon my word a sort of people whose persons were neither known nor had they credit for a two-penny Loaf persons not able to make you a party worth the mentioning nor can I by the best enquiry I can make tell who set them on work or what Warrant or Authority they have for what they do for if one should ask Sir Timothy Stiff-Jaws to whom as I said before they were to make application he would swear by my Landlady's white hand that he knew never a Rogue of them all and would not lose his good Preferment as long as there was a shilling to be got though I must tell you that in spight of the Whore his neighbour he hath quitted his Post since a penny could not be got in it with any great matter of content he is now at Grass and waits dear Sir for a comfortable minute that he may have my Landlady by the hand again without disturbance I suppose he might make you under-hand half a dozen poor Curs and these the Rogues call a Party and a Party for you and upon the strength of these Fellows impudence your nonsensical Crew shamm'd a simple Declaration from you bearing date from St. Germains which did you more hurt than the Fishermen of Feversham could do for their hearts blood Well when your gracious Declaration came Lord What a stir they made with it and publish it they would hand over head without any regard had for the Publishers and disposers of the same or the least thought of making any provision for those willing Vermin that lay at the mercy of our Government to be drawn hang'd and quartered for such an eminent piece of service and some of them have taken a civil swing tho much ado before they could be perswaded to it You was not pleased to put us off with one Declaration but a second and a third was issued forth bearing date from St. Germains in which you lovingly declared what great and good things they should have the Lord knows when if they would but meet you the Lord knows where But I pray Sir why did you reflect upon the ingratitude of some of your old Friends Alas alas you did not well consider that they might be got into good employments in which they were to Battle their sweet Bodies for a convenient season or it may be if some of them had been so scandalous that they could not get into an employment of considerable trust they were got behind the Hangings with a comfortable Pension to the end that they may use King William in that Post as they did you when you employed them Nay sweet Sir now I think on 't there is your old Friend Sir Simkin you know who turned Whig to betray the Whigs to your Brother and then he turned Tory to betray your Brother to the Whigs then turned Papist to betray your good Worship what could you do with such a Spark if he should take the other turn but keep him behind the Hangings to do some job or another tho it cost you two or three thousand pounds per annum for Secret service for in my conscience Rhiming Jack Carryl and the rest of your doughty Crew at St. Germains would scarce sit at Council-board with him he would be so scandalous he saith he is a man of good parts and wouâ—d himself sign a Certificate even upon Oath since honour hath so long been a stranger to him yet none of your poor humble Curs now with you would be seen in his company for forty shillings a man lest he should betray you once more Come let me ask you one civil question if you should be King of Poland or Jerusalem or Ushant or Bell Isle Would you ever admit him so much as Clerk of your Kitchen truly you must have the Grace of a great deal of good Nature to believe him worthy of such an Employ for since he hath made so many turns let him have nothing with you but that of a Turnspit he being too lend for any else yet for all this this Case-hardened Coxcomb that brags of doing great feats for the support of our Government hath pretended to such an Interest with you and my very good Landlady that one would think that he was ready to make another turn and some of your Cattle here would fain make us believe he is doing
and your Popish Councellors gave to your party to undertake the same 1. I will put you mind of what happened to encourage the Popish Party in undertaking of their villainous designs against the Protestant Religion and the Government and this is necessary to be done that you may remember how you and your party have treated this Nation by way of recompence for the restoring your Brother to his Throne and you to your Native Country which well considered we may see what a Blessing you both were to this Nation Therefore Sir observe 7. Another Argument against the Bill of Exclusion was that it would have led the Parliament to attempt other great and considerable Changes and thereby endangered the whole Government and the peace of the Nation Now what your Villains would have had the Nation to understand by this change is worthy consideration Therefore first if by a change they meant a change of the constitution of the Government let me tell you that he could never have forged a more villainous Lye than those wicked Wretches did that they might in conjunction with you instil such thoughts into the mind of the King as might effectually alienate his Soul from the use of Parliaments It is evident even to these Holbourn Wretches that there was no Vote or Proposition in either of these Parliaments that could give any ground for such a malicious reflection and thefore in this matter we that were lookers on might reasonably charge your Brother and you and your whole party with a malicious design against all Parliaments in thus arraigning the whole body of the Nation upon these ill grounded and malicious suggestions I am sure this did not become the grandeur and justice of Princes nor was agreeable to the measures of Prudence and Wisdom by which you should have governed your selves And Now Sir I will give the true reason why you thus delighted in these men viz. your hating Parliaments being afraid they should have called you and them to account for your high Crimes and Misdemeanors by this means together with the inclinations of your dear Brother you so sway d him that you could never want grounds to dissolve not only three such Parliaments but threescore if there had been occasion In the second place Sir if you and your admirers had understood by attempting great and important changes that the Parliament would have besought the King that you might no longer have the Government in your hands that your villainous Conspirators should no longer preside in his Councils nor possess all the great Offices of Trust in the Kingdom that our Ports Garrisons and Fleet should no longer be governed by those that were at your Devotion that marks of Favour and characters of Honour should no more be placed upon such as the wisdom of the Nation had adjusted favourers of Popery or Pensioners to the French King These I must confess were great and important changes such as became English Protestants to believe were designed by those Parliaments and would have been by any other Parliament your Brother should have called in his time and such as the people of England would have prayed for and left the success to Almighty God who governs the hearts of Kings and Princes Truly without these changes the Bill of Exclusion would have signified little it might have provoked but not have disabled your wicked party Nay the money the Nation must have paid for it would have been used to hasten your return upon us 8. Another Argument used against the Bill of Exclusion was your great Grace and Favour for your Country and the excellency of your Temper and Vertue Surely Sir if you heard these men magnify you for your excellent personal qualifications you would have spit in their Faces and told them they ly'd for the violence of your natural Temper was sufficiently Known and your vehemency in exalting the prerogative in your Brother's Reign beyond its due bounds and the principles of your cursed Religion which carried you to all imaginable excesses of Cruelty convinced all Mankind that there was a necessity of excluding you rather than to leave you the name and place the power in a Protector For in good truth they must have looked upon it as the greatest folly to have made such a change in the Government which would have been a means to destroy and not to preserve the Government Sir they saw your Temper that was bred up in such principles of Politicks as made you in love with A bitrary power and bigotted to that Religion which always propagates it self by Blood could never bear with such shackles as would even disgust a Prince of the meekest disposition This was your Temper and how it is amended since you placed your self at St. Germains I suppose your followers can tell better than I. But what a regard and favour you have born to this Nation was well seen from your first return to England 1660. to your leaving it in 1688. You engaged it in two wicked Wars with the Dutch and a third with France I would not have your Cattle love too much of your Grace and Favour But truly if you had any for this Nation you was pleased to conceal it except in two things in which you did England the most signal service that ever man did the one was destroying your Brother and the other your running away and if you will keep on the other side of the small River that parts France from us we will forgive you all the faults of your life But notwithstahding all the noise your party have made about you exclusion I think they are now fully satisfied or at least may be that those three Parliaments that did proceed to exclude you had just grounds for it so that all your pretences stand convict as foolish and impertinent And these things being thus can any man judge you otherwise than an Enemy to Parliaments and that way of English Government which made you and your Traytors so much to inviegh against your most just proceedings 1. You may remember that the Nation could not be redeemed from that Bondage and Slavery that threatened it by the Arbitrary Government of Charles your Father but by the Long Parliament that sat down in the year 1640 and by the mismanagement of affairs by those to whom the guardianship of this Nation had been committed they thought nothing would bring on a new Heaven and a new Earth and repair the breaches in the Nation occasioned by the confusion rage and distraction they laboured under which were the consequences of the aforesaid mismanagement of affairs but by the restoring King Charles the second to gratifie this expectation the Convention which met on the 25th of April 1660 hand over head without any Preliminaries of asserting the right and priviledges of the people of England so manifestly violated by your Grandfather and Father and so restored your Brother to his Throne without the least opposition The hopes of the
happy days under his Reign quite blotted out the remembrance of the villanous designs that were carried on in the time of your Grandfather and Father for the destruction of the Protestant interest and furthermore like Court-Parasites flattered him and you stiling your Father the Martyr for England's Church and Government The King your Brother being restored he began to be as Arbitrary as either his Father or Grandfather had been before him and the Kingdom lay under a necessity of submitting to him rather than run into a new confusion and disorder or revile the old ones for the misery they brought upon the Nation The memory of these times were so odious to these Flatterers that if the Parliament took notice of any of their Irregularities or mismanagement of the Government they were presently charged with running back to the Parliament that sat down in the year 1640 and they seeing the King restored without any terms thought it was necessary to form a Council consisting of a number of men that were to meet at Somerset-house in order to get something in favour of poor Catholicks and this was to be a standing Council for that purpose To this Council the Jesuits both at home and abroad were to make their application from time to time as occasion should require and they having such an encouragement as this they could not but reasonably expect some great thing from your Brother because of the Oaths and Protestations he had made to them of restoring their Religion or at least to give them all the Indulgence imaginable till he had an opportunity of setting up that Worship of theirs as the publick Worship of the Nation which they thought must of necessity come to pass the one or the other since he was not restrained by any Preliminaries at his admission to the exercise of his Kingly power this fatal mistake of the Parliament was the cause of much joy to the Jesuits for upon this Courtney within a Fortnight after your Brothers coming in was dispatched away to St. Omers to give them an account of what a prospect they now had of advancing the Catholick Cause and what a Council was pitched upon to meet at Somerset-house to manage the Cause of poor Catholicks in order to their ease in respect of Religion and what preferments several of the leading men of that perswasion were like to have at Court So Sir this was the first encouragement your party received through the want of some necessary restrictions to have put upon your Brother in order to have secured the Nation from Popery and Arbitrary power A second encouragement the Popish party had to oblige men to undertake and engage themselves in their villainous designs against the Protestant Religion and Government of this Nation was your Brothers neglecting the old Cavaliers that if they had any Religion it was that of the Church of England These men had been great sufferers not only upon your Father's account but also upon your Brother's to the ruine of themselves and families indeed they thought and that very justly that upon the Restoration they should enjoy Halcyon days But alas through yours and the advice of old Chancellor Clarendon they were in a worse state than they were before for these poor miserable Wretches having Mortgaged their Estates to redeem their Sequestations the remainder paid the Taxes to the King and the interest of the Mortgage notwithstanding all this they are not at all countenanced by the King who one would have thought should have made them his chief favourites if he had retained one dram of gratitude He had favourites it 's true but none of the old Protestant Cavaliers you will say then who were his Favourites you may remember that his Favourites were those of the Popish party in conjunction with a party of men who knew not his Father but humoured him in his sensual pleasures and they were of the Female as well as of the Male Sex who were a sort of Favourites his Father was not acquainted with nor in short do I find that he had ever any regard for his Fathers memory in that he so basely left those who had not only ventured but lost all in his Fathers service and these men having great Antipathy against the Papists for carrying all before them in the Court at Oxford in your Fathers time were much brow-beaten by these Popish Favourites and they being discouraged were in no capacity to contend the point with that villainous party at Court so that they in your Brother's time carried all before them in spite of fate The poor Dissenters they durst not stir the Bishops severely chastizing them for their severe usage of them in the times of the Civil War and the high Church-party run in with this Popish party as men that had deserved well from the King and whose Religion and theirs was of nearer a kin than that of the Dissenters so that your Popish party having such a Reinforcement from high Church-men were considerably strengthened and taking the advantage of your Brother's neglect of the old Cavaliers who hated them they found by this means so much encouragement as to engage a number of men to undertake with them in their cursed designs 3. A third encouragement the Popish party had upon your Restoration was the great ascendency your Mother had over the King your Brother for she being a Daughter of France inclined him to her side so that he no sooner left Brussels but he quitted Spain and embraced the interest of France and an Alliance with that Crown and she living ten years after his Restoration so fixed this as an habit in him that all his life after he could never get rid of it notwithstanding all the provocations of the French King to the contrary who upon the great inclination there was in your Brother and you to him became a mighty protection to the Popish party By the way Sir give me leave to observe to you that it was a most inhumane thing in your Brother and you to quit the Spaniard who entertained you both when the French had in a most barbarous manner and with all the reproach imaginable expelled you both and joyned with the then Lord Protector against you to ruine you and your whole Family again observe how unjust it was considering what protestations and promises both your Brother and you had made to the Crown of Spain of making and keeping a strict alliance offensive and defensive that you might be revenged of the French King for his false dealing with you yet contrary to all your promises and protestations it is remembred what success the French Ambassador had with your Brother in his negotiations for though he did not make any league with the French against the Spaniard yet he and the French King dealt with the Spaniard as if he had been an open enemy nay Sir that he might not fall short of his respects to his Brother of France he most willingly waved a Treaty
