Anno 1 Will. I found that I could not, I ought to have quitted the SerIII. 1688. vice; neither is it an Excufe, that I have got none of those Things which ufually engage Men in public Affairs: My Quality is the fame that it ever was, and my Eftate much worse, even ruin'd, tho' I was born to a very confiderable one, which I am afham'd to have spoiled, tho' not fo much as if I had increased it by indirect Means. But, to go on to what you expect: The Pretence to a difpenfing Power being not only the first thing which was much disliked fince the Death of the late King, but the Foundation of all the reft, I ought to begin with that which I had fo little to do with, that I never heard it spoken of till the Time of Monmouth's Rebellion, when that the King told fome of the Council, of which I was one, that he was refolved to give Employments to Roman Catholics, it being fit that all Perfons fhould ferve who could be useful, and on whom he might depend. I think every body advised him against it, but with little Effect, as was foon feen: That Party was fo well pleased with what the King had done, that they perfuaded him to mention it in his Speech at the next Meeting of the Parliament, which he did after many Debates, whether it was proper or not: In all which I oppofed it, as is known to very confiderable Persons, fome of which were of another Opinion; for I thought it would engage the King too far, and it did give fuch Offence to the Parliament, that it was thought neceffary to prorogue it; after which the King fell immediately to the fupporting the difpenfing Power, the most chimerical Thing that was ever thought of, and must be so till the Government here is as abfolute as in Turky; all Power being included in that one. This is the Senfe I ever had of it, and when I heard Lawyers defend it, I never changed my Opinion nor Language; however it went on, most of the Judges being for it, and was the chief Business of the State, till it was looked on as fettled. Then the Ecclefiaftical Court was fet up, in which there being fo many confiderable Men of feveral Kinds, I could have but a fmall Part, and that after Lawyers had told the King it was legal, and nothing like the High Commiffion-Court, I can moft truly fay, and it is well known, that for a good while I defended Magdalen Col lege purely by Care and Industry, and have hundreds of times begged of the King never to grant Mandates, or to change any thing in the regular Course of Ecclefiaftical Affairs, which he often thought reafonable, and then, by perpetual Importunities, was prevailed upon against his own Senfe, which was the very Cafe of Magdalen College, as of fome others. Thefe Things which I endeavoured, tho' without Succefs, drew upon me the Anger and Ill-will of many about the Anno 1. Will. King. The next Thing to be tried, was to take off the Penal III. 1688-9. Laws and Tefts, fo many having promised their Concurrence towards it that his Majesty thought it feafible; but he foon found it was not to be done by that Parliament, which made all the Catholics defire it might be diffolved, which I was fo much against, that they complained of me to the King, as a Man who ruin'd all his Defigns, by oppofing the only Thing which could carry them on; Liberty of Confcience being the Foundation on which we were to build. That was first offered at by the Lord Clifford, who by it had done the Work in the late King's Time, if it had not been for his Weakness, and the Weakness of his Minifters ; yet I hindered the Diffolution feveral Weeks, by telling the King that the Parliament in being would do every thing he could defire, but the taking off the Penal Laws and Tests, or the allowing his difpenfing Power, and that any other Parliament, tho' fuch a one could be had as was propofed, would probably never repeal thofe Laws; and, if they did, they would certainly never do any thing for the Support of the Government, whatever Exigency it might be in. At that time the King of Spain was fick, upon which I faid often to the King, That if he should die, it would be impoffible for his Majefty to preserve the Peace of Christendom; that a War must be expected, and fuch a one as would chiefly concern England; and that if the prefent Parliament continued, he might be fure of all the Help and Service he could wifh; but in cafe he diffolved it, he muft give over all Thoughts of foreign Affairs, for no other would affift him, but on fuch Terms as would ruin the Monarchy; fo that from abroad or at home, he would be deftroy'd, if