with regard to futurity, the utmost affurances

for, knowing that the belief of our church and that of the church of England is the fame, they willingly come to our churches; and even Dr. Cofin, the King ' of Great Britain's chaplain, hath joined us with great ⚫ devotion.' Daille, a man of the first reputation for learning and judgment in the controverfies of those days, and who gave then an almoft deadly wound to the authority of the fathers; Dailly, I fay, wrote as follows, concerning the religion of Charles: I well know ' there have been dispersed evil rumours concerning the religion of this prince.: and I doubt not, but there are fome perfons at London, as well as here at Paris, who • endeavour to perfwade the world, that he hath forfaken our communion to embrace that of Rame. But who can believe a thing that is fo contrary to probability? There is nothing of this appears to us. On the contrary, we well know, that although this prince. hath been constrained, by the circumftances of his prefent condition, to refide sometimes in places where the 'exercise of our religion is not permitted; yet he hath always had his chaplains near to him, who are nothing less than papists, and who have every where regularly, in his presence, prayed, and performed the other parts of divine fervice. It is objected against this, that, during the whole space of time which the King of Great Britain pafs'd in the court of France, he never came to our religious affemblies, and that, amongst others, he never came to Charenton on the days of our worship. But although this may, at first • view

furances were given, by the royalifts, of

view, appear ftrange to those who knew not the reafon of it; nevertheless, as we are better informed of this ⚫ than any one, we can testify, that religion was not the cause of it, and that he abstained from coming upon 'politick and prudential confiderations, which may be 'peculiar to our church. And the proof of this appears

in that when the King of England hath been out of • Paris, he hath willingly gone to sermon in the churches of our brethren; as, for inftance, in Caen, and fome other towns and in Holland, alfo, he hath feveral times heard the fermons of the famous Monfieur More, who at prefent is our colleague. Thus, Sir, it is more clear than the day, that whatsoever hath been reported, till this time, of the change of his reli'gion, is a meer calumny, fcattered by the artifice of his enemies, for to vilify him in the judgment of his fubjects, and to alienate their affections and good-will from him, and, finally, to render fruitless the just < prayers which they make at prefent for his happy return into England. (o).'. The ftrain of thefe letters is very remarkable! Men who, probably, knew noChronicle, thing, or next to nothing, of Charles, but his negP. 92-95 lect or contempt of them when at Paris, take on them to found forth his praifes, and proclaim his deferts. Whether it was vanity, or the hopes of reward, which excited them to this undertaking, I will not pretend to determine. The event fhewed their ignorance of what they talked about, and gave a leffon, to fuch as were capable of inftruction, that clergymen, in general,

(0) Ken

net's Regif

ter and

are

of burying in oblivion what was paff

ed

are ill judges of politics, and grofsly ignorant of the rights and interests of nations. We are informed, by

Baxter, that these letters were procured by Lord Lauderdale, by means of Sir Robert Murray and the Countefs of Balcares, then in France (p).

The king himself alfo, in a letter to Mr. Morrice (afterwards fecretary of state), dated, Brussels, Apr. 8, 1669, affured him, that he should be found to have the fame good ends which he [Morrice] propofed to himself; and that no man in the kingdom could more, if fo much, defire the advancement of the protestant religion, and the peace, and happiness, and honour of the nation (q). — To all this, it was added, 'that by

< clofing with Charles, peace would enfue, and thence

(p) Reliquie Baxterianæ, part II. p. 215,

(q) Thur loe, vol. vii,

p. $58.

plenty: no jealousy of a pretender to invade us from abroad: Ireland, yea and Scotland, will acquiefce by way of fubordination to the crown; the royal party 'must submit to the terms agreed; for if the head be fatisfied, the body hath neither power nor title to difpute it farther. Parties alfo,' it was faid, would be reconciled; and then there would be no occafion for a land army. Taxes and the excife would ceafe; and peace 'be established with foreign princes. The reformed religion would be greatly advanced; and the characters of thofe cleared who firft engaged in the war, • and covenanted that they had no thoughts or intentions to diminish his majesty's just power and great- King and nefs (r).Thefe were the reprefentations used, on

(r) Difcourfes for a

Parliament,

P. 14. 4to. this Lond, 1660.

ed (LL), and fecuring the enjoyment of every thing dear and valuable to the

people.

this occafion, to heighten the difpofition of the people towards his majesty! Representations fit to work on the vulgar unthinking herd, of all degrees, who are eafily beguiled, by priefts and ftatefmen, to their own deftruction. These men, if they had been taxed afterwards with their falfhoods, probably, would have excused themselves, by faying, that they then thought so. But they should have known, that three noble nations were of too great a value to be thus lightly handled; and that nothing but certainty, or the highest probability, fhould have excited them to induce a people, who might ftill have been free, to fubmit to a mafter, bred up in the principles of tyranny, defcended from tyrants, and a stranger, in a good measure, to the laws and liberties of the country over which he claimed to bear rule.

(LL) The utmost affurances were given, by the royalifts, of burying in oblivion what was paffed.] The bulk of the nation, notwithstanding their inclinations to the king, could not but be under apprehenfions of the confequences of his restoration. The royalifts were judged to be inclinable to revenge; and it was fuppofed, as thefe would be poffeffed of the power, they would not want the will to make thofe, who had fubdued them, dearly pay for it. Property had shifted hands; and liberty of confcience had been claimed, and exercised, in a manner which could not be acceptable to those who 4 had

people.
---- Some wife men there were,
however, who were not to be amufed

by

(s) Ormonde's Pa

pers, vol. ii. P. 318.

had lorded it in the church and in the state, and thought
they had still a right fo to do. In fhort, people were
afraid for their confciences, their poffeffions, and their
perfons for many of the royalifts had been foolish
enough to talk of his majesty's refolutions of revenge (s).
The king, and his friends, were aware of this;
and
therefore took all poffible care to to lull the nation asleep,
by smooth words, plaufible profeffions, and fuch affur-
ances as were judged apteft to work on their credulity.
• Hyde fent over Dr. Morley, who talk'd much with the
C presbyterians of moderation in general, but would en-
• ter into no particulars; only he took care to let them
know, that he was a Calvinift: and they had the beft
⚫ opinion of such of the church of England as were of
⚫ that perswasion (t).' To second this moft effectually,
his majesty, in a declaration, dated, Breda, Ap. 14, vol. i.
1660, promifed a liberty to tender confciences; and
⚫ that no man fhould be difquieted, or called in queftion,
for differences of opinion in matters of religion,
which do not difturb the peace of the kingdom; and
that he should be ready to confent to such an act of
parliament, as, upon mature deliberation, should be
offered him for the full granting that indulgence.

And because,' proceeds he, in the continued dif⚫tractions of fo many years, and fo many and great ' revolutions, many grants and purchases of eftates have been made by and to officers, foldiers, and others, who are now poffefs'd of the fame, and who may be

(t) Burnet, p. 88.