of Commerce the said Lord Protector had made to the great advantage of the English Nation and graciously left his people to be treated in their trade to France at the pleasure of the French King In a word your Brother was no sooner sixt at Whitehall and you at St. James's but the French King was become your Confident and the King of Spain slighted which as it was against justice and humanity so it was against the maxims of Policy and Prudence the French Nation being natural Enemies of the English and the next Neighbour to it and of all Nations the most formidable all these considerations should have made you to have made a firm alliance with Spain at that time for their condition was very low being brought to that sad state in a great measure upon the account of your Family both in your Grand fathers and Fathers Reigns insomuch that notwithstanding the largeness of the Dominions of that King yet out of them all he could not find an Army to fight against the Portuguese this I must say that God did visit that Crown with severe Judgments for their unjust dealings with the Americans both in respect of the War they made with them and the cruelties they exercised towards them You will say the King of Spain was poor yes so he was and the Proverb was good That Vermin will quit a falling house you well knew that the Popish party could not bear up in their undertakings in the design of changing our Religion into Popery nor our Government into Slavery upon the Credit Purse and Interest of the King of Spain but upon the Purse Interest and Credit of the French King your party thought they might with the better success and with more ease accomplish their wicked designs and purposes against the Religion Laws and Liberties of these three Kingdoms Let me tell you Sir that notwithstanding all the efforts the Popish party made in the years 1660 and 1661 they all proved abortive for they have not their expectation fully answered for they wanted some considerable person to head them but you know your Brother and you thought it convenient to be plaguy Godly for a little time and therefore the Red-Letter-men were to expect a little longer 4. That all might not be lost for want of looking after your Mother comes from France to give those of the Church of Rome some countenance and to be head of that Council that was appointed to sit at Somerset-house you know the pretence of her coming over was a Treaty with her Son about the Marriage of Madam her Daughter with the Monsieur of France but the real cause was to make earnest solicitations on the behalf of the Popish party that they might in some measure receive the benefit of those promises your Brother and you had made to them and to most of the Popish Princes in Christendom upon their account and though you could not engage your self to appear bare-faced you at that time wearing a Protestant face as did also your dear Brother the King so that she to encourage them came over and resided here in England for some time and that the interest might be strengthened the Marriage of her Son the King with the Daughter of Portugal was no less designed than that of her Daughter with Monsieur Give me leave to tell you in this affair the Queen your Mother did testifie more love to her Daughter your Sister than she did to the King your Brother and more like a Daughter of France than a Queen Mother of England by her coming over she did not only secure the interest of France in England but she secured all the Popish party to be true to the French interest and secured the French King to be their great friend that would not cease to do all good offices between them and his dear Brother the King of England and they might be assured of you in a short time and also by her coming a great number of Priests Jesuits Monks and Fryers came over who were caressed with part of the Treasure of the Nation amongst whom was one Kirton a Fryar that had two hundred pound a year Pension given him the pretence was that he was an excellent Chocolate-maker for your Brother the King She also spurred on the Council that sat at Somerset-house to use that diligence that became them that they might answer those ends that their meeting together required This plainly shews what encouragement the Popish party received by the coming of your Mother from France 5. Your Brothers Marriage with the Daughter of Portugal was another considerable encouragement for though she brought no considerable Fortune to the Crown yet still she strengthened the French interest the French King in order thereunto proposed and promoted the Match for never was one word said of it till the Arrival of the Queen Mother and then you know that affair was driven on with all the Zeal imaginable insomuch that if any of the Church of Rome that were of the Spanish Faction had offered any thing against the Match with Portugal he or she or they were in danger of being forbid the then Court at Somerset-House Sir Kenelm Digby was one of the Council at Somerset-House and he was in danger of losing your Mothers favour and his place at that board only for expressing himself not with the due respects that she expected to the intended Match with Portugal and the Lord Castlehaven was forbidden her presence for asserting that Match could never tend to the Honour and Advantage of the English Nation and the late Duke of Norfolk though he was a Papist and Loyal enough yet because he was not of the French Interest and was against the Match your Mother did but look sowrely upon him nay you may remember that for some time all the Honour he could get was but to be made the Son of a Duke and it was some time before he could obtain that mark of Royal Favour The Match was concluded on and over came that peice of Portugal Flesh for His Majesty's use and she was no sooner arrived and fixed at St. James's but behold another Council was appointed there upon the account of the Catholicks and so they had now two Councils one at St. James's and one at Somerset-House and truly all things run on merrily on their side they having two Queens to Espouse their Cause then finally you were reconciled to the Church of Rome and so your Brother and you being both of a Religion what greater incouragement could that villainous party of Men expect and then came all the Ambassadors Envoys Agents they had the Priviledge of open Chapels so that London it self was made a Nursery for Popery 2. You now may see what encouragements the Popish party had to engage in the design of changing our Religion and Government in order to bring in Popery and Arbitrary power when you being reconciled to the Church and See of Rome did establish a third Council
opposed them were severely treated by your Brother and your self not for any service they had done but for some future villany they were to perpretate the reducing the Nation to the yoke of France and Rome this was the reason why they were so dear to your Brother and you and upon this account you thought they were men that were not to be opposed by any 3. You gave them a third encouragement which was the peace they enjoyed in their Persons and Estates in the Countries where they lived so that they did not only escape those legal arraignments upon the account of their Religion but also upon the account of their many Traiterous designs against the Nation and they lived in peace and quietness notwithstanding their being obnoxious to many penal Statutes so that since the return of your Brother till their damnable design was discovered who lived more comfortably in the enjoyment of themselves and their Estates than they and truly none but the poor old Caalviers envied them for when we saw the end for which they had this countenance that it was that in time they might the more easily engage with you in the destruction of the King s person and the Government of England then all Protestants began to look about them and no other expedient could be found but the extirpation of those that were in such a damnable design as this and led to it by villainous principles suck'd in from their Priests and Jesuites the Parliament address'd several times for the restraining the number of those Vermin but you know for the peace and quietness of the best friends of yours few of them were put in execution nay Sir when they were indicted for not coming to their Parish Church once a month a noli pros was obtained on their behalf that they might not be disturbed in the profession of their Religion 4. A fourth encouragement you gave them was your strengthening them with the favours and friendship of several Prelates of the Church and your Brother's Ministers of State but as for the former they were very careful to engage their Clergy not to preach against Popery but against the Fanaticks for that the Papists and the Church of England did differ but in things nd points that were not material hence it was Sir that your first Dutchess was seduced to the Synagogue of Rome by the filthy treachery of Bishop Morley and Bishop Shelden by the help and aid of the fantastical quibbles of old Gunning There were three that seeing the insolency of the Church of Rome did make bold to give her a scratcht face and wrote both learnedly and severely against that filthy Whore and therein did the Protestant Religion very great and signal service for which reason none were by your Brother or you made Bishops in the Church but died unproffered excepting one who out-lived both you villainous Reigns and is now a Prelate of the Church I would fain know of that man whether or no he was not sometimes Brow-beaten by your Brother or you your Brother twice in my hearing said he should never be a Bishop in his Reign he made his words good and if you had said it it would have been never the worse But thanks be to God we have neither a Portsmouth nor a Cleveland to be Bishop-makers in our Court Our King hath made several and none of them a Scandal to their profession you made not half so many and what they were I will not here say any thing but only this that they are older now than they were ten years ago one of them I suppose knows the price of a Bowl of Grains but after all by restraining the Clergy from preaching against Papists and Popery gave them great incouragement to engage with your design levelled against the Religion Laws and Liberties of these three Kingdoms and the Death of the King your Brother Deny this if you can and let any of your Patriots stand forth and answer what I now write and convince me of any untruth if they can 5. Another incouragement you gave the Popish Party that they might engage in the said design was that you and they had Created in the King such a trust in you that he committed the administration of affairs to your self and the leading men of your Popish party and what they durst not advise the King of at Whitehall that they would advise you at St. James's and there were very few of their projects that related to Popery and the French interest but were readily put in Execution as the first and second War against the Dutch and many other things shall in their proper places be insisted on and as for your power with the King it is so plain that all the Nation saw that there was nothing done without your approbation and consent 6. Another incouragement you gave the Popish party was that if any male content should happen to discover your Wicked designs of Subverting the Government and of killing the King your Brother he would by no means believe them and so that they would all of them come off with impunity which made that villainous party grow very bold and daring and to carry themselves with that insolency that they were not to be suffered to live in a Protestant Kingdom this I say will be further made appear in its proper place 2. I come now in the second place to put you in mind what steps you took to effect your design of changing the Government into downright Slavery and the Religion of the Nation into downright Popery and for the destruction of the Kings person this is worthâ—y of your consideration since God in his mercy to this Nation hath placed you in that admirable Climate at St. Germains where you have time enough to consider of these things I pray that if the little Welsh Gentleman can understand any thing that he may be taught these things it may be he may have as much a regard to you as if he were your own dear Child 3. The first step you took for the effecting your cursed designs was the debauching of the Nation this I have touched upon in the first part of this memorial you may remember that upon the 11th of May 1660 both Houses sent Commissioners to invite your Brother home and Admiral Montague with the Royal Fleet to convoy him over and in his Company came your self and your younger Brother and such a Crew along with you as if you intended to take up with Newgate for your head quarters rather than St. James's or Whitehall truly Sir this I may say and call God to Witness that I never heard an oath sworn in all my Life till the day of your blessed restoration truly the day that you arrived in London was rather a day of madness than of prudent mirth and rejoicing for your being delivered from your low estate and entring into a state of luxury and ease you presently began to change the face of the
thing without being made privy to the same but also all Arlington's friends at Court lay under your great displeasure but some of them who had as much Courage as you had Wrath dealt plainly with you in the point and told you that your Daughter was not to be look'd upon as yours but as the King's Daughter and Child of the Kingdom and so that your consent was not much to be considered in the disposal of her but only the Interest of State but this was not at all satisfactory to you and your French Pensioners and Popish Crew because you all foresaw by that that the Protestant Interest would be strengthened and the French and Popish Interest hurt and Arlington would render himself the darling of the Parliament and the Protestant Interest and the States General of the United Provinces Well Sir you may remember that this trusty friend of yours the Lord Arlington set forth upon this Errand upon November the 11th 1674 and returned not till the sixth of January during his absence Old Veracity and Duke Lauderdale and some other of your French Pensioners who were the Persons of considerable credit with the King your Brother and did pretend to be united to you These Villains set up their Throats and roared declaiming loudly and with the greatest violence against poor Arlington and his actions and truly they gave you such hopes in his absence to blow him up and his whole party at Court so that as Beddingfield told me you passed the time pretty comfortably you expecting by these trayterous impliments to have routed him and all his Creatures and in so doing they drew you on to believe that upon the ruine of the Lord Arlington they could do you Service and the French King and that they could with the greatest ease imaginable manage and deal with your Band of Pensioners but protested to you till they could get rid of him they had not courage to speak to the Parliament for fear they should not succeed nay your old White-hair'd Friend whose gratitude to the Duke of Buckingham was so notorious told you that if you could not get rid of Arlington that the Parliament would sit again in spight of them all and further acquainted you that if the Parliament should come to hear of this that they had used their endeavours against their sitting would prove an unpardonable Crime that neither the French King nor you no nor your Brother could save them from punishment these Villains knew the greatness of their Crimes and therefore they were forced to play an odd trick with you now and then to save themselves harmless but you whose nature and property was never to forgive was forced at this time to dissemble with them by your pretended acquiescing in their judgments tho' full sore against your proud Stomach and if you remember Arlington was too many for all your Party for if I am not out he would not have you to treat with the Parliament in his absence for on the Tenth of November the very day before his departure he so managed his Affairs the Parliament was put off till the thirteenth of April 1675. What overtures these two Lords made in relation to the match I cannot well tell nor will it be much to the point if I could but when they had done that for which they were sent they returned home but alas the creatures found themselves not able to prevail against Arlington by those means and arts they had then tryed they resolved now upon counsels which were to out-run him in his own course which accordingly they undertook and became as zealous men for the Protestant Religion and Liberty and Property as ever the Lord Arlington could pretend to have been before and in pursuance thereof perswaded the King your Brother to issue out those severe Orders and Proclamations against your Brethren in the Faith which you knew came out in Feb. 1674 5 by which you see they even they your own French Pensioners did what in them lay to extirpate your own dear Religion and to Banish your Brethren out of the Kingdom what ungrateful wretches were these to pursue such counsels as were in opposition to your Worship Had you advanced these Vermin O yes and they had professed much duty and service to you what Scoundrels were these so basely to leave you Come don't cry your friend Coleman knew who it was that would support you in order to this presently an Express was dispatched over to France and trusty Jack Smith was dispatched away to the Most Christian Turk and oh what Complaints you made to his Father Confessor of these Rogueries and truly it was high time to enter upon new thoughts how to preserve you in this juncture of affairs from the deceits of these men upon whom you used to depend very much for the support of your Cause alas Sir what would you have them do they had for a long time been acting in your designs till they were as obnoxious to the people as the Devil could make them it was therefore highly necessary that they should do some small matter to render themselves a little grateful to the Parliament provided there was a necessity of its sitting at the time appointed and you know that nothing was so pleasing to the Parliament as brushing of Popery s Jacket a little notwithstanding all this the sence of their Guilt was such that they had rather have seen the Devil than a Session of Parliament and therefore they would have been glad to have found out any expedient to have put it off though they durst not for their ears engage in it openly themselves But Sir what was all this but shamming the Nation for all this while like State-Moles they were hard at work under-ground to secure you for what they had done openly against your interest and the interest of the French King their point Sir was to whet your zeal for the dissolution of the Parliament and that they had been somewhat severe against the Saints of your cursed Church only to make way for a dissolution and that an objection of the people might be fairly obviated viz. that the dissolution of the Parliament was in favour of Popery which clamour theyt old you was prevented before-hand by the severity they had used against it Upon this you sent to the French King as before and made your propositions in good earnest for it was but in vain to trifle since you saw your self shammed you could but judge what sort of Cattel you had to do withal and what you had to trust to if you lay at their mercy and that you now must trust in the mighty mind of his most Christian Majesty then you made your application to him and like a good Boy you promise heartily to perform what was required from you he complies with you and so you were safe you had his Purse and so you were easie and Coleman his 20000 l. and so all was well and what could
