score firemen, in beginning the conflagration in A. C. 1677. London; and were determined to feize that opportunity of affaffinating the king; but their hearts relented when they faw him exert himself with fuch humanity for the relief of the fufferers. He declared that the jefuits fomented the faction in Scotland against the duke of Lauderdale; and that he had seen and been intrufted with many letters relating to this confpiracy.

Sir Ed

The apprehenfions of the people were furpri- Murder of fingly aroused and their refentment kindled even mundsbury to fury at this information, every particular of Godfiey. which they implicitly believed. It was fuppofed to be confirmed by Coleman's letters, which contained fome mysterious hints about extirpating the proteftant herefy, the great zeal of the duke, and the mercenary spirit of his brother. But what ef tablished its credit beyond all doubt or hesitation, in the opinion of the multitude, was the death of Sir Edmundsbury Godfrey, who, after having been loft for several days, was found dead in a ditch by Primrose-hill in the way to Hampstead. His own fword was thrust through his body; but no blood had flowed from the wound: fo that in all probability he had been dead fome time before this method was taken to deceive the public. His gloves lay by him; and there was money in his pocket. A broad, livid mark appeared quite round his neck, which was broken; his breast exhibited some mar!s of bruises; and on his breeches were found several drops of wax-lights, which he never used in his own family. The clamour was immediately raised against the papifts, as the authors of this murder; and the duke of Norfolk incurred fome fufpicion, from the officious manner in which he had retailed different reports to the council, before the body was found. He told them Godfrey had made a fcandalous marriage, and retired from N° 73.

K

the

A. C. 1677. the derifion of the public: he shifted the scene of the transaction from place to place; and the deceased had been seen near Arundel-house, immediately before he disappeared. The populace were now exasperated to fuch a degree, that moderate men began to dread a general maffacre of the Roman catholics. The body of Godfrey was carried through the streets in proceffion, preceded by feventy clergymen, attended with a vaft multitude, and expofed in public for feveral days, during which this melancholy fpectacle produced a most inflammatory effect upon the beholders. Even the better fort of people were infected with all the vulgar prejudices of the lower class; and the fireams of refentment and credulity ran fo high, that no man could, with any regard to perfonal fafety, exprefs the least doubt concerning the information of Oates, or the murder of Godfrey.

The parliainent ef. pouses the

the plot.

The parliament meeting while the people were in this agitation, Charles could not help taking notion of fome notice of the confpiracy: but he touched upon it flightly, faying, he fhould forbear delivering his opinion on the fubject, left he should be thought to fay too much or too little. He was ftill defirous of ftifling an enquiry which might involve the kingdom in confufion, and redound to the prejudice of his brother, whom he knew to be a bigotted papist. His intention, however, was fruftrated by the earl of Danby, who, either from enmity to the catholics, or a defire of acquiring popularity, difclofed the whole affair in the houfe of peers, and expatiated upon the danger to which the king's life was exposed by this confpiracy. Charles was very much difpleafed at his conduct upon this occafion. "You have (faid he) given them a handle to ruin "yourfelf, as well as to disturb my affairs." The country-party in the parliament would not let flip fuch an opportunity of managing the paffions of the

