* * ibid. * Lords Amendments to the Bill for free and impartial Proceedings in Parliament rejected, 429. *Refolutions with refpect to the Navy, ibid The Bill for frequent Parliaments rejected, ibid. 4s. in the Pound charged upon Land, for the firft Time, 430. * Reasons to be offer'd at a Conference with the Lords for rejecting their Amendments, ibid. *Capt. Pickard order'd to be profecuted for plundering a Prize, ibid. Report of a Conference between the two Houles, relating to the Conduct of the Fleet, ibid. * Vote thereon, 43 I. *And on the Eaft-India Trade, ibid. * Order for obferving Decorum in the House, ibid. * Refolutions on the State of the Kingdom, 432. * A Reprefentation to the King thereon, ibid. *His Antwer, 432. *Motion for a fecond Application, over-rul'd, ibid. Refolutions on Ways and Means, ibid. Lord Falkland's Examination, 434. R. Squib's Account of Moneys, &c. paid to Members, 436. Mr. Secretary Trenchard's Account of a French Letter of Intelligence,437 Lord Falkland cenfur'd,438. *Sir J.Knight's Speech on the Naturalization-Bill, ibid. King's Speech, 445. [Sixth Seffion.] * * Mr. King's Speech, 445. Bill for frequent Parliaments paffes both Houfes, 446. Supplies granted, ibid. Both Houfes condole the Lofs of the Queen, ibid. The King's Answers, ibid. The Commons look back into Abules, and Corruption, ibid. Several Agents examin'd, 447. Mr. Pauncefort ordered to the Tower for a Contempt, ibid. And Mr. King, a Member, 448. Representation of the Commons, ibid The King's Anfwer, 449. Contractors for Clothing the Army examin'd, 450. Petitions of the Hackney Coachmen, ibid. State of the E. India Company's Account, 451. Mr. Foley's Report thereon, ibid. Report of corrupt Practices in proCuring the Orphans-Bill, 454 The Speaker charg'd with Corruption, and leaves the House, 456. Mr. Foley chosen in his flead, ibid. Sir J. Trevor, the late Speaker, expell'd, ibid. Mr. Bird reprimanded on his Knees, for offering Money to a Member, 457. Farther Proceedings against Bribery and Corruption, ibid. King's fhort Speech, 458. * His Anfwers to two Addreffes, ibid. Sir T Cooke's Account of Moneys difpos'd on Account of the Eaft-India Company, 459. * His Examination thereon, ibid. * Debates on that Occafion, 460. Sir B. Firebrace examin'd by a Committee of both Houses, 462. * Debates of the Commons, thereon, 465. Vote to impeach the Duke of Leeds, 467. His Speech before the Commons, ibid. *Debates thereon, 469. Articles against him, 470. His Reply, ibid. Meffage from the Lords, ibid. To offer Money to a Member, voted a high Crime and Mifdemeanour, ibid. Ill State of the Coin, 471. Mr. Scobel's Report relating thereto, -472. SPEECHES, SPEECHES, IN THE House of Commons, FROM THE RESTORATION. T HE 30th of November, the Houfe proceeded to Anno 32Car.II. 1680. The Managers for the Commons, among whom The Trial of were the most confiderable Lawyers in the Houfe, as Serjeant Lord Stafford. Maynard, Sir William Jones, Mr. Treby, &c. open'd the Caufe with great Copioufnefs and Eloquence: They began with the Plot in general, and laid open the Malice, Wickedness and Horror, of fo dreadful, bloody and hellish a Defign: They ftrenuously infifted on the exprefs pofitive Oaths of the Witneffes, upon whom the Credit of the Plot chiefly depended: They expatiated upon Coleman's Letters, and others, clearly proving the Defigns and Activity of the Writers: They prefs'd home the execrable Murder of Sir Edmund-bury Godfrey, charg'd upon the Papifts, as well by the Oaths of felf-acknowledg'd Partners in the Fact, as by a Letter fent from London to Tixall, intimating this very Murder the third Day after it was committed: They fully difplay'd the Sham-Plots and Counter-Contrivances, whereby the Papifts would have fuborn'd the King's Evidence, and TOME II. B turn'd 1680. Anno 32Car.II. turn'd all the Guilt upon his Majefty's most loyal Subjects: They urged the firing the City, the burning the Navy, the calling in French Armies, Wild-Irish, Spanish-Pilgrims, &c. They recapitulated the feveral Trials of Ireland, Whitebread, Langhorn, &c. and