wind. Fire-balls were familiarly called among them Teuxbury mustard pills; and were said to contain a notable biting sauce. In the great fire, it had been determined to murder the king; but he had displayed such diligence and humanity in extinguishing the flames, that even the Jesuits relented, and spared his life. Besides these assassinations and fires; insurrections, rebellions, and massacres, were pro the prior of the Benedictines was willing to go the length of six thousand the Dominicans approved of the action; but pleaded poverty. Ten thousand pounds had been offered to sir George Wakeman, the queen's physician, who demanded fifteen thousand, as a reward for so great a service: his demand was complied with; and five thousand had been paid him by advance. Lest this means should fail, four Irish ruffians had been hired by the Je-jected by that religious order in all the three suits at the rate of twenty guineas a-piece, kingdoms. There were twenty thousand cato stab the king at Windsor; and Cole- tholics in London, who would rise in four andman, secretary to the late dutchess of York, twenty hours, or less; and Jennison, a Jesuit, had given the messenger, who carried them said, that they might easily cut the throats of a orders, a guinea to quicken his diligence. hundred thousand protestants. Eight thousand Grove and Pickering were also employed to catholics had agreed to take arms in Scotland. shoot the king with silver bullets: the former Ormond was to be murdered by four Jesuits; was to receive the sum of fifteen hundred a general massacre of the Irish protestants was pounds; the latter, being a pious man, was to concerted; and forty thousand black bills were be rewarded with thirty thousand masses, already provided for that purpose. Coleman which, estimating masses at a shilling a-piece, had remitted two hundred thousand pounds to amounted to a like value. Pickering would promote the rebellion in Ireland; and the have executed his purpose, had not the flint at French king was to land a great army in that one time dropped out of his pistol, at another island. Poole, who wrote the Synopsis, was time the priming. Coniers, the Jesuit, had particularly marked out for assassination; as bought a knife at the price of ten shillings, was also Dr. Stillingfleet, a controversial writer which he thought was not dear, considering the against the papists. Burnet tells us, that Oates purpose for which he intended it, to wit, stab- paid him the same compliment. After all this bing the king. Letters of subscription were havoc, the crown was to be offered to the duke, circulated among the catholics all over Eng- but on the following conditions; that he receive land to raise a sum for the same purpose. No it as a gift from the pope; that he confirin all less than fifty Jesuits had met in May last at the papal commissions for offices and employ. the White-horse tavern, where it was unani-ments; that he ratify all past transactions, by mously agreed to put the king to death. This pardoning the incendiaries, and the murderers synod did afterwards, for more convenience, of his brother and of the people; and that he divide themselves into many lesser cabals or consent to the utter extirpation of the protescompanies; and Oates was employed to carry tant religion. If he refuse these conditions, he notes and letters from one to another, all tend- himself was immediately to be poisoned or ing to the same end, of murdering the king. assassinated, To pot James must go;' acHe even carried, from one company to ano- cording to the expression ascribed by Oates to ther, a paper, in which they formally expressed the Jesuits.-Oates, the informer of this dreadtheir resolution of executing that deed; and it ful plot, was himself the most infamous of was regularly subscribed by all of them. A mankind. He was the son of an anabaptist wager of a hundred pounds was laid, and stakes preacher, chaplain to colonel Pride; but havmade, that the king should eat no more Christ-ing taken orders in the church, he had been mas pyes. In short, it was determined, to use the expression of a Jesuit, that if he would not become R. C. (Roman Catholic) he should no longer be C. R. (Charles Rex). The great fire of London had been the work of the Jesuits, who had employed eighty or eighty-six persons for that purpose, and had expended seven bundred fire-balls; but they had a good return for their money, for they had been able to pilfer goods from the fire to the value of fourteen thousand pounds: the Jesuits had also raised another fire on St. Margaret's Hill, whence they had stolen goods to the value of two thousand pounds: another at Southwark and it was determined in like manner to burn all the chief cities in England. A paper model was already framed for the firing of London; the stations were regularly marked out, where the several fires were to commence; and the whole plan of operations was so concerted, that precautions