England should ever be reconciled At which words Bishop Gulston took offence and departed There were others of the same Kidney but your inferiour Clergy were without number there was your Thompson of Bristol and your rascally Chaplains and others Rogues of a deep dye These I say Sir were your reverend Assistants in the mighty Work upon your hands though they did not foresee the evil Consequences of this their Carriage in reference to the Interest of England both as to its Religion and Government Nay I hope they did not fully see into your Designs if they did you I hope will judge of them according to their Merits 5. You being so well guarded and regarded you were in a little time resolved to set up and shew your self and wicked Party what you would be at but Sir I took pity upon you and would not let you discover your self and therefore I laid it open and the Design of your Pope French King General of the Jesuites and the Society and your Brother and your self which was the reduction of England Scotland and Ireland by the Sword to the Romish Religion and the French way of Government To effect this glorious Design you and your Brother gave the then Pope Authority to entitle himself to the Kingdoms of England Ireland and Scotland to have the absolute Power and Government of the Church In order to this he dispatched his Legate into Ireland and Cardinal Howard was to have come for England and your Brother 's trusty and well-beloved Cuckold and Councellor was to have had a Cardinals Hat and was to have gone for Scotland to have taken Possession of the Ecclesiastical State of that Kingdom in the behalf of the Bishop of Rome the two others were to do the like in England and Ireland Moreover sir by your Brother and you it was contrived and agreed on that the General of the Jesuites should derive a pretended Power from the Bishop of Rome with which Project the French King was highly pleased According to this Project the Bishop of Rome did grant a Commission to the said General of the Jesuites and this Authority the said General did derive to Thomas White the Provincial to issue forth the Commissions of him the said General of the Jesuites and accordingly be with the Counsel of the Jesuites in London did issue forth such Commissions to Captain-Generals Lieutenant-Generals and Colonels Lieutenant-Colonels Majors Captains and the Advocate-General Richard Langhorn and to your Secretary of State Coleman you have a whole List of them in my Narrative already printed and published for your special service altho' not by your Royal Command Further to carry on your wicked Designs your Jesuites by the same Authority consulted concerning your Brother and because he was not a Galloper in your Cause he was by them condemned to death and that was to be executed either by stabbing shooting or poysoning him To this your Servant Coleman was privy and say you know nothing of the matter if you dare to this part of the Conspiracy The Court of Claims in Ireland if they had then been sitting would have declared him Innocent upon your Letter as they did the Marquis of Antrim upon your Brother 's nay Sir if they had carried their Point then you were to have received the Crowns as forfeited by your Brother to the Pope as of his Gift and you was to have been obliged to have such Prelates and Dignitaries in the Church and such Officers in Commands and Places civil naval and military as he had and should commissionate and you had agreed both with him and the French King to extirpate the Protestant Religion and to consent to the Assassination of the King your Brother and to massacre by the help and assistance of the French King the Protestants to Fire our Towns that stood in opposition to these cruel designs of yours You agreed to pardon the Assassines Murderers and Incendiaries and in case you died without Issue male these three Kingdoms were to be made three Provinces of France and become Subjects of that Crown for ever Here your Brother and you were engaged to the French King And that the Prince of Orange might not pretend to the same he was also condemned and designed against by Name by the Proviso and Consent of the Pope French King your Brother and your self and how you appear'd in the Design against him I have already set forth in my first Memorial to you Truly you your self must not have escaped if you had not heartily comply'd to follow such Steps and Counsels as should have been at any time proposed by your Counsellors at St. James's You have here laid before you the design in short and it was a black one God knows and What say you to it now Sir if you will let the little Gentleman of Wales learn to read I have a good Schoolmaster for him he may see here the true Picture of your sweet self which he may spell over by degrees for I would not have the Boy have too much load at a time laid upon him lest he should be disabled from serving the Tyler his true Father with a Hod of Mortar or so in order to its conformable Livelihood 6. Concerning the discovery of this Plot of yours 't is fit a word should be spoken to that point because I believe the revival of this Story will much oblige you and your ragged Crew at St. Germain's and your Saints you have left behind you You may remember that your design prosper'd so well and your damnable Arâ—y were so insolent that notwithstanding the fair pretences your Brother and you used for the keeping them up and your old Parliament briber put your Brother upon the asking of more Mony and no War with France notwithstanding they had so largely paid for the War they had advised to be begun with that mighty Monarch and they consider'd that an Army without a War would be of dangerous and pernicious consequence to the Nation therefore they agreed to this Vote in answer to your Brother's Speech made to them some time before Resolved That the House taking into consideration the state of His Majesty's Affairs and the great charge and burthen His Majesty and the Nation lies under by the Army now in being we humbly are of opinion that if His Majesty pleases to enter into a War with the French King the House is and always will be ready to support and assist in that War but if otherwise then they will proceed to the consideration of providing for the speedy disbanding of the Army And truly dear Sir you could not well blame the Parliament for this Vote for your design in general did to them appear notwithstanding the plausible Arguments your Villains used for the keeping up of that Popish Army tho' you know this disbanding the Army was not the thing you aimed at for you never designed it from the first moment that it was raised for it being Officer'd to your
of his to the French King bearing date in June 1676. in which he saith to this Effect That if he could be assured of a Pension that might continue he should not continue that way of governing viz. by frequent Parliaments which at the best was but a clamorous Rabble that took upon them to direct Kings but as he was resolved to be like his Neighbours in Riches and Grandeur so he was resolved to be like them in Religion too This was the Effect and Substance of that Letter that was shewed to me by John Keins and Basil Langworth but said Keins the French King was too old to be cullied out of his Mony by a man that was so uncertain All these things I communicated to the King your Brother in private in the Princes Lodging in White-hall who gave me Thanks for not communicating these Things to the Parliament and told me that he was now fully convinced of the Reasons and Grounds the Papists had of taking away his Life and the Prince said I pray God continue your Majesty on that Opinion for now you may see they are a â—ort of people that are not to be endured in a civil Government Good God said the King your Brother is this the kindness that is to be shewed me for all the favours that I have shewed that people At which his Majesty wept the Prince then bid me withdraw and sent for me the next day and conjured me not to communicate one word of the Discourse I had with the King for saith he it will be neither safe for the King nor you nor any of us if this should be reported And also his Highness the Prince had often enjoyned and engaged me that when I met with any thing that might reflect upon the King to be sparing there because the Publication of those things might tend to alienate the King's Heart from the frequent use of Parliaments without which the Kingdom could never rid it self from the apparent Danger of Popery But when the Prince saw how the Parliaments and the whole Nation were treated by him and your self and villanous Party he heartily repented of his Injunction laid on me and so did I of my Promise made to him there were three great Reasons why it was necessary that this Plot should at that time be discovered 1. That the Life of the King your Brother might be preserved if he had so pleas'd 2. To shew to the World what a sort of men you herded withal and what we were to expect from you when ever you should come to the Crown 3. To prevent iâ— possible your coming to the Crown since you were in your own Nature such an Enemy of our Religion and Government 4. For the Discharge of my Conscience to God and my Country and that such Malefactors might be brought to publick Justice 1. That the Life of your Brother might have been preserved if his Majesty had been so pleased in order to this it was highly necessary that the Kingdom should be awakened to provide in all legal and due ways for the Protection of the person of the King your Brother you may if you will remember that you had brought the Nation into such a Lethargick State and Condition as did not only amaze those that loved it but encouraged also those that hated it they were much out who thought that your villainous Crew had laid their Designs aside when your Brother sent out a sham Proclamation against Priests and Jesuits or when the Pensioners had given Popery a broad side in the House of Commons in order to make their Measures come in the more freely or when the last Bill passed in the year 1673 though that Bill did them no manner of Service in the World but hurt Alas good Sir you and your Villains by these sleepy proceedings of the then Parliament were prick'd on to be the more industrious in the pursuit of your wicked Designs you and your Accomplices had so stated your Case that there could be no retreat and rather than you would be deseated of your Hopes you and your Villains were resolved to pawn your Lives and Fortunes and your all upon your great Adventure for you had laboured too long in the Design which you had brought to bear so well to lose in a moment the Fruits of Seven Eight or Ten years Toils and Endeavours for suppose Sir the Protestant Party should have been so good natured as to have forgiven you and your Accomplices yet you could not have relyed upon their mercy because you had proceeded so far in this Conspiracy and therefore you being well fraught with such a Cargo of Guilt what could be expected from you but your being desperate to the last degree And therefore since you knew that not Lawrel but Hemp was the reward of Treason your Party were resolved not to be dismayed at the Horrour of your Treasons but were rather inflamed to revenge your selves upon the Parliament that sometimes barked against Popery and Arbitrary Power you knew very well what you and your Villains had deserved and rather than â—amely to suffer the publick Justice of the Nation you were resolved not to be without the Aid and Assistance of a Forreign Power and every man that was not a Stranger to Conversation could not but hear what large Contributions were provided for you in all Popish Countries upon which you and your party were notoriously impudent which was no sign of your Innocence but of your Villany and the Assurance you had of compleating the Nations Râ—ine and though they had brought the King your Brother to that State that he would not believe if any Malecontent should discover your Designs either against him or the Government both in Church and State yet there was none but in that Day before any discovery was made saw the Design in general and that your Brother as well as you was engaged in it and because he had forseited his Credit with you and your Accomplices your Popish Party thought him not â—it to live and therefore since the Case waâ— so it was then necessary that the Government should not only disengage him from that wicked Enterprise and that he might not perish it was necessary that your Designs against him in particular should also be detected 2. Another Reason of this discovery was to shew to the world what sort of Men they were with whom you herded and what we were to expect from you when ever you came to the Crown for you that was a Traytor to the Kingdom by those cursed Designs of yours when you was a Subject would of Consequence be a Tyrant whenever you mounted the Throne many that judged you a bigotted Papist did not conclude you a Traytor till your designs were discovered and then they could expect nothing less of you than an Arbitrary and Dispotick Reign when you should come to wear the Crown hence it was that upon the discovery of the Popish Plot that the Parliament voted
Bastard endeavour'd by a Book under the counterfeit name of Doleman by the Approbation of Cardinal Allen and Sir Francis Inglefield to disprove his Title to the Crown but he being in despight of all the Contrivances of the Papal Vermin establish'd on the Throne they shew'd the First fruits of their Loyalty to him they welcom'd him with a Conspiracy contriv'd by Watson and Clark two secular priests but wheedled into that Contrivance by the Jesuites but this scribbling Conspiracy of theirs failing the Jesuites who were unwearied Enemies to the peace of Mankind and are so still they I say commenc'd another Plot and that was one that was to all intents and purposes an evident demonstration of their Principles and a Testimony of their Good-will to the Protestant Interest in England therefore that they might do all their business at once they attempted the blowing up of the King Lords and Commons and were quickned in this Design in two Breves from your Roman Grandsire but you know they were disappointed in that piece of Villany the greatness of which awaken'd the Kingdom to provide against that Party of Men by many wholsome Laws made in the Reign of the said King James your said Grandfather And tho' the whole World stood amaz'd at the blackness of this Conspiracy and many of the Papists in a most hypocritical manner expressed their detestation of the same and of the Principles that produced it but it was indeed because it wanted the success they desir'd yet the Pope and Court of Rome took all imaginable care to have the Traytors magnified and honour'd especially Garâ—et the Provincial of the Jesuites who tho' he confessed under his own Hand that he dy'd for Treason yet his Name was inserted in the Book of their Villanous Martyrs and precious Relicks made of his Bones and his miraculous Picture kept at St. Omer's and a glorious Picture of his set over their Altars And two other Principal Jesuites that escap'd the Halter were by the then Pope caresâ—ed with Preserments at Rome And when upon this occasion the Oath of Allegiance was enacted to be impos'd upon the Subjects of your said Grandfather Pope Paul the Fifth publish'd several Bulls against the said Oath and several of the Româ—sh Communion wrote against it as Becanus and Bâ—llarmin c. Another Instance of their villanous practices was against your Father who tho' he had been a Bosom friend of theirs yet he was not thought sit to live as you may see in Habâ—râ—field's Discovery to Sir William Boswell then your Father's Ambassador at the Hague And who but men of such Villanous Principles could have engag'd your Mother to have fomented that unnatural War in your Father's ancient native Kingdom of Scotland which was the Foundation of the never to be forgotten Civil War in England And wheâ— the King your Father was by the just Judgment of God brought to Prison because he made some Concessions not out of Choice but of Necessity against that party of Men the Jesuites condemn'd him before he was brought to his Tryal and when dead Dr. Gâ—ffe a Priest of the Oratory brandish'd his Sword over his Head saying Now is the Enemy of God fallen But that of the Massacre in Ireland was a bloody demonstration of their Faith and Zeal there was no other reason that ever they could give but that those whom they murder'd were Protestants and that in killing them the Cathâ—lick Cause was promoted for at no time did thâ— Irish enjoy their Estates and the exercise of their Religion with greater peace than when they broke out into that dreadful Rebellion Nor was that Quiet and Security they possess'd the fruits only of a Connivance but the effects of many Acts of Grace which had a little before passed in favour of them They attempted the betraying your Brother in his escape at Worcester and to root out your whole Family if the then Protector would have but given them liberty by a Law they would have murder'd him at Bruxels too to have obliged you with the Crown Is not this Evidence enough against them that they had in conjunction with your self their Head design'd as well to destroy his Person as his Government and our Religion I pray consider this Topick while you are in the peaceable enjoyment of your Apartment at St. Germains before you are forced to take up your Bed and walk 3. A third Witness that appear'd to prove the Popish Conspiracy is the impudent Claims that the Bishop of Rome makes to the Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland It is noâ— Sir unworthy of your Observation what your Bellarmine hath written upon that point The King of England â—aith he is subâ—â—ct to the Pope by a twofold Right first by reason of his Apostolick Power and secondly by right of proper Dominion Sir your Rascally Crew do not only plead Henry the second 's submitting his Crown to the Pope but also King John's resigning his Crown to the Pope and receiving it again as a Fee oâ— the Church of Rome And as for Scotland you know that Pope Boniface the Eighth did make a Claim to that Kingdom And at Madrid in the Year 1677 there was a Scotchman that was Robed and call'd the King of Scotland and he in the Jesuites College there resign'd into the Hands of James Lynce the pretended Archbishop of Tuam of the Kingdom of Ireland and took the Crown of the Kingdom of Scotland from the said Archbishop to revive the Claim of Pope Boniface over that Kingdom all which was done by vertue of a Bull from Innocent the Eleventh for that purpose And as for the Kingdom of Ireland it is matter of Fact that Henry the third did swear Homage to the Bishop of Rome for that Kingdom and did oblige himself to pay him Tribute for it in recognition of the Right of that Prelate You may mimp up those Canvas Chaps of yours but it is certain that you promis'd to your Jesuites to hold the Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland as a Fee of the Papacy or else they would have made bold to have sent you the same way they design'd to send your Brother and did at last accomplish their Design by your gracious aid and assistance And had Popery been establish'd in England in the time of your gracious Tyranny and had the People been brought under the Soul-sanctifying Conduct of the Jesuits who as they have been true Dragoons to the Chair of Rome in the pervertion of the Nation we should have found how they would have improv'd these Claims for the service of the Romish Antichrist In case any difference should have risen between him and you your Bellarmine tells you roundly That these Kingdoms are the Dominions of the Church of Rome and that the Pope is our natural Lord and that the King at best is but his Vassal And in the time of the Rebellion you cannot but have heard that Innoceâ—t the Tenth did not only claim these three