alledg'd the Votes of both Houses of Parliament declaring the Plot. To corroborate all which, they repeated the Cruelties of Queen Mary, the French and Irish Maffacres, the Powder-Plot, &c. and they anatomiz'd the wicked Principles and Practices of Murdering, Lying, Equivocating, Forfwearing, Faith-breaking, &c. imputed to the Papifts as held by them lawful and meritorious. In fum, nothing was omitted, or neglected through the whole Procefs, but the leaft Circumftance fully enforc'd and advanc'd, with fuch Art and Acuteness, as well anfwer'd to fo great a Caufe, profecuted by fo high an Authority, before fo illuftrious judges, and fo auguft an Affembly. Evidences against him. Dugdale, Some Witneffes were firft produc'd to prove the Reality, or at least the Probability, of the Plot in general; but chiefly three appear'd against the Lord in particular, namely, Dugdale, Oates, and Turberville, the laft faid to be both a profligate and an indigent Perfon. 1. Dugdale fwore, That at a certain Meeting held at Tixall in Staffordshire, about the End of Auguft, or Beginning of September, 1678, the Lord Stafford, with Lord Afton and others, did, in the prefence of the Witnefs, give his full confent to take away the King's Life, and introduce the Popish Religion. That on the 10th or 21ft of September in the Forenoon, the Lord sent for the Witnefs to his Chamber, while he was dreffing; and turning his Servants out, offer'd him five hundred Pounds for his Charges and Encouragement, to take away the King's Life, and further told him, he should have free pardon of all his Sins, and be fainted; for the King had been excommunicated, and was likewife a Traytor and a Rebel, and an Enemy to Jefus Chrift.' 2. Oates fwore, That in the Year 1677, both in Spain, and at St. Omers, he faw feveral Letters, fign'd Stafford, wherein his Lordship affured the Jefuits of his Fidelity and Zeal in promoting the Catholic Caufe. That in 168, being in London, his Lordship came to the Chamber of Father Fenwick, fince executed, and there in his prefence receiv'd a Commiffion from him, to be Pay-Mafter-General to the Army: Whereupon his Lordship faid, he muft of neceffity go down into the Country to take account how Affairs ftood there; and did not doubt but at his Return, Grove fhould do the Business. And, fpeaking of the King, he further added, He hath deceiv'd us a great while, and we can bear no longer. 3. And Turberville. Turberville gave an account, of difobliging his Friends by leaving his Friar's Habit at Doway; and thereupon went into Qates France, 1680. France, in the Year 1675, where at Paris getting acquain- Anno 32 Car.11. tance with his Lordship, he propos'd to the Witnefs a way, both to retrieve his Credit with his Friends, and make himfelf happy; and this was by taking away the Life of the King of England, who was a Heretic, and a Rebel against God Almighty. That when he took leave of him, his Lordship appointed to meet him at London; but he foon after return'd into France, not being willing to undertake the Propofals, and was discountenanc'd by his Friends, and reduc'd to Poverty.❜ The accus'd Lord in his Defence, alledg'd many things His Defence. to invalidate the Credit of the Plot, and particularly the Reputation of these three Witneffes. Against Dugdale, he produc'd Evidence, That he was a Perfon of an infamous Life; that he had cheated the Lord Afton his Master, and defrauded Work-Men and Servants of their Wages; that by his Extravagancies and Mifdemeanours he had run himfelf into several hundred Pounds Debt, for which he was thrown into Jail, and defpair'd of ever getting out from thence, otherwife than by making the pretended Discoveries. In the next place, that he had directly perjur'd himself, in divers Parts and Circumftances, as to Time and Place, in this and other Depofitions: And further, he prov'd, That he had endeavour'd to fuborn divers Perfons to make falfe Oaths, and fo to ftrengthen his own by other Men's Perjury. Againft Oates, he enlarged upon the mighty Improbabilities, that fo