were taken by the Jesuits to vary their measures, according to the variation of the VOL. IV. settled in a small living by the duke of Norfolk. He had been indicted for perjury; and by some means had escaped. He was afterwards a chaplain on board the fleet; whence he had been dismissed on complaint of some unnatural practices, not fit to be named. He then became a convert to the catholics; but he afterwards boasted, that his conversion was a mere pretence, in order to get into their secrets and to betray them. He was sent over to the Jesuits' college at St. Omer's, and though above thirty years of age, he there lived some time among the students. He was dispatched on an errand to Spain; and thence returned to St. Omer's; where the Jesuits, heartily tired of their convert, at last dismissed him, from their seminary. It is likely, that, from resentment of this usage, as well as from want and indigence, he was induced, in combination with Tongue, to contrive that plot, of which he accused the catholies.-This abandoned man, when examined before the council, betrayed his 3 T 6 impostures in such a manner, as would have ، of his own soul, and the conversion of our poor utterly discredited the most consistent story, kingdom. In other passages the interests of and the most reputable evidence. While in the crown of England, those of the French Spain, he had been carried, he said, to don king, and those of the catholic religion, are John, who promised great assistance to the ex- spoken of as inseparable. The duke is also ecution of the catholic designs. The king said to have connected his interests unalteraasked him, what sort of a man don John was : bly with those of Lewis. The king himself, he he answered, a tall lean man; directly con- athirins, is always inclined to favour the cathotrary to truth, as the king well knew. Helics, when he may do it without hazard. 'Mctotally mistook the situation of the Jesuits' ney,' Coleman adds, cannot fail of persuadcollege at Paris. Though he pretended greating the king to any thing. There is nothing intimacies with Coleman, he knew him not, it cannot make him do, were it ever so much when placed very near him; and had no other 'to his prejudice, It has such an absulute excuse than that his sight was bad in candle- power over him, that he cannot resist it. light. He fell into like mistakes with regard Logic, built upon money, has in our court to Wakeman.-Notwithstanding these objec- more powerful charms than any other sort of tions, great attention was paid to Oates's evi- argument.' For these reasons, he proposed dence, and the plot became very soon the to father la Chaise, that the French king should subject of conversation, and even the object of remit the sum of 300,000!. on condition that terror to the people. The violent animosity, the parliament be dissolved; a measure to which had been excited against the catholics which, he affirmed, the king was, of himself, in general, made the public swallow the grossest sufficiently inclined, were it not for his hopes absurdities when they accompanied au of obtaining money from that assembly. The cusation of those religionists: and the more parliament, he said, had already constrained diabolical any contrivance appeared, the better the king to make peace with Holland, con it suited the tremendous idea entertained of a trary to the interests of the catholic religion, Jesuit. Dauby likewise, who stood in opposition of his most christian majesty: and if they to the French and catholic interest at court, should meet again, they would surely engage was willing to encourage every story, which him farther, even to the making of war against might serve to discredit that party. By his France. It appears also from the same letsuggestion, when a warrant was signed for ar- ters, that the assembling of the parliament so resting Coleman, there was inserted a clause late as April in the year 1675, had been prefor seizing his papers; a circumstance at- cured by the intrigues of the catholic and tended with the most important consequences. French party, who thereby intended to show Coleman partly on his own account, partly by the Dutch and their confederates, that they orders from the duke, had been engaged in a could expect no assistance from England.correspondence with father la Chaise, with the When the contents of these letters were pub pope's nuncio at Brussels, and with other ca- licly known, they diffused the panic, with tholics abroad; and being himself a fiery zealot, which the nation began already to be seized busy and sanguine, the expressions in his let- on account of the popish plot. Men reasoned ters often betrayed great violence and indis- more from their fears and their passions than cretion. His correspondence, during the years from the evidence before them. It is certain, 1674, 1675, and part of 1676,* was seized, that the restless and enterprising spirit of the and contained many extraordinary