of the best men, and best patriots", that tained hereby; and, upon a motion made in the court of King's Bench, a day was given to the defendant to shew cause why that writ should not be executed. But Oates, knowing the times, and with whom he had to do, neglected it, as thinking it would be to no purpose. Whereupon the writ on the given day was executed; and the jury gave the duke 100,000l. damages, and twenty shillings costs. This effectually secured Oates for future vengeance. Mr. Dutton Colt had been assessed in the like sum, for scandalous words, against his royal highness, some time before. -Sir Samuel Barnardiston, for writing some letters to a friend, in which honourable mention was made of lord Russell and Mr. Sidney, who had been put to death by the government, and some account given of court transactions, was, on an information by the attorneygeneral in the court of King's Bench, convicted, and condemned to pay a fine of 10,000l. to the king; find sureties for his good behaviour during life, and committed till it was paid and done. -Numberless other convictions there were of a like kind with these; which, as they are to be found in our general histories, I here omit these being abundantly sufficient to shew what revenge was pursued, and what instruments were made use of, to crush those who had any way disgusted Charles, his brother, or his ministers! May England never see such times again! 33 Some of the best men, and best patriots, were condemned, and executed, out of a spirit of revenge.] Those who are conversant in English history, will easily guess, that lord Russel and Algernon Sidney are * Oates's Trial, Lond. 1684. Barnardiston's Trial, Lond. 1684. adorned the age, were tried, condemned, more particularly meant by this description. They were both, confessedly, men of virtue, probity, and integrity; and the latter had capacity and knowledge sufficient to have qualified him for legislator in any republic in the most ancient times. The principles of both these men, though different, were very obnoxious to the court. Their spotless manners; their uncorrupt hands; their hatred of popery; and opposition to tyranny; were matters of dread, and reproach, to those, who ruled in such corrupt times: and nothing could be more pleasing, to such wretches, than to find an occasion of cutting them off under the notion of malefactors. The story of what was called, the Rye-house Plot, is well known: the measures of administration had alarmed men: and those who could not see, were capable of feeling that matters were but badly managed; and, probably, would be still worse. This gave occasion to much talk; to many projects; and expressions very extravagant and wicked. For amidst a number of men it cannot be, but there will be fools and knaves among them. That there were many very idle and ridiculous discourses concerning taking off the king, and the duke, in clubs and meetings; many foolish things talked of, by warm and zealous men in their cups; is too certain to be denied: but that there were any formed designs, any proper preparations, though sworn by many witnesses, is much to be doubted. The best evidence we have, for the reality of the plot, arises from the confessions of Walcot, Rouse, and Hone, at their executions; for Holloway's hopes of life, I think, in some measure weakens his assertions. -Let us attend then to these.-Captain Walcot said, "I confess I was so unfortunate and unhappy as and executed, out of revenge for past ac-. to be invited, by colonel Rumsey (one of the witnesses against me), to some meetings: where something was discoursed of in order to the asserting our liberties and properties, which we looked upon to be violated and invaded. But it was he and Mr. West, and some gentlemen that are fled, who were the great promoters of these meetings. I was near a quarter of a year ill of the gout; and, during that time, Mr. West often visited me, and still his discourse would be concerning lopping the two sparks; that was the word he used, meaning the king and the duke, and proposed it might be done at a play: for, he said, then they would dye in their calling: it was his very expression. He bought arms to do it with, without any direction of mine. I never saw the arms; nor I never saw the men that were to do it: though, they said, they had fifty employed to that end. I told several of them, that the killing the king would carry such a blemish and stain with it, as would descend to posterity; that I had eight children that I was loath should be blemished with it: and, withal, I was confident the duke of Monmouth would revenge his fathers blood, if it were but to vindicate himself from having any hand in it. Mr. West presently told me, that the duke of Monmouth did not refuse to give an engagement that he would not punish those that should kill the king." Hone, a simple weak man, said, " he was drawn in and ensnared. For," added he, "I was never at any of their meetings, any of their cabals; but in a public coffee-house or tavern, where they discoursed the matter of fact: and I was to * Speeches of Russell, Walcot, Rouse, and Hone; published by order of the Sheriffs. fol. Lond. July 21, 1683. tions, or fear of opposition from them for meet the king and duke of York; but I did not know at that time when, or where, or what was mybusiness. Rouse declared, "he had been in clubs, where it had been in discourse to accommodate Monmouth. That there was a design," continues he, " to set up the duke of Monmouth, I will not say while the king reigns; though some extravagant hot-headed men have taken upon them to discourse these things, but not any worthy man. I know those, that were worthy to be called by that name, have declared, in my hearing, that, in opposition to the duke of York, if the king be seized, they would stand by the duke of Monmouth "."All this looks nothing like a day appointed, and measures taken, for assassinations; as was sworn by many of the witnesses. But, be this as it may, it was not in the company of those, who uttered such things, that Sidney or Russell were to be found. They were too knowing, too cautious for this. Unhappily, however, they mixed with bad men; such as Shaftesbury, Grey, and Howard: the last of which turned evidence against them, and was a principal în their destruction.- On the testimony of Rumsey, lord Russell was taken up, examined, committed, and tried, July 13, 1683, for high treason. The event is well known. The jury, picked out for the purpose, found him guilty; and his majesty would shew him no mercy.What were Russell's transgressions in point of law, will be best learnt from the paper he delivered to the sheriffs, on the day of his execution, on the scaffold.- "I have always loved my country a Speeches of Russell, Walcot, Rouse, and Hone; published by order of the Sheriffs. fol. Lond. July 21, 1683. b Ibid. the future. Thus did his majesty reign much more," says he, " than my life; and never had any design of changing the government, which I value, and look upon as one of the best governments in the world; and would always have been ready to venture my life for the preserving it; and would have suffered any extremity, rather than have consented to any design to take away the kings life: neither ever had man the impudence to propose so base and barbarous a thing to me. And I look upon it as a very unhappy and uneasy part of my present condition, that in my indictment there should be so much as mention of so vile a fact; though nothing in the least was said to prove any such matter, but the contrary, by the lord Howard: neither does any body, I am confident, believe the least of it."-"As to the conspiring to seize the guards," says he, "which is the crime for which I am condemned, and which was made a constructive treason for taking away the kings life, to bring it within the Statute of Ed. III. I shall give this true and clear account: I never was at Mr. Sheppards with that company but once, and there was no undertaking then of securing or seizing the guards, nor none appointed to view or examine them. Some discourse there was of the feasibleness of it; and several times by accident, in general discourse, elsewhere, I have heard it mentioned as a thing might easily be done, but never consented to as fit to be done. And I remember, particularly, at my lord Shaftesburys, there being some general discourse of this kind, I immediately flew out and exclaimed against it; and asked, If the thing succeeded, what must be done next, but massacring the guards, and killing them in cold blood? which I lookt upon as so detestable a thing, and so like a popish practice, |