many great and rich Confpirators, who had trufted him with their greatest Secrets, and whofe Lives were at his Mercy, fhould fuffer him to be reduc'd to fuch a wretched degree of Beggary, as he was acknowledg'd to be when he made his firft Difcoveries. He likewife infifted upon his Omiffions, Additions, and Contradictions, that plainly appear'd in his fevera! Depofitions about the Plot; and alfo upon his villainous feigning himself to be of another Religion, by folemn Renunciations of his Faith, and by fuch Sacraments on one fide, and fuch Abjurations and Execrations on the other, as render'd him unfit to be admitted for an Evidence against any Man living. As to Turberville, he urg'd that he was perjur'd in this, and many other of his Depofitions; and that his Narrative had many Mistakes and Blunders in it. He deny'd, that he or any of his Servants, ever faw him at Paris; and made fome Remarks upon his Poverty and Want, his loofe manner of Living, his fhameful Curfing and Swearing; and particularly his using these Words, God damn me! there is no Trade good now, but that of a DISCOVERER. It would be too long to mention all the Particulars of this Trial, which lafted a whole Week, and in which great B 2 Skill 1680. The Managers Reply. Anno 32 Car.II. Skill and Dexterity was used by the Managers to fupport the Credit and Reputation of the Witneffes, among whom they believ'd there was no Contrivance or Confederacy. They argu'd, That they had made it plain and apparent in the Beginning of the Trial, by the Teftimony of fix Witnesses, by the Declarations of both Houfes of Parliament, by Cole man's Letters, by the Trial and Conviction of other Traitors, that there was a general Defign amongst the Papifts, to introduce their Religion, by raifing of Armies, murdering the King, and fubverting the Government. And as to his Lordship's particular Cafe, they had three Witneffes, which fufficiently prov'd him guilty; and fo expatiated upon the Danger of Popish Principles, &c. And particularly Sir Sir Will. Jones. William Jones exerted his Skill and Eloquence in a long Speech, as much to prove the Reality of the Plot, as the Guilt of the Prisoner; and thus especially argu❜d: So that I think now none remain that do pretend not to believe it, but two forts of Perfons; the one, thofe that were Confpirators in it; and the other, those that wish'd it had fucceeded, and do defire it may fo ftill. And by way of Conclufion he faid, The Evidence is fo ftrong that I think it admits of no doubt; and the Offences prov'd against my Lord and the reft of his Party are fo foul, that they need no Aggravation. The Offences are against the King, against his facred Life, against the Proteftant Religion, nay against all Proteftants. His fecond De fence, and the Judges Reply. It is a Defign that appears with fo dreadful a Coun❤ tenance to your Lordships, to this great Affembly, and to the whole Nation, that it needs not any Words I can ufe to make you apprehend it.' His Lordship made two feveral pathetic Speeches, befides his Anfwers to the Witneffes, and in conclufion declared, in the prefence of God, of his Angels, of their Lordships, and all who heard him, that he was intirely innocent of what was laid to his Charge; that he left it to their Lordships to do juftice, and with all Sub miffion refign'd himself to them. After this his Lordship had recourfe to a point of Law, which many thought would have reliev'd him, and this was the Neceffity of two Witneffes in the case of Treason: And whereas treasonable Words were fworn against him at two feveral Times and Places, viz. 75 and 78, France and England, and but by one Witness at each Time and Place, he conceiv'd he could not by their Teftimony be legally convicted of Treafon. This Objection, tho' reply'd to by the Managers, was thought of that Importance, that the Court judg'd it neceffary to have the folemn Opinion of all the Junges prefent, which were ten in Number. The Lord Chief Juftice North began with his in thefe Words: 'I do here deliver my Opinion, and am clear in it, That |