passages. catholic church, particularly of the Jesuits, In particular he said to la Chaise, We have merits attention, and is, in some degree, dan here a mighty work upon our hands, no less gerous to every other communion. Such zcal than the conversion of three kingdoms, and of proselytism actuates that sect, that its mis by that perhaps the utter subduing of a pes- sionaries have penetrated into every nation of tilent heresy, which has a long time domi- the globe; and, in one sense, there is a POPISH neered over a great part of this northern PLOT perpetually carrying on against all states, There were never such hopes of protestant, pagan, and mahometan. It is success, since the days of queen Mary, as likewise very probable, that the conversion of now in our days. God has given us a prince,' the duke, and the favour of the king, had inmeaning the duke, who is become (may I spired the catholic priests with new hopes of say a miracle) zealous of being the author recovering in these islands their lost dominion, and instrument of so glorious a work; but and gave fresh vigour to that intemperate zeal the opposition we are sure to meet with is by which they are commonly actuated.-Ther also like to be great: so that it imports us to first aim was to obtain a toleration; and such get all the aid and assistance we can.' In ano- was the evidence, they believed, of their theor ther letter he said, I can scarce believe my- logical tenets, that, could they but procure ، self awake, or the thing real, when I think of entire liberty, they must infallibly in time open ، a prince in such an age as we live in, con- the eyes of the people. After they had converted to such a degree of zeal and piety, as verted considerable numbers, they might be not to regard any thing in the world in com- enabled, they hoped, to reinstate themselves parison of God's Almighty glory, the salvation in full authority, and entirely to suppress that heresy, with which the kingdom had so long been affected. Though these dangers to the ، world. * See Appendix, No. viii. : protestant religion were distant, it was justly the object of great concern to find that the heir of the crown was so blinded with bigotry, and so deeply engaged in foreign interest and that the king himself had been prevailed on, from low interest, to hearken to his dangerous insinuations. Very bad consequences might, ensue from such perverse habits and attachments: nor could the nation and parliament guard against them with too anxious a precaution. But that the Roman pontiff could hope to assume the sovereignty of these kingdoms; a project which, even during the darkness of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, would have appeared chimerical: that he should delegate this authority to the Jesuits; that order in the Romish Church, which was the most hated; that a massacre could be attempted of the protestants, who surpassed the catholics a hundred fold, and were invested with the whole authority of the state that the king himself was to be assassinated, and even the duke, the only support of their party: these were such absurdities as no human testimony was sufficient to prove; much less the evidence of one man, who was noted for infamy, and who could not keep himself every moment from falling into the grossest inconsistencies. Did such intelligence deserve even so much attention as to be refuted, it would appear, that Coleman's letters were sufficient alone to destroy all its credit. For how could so long a train of correspondence be carried on, by a man so much trusted by the party; and yet no traces of insurrections, if really intended, of fires, massacres, assassinations, invasions, be ever discovered in any single passage of these letters? But all such reflections, and many more, equally obvious, were vainly employed against that general prepossession with with which the nation was seized. Oates's plot and Coleman's were universally confounded together and the evidence of the latter being unquestionable, the belief of the former, aided by the passions of hatred and of terror, took possession of the whole people.-There was danger, however, lest time might open the eyes of the public (17th Oct.); when the murder of Godfrey completed the general delusion, and rendered the prejudices of the nation absolutely incurable. This inagistrate had been missing some days; and after much search, and many surmises, his body was found lying in a ditch at Primrose-hill the marks of strangling were thought to appear about his neck, and some contusions on his breast: his own sword was sticking in the body; but as no considerable quantity of blood ensued on drawing it, it was concluded, that it had been thrust in after his death, and that he had not killed himself: he had rings on his fingers, and money in his pocket: it was therefore inferred, that he had not fallen into the hands of robbers. Without farther reasoning, the cry rose, that he had been