pugnant to the interest of the kingdom: who, very justly, looked on the growth of

terian lords, &c. The author informs us afterwards, of the pains which he took to dispose the catholics to take the oath of allegiance, and of the misfortune which caused that three persons, under the influence of the jesuits, procured the earl of Bristol to be named to plead the cause of the whole party in the upper house of parliament. The earl performed his part with a great deal of eloquence; but his conclusion marr'd the whole, because he offer'd only a model of the oath, curtailed and maimed with many restrictions.-He remarketh further, that the catholic lords acted with great zeal; and particularly laid stress on this, that none of the Romish communion had taken arms against the royal party during the late civil war. But that it was replied upon them, that the catholics had rebelled in Ireland, in 1641, in the most outragious manner:

-that in 1646, at the sollicitation of the apostolic nuntio, John Baptist Rinicciui, they broke the peace which they had concluded with the royalists: and that in 1650, they broke out into another rebellion, at the instigation of their priests. To which it was added, that the greater part of the catholic divines teach, not only as a thing probable or certain, but even as an article of faith, that the pope may depose kings as he pleases, when they contradict the good of the church, or are infected with heresy."-This narrative appears to me very curious, and will possibly explain what foliows from lord Halifax.-" Among all the sorts of

Extracted from Bayle's Novelles de la Republique de Lettres, Mais de June, 1684. p. 325.

that abominably-inhuman superstition, as

men," says his lordship, "who applied themselves to the king, at his first coming home, for his protection, the papists were not the last, nor, as they would fain have flattered themselves, the least welcome; having their past sufferings, as well as their present professions, to recommend them. And there was something that look'd like a particular consideration of them; since it so happened, that the indulgence promis'd to dissenters at Breda, was carried on in such a manner, that the papists were to divide with them; and though the parliament, notwithstanding its resignation to the crown in all things, rejected, with scorn and anger, a declaration fram'd for this purpose; yet the birth and steps of it gave such an alarm, that mens suspicions, once rais'd, were not easily laid asleep again."-Lord Clarendon, speaking of this same affair, says, "With this gracious disposition [towards the papists] his majesty returned into England; and received his catholick subjects with the same grace and frankness that he did his other: and they took all opportunities to extól their own sufferings, which they would have understood to have been for him. And some very noble persons there were, who had served his father very worthily in the war, and suffered as largely afterwards for having done so. But the number of those was not great; but much greater than of those who shewed any affection to him, or for him, during the time of his absence, and the government of the usurper. Yet some few there were, even of those who had suffered most for his father, who did send him supply when he was abroad, though they were hardly able to provide

* Halifax's Miscellanies, p. 128, 12mo. Lond. 1717.

inconsistent with its safety and happiness.

necessaries for themselves. And in his escape from Worcester, he received extraordinary benefit by the fidelity of many poor people of that religion; which his majesty was never reserved in the remembrance of. And this gracious disposition in him, did not then appear ingrateful to any. And then, upon an address made to the house of peers, in the name of the Roman catholicks, for some relaxation of those laws which were still in force against them; the house of peers appointed that committee, which is mentioned before, to examine and report all those penal statutes, which reached to the taking away the life of any Roman catholick, priest or layman, for his religion; there not appearing one lord in the house, who seemed to be unwilling that those laws should be repealed. And after that committee was appointed, the Roman catholick lords and their friends for some days diligently attended it, and made their observations upon several acts of parliament; in which they desired ease. But, on a sudden, this committee was discontinued, and never after revived; the Roman catholicks never afterwards being sollicitous for it.-There was a committee chosen amongst them of the superiours of all orders, and of the secular clergy, that sate at Arundel-house, and consulted together with some of the principal lords and others of the prime quality of that religion, what they should say or do in such and such cases, which probably might fall out. They all concluded, at least apprehended, that they should never be dispensed with in respect of the oaths, which were enjoyned to be taken by all men, without their submit, ting to take some other oath, that might be an equal security of and for their fidelity to the king, and the

To colour over this, great zeal was seem

preservation of the peace of the kingdom. And there had been lately scattered abroad some printed papers, written by some regular and secular clergy, with sober propositions to that purpose; and even the form of an oath and subscription, to be taken or made by all catholicks; in which there was an absolute renunciation, or declaration, against the temporal authority of the pope, which, in all common discourses amongst the protestants, all Roman catholicks made no scruple to renounce and disclaim. But it coming now to be the subject-matter of the debate in this committee, the jesuits declared, with much warmth, that they ought not, nor could they with a good conscience as catholicks, deprive the pope of his temporal authority, which he hath in all kingdoms granted to him by God himself, with very much to that purpose; with which most of the temporal lords, and very many of the seculars and regulars, were so much scandalized, that the committee being broken up for that time, they never attended it again; the wiser and the more conscientious men discerning, that there was a spirit in the rest that was raised and governed by a passion, of which they could not comprehend the ground. And the truth is, the jesuits, and they who adhered to them, had entertained great hopes from the king's too much grace to them, and from the great liberty they enjoyed; and promised themselves, and their friends, another kind of indulgence than they saw was intended them by the house of peers. And this was the reason that that committee was no more looked after, nor any publick address was any further prosecuted. Aud from this time there every day appeared so much inso lence and indiscretion amongst the imprudent catho

ingly shewn for the church of England,

licks, that they brought so many scandals upon his majesty, and kindled so much jealousy in the parliament, that there grew a general aversion towards them"."-These transactions, in parliament, commenced June 10th, and ended July 16th, 1661 b.". To go on. His majesty, as it is well known, was married to a Roman catholic by a Roman catholic, the lord Aubigny; for it was he who performed the ceremony, though, to blind the people, an English protestant bishop publickly pronounced them man and wife. The account given of the public marriage of the king with the infanta of Portugal, by lord Sandwich, who brought her over, is curious, and will probably excite some reflexions in the mind of the attentive, intelligent reader. May 21, 1662," says he," in the afternoon, the king and queen came into the presence-chamber [at Portsmouth] upon the throne, and the contract, formerly made with the Portugal ambassador, was read in English by Sir John Nicholas, in Portuguese by the Portugal secretary de Saire; after which the king took the queen by the hand, and (as I think) said the words of matrimony appointed in the common-prayer, the queen also declaring her consent. Then the bishop of London [Sheldon] stood forth, and made the declaration of matrimony in the commonprayer, and pronounced them man and wife, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."

The duke of York, brother to the king, was of the Romish communion also, who converted his first, and took to his second wife, a lady of the same profession.

• Clarendon's Continuation, vol. II. p. 269. b See Kennet's Register * Id. p. 696. 4 Kennet's Chronicle.