Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

The senti

the Prince

concerning

Protestant

N. B.

ruin and extirpation of all the Papifts in those Kingdomis. So the Penfioner wrote a long aufwer to Steward, which was put in English by me.

He began it with great affurances of the Prince and ments of princefs's duty to the King. They were both of them and Princess much against all perfecution on the account of religion. of Orange. They freely confented to the covering Papifts from the the Laws feverities of the laws made against them, on the account against apists and of their religion, and alfo that they might have the free Dissenters. exercise of it in private. They alfo confented to grant a full liberty to Diffenters. But they could not consent to the repeal of those laws, that tended only to the fecuring the Proteftant religion; fuch as thofe concerning the Tests, which imported no punishment, but only an incapacity of being in publick employments, which could not be complained-of as great feverities. This was a caution obferved in all Nations, and was now neceffary, for fecuring both the publick peace and the established religion. If the numbers of the Papifts were fo fmall as to make them inconfiderable, then it was not reasonable to make such a change for the sake of a few. And if thofe few, that pretended to publick employments, would do all their own party fo great a prejudice, as not to fuffer the King to be content with the repeal of the penal laws, unless they could get into the offices of truft, then their ambition was only to be blamed, if the offers now made were not accepted. The matter was very ftrongly argued thro' the whole Letter: And the Prince and Princefs's zeal for the Proteftant Religion was fet-out in terms, that could not be very acceptable to the King. The Letter was carried by Steward to the King, and was brought by him into the cabinet-council. But nothing follow

cd

ed then upon it. The King ordered Steward to writeback, that he would either have all or nothing. All the Lay-Papifts of England, who were not engaged in the intrigues of the Pricfts, proffed earnestly that the King would accept of the repcal of the penal laws; which was offered, and would have made them both eafy and fafe for the future. The Emperor was fully satisfied with what was offered; and promifed to ufe his intereft at Rome, to get the Pope to write to the King to accept of this, as a ftep to the other: But I could not learn whether he did it, or not. If he did, it had no effect. The King was in all points governed by the Jefuits, and the French Embaffador.

N. B.

N. B.

tre made a

Father Petre, as he had been long in the confidence, was Father Penow brought to the Council-board, and made a Privy Counsellor Counsellor: And it was given-out, that the King was refolved to get a Cardinal's Cap for him, and to make him Archbishop of York. The Pope was ftill firm to his refolution against it. But it was hoped that the King would conquer it, if not in the prefent, yet at furtheft in the next Pontificate. The King refolved at the fame time not to difguft the Secular Priefts: So Bishop Leyburn, whom Cardinal Howard had fent-over with the Epifcopal character, was made much ufe of in appearance, tho' he had no great fhare in the counfels. There was a faction formed between the Seculars and the Jefuits, which was fometimes near breaking-out into an open rupture. But the King was fo partial to the Jefuits, that the others found they were not on equal terms with them. There were three other Bifhops confecrated for England. And these four were ordered to make a progrefs and circuit over England, confirming, and doing other Epifcopal offices, in all

[blocks in formation]

The confi- the parts of England. Great numbers gathered about.

dence of the

Jesuits. them, wherefoever they went.

The Pensioner's

letter was

and was re

The Jefuits thought all was fure, and that their scheme was fo well laid that it could not mifcarry. And they had fo poffeffed that contemptible tool of theirs, Albeville, with this, that he feemed, upon his return to the Hague, to be fo fanguine, that he did not ftick to speak-out, what a wiser man would have fuppreffed though he had believed it. One day, when the Prince was speaking of the promises the King had made, and the oath that he had fworn, to maintain the laws and the established Church, he, inftead of pretending that the King ftill kept his word, faid, " upon fome occafions Princes muft forget their promifes." And, when the Prince faid, that the King ought to have more regard to the Church of England, which was the main body of the Nation, Albeville answered, "that the body which he called the Church of England would not have being two years to an end." Thus he fpoke-out the defigns of the Court, both too early and too openly. But at the fame time he behaved himself in all other refpects fo poorly, that he became the jeft of the Hague. The foreign Minifters, Mr. D'Avaux the French Embaffador not excepted, did not know how to excuse, or bear with, his weakness, which appeared on all occafions and in all companies.

What he wrote to England upon his firft audiences was not known. But it was foon after fpread up and printed, down the Kingdom, very artificially and with much ceived with induftry, that the Prince and Princefs had now conjoy all over fented to the repeal of the Tefts, as well as of the penal England. laws. This was writ over by many hands to the Hague. The Prince, to prevent the ill effects that might follow

universal

on

on fuch reports, gave orders to print the Penfioner's letter to Steward; which was fent to all the parts of England, and was received with an univerfal joy. The Diffenters faw themfeves now fafe in his intentions towards them. The Church-party was confirmed in their zeal for maintaining the Tefts. And the LayPapifts feemed likewife to be fo well pleafed with it, that they complained of those ambitious Priefts, and hungry Courtiers, who were refolved, rather than laydown their aspirings and other projects, to leave them ftill exposed to the feverities of the laws, though a freedom from these was now offered to them. But it was not easy to judge, whether this was fincerely meant by them, or if it was only a popular art, to recommend themfelves under fuch a moderate appearance. The Court faw the hurt that this Letter did them. At first they hoped to have stifled it by calling it an impofture. But, when they were driven from that, the King began to fpeak feverely and indecently of the Prince, not only to all about him, but even to foreign Minifters: And refolved to put fuch marks of his Indignation upon him, as should let all the world fee how deep it was.

[blocks in formation]

ANOTHER EXTRACT FROM BISHOP BURNET'S HIS,
TORY OF HIS OWN TIMES, CONTAINING AN
ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF KING CHARLES
THE SECOND, AND THE GROUNDS FOR SUPPOS-
ING THAT HE WAS POISONED.

1685.

A new

jent.

THERE was at this time a new scheme formed, that scheme of very probably would have for ever broken the King govern- and the Duke. But how it was laid was fo great a fecret, that I could never penetrate into it. It was laid at Lady Portfmouth's. Barillon and Lord Sunderland were the chief managers of it. Lord Godolphin was also in it. The Duke of Monmouth came-over fecretly. And, tho' he did not fee the King, yet he went-back very well pleafed with his journey. But he never told his reafon to any, that I know of. Mr. May, of the privy-purfe, told me, that he was told there was a defign to break-out, with which he himself would be well-pleafed And when it was ripe, he was to be called-on to come and manage the King's temper, which no man understood better than he did; for he had been bred about the King ever fince he was a child: And, by his post, he was in the fecret of all his amours; but was contrary to his notions in every thing elfe, both with relation to Popery, to France, and to Arbitrary government. Yet he was fo true to the King, in that leud confidence in which he employed him, that the King had charged him never to prefs

« AnteriorContinuar »