A. C. 1677 first and fecond examination. He now faid, that there was a defign of landing ten thousand men at Burlington-bay from Flanders: and of furprising the islands of Jersey and Guernsey by an embarkation from Breft. He affirmed, that the lords Powis and Petre had undertaken to raise an army in Radnorfhire, to join those that would arrive from Spain: that fifty thousand men were ready to rife in London that lord Stafford, Coleman, and Ireland, had received money fufficient to defray the expence of thofe armaments: that he himself had been tampered with, to undertake the murder of a man, in confideration of which he fhould have four thou fand pounds, a commiffion from lord Bellafis, and the pope's benediction. He pretended they were refolved to affaffinate the king, maffacre the protestants; and should the duke refuse to hold the kingdom of the pope, the chief authority would be vefted in certain noblemen nominated by his holiness. He likewife accufed the lords Carrington and Brudenel, who were committed to cuftody by order of parliament. He charged the fire of London, as well as a fubfequent difafter of the fame kind in Southwark, upon the catholics, who hoped to find an opportunity to maffacre the proteftants, in fuch fcenes of tumult and confufion; or at least to enrich themselves with the fpoils of their enemies.

Improbability of what he afferted.

Bedloe's discovery needs no comment; though it may be neceffary to obferve, that France and Spain were at war when this project of invasion was fuppofed to be concerted between those two powers: that the king of Spain, far from being in a condition to tranfport forty thousand men upon fuch a project, could not afford garrifons for the towns in Flanders, which, at his defire, were fecured by English troops; and that, after the most rigorous and unexpected fearch, no arms, ammunition, commiffions,

miffions, or papers, were found, to confirm the evi- A. C. 1677. dence of Oates and Bedloe. Nevertheless, fuch was the torrent of prejudice, fuch the frenzy of the people, that no inconfiftencies were feen, no facts compared, no objections started. Reafon was wholly abandoned, and the most incomprehenfible circumftances were the most devoutly believed. They threw a veil of mystery over the whole defign, which did not fail to excite the veneration of the public, even to a dangerous degree of enthufiafm. The story would have been lefs believed, had it been more confiftent and intelligible. The commons, in an address, befought his majefty to appoint commiffioners for tendering the oaths of allegiance and fupremacy to his own domeftics, those of the duke of York, and all refiding in the palaces of Whitehall, St. James's, and Somerfethouse. The king defired that the fervants of the queen, and dutchess of York, might be excepted; but in a fecond petition, they infifted upon their farmer demand. Understanding that commiffions had been granted to officers who had not taken the oaths, they committed fecretary Williamfon to the Tower, for having counterfigned fuch commiffions. The king immediately released him. The commons juftified what they had done in another addrefs, defiring that he might be detained in cuftody; and that all the popifh officers fhould be difmiffed. Charles told them that Williamson was already releafed; but that he would difmifs the officers against whom they had objected. Then they proceeded on the bill for rendering papifts incapable of fitting in parliament: they brought in another for difbanding the troops; and a third for maintaining part of the militia in arms for a certain term. Charles gave his affent to the two former; but this laft he abfolutely rejected, declaring, that he would not part with the command of the militia;

K 4

A.C. 1677. militia; no, not for an hour: he offered, however, to keep the third part of it on foot, for the fecurity of the government, provided they would grant a fupply fufficient to maintain fuch a force; but they did not think proper to embrace the propofal. When the bill for excluding all members who fhould refuse the test oaths, was brought into the houfe of peers, the duke of York moved that an exception might be admitted in his favour. He begged this indulgence, with tears in his eyes, declaring, that his religion was a private concern between God and his own foul; and that it fhould rever appear in his public conduct. Notwithstanding thefe earnest intreaties, he carried his point by two votes only.

Coleman condemned

and exe.

cuted.