the Parliament were broken, and any Accident fhould happen, of which there were many, to make the Aid of his People neceffary to him. This and much more I faid to him feveral times privately, and in the hearing of others. But being overpowered, the Parliament was broke, the Clofetting went on, and a new one was to be chofen. Who was to get by Closetting, I need not to fay, but it was certainly not 1, nor any of my Friends; many of them fuffer'd, whom I would fain have faved, and yet I must confefs with Grief, that when the King was refolved, and there was no Remedy, I did not quit, as I ought to have done, but served on, in order to the calling another Parliament. In the midst of all the Preparations for it, and whilft the Corporations were regulating, the King thought fit to order his Declaration to be read in all Churches, of which I molt folemnly proteft I never heard one Word, till the King declar'd it in Council: That drew 1688.9. X X on Anno I Will. on the Petition of the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, and Ill. 1688-9. the other Lords the Bishops, and their Perfecution, which I was fo openly against, that by arguing continually to fhew the Injuftice and Imprudence of it, I brought the Fury of the Roman Catholics upon me to fuch a degree, and fo unanimoufly, that I was juft finking, and I wish I had then funk: But whatever I did foolishly to preserve myself, I continued ftill to be the Object of their Hatred, and I refolved to ferve the Public as well as I could, which I am fure most of the confiderable Proteftants then at Court can teftify; and fo can one very eminent Man of the Country-Party, who I would have perfwaded to come into the Bufinefs, which he might have done, to have helped me to refilt the Violence of those in Power: But he defpaired of being able to do any good, and therefore would not engage. Some Time after came the firft News of the Prince's Defigns, which were then not look'd on as they have prov'd; no body foreseeing the Miracles he has done by his wonderful Prudence, Conduct and Courage; for the greatest Thing which has been undertaken these thou fand Years, or perhaps ever, could not be effected without Virtues hardly to be imagined till feen nearer hand. Upon the firft Thought of his coming, I laid hold of the Opportu nity to prefs the King to do feveral things which I would have had done fooner; the chief of which were to restore Magdalen College, and all the Ecclefiaftical Preferments, which had been diverted from what they were intended for, to take off my Lord Bifhop of London's Sufpenfion, to put the Countries into the fame Hands they were in fome time before, to annul the Ecclefiaftical Court, and to restore entirely all the Corporations of England. Thefe Things were done effectually by the Help of fome about the King, and it was then thought I had deftroyed myself by enraging again the whole Roman Catholic Party, to fuch a height as had not been seen They difperfed Libels of me every Day; told the King, that I betrayed him; that I ruin'd him, by per fwading him to make fuch fhameful Condefcenfions; but most of all by hindering the fecuring the chief of the difaf fected Nobility and Gentry, which was propofed as a certain Way to break all the Prince's Measures, and by advising his Majefty to call a free Parliament, and to depend upon that, rather than upon any foreign Affiftance. It is true, I did give him thofe Councils, which were called weak, to the laft Moment he suffer'd me in his Service: Then I was accused of holding Correspondence with the Prince, and it was every where faid among them, That no better could be ex pected from a Man fo related as I was to the Bedford and Leicester Families, and fo allied to Duke Hamilton, and the Marquis Marquis of Hallifax. After this, Accufations of High Trea. Anno 1 Will fon were brought against me, which, with fome other Rea- III. 1688-9. fons relating to Affairs abroad, drew the King's Displeasure upon me, fo as to turn me out of all, without any Confideration, and yet I thought I efcaped well, and expected nothing less than the Lofs of my Head, as my Lord Middleton can tell, and I believe none about the Court thought otherwife; nor had it been otherwife, if my Difgrace had been deferr'd a Day longer, all things being prepared for it. I was put out on the 27th of October, the Roman Catholics having been two Months working the King up to it, without Intermiffion, befides the feveral Attacks they had made upon me before, and the unufual