Kingdoms but did actually usurp a Royal Power over that Nation and accordingly gave forth all kind of Commissions by the hands of his Nuncio and you know that the wiâ—ty Knaves about Town said that the late Nâ—â—câ—o that was with you came to get his Countrywoman with Child but Sir to be plain with you I cannot â—ell what secret Service there might be to bring the Gentlewomans Milk but this I aâ— sure that the Nuncio that was with me in disguise with Keins the Provincial and Ned Petre and trusty Charles of Limestreet and Ned Neviâ—e told me That he expected to have found the Nation dispos'd to be reconciled to the Church of Rome and that his main business was to take your Homage to the See of Rome for your holding these three Kingdoms and that if the Nation had been reconciled that business would have been done So that it was plain that you were not only in a Plot to destroy your own Brother but to subjugate these Nations to the Obedience of the See of Rome and France 4. The Doctrines they publickly preach in their Churches and teach in their Schools to their young Students to be educated under them for it is as plain as the Sun at Noon day that the Popes pretend to have a power to depose Kings and that no King reigns but at the pleasure of the Pope And from hence Sir give me leave to observe two things 1. That by reason of the Doctrin they have taught and do still teach they publish themselves not only Rogues ready for any Design against the Peace and Safety of any Kingdom where-ever they shall be admitted but also publish themselves Traytors of the deepest dye and ought to have been proceeded against as such tho' never convicted of any Action suitable to such Principles for the Principle it self is the highest Treason that any foreign Power should have power to depose a Prince that owes him neither suit nor service tho' there be no Overt Act for the condemning such Villains And it is well known to your self that so far as the Popish Religion hath only an inâ—luence upon the future state of Men it was never punish'd with Death in England it is only upon the score of those damnable Doctrines which instruct and countenance them to over-throw the State and Government that your villanous Priests were justly made liable to suffer and therefore the Priests that were arraign'd in the time of the Discovery of the Popish Plot and were condemn'd and executed without being proceeded against for any thing but their being Priests and their withdrawing the Subject from the Religion by Law establish'd were as real Traytors as those which were executed for having a Design in conjunction with you to murder your Brother 2. Could any Government be secur'd of the Loyalty of such a person who taught such pernicious Principles as these No surely I will give you a home Instance of this There were some Irish Papists since the Year 1660 had in a Remonstrance prepar'd for the perswading the Government that they were persons of great Loyalty and owned King Charles their lawâ—ul King and that the Pope had no power to depose him you know that thereupon they were told from Rome that they had renounc'd the Catholick Faith and that they were fallen under the condemnation of the Apostolick See I pray sir put on your Irish Yokes and read the Letter from Bruxels bearing date July 21. 1662 where the Pope's Nuncio who wrote that Letter tells them how that their Remonstrance being examin'd at Rome by the Cardinals and Divines was found to contain Propositions condemn'd by Paul the fifth and Innocent the tenth an Acquaintance of yours and that Alexander the seventh then Pope was so far from approving it that he did not so much as permit or connive at it and therefore condemn'd as a thing that could not be kept without breach of Faith according to the Decrees of Paul the fifth and that it denied the Pope's Authority in matters of Faith according to the Decree of Innocent the tenth Sir give me leave to tell you and Mrs. Pugg my quondam â—andlady that your Rogues went farther in their Doctrines they taught those they had under their care and conduct in Rome in order to be sent to England to preach the same Doctrine that it was not only lawful to depose Heretical Kings excommunicate and declar'd to be Hereticks but also it would be a meritorious act to kill such they being unfit to live especially if they are Apostates Now you mâ—mble about your Mouth and slabber as if you had got a bunch of Thistles there and say that this was the prate of two or three â—ash Block-heads that knew no better Come come when you go to visit the bawdy Cardinal d' Este now Duke of Modena he can â—ell you other tydings so that you are as much out in this as you was in marrying my old Friend his Sister nay you your self can tell if there be any truth in you that this Doctrine was not preached by two or three but that it is the common received Doctrine of your damn'd Synagogue of Rome especially of the Jesuites under whose management you were and are still to this day And the little Welch Cubâ— is in the same condition and may improve in the knowledge of that point unless God provide better for him and 〈…〉 is Hâ—art as you used to say and incline him as graciously to return to his own dear Father's Trade But hence I must observe to you four things 1st That your Brother who was too loose a Papist â—ay by them condemned of Apostacy and Persidiousness to their Cause and Party was as much hated by them as if he had been the most zealous Protestant in the World so that his person was expos'd to the Mercy of any one that under the encouragement of meriting Heaven will dare to assassinate him whether in a Coach or in his Quarters at Newmarket or at Windsor or in St. James's Park or at White-hall by Pistol or Poison or Dagger or by Blunderbuss or what you please they are the main Arguments they us'd to convert Princes that were Hereticks to the Catholick Faith And why so good Sir why must Kings be so serv'd tho' they are Protestants And must your Brother be slain in this or that way tho' he did not refuse the passing the Test-Bill or sign Coleman's Declaration for the dissolving the Parliament Truly there was good reason for it said your Jesuites he had broke his word with the Catholicks all the World over and therefore he was excommunicate or if he was not his many Miscarriages entituled him to nothing better than a violent death For his Life would hinder the carrying on your design This I say was not the Doctrine only of a few that such Princes are ipso facto excommunicate and therefore may be destroy'd for if you will but read or let me send for your old Crackfart
of the Faith of the Church of Rome that were not of the Faith of the Court of Rome and therefore though they gave all manner of Encouragement to the Romish Religion yet by great Caution and Vigilance they have very much prevented the undermining the Temporal Authority they had over their Subjects Our former Kings of England though they were of that Faith and did countenance their Subjects in that worship yet they would not let them be enslaved by any pretended Papal Jurisdiction but your Villains were blessed with a man that would not only allow the Bishop of Rome his rascally Worship but also allow him to enslave the Nation with a Power he challenged in the temporal Government this your Cut-throats were assured of and therefore they would not in good manners to your great Zeal be in the least behind hand to joyn with you to hasten the Exit of your Brother who would by no means keep pace with them to their horrid Designs and therefore they judged that he was their only Let or Hinderance in compleating that mighty work 3. You was not only a Papist but a bigotted papist and being such you put your self under the Conduct of the Jesuits this Confederacy of yours with those zealous Sons of the Synagogue of Sâ—than could not be otherwise than very fatal to the Kingdom as to its Religion and Government and the person of the King your Brother for you arriving to that Pitch of Zeal and putting your self under their Conduct they in gratitude to you could not but endeavour the hastning your Accession to the Crown of which you were as ambitious as they were zealous and therefore you both joyned to destroy your Brother that was converted to the Religion of Rome but not zealous enough in driving on the Jesuits Designs had you Brother's Zeal been as fierce as yours he might have been cooling his Heels at St. Germains as well as your self and good Company there It was not for want of good will to your Religion but for want of a galloping Zeal which was no ways consistent with his voluptuous Living that you and these villanous Jesuits and the Popish Party conspired his death these were the three Advantages on which your Cut-throat Party did build their Hopes which made your Jesuits in the most considerable part of the Kingdom and in many places abroad to preach their King murthering Doctrine the better to prepare those of their Communion to joyn with you in the Fatal Blow that you and your Council at St. James's had designed to give the King your Brother 6. A sixth Testimony that appeared against you and your Party was the Trayterous Correspondencies that was maintained in order to carry on a Rebellion in Scotland and Ireland for Scotland your Villains took the Advantage of the great Heats that were created in that Kingdom by the dreadful Tyranny of Duke Lauderdale who acted by your Director and used all those Methods that might provoke a Rebellion and your Servant Coleman who had a great Interest in Lauderdale was often with him by which the Jesuits understood what Measures to take and a Party was appointed to incense the Villainous Bishops of that Kingdom against the poor Protestants there whereby their Lives were made very miserable and the Usage of their Ministers who by providence were driven upon the Coasts of England and came to the House of Lords where an Account was given to the Parliament that sat in the year 1678 in the month of December and the Parliament took their Cause into Consideration and dismissed them of their Irons and Thumckins and addressed your Brother against Lauderdale and as you had a Party of men that acted their part with the Episcopal Party in Scotland thus to vex and torment the afflicted Protestants in Scotland so your Jesuits they entertained another party of Rogues of the same Complexion to assocIate themselves with these poor Protestants in order to keep up their Animositie against the Prelatique Party withal urging them that they at that time had a fair Opportunity to vindicate their Liberty and Religion and that it could not be done but by the Sword and whereas that the King had received many of their Addresses yet he was so addicted to his pleasures that he neither would nor could take little or no care of redressing their intolerable Grievances and the great Cause of their ill Usage proceeded even from the King himself by which Sir it appeared their great Design in Conjunction with you was to weaken your Brothers Interest in that Kingdom for they urged that if they did not stir in time they would be put under some Forreign Force which would be more vexatious to them and you found your Design so well that your Jesuits received an Account from Scotland dated Feb. 7. 1677 that all Diligence was used to put the Potestants in that Kingdom of Scotland upon opposing Duke Lauderdale and his Villains and questioned not but that all things should be so ordered that a Rebellion should be raised in Scotland and a little before you went down to Windsor you knew that Messengers were sent down to Scotland to press the poor people to a resentment of the Tyranny they lived under by the Male-Administration of Duke Lauderdale and such that were of the Ministry in that Kingdom and especially since they could not obtain the Liberty of Conscience notwithstanding all their humble Supplications to the King therefore the Sword must do it a Rebellion at last you obtain'd in order to destroy these poor Wretches the Consequence of which was the total enslaving that Kingdom the better to fit it for its Submission to the Romish Religion As for Ireland I have already at large not only in this but in the first Memorial laid open your Practices in that Kingdom 7. Call to mind Colemans Letters and say that you knew nothing of them if you dare there it is said that you had a mighty work upon your Hands no less than the Conversion of three Kingdoms Come Sir deal freely was it to be brought about by Arguments from the Scripture no Sir I did never find the Knowledge of the Scriptures abound in the most learned of them all we have scarce a Protestant Cobler but is able to cope with if not to baffle a Romish Priest it could not be that these three Kingdoms could be converted by these sorts of Arguments with which your Cut-throats were little acquainted and their preaching is generally too silly and empty to prevail with Protestants to change their Religion unless some few weak Debauchees and weaker Whores Well you were to convert three Kingdom I pray how was not your Conversion and Conviction by enlightening the eyes of the Protestant Party by a Faggot and by the powerful and irresistible Arguments of the Dagger those Letters of Coleman's tell the world that the design prospered so well that there was no doubt but that it would be managed to the utter Ruine of
the Protestant Party Truely Sir Coleman's Letters were such pregnant Proofs of your villanous Designs and his Declaration drawn up and prepared for your Brothers Signature were testimony enough without the Addition of any further Evidence but I will put you in mind of some short Notes of that Saint of yours and then set down the Letters as they have been published for the Satisfaction of Mankind by which Sir it is manifest that by your order under your self he was the great Director of the Affairs of the Popish Party here in these three Kingdoms as you may see by the Correspondence he maintained with the Pope himself by the means of Cardinal Howard and his Correspondence with the Popes Internuncio at Bruxels and Father Sheldon at Doway and the Monks there and with your dear Fathers at St. Omers to whom he gave an exact Account of the debates of your Council at St. James's and of the Affairs of the Government at White-hall â—ay let me tell you that your Brother the King had such an Opinion that when you had obtained a Promise from him of dissolving the Parliament he would have none but Coleman to draw it up but he being of the Opinion of Lewis of France that Princes by no means ought to be slaves to their Promises the dissolving of the Parliament was moved in hopes of gaining Mony from them to supply his Wants he had such an Interest with Lachaise that he did obtain the summ of 20000 l. for himself and 300000 l. for you and the promise of 300000 l. a year till you could bring your designs to bear and an Army was through his Sollicitation promised to be landed in Ireland and England as soon as peace was concluded between the French King and the then confederate Princes as being the time that his most Christian Majesty would be at leasure to assist you in this mighty work of converting these three Kingdoms you know then the dragooning Apostles were to come over to preach here in order to convert us to Romes Religion and the French Government by these â—ou were to do the work with the Assistance of your Cut-throats at home both in England and Ireland Now Sir it will not be amiss that we offer to your Consideration the Letters themselves with which Sir you cannot but be highly pleased since they were the Hopes of your Family if the design specified in them had taken effect first then here is the long Letter that this blessed Saint and Mâ—rtyr wrote to Father Lachaice SInce Father St. Germain hath been so kind to me c. This Letter puts us in mind of the great Correspondence that this Villain held with one Ferrier by your Order in Order to subvert the Laws Liberties and Religion of these three Kingdoms and the said Ferrier going to his place St. Germain a notorious French Jesuit recommended Coleman to Father Lachaice for to renew this Correspondence that did for some time â—â—ase by reason of the death of the said Ferrier there are several things in this Letter that are remarkable as 1. That the sending of the Troop of Horse Guards into the service of the French King and the Care that was taken to send with it an Officer called Sr. William Throgmortoâ— with whom