Edward Coleman being brought to his trial, was convicted on the evidence of Oates and Bedloe. The former fwore he had fent föurfcore guineas to the ruffian who undertook to affaffinate the king; the date of this tranfaction he fixed to the month of Auguft; but would not specify the particular day. Coleman could have proved he was in the country during the greater part of that month; and therefore the witnefs would not be particular. His letters to father la Chaife were, in all probability, more heavy upon him than the evidence of Oates and Bedloe: not that they contained any treafonable expreffions; but they were replete with marks of impertinent zeal against the proteftant religion, After his fentence, many members of both houses offered to interpofe in his behalf, if he would make an ample confeffion. They hoped the love of life would have prompted him to accufe the duke his mafter; but he perfifted to the last moment in protefting his own innocence, and vindicating the character of his royal highnefs. He owned the indifcretion of his own conduct, and fome private frauds he had committed; but died in great compofure,

denying

'denying every title of what had been laid to his A. C. 1677. charge; and declaring, before God, that he had never feen Oates but once; and never faw Bedloe before he was apprehended.

Bedloe ac

Charles ftill maintained his first opinion of the Oates and confpiracy, which he ridiculed in private among cufe the thofe in whom he could confide; but he faw it was queen, abfolutely neceffary to yield to the torrent, left he fhould exafperate the nation. He therefore iffued a proclamation, promifing a reward of two hundred pounds to every person who should make any new discovery touching the plot, before the twentyfifth day of December. Oates and Bedloe, though they had often declared that they knew of no perfon of diftinction concerned in the plot, except those they had already named, now ventured to accuse the queen of being engaged in the design against the life of her husband; and the commons, in an addrefs to the king, defired that the queen and her domestics might be immediately removed from the palace of Whitehall. It was well known that Charles had no great affection to the queen; and that her removal would have made way for another confort, by whom he might have had an heir of his own body, which would have quieted all the fears and jealoufies of those who were averfe to a popish fucceffor. Nevertheless, he would not abandon the queen to the rage of a mifguided people. He affured her fhe might depend upon his protection. In order to manifeft his refentment at the infolence of Oates, he commanded him to be ftrictly guarded. Next day, however, the commons, in an addrefs, infifted upon his being enlarged, and ferved by his own domeftics: they likewise defired his majefty would grant a competent penfion for his fubfiftence. They voted, that the king should be addreffed, to cause all the papifts in the kingdom to be arrested. On the fixth day of December, they

im

A.C. 1677. impeached, at the bar of the upper house, the five lords who were confined in the Tower: but they had not time to present the articles of accufation.

Trial and execution of Ireland,

In the course of this month, Ireland and Pickering jefuits, with Grove a lay-brother, were Grove, and tried at the Old-Bailey. Thomas Whitebread, Pickering, provincial of the order, and John Fenwick a mem

ber of the fociety, were likewife produced at the bar; but their trial was deferred on account of the absence of a principal evidence. Oates depofed, that Pickering and Grove had bound themselves by an oath, adminiftred by Whitebread, to affaffinate the king: that for this purpose they had provided themselves with fcrewed piftols and filver bullets : that Pickering actually attempted to fhoot the king in the park, but his flint was loose, so that he loft the opportunity. Bedloe fwore that Ireland, Pickering, and Grove, together with one Conyers a Benedictine monk, undertook to murder the king in his morning walk at Newmarket that he had heard them declare this refolution in the lodgings of father Harcourt, where it was determined that Grove fhould be gratified with fifteen hundred pounds, and Pickering with as many maffes as the like fum would procure: in this particular he agreed with Oates. He likewife declared, Knight, Pritchard, O Neale, and O Bryan, were employed to murder the earl of Shaftsbury, the duke of Buckingham, the duke of Ormond, and his fon the earl of Offory. Grove, in his defence, protefted, that, as he had a foul to be faved, he was utterly ignorant of the whole affair. Pickering faid he had never in his life fired a piftol; and Whitebread, who was prefent at the trial, declared, in the prefence of God, that Oates had not spoke three words of truth in his whole depofition. Ireland denied that he had ever feen Bedloe before that day, and defired him to produce a single witness