assassinated by the papists, on account of his taking Oates's evidence. This clamour was quickly propagated, and met with universal tate belief. The panic spread itself on every side with infinite rapidity; and all men, astonished with fear, and animated with rage, saw in Godfrey's fate all the horrible designs ascribed to the catholics; and no farther doubt remained of Oates's veracity. The voice of the nation united against that hated sect; and, notwithstanding that the bloody conspiracy was supposed to be now detected, men could scarcely be persuaded that their lives were yet in safety. Each hour teemed with new rumours and surmises. Invasions from abroad, insurrections at home, even private murders and poisonings, were apprehended. To deny the reality of the plot, was to be an accomplice: to hesiwas criminal: Royalist, Republican; Churchman, Sectary; Courtier, Patriot; all parties concurred in the illusion. The city. prepared for its defence, as if the enemy were at its gates: the chains and posts were put up: and it was a noted saying at that time of sir Thomas Player, the chamberlain, that, were it not for these precautions, all the citizens might rise next morning with their throats cut. In order to propagate the popular frenzy, several artifices were employed. The dead body of Godfrey was carried into the city, attended by vast multitudes. It was publicly exposed in the streets, and viewed by all ranks of men; and every one, who saw it, went away inflamed, as well by the mutual contagion of sentiments, as by the dismal spectacle itself. The funeral pomp was celebrated with great parade. The corpse was conducted through the chief streets of the city: seventytwo clergymen marched before: above a thousand persons of distinction followed after: and at the funeral-sermon two able bodied divines mounted the pulpit, and stood on each side of the preacher, lest, in paying the last duties to this unhappy magistrate, he should, before the whole people, be murdered by the papists.In this disposition of the nation, reason could no more be heard than a whisper in the midst of the most violent hurricane. Even at present, Godfrey's murder can scarcely, upon any system, be rationally accounted for. That he was assassinated by the catholics seems utterly improbable. These religionists could not be engaged to commit that crime from policy, in order to deter other magistrates from acting against them. Godfrey's fate was no-wise capable of producing that effect, unless it were publicly known that the catholics were his murderers: an opinion which, it was easy to foresce, must prove the ruin of their party. Besides, how many magistrates, during more than a century, had acted in the most violent manner against the catholics, without its being ever suspected that any one had been cut off by assassination? Such jealous times as the present, were surely ill fitted for beginning these dangerous experiments. Shall we there fore say, that the catholics were pushed ou, not by policy, but by blind revenge against Godfrey? But Godfrey had given them little or no occasion of offence in taking Oates's evidence. His part was merely an act of form, belonging to his office; nor could he, or any man in his station, possibly refuse it. In the rest of his conduct, he lived on good terms with the catholics, and was far from distinguishing himself by his severity against that sect. It is even certain, that he had contracted an intimacy with Coleman, and took care to inform his friend of the danger to which, by reason of Oates's evidence, he was at present exposed.-There are some writers, who finding it impossible to account for Godfrey's murder by the machinations of the catholics, have recourse to the opposite supposition. They lay hold of that obvious presumption, that those commit the crime who reap advantage by it; and they affirm that it was Shaftesbury, and the heads of the popular party, who per⚫petrated that deed, in order to throw the odium of it on the papists. If this supposition be received, it must also be admitted, that the whole plot was the contrivance of those politicians; and that Oates acted altogether under their direction. But it appears that Oates, dreading probably the opposition of powerful enemies, had very anxiously acquitted the duke, Danby, Ormond, and all the ministry; persons who were certainly the most obnoxious to the popular leaders. Besides, the whole texture of the plot contains such low absurdity, that it is impossible to have been the invention of any man of sense or education. It is true, the more monstrous and horrible the conspiracy, the better was it fitted to terrify, and thence to convince, the populace: but this effect, we may safely say, no one could beforehand have expected; and a fool was in this case more likely to succeed than a wise man. flad Shaftesbury laid the plan of a popish conspiracy, he had probably rendered it inoderate, consistent, credible; and, on that very account, had never met with the prodigious success, with which Oates's tremendous fictions were attended.