Coleman had a particular Intimacy this was the person that Coleman made choice of by whom he might correspond with Ferrier This Throgmorton was once a dissolute Protestant and being a person but of a mean or a broken Fortune was by Coleman perverted to the Church of Rome and as a reward for his coming over to your Church he was made an Officer in this Troop of Guards but indeed he was rather sent a Spy upon the English Gentlemen and when he died Nevil Pain took that Province upon him and gave an Account to Court and especially to your self as William Throgmorton had done before of their Carriage 2. I observe that the recalling of Liberty of Conscience was fatal to you and your Cut-throats to that you did owe all your Miseries and Hazards and therefore Sir I hope that you will allow me that great Truth which I delivered to you that Liberty of Conscience was the first great Step your Brother and you made to establish the Roman Catholick Religion here for nothing hurts it like the recalling of that Indulgence and making peace with the Dutch provided it had been a good one though Aâ—â—ington when he was Embassadour there perswaded the French King for some time that your Servant Coleman was much out in his Politicks as well as your self 3. That Peace was much to be desired between the French King and the Confederate Princes of Europe and that nothing could procure a good one for the French King but the Dissolution of the then Parliament who tho' they had been laterally by you and your Rogues well bribed to give many an ill Vote yet at last they began like English Men to fly in the Kings Face and roar against Popery especially upon an empty Pocket and if Fortune had not sent them a seasonable shower or two in a Session to cultivate their Inclinations to act according to the bent of the then Court and till this peace was made between the French King and the Confederates little could be done towards the revival of the Catholick Cause after its recovering that fatal stroke by recalling the Liberty of Conscience and setting up that damnable Doctrine of a Protestant State Purgatory which hindred many an honest Apostolical Cut-throat from having a Place at Court but you will say Why should the Dissolution of our Parliament procure a Peace The Reason is plain for the Confederate Princes had unluckily got an Interest in our theâ— Parliament as bad as it was and they depended more upon their Power and Interest they had in that Parliament than in any thing in the world and I will give you a Reason for that because from them the Confederate Princes received the greatest Encouragement to continue the War and so that in case the Parliament were dissolved the aforesaid Confederates would be necessitated to a peace upon the Terms the French King should give which would facilitate his joyning with you in the blessed Conversion of these three Nations and subduing the Northern Heresie that had so long domineer'd in this Northern World so that the Troops of Guards and the other Forces that were sent into the Service of the French were only to learn the way of converting these three Kingdoms and also to the end that they might joyn with your French Apostles in that Work of which you so earnestly desir'd to be the Author and Instrument Of this I said before Coleman by the means of the Earl of Arlington when he did reside at the Court of France was much discourag'd and was forced to leave off for a time to argue the case with the French King by Ferryer and took up the post of railing at Arlington but railing did not do
able to work their Wills Such Discourses as these kept the Confederates and our Male Contents in heart and made them weather on the War in spight of all our Prorogations Therefore I press'd as I have said a Dissolution until February last when our Circumstances were so totally Changed that we were forced to change our Councels too and be as much for the Parliaments Sitting as we were before against it Our Change was thus Before that time the Lord Arlington was the only Minister in Credit who thought himself out of all danger of the Parliament he having been Accused before them and Justified and therefore was Zealous for their sitting and to increase his Reputation with them and to become a perfect Favourite he sets himself all he could to Persecute the Catholic Religion and to oppose the French To shew his Zeal against the first he revived some old dormant Orders for prohibiting Roman Catholics to appear before the King and put them in Execution at his first coming into his Office of Lord Chamberlain And to make sure work with the second as he thought prevailed with the King to give him and the Earl of Ossory who marryed two Sisters of Myne Heere Odyke 's leave to go over into Holland with the said Heere to make a Visit as they pretended to their Relations But indeed and in truth to propose the Lady Mary Eldest Daughter of his R H. as a Match for the Prince of Orange not only without the consent but against the good Liking of his R. H. in so much that the Lord Arlingtons Creatures were forced to excuse him with a Distinction that the said Lady was not to be looked upon as the Dukes Daughter but as the Kings and a Child of the State was and so the Duke's consent not much to be Considered in the disposal of her but only the Interest of State By this he intended to render himself the Darling of Parliament and Protestants who look'd upon themselves as secured in their Religion by such an Alliance and designed further to draw us into a Close Conjunction with Holland and the Enemies of France The Lord Arlington set forth upon this Errand the Tenth of November 1674. and returned not till the Sixth of January following During his Absence the L. Treasurer L. Keeper and the Duke of Lauderdale who were the only Ministers of any considerable Credit with the King and who all pretended to be entirely Vnited to the Duke declaimed Loundly and with great Violence against the said Lord and his Actions in Holland and did hope in his absence to have totally Supplanted him and to have routed him out of the Kings Favour and after that thought they might easily enough have dealt with the Parliament But none of them had Courage enough to speak against the Parliament till they could get rid of him for fear they should not succeed and that the Parliament would Sit in spight of them and come to hear that they had used their endeavours against it which would have been so Vnpardonable a Crime with our Omniporent Parliament that no Power could have been able to have Saved them from Punishment But they finding at his Return that they could not prevail against him by such Means and Arts as they had then tryed resolved upon New Councels which were to out-run him in his own Course which accordingly they underâ—oâ—k and became as fierce Apostles and as zealous for Protestant Religion and against Popery as ever my Lord Arlington had been before them and in pursuance theâ—eof perswaded the King â—o issue out those severe Orders and Proclamations against Catholics which came out in February last by which they did as much as in them lay to extripate all Catholics and Catholic Religion out of the Kingdom which Councels were in my poor Opinion so Detestable being lâ—velled as they must needs be so directly against the Duke by People which he had Advanced and who had professed so much Duty and Service to him that we were put upon new Thoughts how to save his R. H. now from the Deceits and Snares of those Men upon whom we formerly depended We saw well enough that their design was to make themselves as grateful as they could to the Parliament if it must Sit they thinking nothing so acceptable to them as the persecution of Popery and yet they were so obnoxious to the Parliaments displeasure in general that they would have been glad of any Expedient to have kept it off though they durst not engage against it openly themselves but thought this Device of theirs might serve for their purposes hoping the Duke would be so alarm'd at their proceedings and by his being left by every body that he would be much more afraid of the Parliament than ever and would use his utmost power to prevent its Sitting Which they doubted not but he would endeavour and they were ready enough to work underhand too for him for their own sakes not his in order thereunto but durst not appear openly and to encourage the Duke the more to endeavour the Dissolution of the Parliament their Creatures used to say up and down That this Rigour against the Catholics was in favour of the Duke and to make a Dissolution of the Parliament more easy which they knew he coveted by obviating one great Objection which was commonly made against it which was That if the Parliament should be Dissolved it would be said That it was done in favour of Popery which Clamour they had prevented beforehand by the Severity they had used against it As soon as we saw these Tricks put upon us we plainly saw what men we had to deal withalâ— and what we â—ad to trust to if we were wholly at their mercy but yet durst not seem so dissatisfied as we really were but rather magnified the Contrivance as a Device of great Cunning and Skill all this we did purely to hold them in a belief that we would endeavour to Dissolve the Parliament and that they might rely upon his R. H. for that which we knew they long'd for and were afraid they might do some othâ—r way if they discovered that we were resolved we would not At length when we saw the Sessions secured we declared that we were for the Parliaments meeting as indeed we were from the Moment we saw our selves â—andâ—ed by all the Kings Ministers at such a rate that we had Reason to believe they would Sacrifice France Religion and his R. H. too to their own Interest if occasion served and that theâ— were lead to believe that that was the only way they had to save themselves at that time For we saw no Expedient fiâ— to stop them in their Carrier of persecution and those other destructive Councils but the Parliament which had set it self a long time to dislike every thing the Ministers had done and had appeared violently against Popery whilest the Court seemed to favour it and therefore we were Confident that the Ministers
having turned their Faces the Parliament would â—o so too and still be against them and be as little for Pâ—rsecution then as they had been for Popery before This I underâ—ook to manage for the Duke and the King of France 's Interest and assured Mounsier Rouvigny which I am sure he will testify if occasion serves that â—â—at Sessions should do neither of them any hurt for that I was sure I had power enough to prevenâ— mischief though I â—urst not engage for any good they would do because I had but very few assistances to carry on the â—orâ— and wanted those helps which others had of making friends The Dutch and Spainaâ—d spared no pains nor expence of Money to animate as many as they could against France Our Lord Treasurer Lord Keeper all the Bishops and such as call'd themselves Old Cavaliers who were all then as one man were not less industrious against Popery and had the Purse at their Girdle too which is an Excellent Instrument to gain Friends with and all Vnited against the Duke â—â— Patron both of France and Catholick Religion To deal with all this Force we had no Money but what came from a few private hands and those so mean ones too that I dare venture to say that I spent mâ—re my particular self out of my own Fortune and upon my single Credit than all the whole Body of Catholickâ— in England besides which was so inconsiderable in comparison of what our Adversaries commanded and we verily believe did bestow in making their Party that it is not worth mentioning Yet notwithstanding all this we saw that by the help of the Nonconfâ—rmists as Presbyterians Independents and other Sects who were as much afraid of Persecution as our selves and of the Enemies of the Ministers and particularly of the Treasurer who by that time had supplâ—nted the Earl of Arlington and was grown sole manager of all Affairs himself we should be very able to prevent what they designed against us and so render the Sessions ineffectual to their Ends though we might not be able to compass our own which were to make some brisk step in Favour of his R. H. to shew the King that his Majesties Affairs in Parliament were not Obstructed by reason of any Aversion they had to his R. H 's Person or apprehensions they had of him or his Religion But from Faction and Ambition in some and from a real dissatisfaction in others that we have not had such Fruits and good Effects of those great sums of Money which have been formerly given as was expected If we could have made but one such stâ—p the King would have certainly have restored his R. H. to all his Commissions upon which he would have been much greater than ever yet he was in his whole Life or could probably ever have been by any other Course in the World than what he had taken of becoming 〈◊〉 c. And we were so very near gaining this Point that I did humbly beg his 〈…〉 â—o put the Parliament upon making an Address to the King that his Majesty 〈◊〉 be pleased to put the Fleet into the hands of his R. H. as the only Person likely to give a good 〈◊〉 of so impâ—â—tant a Charge as that was to the Kingdom And shewed his R. H. such Reasons â—â—â—â—rswade him that we could carry it that he agreed with me in it that be believ'd â—e could 〈◊〉 others telling him â—ew great a Damage it would be to him if he should miss in such aâ— undertaking which for my part I could not then see nor do I yet he was prevailed upon not to venture though he was preswaded he could carry it I did Communicate this Design of â—ine to Mâ—â—nsieur Râ—â—â—lgny who agreed with me that it would be the greatest advantage imaginable to 〈◊〉 Master to have the Dukes Power and Credit so far Advanced as this would certainly do if we could composs it I shewed him all the Difficulty we were like to meet with and what helps we should have but that we should want one very matterial one Money to carry on the Wâ—â—k as we ought and therefore I do Confess I did shamefully beg his Masters Help and would willingly have been in â—verlâ—sting Disgrace with all the World if I had not with that assistance of Twenty Thousand Pounâ—s Sterling which perhaps is not the tenth part of what was spent on the other side 〈◊〉 is evident to the Duke that he could not have missed it Mounsieur Râ—uvignâ— used to tell me that if he could be sure of succeeding in that Design his Master would give a veâ—â— much larger Sum but that he was not in a Condition to throw away money upon Vncertainties I 〈◊〉 that nothing of that nature could be so infallibly sure as not to be subject to some possiâ—â—lities of â—ailâ—ng â—ut that I duâ—st venture to undertake to make it evidenâ— that there was as great an assurance of succeeding in it as any Husbandman can have of a Crop in Haâ—vest whâ— seâ—s his Grâ—â—nd in its due Season and yet it would be counted a very imprudent peice of waâ—iness an any Body to scruple the venturing so much Seed in its proper time because it is possible it may be totally lost and no benefit of it found in Harvest he that minds the Winds and the Rains at that rate shall neither Sow nor Reap I take our Case to be much the same as it was the last Sessions If we can advance the Duke 's Interest one step forward we shall put him out of the reach of Chance for ever for he makes such a Figure already that Cautious Men do not care to Act against him nor always without him because they do not see that he is much out-powered by his Enemies Yet is he not at such a Pitch as to be quite out of danger or free from opposition But if he could gain any considerable new addition of Power all would come over to him as to the only steddy Center of our Government and no body would contend with him further Then would Catholics be at Rest and his Most Christian Majestie 's Interest secured with us in England beyond all apprehensions whatsoever In order to this we have two great Designs to Attempt this next Sessions First that which we were about before viz. To put the Parliament upon making it their humble Request to the King that the Fleet may be put into his R. H's Care Secondly to get an Act for general liberty of Conscience If we carry these two or either of them we shall in effect do what we list afterwards and truly we think we do not undertake these great points very unreasonably but that we have good Cards for our Game Not but that we expect great Opposition and have great Reason to beg all the Assistance we can possibly get and therefore if his Most Christian Majesty would stand by us a little in this Conjuncture and help us with such
