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ruled the violent and inhuman Jefferies, who was now chief-juftice, easily prevailed on partial jury to bring him in guilty, and his execution followed foon after. One can fcarce contemplate the tranfactions of this reign without horror. Such a picture of factious guilt on each fide, a court at once immersed in fenfuality and blood, a people armed against each other with the most deadly animofity, and no fingle party to be found with sense enough to ftem the general torrent of rancour and factious fufpicion.

Hambden was tried foon after; and as there was nothing to affect his life, he was fined forty thousand pounds. Holloway, a merchant of Bristol, who had fled to the West-Indies, was brought over, condemned, and executed. Sir Thomas Armstrong alfo, who had fled to Holland, was brought over, and shared the fame fate. Lord Effex, who had been imprisoned in the Tower, was found in an apartment with his throat cut; but whether he was guilty of fuicide, or whether the bigotry of the times might not have induced fome affaffin to commit the crime, cannot now be known.

This was the last blood that was shed for an imputation of plots or confpiracies, which continued during the greateft part of this reign.

Nevertheless the cruelty, and the gloomy fufpicion of the duke of York, who, fince the diffolution of the laft parliament, daily came into power, was dreadful to the nation. Titus Oates was fined an hundred thousand pounds, for calling him a popish traitor, and he was imprifoned till he could pay it, which he was utterly incapable of. A like illegal fentence was paffed upon Dutton Colt for the fame offence. Sir Samuel Barnardiston was fined ten thousand pounds, for having, in fome private letters, reflected on the government. Of all those who were concerned in the late confpiracy, scarce one escaped the severity of the court, except the duke of Monmouth, and he was the most culpable of any.

Atthis period, the government of Charles was as abfolute as that of any monarch in Europe; but to please his fubjects by an act of popularity, he judged it proper to marry the lady Anne, his niece, to prince George, brother to the king of Denmark. This was the laft tranfaction of this extraordinary reign. The king was feized with a fudden fit, which resembled an apoplexy; and though he was recovered from it by bleeding, yet he languished only for a few days, and then expired, in the fifty-ninth year of his age, and the twenty-fifth of his reign. During his illGg3

nefs

nefs, fome clergymen of the church of Eng-
land attended him, to whom he discovered a
total indifference. Catholic priests were brought
to his bed-fide, and from their hands he receiv-
ed the rites of their communion. Two papers
were found in his clofet, containing arguments
in favour of that perfuafion. These were soon
after published by James his fucceffor, by
which he greatly injured his own popularity,
and his brother's memory.

INDE X.

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A

ABHORRERS, who, 432-many of them com-
mitted to prifon, 438

Agitators of the army, what, 290

Anjou, duke of, pays his addreffes to queen Elizabeth,
109-a day fixed for the marriage, ib.-difmiffed by
that princess, ib.

Antinomians, what, 337

Arlington, lord, minister to Charles II. 396

Armada, the invincible, account of, 132-fhattered by a
tempeft, 134-attacked by the English, 135-totally
defeated, 136-difperfed by a ftorm, ib.

Arundel, Humphry, heads the infurgents in Devonshire,
16-befieges Exeter, ib.—taken prisoner and executed,
17

fir Thomas, executed for treafon, 28
Afcham, tutor to queen Elizabeth, his remarkable anec-
dote of lady Jane Gray, 36

B

BABINGTON, Anthony, joins in a confpiracy for
murdering Elizabeth, 112-informs Mary of the
defign, 113-apprehended and committed to prifon,

115

Bacon, lord keeper, prefides in a public difputation, 74
regulates the finances of the kingdom, 76

Ballard, John, refolves to deftroy Elizabeth, 112-gains
over Babington to his party, ib.-betrays his accom-
plices, 114-is apprehended, 115

Gg 4

Bare-

Barebone's parliament, what, 337

Barnwell, joins in a confpiracy to destroy Elizabeth, 113.
Baftwick, Dr. punished by the court of Star-chamber,
221-releafed from his imprisonment, 240

Bedloe, William, account of his plot, 417

Benevolence, what, 195

Blake, admiral of the fleet, fome account of, 332-his in-
trepid behaviour in the Mediterranean, 343-his death
and character, 344

Bonner, bishop, fent to the Tower, 12-reinftated by
Mary, 43-made the inftrument of perfecution, 53-
his inhuman cruelty, 55-blames the court for his fe-
verities, 61

Bothwell, earl of, becomes the favourite of Mary queen
of Scots, 85-account of, 86-accufed of Darnley's
murder, 88-feizes the perfon of the queen, ib.-
marries that princefs, 89-taken prifoner, ib.-efcapes
to Denmark, and dies miferably, 90

Buckingham, duke of, one of Charles II. minifters, his
conduct, 396

Burton, a clergyman, punished by the court of Star-
chamber, 221-releafed from his imprisonment, 240

C

ABAL of Wallingford, what, 355

CABA

under Charles II. what, 395

Calais, town of, its fortifications, 65-taken by the French
66

Capel, lord, condemned and executed, 318

Carre, Robert, becomes the favourite of James I. 173-
created viscount Rochester, and earl of Somerset, 174

marries the countefs of Effex, 175-caufes Sir Tho-
mas Overbury to be murdered, ib.-tried and found
guilty, 176-pardoned, ib.-dies in obscurity, 177
Catefby, Robert, contrives the powder-plot, 164-slain
in battle, 170

Cavaliers, who, 251

Cecil, fir William, principal counsellor to queen Eliza-
beth, 73 his wife regulations, 76-created lord
Burleigh, 101-defeats the defigns of the infurgents,

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