-We must, therefore, be contented to remain for ever ignorant of the actors in Godfrey's murder; and only pronounce in general, that that event, in all likelihood, had no connection, one way or other, with the popish plot. Any man, especially so active a magistrate as Godfrey, might, in such a city as London, have many enemies, of whom his friends and family had no suspicion. He was a melancholy man; and there is some reason, notwithstanding the pretended appearances to the contrary, to suspect that he fell by his own hands. The affair was never examined with tranquillity, or even with common sense, during the time; and it is impossible for us, at this distance, certainly to account for it.-No one doubted but the papists had assassinated Godfrey; but still the particular actors were unknown. A proclamation was issued by the king, offering a pardon and a reward of five hundred pounds to any one who should discover them. As it was afterwards surmised, that the terror of a like assassination would prevent discovery, a new proclamation was issued, pro mising absolute protection to any one who should reveal the secret. Thus were indemnity, money, and security, offered to the fairest bidder: and no one needed to fear, during the present fury of the people, that his evidence would undergo too severe a scrutiny. While the nation was in this ferment, the parliament was assembled." SEVENTEENTH SESSION OF THE SECOND PAR LIAMENT. The King's Speech on opening the Session.] Oct. 21. The parliament met, and his majesty opened the session with the following Speech to both houses: "My Lords and Gentlemen; I have thought the time very long since we parted last; and would not have deferred your meeting by so many prorogations, if I could well have met you sooner. The part which I have had this summer in the preservation of our neighbours, and the well-securing what was left of Flanders, is sufficiently known and acknowledged by all that are abroad: and though for this cause I have been obliged to keep up my troops (without which our neighbours had absolutely despaired); yet both the honour and interest of the nation bave been so far improved by it, that I am confident no man here would repine at it, or think the money raised for their dis banding to have been ill employed in their continuance; and I do assure you, I am so much more out of purse for the service, that I do expect you should supply it.-How far it may be necessary (considering the present state of Christendom) to reduce the land and sea forces, or to what degree, is worthy of all our serious considerations.-I now intend to acquaint you (as I shall always do with any thing that concerns me), that I have been informed of a Design against my person by the Jesuits; of which I shall forbear any opinion, * It may be proper briefly to repeat, that on Sept. 28, Titus Oates had given information, before the Council, of many discourses he had heard among the Jesuits, of their design to kill the king, naming persons, places, and times almost without number; upon which many Jesuits were seized that night and the next day; and in particular, having accused Coleman, the Duke's Secretary, of a strict correspondence with Father le Chaise, the French king's Con fessor, adding, that he was acquainted with all their designs,' Coleman was immediately apprehended, and from his letters, which were seized and examined, the story gained great confirmation. Add to this, that sir Edmundbury Godfrey, an eminent Justice of Peace, who had attested Oates's Depositions, was found, on Oct. 17, with his own sword thrust through his body, in a ditch near Primrosehill, in the way to Hampstead, having been missing ever since the 12th. And as it had been taken for granted that Coleman's Papers confirmed every thing that Oates had sword, so it was no sooner known that Godfrey was lest I may seem to say too much, or too little: 4 but from the mutability of affairs abroad, every but I will leave the matter to the law; and, in the mean time, will take as much care as I can to prevent all manner of practices by that sort of men, and of others too, who have been tampering in a high degree by foreigners, and contriving how to introduce Popery amongst us.-I shall conclude with the recommending to you my other concerns. I have been under great disappointments by the defect of the Poll Bill. My Revenue is under great Anticipa- | tions, and at the best was never equal to the constant and necessary expence of the government, whereof I intend to have the whole state laid before you; and require you to look into it, and consider of it with that duty and affection which I am sure I shall always find from you. The rest I leave to the Chancellor." The Lord Chancellor Finch's Speech.] Then the Lord Chancellor made the following Speech: “ My lords; and you the knights, citizens, I and burgesses of the house of cominons; How much the king relies upon the advice and assistance of his parliament, how necessary he accounts it to him, and how safe he thinks himself in it, is evident by this, that he hath not suffered you all this year to be out of his reach; but hath continued you from time to time, by a succession of little and short prorogations; and without all peradventure we had sooner met, if it had been possible for us to take right measures here, without a full knowledge of the state and condition of our neighbours.