might have saved him if he had pleased to have taken it for Sir it was Evident that your being a Papist was the Fountain of all the Atâ—empts of your Popish Cuttâ—roats upon his Life and the main rise of all those dangers to which his Person was Exposed and not only so but you it appeared from that Letter was heartily engaged in the said Design to Remove the great Obstruction that delayed your Work the mighty Work upon your Hands to Convert three Kingdom and Subâ—â—â— the Northern Heresie truly it was a mighty Work for that which you and your Cutthroats called Heresie was then not only the Religion of the Kingdom but it was become a great parâ—â—â— the Policy thereof and an essential ingâ—edâ—ent of the Constitution of our legal Government and therefore Sir it would have been Impossible for you and your party to have supplanted our Religion which was and is still our legal Right without overthrowing all those Laws which sâ—cure it to us So that having you on their side were the King once dead their Religion would be exalâ—ed to its greatest Grandâ—ur and Flourish in these Nations as much as at any time since the Conqueâ—â— is in effect to say that our whole Government should be overturned and all our Laws subverâ—â—d which iâ—â—itled us to the Protestant Religion truly when these Things wâ—re disâ—â—vered to the Parliament it was thought that your Brother and his Parliament would have mâ—â—e Provision in order to the Nations Security buâ— this I must sâ—y That if in the aforesaid Letter there was any thing worthy of Consideratiâ—n iâ— dâ—th appâ—â—r that if there had â—â—en any such Provision made you and your Accâ—mplicâ—s did 〈◊〉 design any â—enâ—fit to Accâ—uâ— to us but on the other Hand the 〈◊〉 of our Laws and the removal of the Obstruction of all your Designs 2. Noâ—withstanding your despâ—ir of being able to Establish your Romish Faiâ—h and Worship as long as â—our Brother lived by reason of his Unsteadiness and what not yet your Secretary was considâ—nt of seeing all this Accomplished you had never greater hopes since your Queen Maries Time than at that Juncture you might as well have told uâ— That you were resâ—lved to Remove him but you and Coleman in the two last years Letters were Pâ—â—in and Pithy and there you tell us That you were resolved upon the Point Nay Coleman was so sure of his Point That he told Godfrey that is was out of the Power of Mâ—n to Baffle the Design and laughed at the Discovery as a very Vain undertaking but this and other Hints at several Times cost Jusâ—ice Godfrey his Life for if he had lived he could have testified very much of what he had revealed to him and had promised to make a considerable Discovery of your Sirs Proceedings in his Correspondences and Negoâ—iations abroad 3. If that we had the Benefit of the two last years Correspondency we should have found how Strong and Powerful your Confâ—deracy had been against the Protestant Religion and Interest within these Kingdoms for it could not be the Jesuits alone nor your foreign Combination that could give you the hopes of such a Change in the Government or had you not intended the Death of the King your Brother and Coleman himself owned in one of those Letters that all his former Correspondency was but fooling till they came to resolve of removing the main hinderance to the effecting their Design 't is true you had the Engagement of the most Eminent Persons of the Kingâ—om that were of that Communion but they were not a foundation sufficient for you to build your hopes upon of Establishing Rome's Religion and French Slavery till you had destroyed the King your Brother for as long as he lived he did through his Cunning and Cowardize put many Remoras in your way he was good at undertaking but when any thing came to be put in Execution then he commonly quitted the Pit as loving to sleep in a whole skin whether with or without his Whores nay rather than he would have the least Trouble he could part with the Popish Religion which he loved most of all 4. That though your Brother was of your Religion and had been a Dog in a String to you in all your accursed Plots and Conspiracies even to merit the greatest care and duty from you yet because for the lucre of 1250000 l. he had mâ—de Concessions against your party that pleased you not therefore like your self you were filled with Rage and vowed to revenge your Self upon him all which we should have seen in wordâ— at Length the old Lord Anglisey had them in keeping but you had wheedled your Brother to take that Paladium out of his Costody and to put it into Sir Philip Floyds in Order to preserve them for the Parliaments Consideration then sitting but there were so many Passages that would have Exposed you to the Censure of a Parliament even to the Hazard of your Head and many of your Brothers Faults would have been Published in the said last two years Correspondence that it was rather thought fit to Commit them to the Flames or otherwise to Stifle them than that they should be made Public we had Sir Philip Examined before the Committe of Lords that then sat in the Lord Privy Seals Lodgings and then he promised to give Them and the House of Peers Satisfaction concerning the said Letters buâ— the Parliâ—ment was dissolved and through your Procurement the use of Parliaments laid aside then I and my Friends persued the Villainâ— to the Councel he was so Guiâ—ty in that Affair that the then Villainous Councel did think him fit to be removed and he was for some time suspended but you never left your Brother till he was restored aâ—d so all was lost and the Nation could never have the Benefit of the Discovery those Letters had made of your villainous Undertaking in Relation to your Brothers Blood but you dâ—d the business at last and invaded the Crown and held it till you run away so that at long 〈◊〉 you made us an amends for all the Villainies you had Committed 7. A seventh Testimony was the Lord Barkshires Letters they were so Plain that the said Noble Lord thought fit to Rub of as not being able to Sâ—and the rest of them and upon his Death-Bed did Confess the Design that was then carrying on by you and your Accomplices for the Great and Fatal Blow I Challenge all the World that heard those Letters read in the Committe of Lords then sitting in the Lord Privy Seals Lodgings whether there could be a 〈◊〉 Demonstration of your Conâ—piracy I am sure all that heard them preâ—ended at 〈◊〉 time to be fully sâ—tisfiâ—d and 〈◊〉 Confidenâ— were your Brother now alive he would no◠〈◊〉 the world that 〈◊〉 Letters hastened the Proâ—ogation and Dissolution of the long Parliament and of the sending you into Flanders 〈◊〉 the Sâ—orm that threatned you was blown over for no sooner
ruine any Man that stands in either of your ways the Doctrine you have been taught will induce any thinking Man to believe your Practice and both your Practises and his do sufficiently prove the Damnableness of the Doctrin you have received 3. A third Testimony that I shall urge in this case is the Evidence that was given in by William Johnson and Joseph Wright upon the Fifteenth day of May 1679 before the Lords Committees sitting in the Lord Privy Seals Lodgings who say that one Jonathan Smith a Papist supposing these two Informants to be of the same Religion said that he knew the King was a Papist and the rest of the Nobles of the Kingdom also and that there was scarce one of them but that had Romish Priests in their Houses this Smith also declared that he had his Maintenance from the Lord Stafford's House that Mr. Smith the then Steward to the Lord Stafford was his Uncle and believed that several Priests were in the Lord Stafford's House Upon which the Lords Ordered to search the Lord Stafford's House and to seize all dangerous Papers and Persons but notice being given to the Conspirators the Priests and Papers were conveyed to St. Jameses to be graciously disposed of as you should think fit and when the Lords had notice of it there could be nothing further done in the Affair because your Brother the King to give the Rogues a Taste of his Royal Favour raised the Parliament and sent them home when they were in the midst of their Work in Discovering the horrid Villanies of your self and Party 4. That Evidence that Mr. Prance gave in to the then Marquiss of Winchester now Duke of Bolton on the Nineteenth of March 1678 9 The said Marquiss being then One of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the County of Middlesex and City and Liberty of Westminster THIS Examinant saith That he and Mr. Maddison a Barber in Holborne and Mr. Staley were Drinking at the Cross Keys Tavern over against Staleys House about a Fortnight before the said Staley was taken where complaining of the great Persecution that the Papists lay under and if that they did not take some speedy course to destroy their Enemies they should be ruined the said Staley and Maddison resolved to Kill the Earl of Shaftsbury as the ring leader of the Mischief that would fall upon them Maddison said that he would engage three to wit Adamson a Watchmaker and Prosser a Silversmith and Bradshaw an Upholster and the said Maddison coming afterwards to this Deponents Shop shewed the Deponent a Pistol he had prepared for that Purpose this Deponent further saith That meeting the said Adamson at one Pettleyes at the White-posts in Veres-street and discoursing of News Adamson said they should be undone if they did not look about them therefore they were resolved to Kill the Lord Shaftsbury he also speaking the same thing to this Deponent at the Grid-iron in Holborn this Deponent further saith That the aforesaid Prosser told him he was undone and that he intended to Kill the Lord Shaftsbury for he with other of the Lords intended to undo the Lord Arundel of Wardour who was one of his best Customers the said Prosser telling the said Deponent another time That he was to be an Ensign under the Lord Arundel this Deponent further saith That Bradshaw in discourse with him saith that he would make no more to kill a Protestant than to kill a Dog or a Cat and that he was resolved to Kill some of the busie Lords but the first should be the Lord Shaftsbury and the said Bradshaw also shewed him the Deponent a Pistol at the same time this Deponent further saith that he the Deponent and Mr. Messenger Prosser and Maddison were at Bradlies in Holborn about five weeks before Staley was taken where the said Messenger was complaining of the severity of the Laws against the Papists and much fearing they would be put in Exeâ—ution against them by some that were no lovers of them and particularly by the Lord Shaftsbury who did most busie himself about them said that there must be speedy Course taken to prevent it And this Deponent further saith that some time after the said Prosser told him that the said Messenger was the Person that Promoted the killing the Lord Shaftsbury the Deponent further saith That Mr. Goseen told him both in Covent Garden and in the Deponents Shop that the King and Parliament would undo them and that if he were to kill a Man he would as soon kill the King as any Man and if he had him in Spain he would have killed him ere this This Deponent further saith that about six Months since he heard Mr. Matthews the Lord Peters Priest say that his Lord and the Lord Belasys with some other Lords would have a great Army and that he hoped the Catholick Religion would be setled in England This Deponent further saith That about a Year since he heard Mr. Singleton a Priest say in the presence of Mr. Hall that he hoped he should be setled in a Parish Church before a twelve month and that he did not fear but that the Catholic Religion would Reign in England and that he would not make any more matter of Stabbing forty Parliament Men than to eat his Dinner This Deponent saith that he hath also heard Mr. Byflet and Dr. Guilding say several times that they turned divers People from the Protestant Religion and that they hoped they should turn many more the Deponent also believeth that the said Hall knows where the said Singleton Byfleet and Guilding are for that they used to be always at Halls house and the said Hall always received the Money for the said Singleton which was to be distributed for Masses for the Dead This Deponent further saith that Mr. Groves told him that this was no Plot but a Plot of the Protestants own making and when his Vncle was Condemned he said they were all Rogues that Swore against him the Deponent then asking him what he thought of the four thousand Men which he knew were to be raised the said Groves replied that might be in Jest the Deponent further saith that Mr. Ridley a Chyrurgeon at the Lord Baltimores house in Wild-street told him several times that he hoped to be Chyrurgeon to a Catholic Army in England and that the Lord Belasis would stand his Friend in the Concern This Deponent further saith that the Lord Arundel of Wardours Butler told him that Mr. Messenger was to kill the King and that he was to have a good Reward if he saved his Life and if he were killed the said Reward should be distributed amongst such Friends as he should appoint by the Lord Arundel the Earl Powys and the rest of the Lords that were in the same Plot This Deponent further saith that meeting with Mr. Messenger after that he asked the said Messenger why he would kill the King the said Messenger answered who told you of it the
upon Hounslo-Heath the said Thomas Jenison told this Informant That he had a Matter of great consequence to impart to him adding that there was a Design on foot so laid as it could not be discovered in which most of the greatest Catholicks in England were Embarked and that it would be of great advantage to this Informant to Embark with them and that he câ—uld not be in greater danger than they and that he would acquaint the Informant with the Particulars after he had received the Sacrament of Secresy which he engaged this Informant to do upon the next Holyday at Sir Philip Terwit's House in Bloomesbury but this Informant neglecting so to do he missed the opportunity of being further informed And this Informant wishing he had a Commission in the New Levies the said Thomas Jenison replyed that he would get him a Commission from the Duke of York whereunto this Informant replyed returning Answer how can that be since all the Commissions are now granted and full the said Thomas Jenison answered I will tell you that hereafter therefore let me know how I shall send a Commission to you into the Country with Safety he knowing this Informant intended suddenly to go into the Bishoprick of Durham and this Informant very well remembers there happening some Discourse about the said Parson that lately came over to them the said Thomas Jenison said that that Parson was engaged in the design whereto the Informant objected that a reconciled Enemy ought no more to be trusted than an upen Foe But the said Thomas Jenison answered they were sure enough of him and that once reconciled they were the more resolute and trusty to which opinion this Informant submitted instancing Dr. Gooding and Dr. Baily as being zealous Catholicks although they were Protestant Converts And this Informant further saith that he was in Shinfield Parish near Reading in Barkshire about the time of Coleman's Tryal where he met with Mr. Cuffel a Romish Priest and Jesuite who then much blamed the said Coleman saying he believed he was infatuated to suffer his own Papers to be taken upon the Discovery of the Plot when as he had given notice to Mr. Harcourt and Mr. Ireland and the rest of the Jesuites to burn or secure theirs And he very well remembers that amongst other Discourse this Informant spoke against the Opinion that Bellarmine Mariana and Suarez maintained touching the Power of the Pope to Depose Kings upon which the said Mr. Cuffel mentioned a Sentence which he said Bellarmine quoted out of the Scripture for that Opinion And this Informant also very well remembers that Mr. Thomas Jenison and himself discoursing of the Popes Power about Deposing of Kings affirmed that Doctrin was not laid aside Jurat coram me Edm. Warcup Rob. Jenison 4. Was taken on the Sixth of August 1679 and is as follows The further Information of Robert Jenison of Grays Inn Esq taken upon Oath this Sixth Day of August 1679 before me Edmund Warcupp Esq One of His Majesties Justices of the Peace for the County of Middlesex THis Informant saith that after he had upon much Importunity of M. William Midd. ss Ireland upon the 19th Day of August 1678 named unto him Captain Lavallyn Mr. Kerney Mr. Brahale and James Wilson to be stout couragious Gentlemen as in this Informants former Deposition is contained the said William Ireland did ask or require this Informant to go down with the said Gentlemen to VVindsor to be Assistant to them in taking off the King which this Informant refused saying that he would not have any hand in the death of the King saying no Men of Estates would Engage therein as this Informant believed And the said VVilliam Ireland did approve of the said four Persons named as aforesaid by this Informant as fit for the design and declared that he knew Mr. Levallyn and Mr. Kerney before this Informant had named them by which this Informant did apprehend that he might have communicated with them of the said Design for VVindsor before the nomination aforesaid And this Informant further saith that upon the day that this Informant received the twenty Pounds lent unto him this Informant as in his former Information is mentioned went with his Brother to Mr. VVilliam Harcourt's Chamber in Dukes street to return Thanks for the Obligation in consenting to lend the Money And Mr. Thomas Jenison did let fall some Expressions to the purpose following viz. if C. R. meaning the King would not be R. C. meaning a Roman Catholick he should not be long C. R. meaning Carolus Rex and further added upon Discourse that the King being deposed he was no longer King and it was no Sin to take him off and if it should be discovered two or three might dye for it but denying the Fact the matter of Fact the matter would soon blow over And he further saith that much about the same time discoursing of the design wherein the greatest Catholicks of England were embarkt the said Mr Thomas Jenison did name my Lord Arundel of Wardour my Lord Bellasis my Lord Powis and two or three others whose Names this Informant does not now remember that were to be great Instruments in promoting the Catholick Cause and that they had often attempted the L. T. and had at last made him theirs And he further saith that upon the 19th day of Augest 1678 aforesaid Mr. William Ireland did ask this Informant for the Twenty Pounds lent unto this Informant upon Bond as aforesaid though the same was not then due and further said that he wanted Eighty Pounds having then occasion for that Sum but this Informant answered That his Allowance from his Father was but 80 l per annum and that he could not spare much out of it and he further saith That the Commission which the said Thomas Jenison promised to obtain for him from the Duke of York was delayed and not to be sent unto him until such time as the taking off the King was accomplished as this Informant did understand from the said Thomas Jenison and this Informant knows that Mr. Kerney and Mr. Coleman were well acquainted and this Informant doth humbly beg Pardon of his Majesty and the Kingdom for concealing thus long the Treasonable Practices against his Sacred Life and Government and the Protestant Religion which this Informant doth say was occasioned by reason he this Informant was unwilling to impeach his own Brother Mr. Thomas Jenison and as unwilling to accuse himself being descended of a Loyal Family but Remorse of Conscience hath now prevailed upon him to give the Accounts contained in this and his former Informations which with what shall further occur to his Memory upon Discourse with some to whom this Informant Communicated formerly the same this Informant will be ready upon all occasions to prove for his Majesties Service and further at present this Informant saith not Jurat coram me Edm. Warcupp Rob. Jenison From which Informations and the foregoing Account of Mr.