peo

people; while the creatures of the court were afto- A. C. 1677. nifhed and intimidated into filence and fubmiffion. An addrefs was prefented for a faft, and a new form of prayer compofed for the occafion. The two houses petitioned that all popish recufants should be obliged to leave London; and that no ftranger fhould be permitted to approach his majefty's perfon. Yet, in all these three addreffes, they did not limit their fears to the king's perfon, but expreffed their apprehenfion of the danger that. threatened the proteftant religion. This was the note which had been fo fuccefsfully founded in the ears of the people, by the members of the former long parliament. Oates was now examined by the commons, and made feveral additions to his first declaration. He affirmed, that the pope had by commiffions appointed lord Arundel of Wardour chancellor, lord Powis treasurer, Sir William Godolphin privy-feal, lord Bellafis general, lord Petre lieutenant-general, lord Radcliffe major-general, lord Stafford paymafter-general, Coleman fecretary of ftate, and Langhorne advocate-general. This lawyer he had not mentioned at the council board; but now he infifted upon having feen the commiffions in Langhorne's chamber, and upon having delivered fome of them with his own hands. He likewife accused Coleman and Wakeman, upon his own knowledge: the first as having employed four ruffians to assassinate the king at Windsor, in the preceding fummer: the other, whofe perfon he did not know at his firft examination, he now charged with having undertaken, for the confideration of fifteen thousand pounds, to poifon his majesty. If Oates had actually profeffed himself a Roman catholic, on purpose to betray the jefuits, and had even been intrusted with thofe commiffions and letters, he certainly would have retained and produced

K 2

A. C. 1677. duced fome of them, in order to corroborate and

afcertain the truth of his evidence. He had boasted to the king of having ventured his foul in his fervice; but if he had really acted from fuch motives, he would not have allowed four ruffians to repair to Windfor on purpose to affaffinate his fovereign, without giving intelligence of their defign. It were an idle task to detect the falfhood of an information which contains fuch a number of palpable abfurdities. The two houfes voted it a moft dangerous confpiracy; and the lords above-mentioned were committed to the Tower. The trained bands of London were ordered to be in readiness: the two houses fat every day, to confider the dangerous plot: a committee of lords were appointed to examine witneffes; and they were fupplied with blank warrants for committing fuch perfons as they fhould find cause to fufpect. Oates was recommended to the king by the parliament, protected by guards, accommodated with a penfion of twelve hundred pounds, and extolled as the faviour of the nation. The king expelled the catholics from London, and from his guards, by proclamation: but the parliament was not so easily fatisfied. The commons brought in a bill for preventing the danger that arose from popish members, especially in the houfe of peers. This was a previous step to more vigorous measures concerted against the fucceffion of the duke of York. The leading men in the upper houfe, at this juncture, were the duke of Buckingham, the earl of Shaftfbury, the lords Effex and Hallifax. They were all averfe to a popifh fucceffor; but the two firft acted from private animofity. The king perceived the drift of the commons, who had actually begun to debate upon an addrefs for petitioning his majesty to remove the duke from his perfon and councils. He therefore,

on

on the ninth day of November, in a speech to both A. C. 1677. houses, declared his readiness to pafs all reasonable bills, provided they should have no tendency to deftroy the right of fucceffion in the true branch, nor to restrain his authority, and the juft rights of his proteftant fucceffors.

informer.

During these transactions, a new informer ap- Bedloe peared, in the person of one Bedloe, who, in a commences letter to Mr. Secretary Coventry, from Newbury, on the road to Bristol, defired that he might be apprehended by warrant, as he could make fome important discoveries. He was an infamous cheat, who had been detected in many different branches of knavery. He had made shift to live by impofture, and travelled over great part of Europe in borrowed characters. He was, according to his defire, arrested at Bristol, and conveyed to London. He declared before the council, that he had seen the body of Sir Edmundsbury Godfrey in the queen's palace at Somerset-house: that a fervant of lord Bellafis had offered to gratify him with four thousand pounds, if he would affift in carrying it away; but that he had declined the office, and gone into the country, where he was fo disturbed by the horrors of conscience, that he could enjoy no peace of mind, until he had addreffed himself to the fecretary. At his firft examination, in the king's prefence, he faid he knew nothing of the plot; but had heard that forty thousand Spaniards were ready to rendezvous as pilgrims at St. Jago, from whence they would be transported to Eng

land.

Next day, however, when examined by the committee of lords, he recollected all the particulars of the confpiracy, on his own knowledge; and, to render himself the more acceptable, added a great many circumftances of his own invention. The king told Dr. Burnet, that Bedloe had certainly been tutored, in the interval between his