Affiftance they obtain'd to do what they thought neceffary for the carrying on their Affairs, of which they never had greater Hope than at that Time, as may be remember'd by any who were then at London. But you defired I would fay fomething to you of Ireland, which I will do in very few Words, but exactly true. • My Lord Tirconel has been fo abfolute there, that I never had the Credit to make an Enfign, or to keep one in, nor to preserve some of my Friends, for which I was much concern'd, from the leaft Oppreffion and Injuftice, tho' I endeavour'd it to the utmost of my Power. But yet with Care and Diligence, being upon the Place, and he abfent, I diverted the calling a Parliament there, which was defign'd to alter the Acts of Settlement, Chief Juftice Nugent and Baron Rice were fent over with a Draught of an Act for that purpose, furnished with all the preffing Arguments could be thought on to perfwade the King; I was offer'd 40000/. for my Concurrence, which I told to the King, and fhewed him at the fame time the Injuftice of what was propofed to him, the Prejudice it would be to that Country, with fo good Succefs that he resolved not to think of it that Year, and perhaps never. This I was help'd in by fome Friends, particularly my Lord Godolphin, who knows it to be true, and fo do the Judges before-named, and several others. • I cannot omit faying fomething of France, there having been fo much talk of a League between the two Kings. I do proteft I never knew of any; and if there were fuch a thing. it was carried on by other fort of Men laft Summer. Indeed French Ships were offered to join with our Fleet, and they were refused; fince the Noife of the Prince's Defign, more Ships were offered, and it was agreed how they fhould be commanded, if ever defired. I oppofed, to Death, the accepting of them, as well as any Affittance of Men, and can fay most truly, that I was the principal Means of hindering Anno I Will. Bill for regulat both, by the help of fome Lords, with whom I confulted every Day, and they with me, to prevent what we thought would be of great Prejudice, if not ruinous to the Nation : If the Report is true, of Men, Ships, and Money, intended lately for England out of France, it was agreed upon fince I was out of Bufinefs, or without my Knowledge; if it had been otherwife, I believe no Body thinks my Difgrace would have happened. My greatest Misfortune has been to be thought the Promoter of those things I oppofed and detested, whilft fome I could name have been the Inventers and Contrivers of what they have had the Art to lay upon others; and I was often foolishly willing to bear with what my Master would have done, though I ufed all poffible Endeavours against it. I lie under many other Misfortunes and Afflictions extreme heavy, but I hope they have brought me to reflect upon the Occafion of them, the loofe, negligent, unthinking Life I have hitherto led, having been perpetually hurried away from all good Thoughts, by Pleasure, Idleness, the Vanity of the Court, or by Bufinefs. I hope, I fay, that I fhall overcome all the Disorders my former Life had brought upon me, and that I fhall fpend the remaining Part of it in begging of Almighty God, that he will please either to put an End to my Sufferings, or give me Strength to bear them; one of which he will certainly grant to fuch as rely on him, which I hope I do, with the Submiffion that becomes a good Chriftian. I would enlarge on this Subject, but that I fear you might think fomething elfe to be the Reason of it, befides the true Senfe of my Faults, and that obliges me to restrain myself at present. I believe you will repent in having engaged me to give you this Account, but I cannot forbear the doing of what you defired me. ? February the 26th. A great Debate occurred in the House ing Trials paf'd. of Lords, on the Bill for the better regulating the Trials of the Peers of England; and March the 6th, the Question be ing put, Whether this Bill fhall pafs? It was refolved in the Affirmative. Proteft thereon. Leave was given to any Lords to enter their Diffents; and accordingly thefe Lords following entered their Diffents in the Reafons following: ift, Because nothing ever was or may be put into an A& of Parliament, that can reflect fo much upon the Honour of the Peerage as this will. 2dly, Because this fets the Honour of the Peers and the Commons upon an equal foot. 3dly, Becaufe fuch Perfons as may have Caufes to be heard at the Bar of this Houfe will not be fo confident of the Juf |