The con- the parts of England. Great numbers gathered about them, wherefoever they went.

dence of the Jesuits.

The Pen-
sioner's

letter was
printed,
and was re-

The Jefuits thought all was fure, and that their fcheme 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 fpeak-out, what a wifer 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, instead of pretending that the King ftill kept his word, said, “upon some occafions Princes muft forget their promises." 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 spoke-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 excufe, or bear with, his weakness, which appeared on all occafions and in all companies.

What he wrote to England upon his first audiences was not known. But it was foon after fpread up and down the Kingdom, very artificially and with much ceived with industry, 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

од

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 Tests. And the LayPapifts feemed likewife to be fo well pleafed with it, that they complained of those ambitious Priests, and hungry Courtiers, who were refolved, rather than laydown their aspirings and other projects, to leave them ftill expofed to the feverities of the laws, though a freedom from these was now offered to them. But it was not eafy 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 ftifled it by calling it an impoflure. But, when they were driven from that, the King began to speak severely 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 fhould let all the world fee how deep it was.

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

govern

ment.

THERE was at this time a new fcheme formed, that scheme of very probably would have for ever broken the King 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 Portsmouth'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-purse, 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 poft, 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 press

him in any thing, fo as to provoke him. By this means he kept all this while much at a distance; for he would not enter into any difcourfe with the King on matters of ftate, till the King began with him. And he told me, he knew, by the King's way, that things were not yet quite ripe, nor he thoroughly fixed on the defign. That with which they were to begin was, the fending the Duke to Scotland. And it was generally believed, that, if the two brothers fhould be once parted, they would never meet again. The King fpoke to the Duke concerning his going to Scotland: And he anfwered, that there was no occafion for it: Upon which the King replied, that either the Duke muft go, or that he himself would go thither.

The King was observed to be more than ordinarily penfive. And his fondnefs to Lady Portsmouth increafed, and broke-out in very indecent inftances. The Grand Prior of France, the Duke of Vendome's brother, had made fome application to that Lady, with which the King was highly offended. It was faid, the King came-in on a fudden, and saw that which provoked him: So he commanded him immediately to go out of Eng land. Yet, after that, the King careffed her in the view of all people, which he had never done on any occafion, or to any perfon, formerly. The King was obferved to be colder and more referved to the Duke than ordinary. But "what was under all this" was ftill a deep fecret. Lord Halifax was let into no part of it. He ftill went-on against Lord Rochefter. He complained in council, that there were many razures in the books of the Treafury, and that feveral leaves were cut-out of those books: And he moved the King to go to the Treasury-chamber, that the books might be laid before him, and that he might judge of the matter

upon

Feb. 2, 2084-5.

The King's sickness.

upon fight. So the King named the next Monday. And it was then expected, that the Earl of Rochefter would have been turned-out of all, if not fent to the Tower. And a ineffage was fent to Mr. May, then at Windfor, to defire him to come to Court that day, which it was expected would prove a critical day. And it proved to be fo indeed, tho' in a different way.

All this winter the King looked better than he had done for many years. He had a humour in his leg, which looked like the beginning of the gout: So that for fome weeks he could not walk, as he used to do generally, three or four hours a day in the Park; which he did commonly fo faft, that, as it was really an exercise to himself, fo it was a trouble to all about him to hold-up with him. In the ftate the King was in, he, not being able to walk, spent much of his time in his laboratory, and was running a procefs for the fixing of Mercury. On the firft of February, being a Sunday, he eat little all day, and came to Lady Portsmouth at night, and called for a porringer of spoon-meat. It was made too strong for his ftomach. So he eat little of it: And he had an unquiet night. In the morning one Dr. King, a Phyfician and a Chymift, came, as he had been ordered, to wait on him. All the King's difcourfe to him was fo broken, that he could not understand what he meant. And the Doctor concluded, he was under fome great diforder, either in his mind, or in his body. The Doctor, amazed at this, went-out, and, meeting with the Lord Peterborough, he faid, the King was in a ftrange humour; for he did not speak one word of fenfe. Lord Peterborough defired he would go-in again to the bedchamber, which he did. And he was fcarce come-in, when the King,

who