-The close and period of the last Session is very memorable; for it may seem perhaps to sume to have ended with very different, if not contrary, counsels and supplies, tending both to war and peace; but yet they who look more nearly into the matter shall find, that this incertainty proceeded not from any unsteadiness at home, | week almost producing several and contrary appearances.-The same incertainties of counsels and events abroad continued for the most part of the summer. One while the parties, exhausted by the war, seemed to be willing to accept any peace their enemies would give; and there wanted not those among them who made use of the impatience of their people to necessitate them to it.-Another while the performance of the conditions offered became so doubted, and was at last explained in a manner so vastly different from the first proposals, that despair begot new resolutions of continuing the war.-In the midst of these miserable perplexities and confusions, his maj. was daily solicited, with the highest importunities and the most earnest supplications that were possible, not to disband the troops he had raised; and not only so, but that he would still continue to send over more and more of his troops, and to augment the forces which he had already abroad. They did as good as tell him plainly, That it was from the reputation of his alliance, that any overtures of peace had been made at all; and that it was from the continuance of his arms that any fair performance could be expected. They prayed his maj. to consider, That if he thought it expedient to obtain some kind of respite, or breathing-time, for the Spanish Netherlands, or to secure any kind of frontier or barrier between thein and their too powerful neighbours; all this, and more, very much more, perhaps no less than the safety of Christendom, would entirely depend upon his majesty's preserving himself in that considerable posture both by sea and land wherein he then was.There was no resisting such repeated intercessions; and though his maj. saw well enough that bis complying with these desires would engage him in an expence far be killed, than by the general voice the Papists were charged with the murder; for the disco-yond what he was then provided for, yet he very of which a reward of 5007, was offered by Proclamation on October 20, the day before the parliament reassembled. * ، The king, knowing the disaffection of the commons, was resolved, if possible, to prevent this affair from coming before them: he feared, very justly, that they would examine into the bottom of this Plot, and, under a pretence of taking care of his person, discover many things which were yet to be concealed. For this pur- | pose he expressly commanded the earl of Danby not to acquaint the two houses with what had passed through his hands, and resolved so to order it, that every thing concerning the Plot should be left to the law, in the belief that it would be much easier for him to manage the Judges than the parliament. But the earl of Danby broke all his measures, by communicating, the very first day, Oates's Narrative to the commons. The king was highly provoked with a procedure so contrary to his orders and designs, and gave him a severe reprimand; but the thing was without remedy." Rapin. could not possibly decline the charge, nor refuse to undergo the difficulties. And now, whatever the cost of all this may amount to, yet neither his maj. nor his people will have any cause to repent it, when they shall consider, that it hath already produced such great and good effects to his majesty's allies, and so much honour to the whole nation; that whatsoever is saved of Flanders, is now.acknowledged by all the world to be wholly due to his majesty's interposition. And though the peace, which since bath followed, be very far from such a peace as his maj. could have wished, yet it is such a peace as his neighbours were resolved to have. No obligations they lay under to insist upon a better peace, no conjunction with his majesty, no, nor the offers to declare war on their behalfs if they desired it, could prevail with them, or keep them from being wrought upon by the ill arts of those who first raised unreasonable jealousies amongst them, and then caused them to precipitate themselves into a peace. Thus you see at once, not only the necessity which his majesty had to continue his troops in pay, |