and committed for High Treason and you had two Villaiâ—◠〈…〉 him out of his Life just before I discovered the Plot and when 〈…〉 your â—â—pish Witnesses disappeared and Clapool in January or February following was 〈◊〉 I have said pretty much of that business in my first Parâ— to which 〈…〉 4. Give me leave to add another Particular and that is you did no◠〈…〉 true blew Church of England Protestants that were aiding and abâ—tting youâ— Popish Crew in the Country of which there might be many Instances given 〈…〉 not too much burden your Sacred Soul I will only mention this One 〈…〉 out by Mr. Dugdale against Sr. Thomas Whitgrave of Bridgford in the County of Stafford who was a Person applyed unto on the Papists behalf to evade the Penaâ—â—iâ—s and Punishments of the Penal Laws against Papists as a Justice of the Peace in open Sessions assisting the Papists on all occasions particularly directing Presentments against Papists to be omitted which he had to the Knowledg of this Dugdale practised for ten Years together and also he was one that laboured with the Inhabitants of the Town of Stafford to choose the Lord Stafford for their Steward and further acquainted the House that this Whitgrave received Money of the Lord Aston for his said Practices on the behalf of the Papists and not only so but that he the said Whitgrave had for some time before the Discovery of the Popish Plot fraudulently purchased divers Papists Estates to the value of 40000 l. and upwards to defraud the King and that he was acquainted with the Secrets of the Papists and with the Orders and Decrees of the Popish Priests as he was told and could if he might have been heard have proved the same 6. The next Witness that I shall use is John Smith this Man upon his Return to England was planted as a Priest in the House of Mr. Robert Jenison before mentioned who wâ—â—â—he fourth Witness and in his time there was a great Collection of Money on fooâ—â—mongst the Popish Party to the promoting of which Collection the Assistance â—â— Mr. Smith was desired but he did not only refuse but disswaded Mr. Jenison and 〈◊〉 â—amily where he then was from contributing Money upon any occasion 't is true â—â—â—retence for which this Money was raised was the Repair of the English Colâ—â—â—â— â—oway but the Collection was so universal and the Sum collected so great that 〈…〉 could not believe that such a Treasure could be all sacrificed to the repair of a Câ—â—â—ge but feared that there was some design on foot for the carrying on of which so large a Sum of Money was raised but the thing dyed with Mr Smith and revived not till the Discovery of the Popish Plot then Mr. Smith did not only acquaint the Parliament with this Passage but gave in an Information that tended mightily to corroborate Mr. Jenison's Evidence which is as follows Part of the Information of John Smith of Walworth in the County Palatine of Durham Gent. taken upon Oath the 8th day of September 1679 before me Edmund Warcupp Esq One of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace in the said County and City THis Informant that Mr. Robert Jenison came to his Fathers Midd. ss House in Sept. 1678 where after he had been some Days Sir Edward Smith came to Walworth and produced a Letter signifying a Discovery of a Popish Plot in London and upon Inquiry who were in it Ireland and Whitebread were named about three or four days after which Mr. Robert Jenison before his Father Sisters and this Informant said That he believed there was something of a Plot for that he had heard Mr. Ireland say it was an easie matter to take off the King whereupon this Informant asked what that Ireland was who answered that he was a Jesuit and his Cosen and Mrs. Katharine Jenison his Sister asked when he saw Mr. Ireland Who answered a little before he came out of Town at his Lodging in Russelstreet which was on the day that himself came from Windsor and the same day that Mr. Ireland came post out of Staffordshire and that he then found him pulling off his Boots Mrs. Katharine Jenison asked him how her Aunt in Staffordshire did Who replied Mr. Ireland said she was well and that he had been with her in Staffordshire at that time This Informant then asked him what a kind of man Mr. Ireland was Who answered that he was a fine Countenanced smiling man and Swore if he be Guilty of this Plot I will never trust a smiling man again thereupon this Informant asked him what he thought of him Who answered I doubt there is some Guilt in him because he had inquired of him when he came from Windsor how the King diverted and how he was attended whereunto he answered in Hawking and Fishing attended only with three or four Persons Mr. Ireland replied he would go so slenderly guarded he were easily taken off and then he paused but sometime after Mr. Jenison repeated that he feared there was something in that Plot for that Mr. Ireland had said to him at another time That there was but One in the way and were he removed the Catholic Religion might flourish again in England whereupon this Informant said those were damnable suspicious things which Mr. Ireland had spoken about the King thereupon old Mr. Jenison rose up and swore Mr. Ireland was a Rogue and so left the Room and determined the discourse at that time but sometime after in this same Month this Informant walking on the Leads with Mr. Robert Jenison discoursing of the Jesuits being in the Plot the said Robert Jenison told this Informant that Mr. Ireland had at another time told him that Sir George Wakeman was a fit Person to Poyson the King being the Queens Physitian and a Papist upon which this Informant said he hoped the King would not take Physic of any Papist in regard they might be Jesuitically inclined and the Jesuits were against Monarchy in temporal Princes though appointed by God himself upoâ— which the said Mr. Robert Jenison asked are the Jesuits against Monarchy whereto this Informant replied you may easily Judge that by their taking off many Kings and Princes and by their holding it lawful for the Pope to deprive Kings of their Kingdoms and to dispose of them at his pleasure so that though a King be the Annointed of the Lord and One that should not be touched with violent Hands yet not only his Kingdom but his sacred Life lies at the Popes Pleasure Mr. Jenison answered doth the Pope allow of this This Informant answered yes they have often practised it in this and other Kingdoms and thereby brought more Schism and Division into the Church than ever was before such damnable things were practised by the Pope and his Emissaries whereto Mr. Jenison replied you Seculars are generally against the Jusuits and in many things against the Pope whereunto this Informant replied if you please to consider
the Frauds and Devilish Artifices the Jesuits use in their practice and teaching their Politic Interest and industrious Self-seeking all under the Hypocritical Zeal and Characters of Religious though none so Irreligious you would not wonder why all secular Priests are against them and the Pope for upholding them and their Practices and Principles Mr. Jenison replied thereunto he believed they were crafty Men upon which this Informant asked him how he came now to say they were crafty Men having formerly spoke so much of their Sanctity He replied because he had considered several odd and suspicious Expressions Mr. Ireland had spoken to him whereupon this Informant replied you will only give the King and Country Satisfaction in declaring the odd and suspicious Expressions of Mr. Ireland who is now imprisoned for the Plot but also discharge the Duty of a Christian and Obligation of a Subject urging many other reasons to perswade Mr. Jenison to make a full discovery to the Councel whereunto Mr. Jenison replied he doubted the Jesuits would prove as black as their Habits adding that his Brother Mr. Thomas Jenison the Jesuit told him there was a design in Hand in which if he plaid his Part he might with ease and safety raise his Fortune and that he answered his Brother he would use all lawful means and that he thereupon replied the means were not only Lawful but Meritorious otherwise their Body and the cheif Catholics in England would not herein be concerned as now they were whereupon this Informant asked him what he understood by his Brothers discourse and whether he did not understand that the Jesuits and Papists had some Design against the Protestant Religion who answered he might well understand and suspect they had some such Design in hand and thereupon this Informant again pressed him to make a full discovery to the Councel when he came to London if his Evidence were judged material And this Informant told him that he held himself bound in Conscience to Discover all that he heard from him if he omitted to do it himself urging that his Evidence would at least-wise be fortifying to others Testimony and this Informant very well remembers that coming about a week afterwards with Mr. Robert Jenison from Mr. Fenwicks House at Beywel Mr. Bowes met them and drew Mr. Jenison aside and discoursed Mr. Jenison sometime after which Mr. Jenison singled out this Informant and told him he believed his own Brother Mr. Thomas Jenison would be hanged and several other Persons of Quality who were concerned in this horrible Design thereupon this Informant asked why Who answered a handful of Jesuits could not carry on such a Design without the assistance of Persons of Note and Power and the Pope himself must be in because of his Purse and he believed the Plot was Universal because his said Brother had told him the greatest Catholics in England were concerned in that Design wherein he would have had him to have plaid his part declaring he had reason to believe it was to destroy the King and Government whereunto this Informant replied can you swear it who answer'd I will not swear it now and therefore this Informant repied Will and Can are two things Mr. Jenison further added he was once in Company of five or six Jesuits and that all their discourse was then tending to the destruction of the King and the Government all agreeing to the self same end but himself but that he had not contradicted them in regard he was Young and Inferiour in Scholarship and this Informant asked him what he meant by Persons of Note and Power engaged in the Plot he answered the cheifest Catholics in England but would name none saying in a Passion do you think I am Privy to it but added by God they will have about with the Duke whereby this Informant believed there was a Hellish Plot and that the greatest Catholics of England were in it and that Mr. Robert Jenison knew more of it than he did at any time lay open and this Informant speaking something of the Popish Emissaries engaged in the Plot meaning Jesuits and Monks Mr. Jenison asked him whether he was not a Popish Emissary whereunto this Informant replied no he did abhor the Name and that he was a Preacher after the Ancient Apostolical way which teacheth all Men to Fear God and Honour the King and to be Obedient to all Superiour Magistrates to which Mr. Jenison replied the Jesuits hold it Lawful to Deposeâ— and Murther any Heretic Kings and to dispose of their Kingdoms and this Informant further saith That Mr. Jenison told him also at Walworth that Mr. Ireland had lent him Twenty Pounds which he desired the Informant to send him to London to pay Mr. Ireland again and further saith not Jurat coram me Edm. Warcupp John Smith There are in this Information several things worthy of your Observation in this Evidence of Mr. Smith and if you will cast but those Orient eyes of yours upon this Account given in upon Oath and not glout upon it as the Devil did upon the Chimney Sweeper but let it have your gracious Consideration 1. This account strongly Corroborated Mr. Jenisons Testimony for all these Dicourses past between this Mr. Jenison and Smith whilest Jenison was a Papist before ever he entertained a thought of changing his Religion or telling his knowledge of your Plot and truly after this that Man must be impudently incredulous that would not believe Mr. Ireland was in Town in the month of August and at that part of the Month to which I did Swear since Mr. Jenison that conversed with him had acquainted so many Credible Witness within so few days after and that which is most remarkable all this was declared to his Father Sister and Mr. Smith when that neither he nor any Man alive could apprehend that ever there would be an occasion of bringing that Matter in doubt and the Controversie upon the Stage this being so plâ—inly made out none but such a Bigot as your self and your rascally Conspirators would either endeavour to perswade the World to question the Truth of this Conspiracy or to give Credit to your villainous Party in any thing they say nor could there be a greater Evidence of that Plot to destroy our religious Laws and Liberties then that rather than their Design should miscarry they would Sacrifice their Souls and Consciences in the Justification of a most palpable Lye but the Truth is they had a Vertuous King and a Pious Duke to save and rather then they would Expose them they would venture their eternal State on your behalf 2. Though you had wedded your self to that faction of the Roman Synagogue the Jesuits I mean yet they never forgave your appearing a Protestant for they were resolved upon your Ruin as soon as they had fixed their business and had settled the French interest and power unless you would to all intents and purposes go through with them in those Designs of
that related to yourself and that was put in by trusty Ned your own Secretary after that you had perused the Memorial with whom you had been very rash with him about an affront he had put upon Sir Allen Apsly in relation to Religion of which he had complained to you for Coleman was as Impudent on the one hand as you were short in your Judgment on the other which many times did much prejudice your Design and truely it was his impudence and your Folly that helped to deliver the Nation 2. That this Lord Arundel of Wardour did give Money to pervert several of the Subjects of England under the notion of Charity which was distributed by Fenwick and Ireland for the use of Poor Converts and no other need I did see the Mony distributed to several Persons perverted as the Lord Arundel's mony in the Month of December 1677 and in the Month of June 1678 in Drury-lane at Fennicks Chamber that Money in June 1678 was 160 l. that was given to about 80 People that Fenwick had Perverted to the Church of Rome 3. That the Lord Arundel of Wardour was privy to the Consult held in April and May in which the Death of the King your Brother was determined for in the beginning of May this Fenwick gave that noble Lord a full account of the unanimous Resolution of the Fathers of the Society in that Point and it was at the same time this noble Lord signed a Bill of 250 l. for the use of the Societies in carrying on their Design 4. This Lord Arundel as mighty as you appear to be had the chief managing of the Affairs of the Popish Party and the Negotiations between you and the French King both as to War and Peace and between the Pope and you in reference to Religion was manag'd by him and you could never have Obtained the Kingdom till that in the Month of June 1678 you had engaged to the French King and the General of the Jesuits who acted with you on the behalf of the Bishop of Rome to take the Kingdom upon the termes the Pope and the French King would allow of and then you fully complied and Arundel was made choice of and was to have been your chief Minister of State and your trusty and well beloved Cuckold and Councellour was to have had a Cardinals Hat with which Sir I suppose you will at this time be content and be glad if you can come of so fairly 5. The Lord Arundel of VVardour did take a Commission from the General of the Jesuits to be high Chancellor of England which was delivered to him by one of Langhorn's Son and to my Knowledge he owned the Receipt of the said Commission in Colemans presence and also by a letter to Fenwick who shewed me the Letter by which the World may see what a Dogs-turd of a King you were like to be for you durst not for your Ears have granted that Commission therefore to Skreen you from the imputation of a Traitour and the French King of an Invader you and he agreed to put it upon the General of the Society who with some difficulty undertook the Province and was on the Popes behalf to choose your Officers both Civil and Military and the Dignities of the Church had not the Design been Discovered which made all of you that did not suffer the Justice of the Nation to alter your Measures 6. That your Servant Coleman