Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A52298
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A letter from a Jesuit at Paris, to his correspondent in London shewing the most effectual way to ruine the government and Protestant religion.
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Nalson, John, 1638?-1686.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing N110; ESTC R11719
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5,945
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12
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them in pieces and fire the several Factions and when they were of all sides sufficiently weaken'd under pretence of supporting the weaker Party to bring in the Power of the most Christian King to make them Friends by subduing both which was an advantage we might reasonably hope for now but could not expect in the former Revolutions while his Most Christian Majesty was a Minor and France it self engaged in Domestick troubles But this Parliament and our hopes of it being both at an end we are to consider how we may manage the next and succeeding Parliaments so as nothing may be done to our prejudice and by consequence that they may become advantagious to our pious Design of extirpating Heresie and propagating the Catholick Faith in England again Upon our serious Consult it has been here after mature deliberaon agreed upon to send you these following Resolutions of their Reverences who have done me the honour to assign me the Province of taking care to transmit their Resolves to you and receive your Answers and an account of the movement of our Affairs You are therefore with all speed and secresie to take care of the dispatch of these Instructions to all such Persons as we may confide in and you shall judge qualifi'd for an Employ of so great Trust and Concern that I may say the whole Catholick Interest and Hopes in England depend upon the success of this Negotiation And first as a thing previous to the Elections which shall be made let the Emissaries in all Counties and Corporations especially such as have Burgesses be vigilant to enquire who are to be the Candidates for the succeeding Elections Secondly Use all endeavours among the Dissenters according to your interest to get in as many of the late Members as you can especially P. C. B. M. c. Our excellent Friend M. has assured his Illustriousness the N. that he will not fail to be in again nor to do us the best service he can now as well as in the last Thirdly If that cannot be done but that new ones are set up if they be Persons firm in their Loyalty and such as have any the remotest dependence or expectance upon the Court or Army then give out among the People though en passant only as you bait at your Inns that to your certain knowledge such Gentlemen are great Courtiers and are of that part who design to reduce the Nation to the Model of France by the arbitrary power of a standing Army thereby to Introduce and Establish Popery among us which you must be sure to make most vehement and bitter Declamations against If they are Persons strongly inclined to the Church of England then give out confidently that they are Papists in heart and that you know where they have declared themselves such and that it is most visible by their being so much for Ceremonies This all the Dissenters will not only easily credit but will be very helpful to us in spreading and justifying the Reports these things spoken with confidence and a pretence of some intimate knowledge of them and that you now divulge these secrets out of sincere affection to the Nation ready to be betray'd to Popery and Arbitrary Govrnment will fly like Wildfire among the ordinary People who will snowball it from hand to hand and father it upon Persons of Repute not knowing the Original hand from whence it first came and the repeated Eccho of their fears will both redouble and confirm it By this means you shall with the Assistance of the Dissenters who greedily lay hold of this occasion which they have so long wish't for and expected be sure to promote the Election of such especially Burgesses as are disaffected both to the King and Church and though possibly in many Counties the Loyalty and Interest of the Gentry will carry it against us in the Knights yet the greatest number consisting of the Corporation Representatives there we shall be too hard for them And then mark what will follow upon this they will meet with an invincible prejudice against the King and Establisht Government both Civil and Ecclesiastical they will fall violently upon the Church as well as the Papists they will be so taken up with their own Affairs and the Embroilments our friends will engage them in that ours will sleep and being so hot and disorderly they will in probability oblige the King to send them home again and seek for another By this means the City and Country will be under the greatest disappointment and dissatisfaction immaginable the Army which is undisbanded will be thought necessary to be kept up but there being no money to pay them they will be burdensom and exasperate the Country and augment the jealousie of a standing Army A Fleet must also be put to Sea because of the Alarms of the French and when they come home the Seamen must be turned adrift for their pay too it may be a new Parliament may not be called in some time but such ways may be taken to raise money for the Publick necessity as may render the Government odious and dispose People to a General Insurrection and then the day 's our own then my Noble Lords will save their heads for they must be tried by a Parliament and if our Affairs jump luckily they shall out-live Methusalem if they live to see a Parliament so Loyal as to give the King money or indeavour to settle the Peace of the Nation But in the second place if the Parliament shall sit and there appears any danger to us by their being unanimous and so like to continue and to bring the Lords to their Trial all indeavours must be used by such as can be got to be of our party First to run them again upon the Ministers of State as being Popishly affected and designing to Subvert Parliaments and introduce Arbitrary Government I need not speak much of this you are sufficiently instructed how to manage it and cannot want a Crie to set it up Secondly Obstruct as much as possible the raising of money and yet cry out of the imminent danger and fears of the French it may be you will have reason and truth in that particular however delay the money by asking such unreasonable things in recompence of it that the money Bill upon such terms may be rejected and be sure it may not be near enough for the present necessity urge the mispending of the great Revenue of the Crown but lâ—y all the blame upon the Ministers you cannot miss the King if you hit the other This will put the King out of all hopes of this Parliament and may possibly occasion either a long Prorogation or a Dissolution and we shall be better provided against a new Parliament then we could be now being so much surprized in the dissolution of the last And besides if this Parliament upon which the Factious have built such hopes be either Prorogued or Dissolved it will still exasperate the Nation and they will be apt to receive the impressions of their own fears and jealousies as well as those we must now sow thick among the discontented if it continues we must still play the same Game and with Grievances smart Votes and ingrateful Addresses keep up and increase the misunderstandings and widen the differences between the K. and the H. C. Thirdly asperse all that are not of our Party as Court-Pensioners or Popishly affected this will secure ours from being discovered and will render the other Odious to the People and hinder their being elected into a future Parliament if this should happen to be hastily dissolved Fourthly Let our Party bring in a Bill for Comprehension or Toleration if it does no other good it will occasion great heats and altercations long debates and will be an excellent Remora to all other Affairs it will make them highly the favourites of the Separatists who will be most active against the Crown and Government and if that can be passed it is no matter how severely it excludes all Catholicks from the benefit of Indulgence it will certainly ruin the Church and we shall be well enough able to do our business and to prepare the People for a Rebellion under the shelter of the several Sects who hate both the King and Church sufficiently already and will in a little time become so numerous and confident that by their help we may be able to effect our Design This politick Janus of a Toleration has also another face for it will alienate the affections of those who are zealous for the Church from the Crown when they see that give them up as a prey to their Enemies and if it does not yet it will disable them from doing it the service they would in case of necessity so that if it comes to a Rebellion the K. will be destitute of assistance of all sides and must seek for aid among the Catholicks and from foreign Power and which way soever the Game goes we shall be sure not only to Save our Stakes but to win by the hand Dear Sir be diligent and vigorous in the prosecution of these Instructions and be assured that nothing shall be wanting on the part of their Reverences to forward the Design neither Mony for the present nor Power for the future if occasion offers His Most Christian Majesty is now at intire liberty in Case of necessity either to interpose for us or assist us with his invincible Arms and to promote so pious and Religious a Cause Doubt nothing but be of good Courage in the discharge of this high trust reposed in you and assure your self of Success and proportionate Rewards on Earth Eternal Fame and Eternal Glory in the Heavenly Paradise The Fathers send you theirs and the Apostolical Benediction have me recommended to all our Friends Our Blessed Lady and all Saints pray for you and succeed your indeavours Fail not to advertise us how the wheel of Affairs moves that so we may be able to advise and direct accordingly Farwell D. P. Paris Feb. 12. N. St. 167â—