as it had been formerly by law established; Bennet, earl of Arlington, first secretary of state, and afterwards lord chamberlain; Clifford, lord hightreasurer; and many others; were preferred by this monarch to posts of the greatest dignity, though they were well known to be averse to the protestant faith. This filled the people with dismal apprehensions; especially as many papists, officers and common men, were employed in the fleet and army. So that Mr. Powle, as we find, said openly, in the house of commons, "Their insolence is the complaint in every street. This has filled the minds of the people with apprehensions. They have abused the king's favour. There are some good and some bad among them. Would have the nation secured of our own religion, especially seeing that some of them have crept into commands and employments."- -Crofts, bishop of Hereford, publicly declared, that "it was then [1679] a year and a half since, in his cathedral, he told his sad apprehensions of popish designs to destroy both us and our religion.For they [the papists] were then providing horse and arms, they posted about day and night, they threatned many that they must ere long turn or burn, and some told their friends that if it came to cutting of throats they should be saved; which made it evident, that not only they had some bloody design, but thought themselves also sure to effect it.- -But now--I hear my bloody enemies, the jesuitical priests, are resolved, as soon as they can find opportunity, to hasten my death.". -The house of commons, moved by the consideration of Anchitell Grey's Debates of the House of Commons, vol. II. p. 35. 8vo. Lond. 1763. b Legacy to his Diocese; in the Dedication. the laws made in its disfavour, in the late these things, presented an address to his majesty, March 3, 1672: in the preamble to which it is said, We, your majesty's most loyal subjects, the commons in this present parliament assembled, being very sensible of the great dangers and mischiefs that may arise within this your majesty's realm, by the increase of popish recusants amongst us; and considering the great resort of priests and jesuits into this kingdom, who daily endeavour to seduce your majesty's subjects from their religion and allegiance; and how much your loyal subjects are disheartened to see such popish recusants advanced into employments of great trust and profit, and especially into military commands over the forces now in your majesty's service; and having a tender regard to the preservation of your majesty's person, and the peace and tranquillity of this kingdom: do, in all humility, desire, &c." In another address, presented by the house of commons, Nov. 29, 1680, they more strongly express themselves." It is not unknown to your majesty," say they, "how restless the endeavours, and how bold the attempts, of the popish party, for many years last past, have been, not only within this, but other your majesties kingdoms, to introduce the Romish and utterly to extirpate the true protestant religion.This bloody and restless party, not content with the great liberty they had a long time enjoyed to exercise their own religion privately amongst themselves, to partake of an equal freedom of their persons and estates with your majesties protestant subjects, and of an advantage, above them, in being excused from chargeable offices and employments, hath so far prevailed as to find countenance from an open and avowed practice of their superstition and idolatry, without controul, in several parts of this kingdom. Great swarms of priests and jesuits have resorted hither; and have here exercised their jurisdiction, and been daily tampering to pervert the consciences of your majesties subjects. Their opposers they have found means to disgrace; and if they were judges, justices of the peace, or other magistrates, to have them turned out of commission: and, in contempt of the known laws of the land, they have practised upon people of all ranks and qualities, and gained over divers to their religion; some openly to profess it, others secretly to espouse it, as most conduced to the service thereof. After some time, they became able to influence matters of state and government; and, thereby to destroy those they cannot corrupt. The continuance or prorogation of parliaments has been accommodated to serve the purposes of that party.Nor was this spoken at random. Lord Stafford, before his condemnation, at the bar of the house of lords, said, "My lords, since his majesties happy restauration, I do conceive, and I think I may safely say it (for you all know it, he was gracious and good to all dissenters, particularly to them of the Romish church) they [the catholics] had connivance and indulgence in their private houses: and I declare to your lordships, I did then say to some that were too open in their worship, that they did play foul in taking more liberty upon them than was fitting for them too."--And Coleman, secretary to the duke of York, in a letter to the pope's internuncio, dated, Aug. 21, 1674, tells him, "We have in agitation great designs, worthy the consideration of your friends, and to be supported with all their power, wherein we Stafford's Tryal, p. 200. fol. Lond. 1680-1. a have no doubt but to succeed; and it may be to the utter ruin of the protestant party, if you join with us in good earnest, and cordially second our enterprizes 2." ——In a letter, dated Sept. 4th, following, he writes his correspondent, "The dukes principal design is, to terminate this difference [between France and Spain] by the interposition of the pope; and by that means to establish himself in the possession of his estate through their assistance; and to turn all their cases (which at present are employed to destroy each other) for the ease of the pope's friends, and particularly for the catholicks of the church, against their great enemies. If you please to consider the affair as it is, you will find, that the pope never had an occasion so favourable, as at this hour, to inrich those of his family, and to augment the number of his friends; and if he lets it slip, he will never find the like: so that if ever they propose to make use of the treasure of the church, it is now they ought to do it; for they can demand nothing that the duke will not be capable to do for the pope's friends "."-The same gentleman, in a letter to father le Chese, confessor to Lewis XIV. declares, "We have here a mighty work upon our hands, no less than the conversion of three kingdoms; and by that, perhaps, the subduing of a pestilent heresy, which has domineered over a great part of this northern world a long time. There was never such hopes of success since the death of queen Mary, as now in our days."Such were the hopes of the catholics! Such their confidence in the power of those who favoured and supported them! We are not to wonder, after this, if the most cool and sedate men were * Coleman's Collection of Letters, p. S. fol. Lond. 1681. C. Id. p. 118. b Id. p. 10. times, being abolished; and episcopacy, in alarmed and terrified with the dangers that were like to befal them, from a sect whose characteristic has always been persecution; persecution most bloody.By way of supplement to what is here said, I would, observe, that it now was become fashionable with the divines, who chose to be in favour at court, to speak well of the tricks and juggles of the Romish priests. -"I spoke severally," says the lady Anne, wife of the duke of York, " to two of the best bishops we have in England [Sheldon, archbishop of Canterbury; and Blandford, bishop of Worcester]; who both told me, there were many things in the Roman church, which (it were very much to be wished) we had kept; as confession, which was, no doubt, commanded by God: that praying for the dead, was one of the antient things in Christianity: that, for their parts, they did it daily, though they would not own it: and afterwards, pressing one of them very much upon the other points, he told me, that if he had been bred a catholic, he would not change his religion; but that, being of another church, wherein, he was sure, were all things necessary to salvation, he thought it very ill to give that scandal, as to leave that church wherein he had received his baptism. All these discourses did but add more to the desire I had to be a catholic, and gave me the most terrible agonies in the world."--No doubt of it. The poison of such doctrines is deadly, and is to be cured only by the exercise of reason and the practice of virtue: which will set men above the delusions, sorceries, and witchcrafts of those, who endeavour to impose on the understanding, in order * Paper written by the late duchess of York. fol. Lond. 1686. |