having held a long Correspondency with the See of Rome and finding that the Pence he Received did not answer his expectation he began to flag and complain of the same to the Lord Arundel of Wardour but the Lord Arundel was resolved that Coleman should not be discharged and therefore the Lord Arundel writ to the Fathers of the Society and complained of the slowness of the Court of Rome of remitting Mony to England and in the Letter to the Fathers of St. Omers was one inclosed to Cardinal Howard of which there was answer that the Cardinal did not question but that he should obtain a good Pension from the Pope for Coleman and after some time did obtain the said Pension for honest Ned and then he went on briskly and you know that at that very time your Pacquet went a Copy of which Coleman Communicated to the Fathers in London which I had the opportunity of seeing and it did farther appear to me by the constant Correspondence that they held with the Jesuits at St. Omers in the Year 1675 76 77 1678. that he had been a great support to Coleman in those his Correspondences with the General of the Jesuits and Lachaise 7. This Lord Arundel of VVardour by your especial Direction did acquaint the Fathers at St. Omers in what awe you kept the Justices of Wiltshire insomuch they durst not appear to put the Laws in Execution against the Roman-Catholicks and told some that they were more forward than they had thanks for their Paines and that they must expect that if they were more mild they would find that which was Sauce for a Goose was Sauce for a Gander and in that Letter expressed much Joy that there was every day a fine increase of the number of Roman Catholicks especially in VVales Herefordshire and Staffordshire 8. This Lord Arundel of VVardour told Mr. Fenwick at his Chamber in my hearing that he did not question but to have Berwick upon Tweed put into the Hands of the Scotch Roman Catholicks and that it would be a good refuge for the Scotch Party which Scotch Party you know a parcel of Scotch Highlanders Cut-Throats that were to molest all the North Parts of England and the Fife in Scotland and that the Castle of Edenburgh was to be put into the Hands of the then Marquiss of Huntly so that you were sure of doing your business in the North without much Opposition you by your Tool Lauderdale having brought that Kingdom intosuch Slavery that the Poor Protestants had but little hopes of Recovering their Liberties and I do believe they would have chosen rather to have fallen into the Hands of the Popish party than to have continued under that Slavery they groaned under by the Tyrany of Lauderdale and his Villanous Scotch Prelates but how they could have mended their Condition by falling into their Hands I am yet I confess to learne 9. That the Lord Belasys the Lord Arundel of VVardour the Lord Powis the Lord Stafford and the Lord Baltimore met and held a Committee at VVild-House and this Lord Arundel was in the Chair and Mivo the Jesuit sat Secretary to them at that time and a letter was drawn up to Coleman to Communicate to you and the Import of the said Letter was this that whereas Peter Talbot the Arch-Bishop of Dublin had informed them that the Duke of Ormond then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland would endeavour to raise the Revenue of Ireland to be two Hundred thousand Pounds Per annum for ever over and above all the
Bull was obtained then in the latter part of 1677 Commissions began to appear pretty rife and in the year 1678 to the time the Plot was Discovered to your Brother which was some little time before you went to Windsor But to conclude this particular observe 1. that you were not to appear aâ— the head of the Conspiracy for fear of being Exposed to the Parliament 2. that if the thing were Discovered it should appear an unprobable Story and so not be Believed 3 That your Allie of France might not Expose himself to the Princes of Christendom 4 That the General of the Jesuits unwillingly engaged in the Affair of granting Commissions 5. That when he had undertaken the Province aforesaid the whole Body of Jesuits were engaged in the Work 6. And more closly Linckt to the Interest of the French King their General being his Creature to all Intents and Purposes 8. What Credit the Discovery of the Popish Plot obtained in the Nation this did not only obtain Credit in the Nation but might have been of great use to Charles your Brother and I am sure it was very Fatal to you and your Party but that which you sneer at were the Reasons why the Witnesses were so ill treated at Court and were not beloved by your Brother to this I must give you these two Answers 1. By way of Concession that is possible he might not be pleased to give that Credit to the Discovery of the Popish Plot and therefore its true he did not give the Witnesses that kind Treatment at Court the Nature of their Cause required and there where four Reasons for it 1. Your Brother was well acquainted with the new Government and the new Religion that was to be brought in but you were not so Civil as to acquaint him with the Design that was against his own Life so that when that part of your Design was Discovered you almost prevailed upon your Brother not to believe this part of the Plot because that you had so freely acquainted him with all the other Part of your Design and engaged him in it so that he being persuaded by you and your Party not to give Credit or at leastwise to own that he did believe that the self same Party with whom he himself was in a Conspiracy should have such another Plot against his Life the King your Brother was in the Design against the Religion and Government of the Kingdom because he was sold into an opinion that the Religion and Government thereof was inconsistant with Monarchy as he told the King of Poland by old Sir Cutbook Lockrom Jaws alias Mapleface quondam his Envoy then and that Rascal of a Book-Cutter had got such a notion of the uniting of the Church of England with the Church of Rome that I think it was as great an argument to induce you to prefer him as well as the cheating of your dear Brother by reason of his excellent Talent in the work of Book-Cutting and also at the destroying of the Discovery of the Popish Plot. 2. Another Reason why the King your Brother might not bee inclined to give the Witnesses that Credit and Reception they did deserve because of his affection to the Popish Crew tho I must tell you that had I been of your Brothers Council I should have given him this Advice viz. That if he would have preserved himself from a Conspiracy was obliged in Policy to have had an Eye upon those for whom he hath done the greatest Kindnesses rather than upon those to whom he hath been unkind for those that were disgusted they made not such frequent Opportunities nor such easy Accesses to him as your favoured Villains had and the Conspiracy that was begun against his Life was by you and those Popish Lords and Jesuits that had been most familiar with him for was it not his own only Life that kept you from the three Kingdoms and that you were in danger every day to turn your Party destroyed by the Parliament therefore it stood you in much stead to dispense with the Sixth Commandement rather then your Negotiations with the Cardinal Howard the French King and Father Farrier and Father Lachaise and Oliva General of the Jesuits and the Popes Internuncio at Bruxels nay with the Pope himself should fall to the Ground and you know that you found him but loose in his Religion which was that of Rome if he had any at all and that he had neither Resolution nor Courage nor Constancy and Popery was the thing you now Resolved upon and Arbitrary Government he was Privy to all this and liked the Project but would not run the hazard you did therefore because he was a Trotter only and not a Galloper you were resolved to destroy him and to blind him so that he might not see your Design nor believe it you and your Party urged this for a main Reason his Affection to them and his laying so many Obligations upon them was an Argument sufficient to support your Party against the Credit of the Witnesses that appeared to accuse them 3. Because the King your Brother was Swallowed up in the Pleasures of his Lusts he preferred the Amorous Glances of his Whores before the safety of the three Nations who were most of them of the Popish Religion and they having his Ear and his Heart did much prevail with him to discountenance the Discovery of the Popish Plot and the Discovâ—rers thereof as Portsmouth in particular who in Conjunction with you and your Party carried the King and his Ministers that were up to the Ears with you in all the other Parts of the Design and you know that when I appeared I stood a single Witness a great while and notwithstanding you and the Court Whores and Court Pimps and Court Bawds set your Faces upon me to destroy me nevertheless I stood like a Rock against all your Attempts 1. You know who it was that was acquainted with the Conspiracy by Order from the King your Brother and he was so far pursuing the Discovery that he chose rather to let the Conspirators have time enough to convey away their Person and their Papers and Madam Remarkable was as diligent a cast Whore as any in that Affair 2. Your Italian Comrade you know made a visit to the Princess of Orange in Flanders and by that Opportunity many of the Traytors had an opportunity to escape as also when you was sent to take the Air in that Country you took along with you several of your Villains 3. You know how Coleman's last two years Letters were Conveyed away 4. You bribed Scroggs to baffle the Testimonies of the Witnesses you and the Whores thus prevailing upon the King you might dispose him not to give the Witnesses that reception their Cause and Service did deserve 2. I answer in the second Place that notwithstanding the usage the Witnesses met withal from your Brother in private Capacity as he was a Man Wedded to his Pleasures and
very Obsequious to the Strumpets that were about him yet do but observe what Credit the Parliament of England gave the Witnesses and that through the Power of Truth and Energy that was in the Testimony they gave 1. Upon the Testimony they received from me when I was a single Testimony upon the first of November 1678 the Lords and Commons past this Vote viz. Resolved Nemine Contradicente That upon the Evidence that hath already appeared to this House that this House is of Opinion that there hath been and still is a Damnable and Hellish Plot Contrived and Carried on by the Popish Recusants for the Assassinating and Murthering the King and for the Subverting the Government and Rooting out and Destroying the King To which Vote the Lords agreed Nemine Contradicente 2. The Lord Chancellour Finch that famous Tool reported upon the 28th of November 1678 the effect of a Conference desired by the Commons that upon hearing of the Testimony of Mr. Bedloe and my self that they were in an Amazment when they considered in what danger the Person of the King your Brother was and his Government whereupon they prepared an Address to be presented to the King your Brother to which they desired the Concurrence of the House of Lords and they had the Concurrence of the House of Lords in the said Address and it was accordingly presented to the said King on the 29th by both Houses so that you and your Villains may see that the Discovery of the Popish Plot was not so small a Matter as you would seem to make of it 3. Observe the Address of Parliament on the 21st of March 1679 in which the Parliament did lay before the King your Brother the great Sence they had of the sad and Calamitous Condition of this Kingdom occasioned chiefly by the Impious and Malicious Conspiracies of the Popish Party who had not only Plotted and intended the Distruction of the King your Brother but the total Subversion of the Government and the true Religion established amongst us and therefore they Prayed that a Day might be set a part for Fasting and Prayer and accordingly a Day was set apart but I suppose though you knew of that Day you nor none of your Villains ever kept it 4. Observe the Vote of the 24th of March 1679 Resolved Nemine Contradicente by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and by the Commons in this present Parliament Assembled That they are fully satisfy'd by the Proofs that they have heard that there now is and for divers Years last past hath been a horrid and Treasonable Plot and Conspiracy contrived and carried on by those of the Popish Religion for the Murthering of his Majesties Sacred Person and for the Subverting of the Protestant Religion and the ancient and well established Government of this Kingdom To which Vote Sir give me leave to remind you of the Impeachment of the five Popish Lords upon which Impeachment the Lord Viscount Stafford was tried and found Guilty and suffered the Pains of Death as a Traytor to the King and Kingdom and so fully satisfyed was the Parliament of the Integrity and Truth of the Witnesses that they intended to have proceeded against the rest of the Traytors that none of them could have escaped the Justice of the Nation had not they been dissolved in a most Arbitrary manner 5. Observe the Proceedings of the Parliament against Nathaniel Reading Esq who Corresponded with the Lords in the Tower that stood Impeached for the Popish Plot in their Address to the King your Brother upon the 8th of April 1679 in which they set forth the Inquiry they had made into the Hellish Design that was carried on by the Papists against the Person and Government of the King your Brother and upon Examination they found that he the said Reading had used his utmost endeavours to prevent and suppress the Kings Evidence and as much as in him lay to stifle the Discovery of the said Plot and and thereby to render the same Fallacious and of no Reality and by such undue Means to prevent the Malefactors from coming to Justice therefore they prayed that a Commission of Oyer and Termâ—er might be issued forth for the trying of the said Reading for that Offence Reading was tried and was found Guilty and therefore would have you take notice of what was said by the then Lord chief Justice North when he gave Judgment upon the said Reading I will tell you says he your offence is so great and hath such a Relation to that which the whole Nation is concerned in because it was on attempt to baffle the Evidence of that Conspiracy which if it had not been by the mercy of God detected God knows what might have befallen us all by this time and still the Parliament have it under their Consideration how to prevent any farther mischief by it but this Villain of a Cut-throat had the grace to join with your Brother and you to stifle it as I shall shew you in the next Part of this your sweet Picture 6. Observe the Address of the House of Commons upon the 14th of May upon the Assurance that the King your Brother had given the then Parliament of his constant Care to do every thing that might preserve the Protestant Religion and Government they did upon the said Assurances represent to the King your Brother the deep Sense they had of the state of Religion and shewed the King that the Papists by their Designs against his Person and Government which the said Parliament was resolved to defend gave themselves hopes of Success therefore the Parliament were resolved to apply themselves to the making such Laws as might defeat those Popish Adversaries of their Hopes of gaining any Advantage by any Attempt they should at any time Form against the Person of the King your Brother 7. Another Instance of the Credit the Discovery of the Popish Plot had you may see in this Address of the House of Commons to the King your Brother The ADDRESS to his Majesty from the Commons Saturday Nov. 13 th 1680. May it please your most Excellent Majesty WE your Majesty's most loyal and obedient Subjects the Commons in this present Parliament assembled having taken into our most serious Consideration your Majesty's gracious Message brought unto us the Ninth Day of this instant November by Mr. Secretary Jenkins do with all Thankfulness acknowledg your Majesty's Care and Goodness in inviting us to expedite such Matters as are depending before us relating to Popery and the Plot. And we do in all humility represent to your Majesty that we are fully convinced that it is highly incumbent upon us in discharge both of our Duty to your Majesty and of that great Trust reposed in us by those whom we represent to endeavour by the most speedy and effectual Ways the suppression of Popery within this Kingdom and the bringing to publick Justice all such as shall be found guilty of the horrid and damnable Popish