A.D.1679. more, but his Witneffes were beaten and 31 Car. II. abufed, and not fuffered to come into Court: But this did not avail him; the Jury, by the The Pri- Direction of the Chief Juftice, found him convicted guilty, and he was condemned, together with the five Jefuits. He was reprieved, however, to the 14th of July, either in hopes of a further Difcovery, or to give him Time to fettle his Affairs with his Clients; but the Jefuits were executed at Tjburn the 20th of June. foner is and condemned, with the five Jefuits. The Jefuits executed. The King, and great Part of the Council, detefting thefe bloody Profecutions, and expecting that they would be continued by Shaftfbury, and other factious Leaders, on the meeting of the Parliament; and that the Exclufion Bill would be again revived by the fame Set The Par- of Men; his Majefty thought fit firft to proliament dif folved, and rogue, and then to diffolve the prefent Para new one liament, and call another: In which he was called; but very unfortunate; for upon the Examination. not fuffer of the Returns, he found the new elected Members more poffeffed with the Belief of the Plot, and confequently more zealous for the Bill of Exclufion, than the former; which induced his Majefty to defer their Meeting for a confiderable time. ed to meet. Sir George and others, tried. In the mean while Sir George Wakeman, the Wakeman, Queen's Phyfician, William Marshal, and James Corker, Benedictine Monks, and William Rumley, a Lay-Brother, were brought to their Trials at the Old Baily, as Accomplices in the Popish Plot. The Charge. Sir George Wakeman was charged with engaging to poifon the King for the Reward of Fifteen thoufand Pounds, and actually reOates and ceiving part of that Sum; the Witneffes to Witneffes. prove it being the inimitable Oates and Bedloe: who alfo depofed that Corker and Marshal were Bedloe 31 Car. II. ftice. privy to the Defign of Killing the King: But 4.D.1679. Oates was fo merciful at this Trial to give no Evidence against Rumley; and it evidently appearing that he had fworn falfly in feveral Parts of his Evidence against the reft, as that Corker was President of the Benedictines, and that Wakeman had ordered Abby to drink Milk with the Bath Waters, which is never done by any Phyfician; the Jury did not think fit to give Credit to him in other Particulars, and they were all acquitted, as the Chief Ju- The Pri ftice directed: Whereupon the Maintainers foners acof the Plot took another Way to be revenged the Direcquitred by on their Enemies the Papifts, by caufing fe- tion of the veral of their Priefts to be indicted, purely Chief Ju for exercising their Functions; among whom Priests con were, Charles Kerne, tried the 4th of August, demnedfor and Andrew Bromwich and William Atkins, the taking Po13th of August; of whom the first was ac- pifhOrders. quitted, but the other two were condemned as Traitors, for no other Crime than their having taken Popish Orders: And Oates and Oates and Bedloe, the principal Witneffes of the Plot, charge the were fo exafperated that they were not be- Chief Julieved at Wakeman's Trial, that they had the ftice with CorrupImpudence to charge the Lord Chief Juftice to Scroggs with Corruption: Libels and Pamphlets alfo were difperfed, containing grofs Reflexions on the Chief Juftice; which occa- His Lordfioned his making a Speech in Court the firft hip's DeDay of Michaelmas Term; in which he decla- thereupon. red, That he was neither afhamed nor afraid to own what he had done; that the Impeachment of the Course of publick Juftice by vulgar Noife and Clamour, fhould never terrify him into a Compliance with the Rabble against his Confcience and Understanding, nor to try a Caufe otherwife than according to the Bedloe claration 31 Car. II. A.D.1679. Evidence, and the Credibility it carried with it. Mr. Juftice Jones and Mr. Juftice Dolben made Speeches of the fame Tenour, applauding the Integrity and Impartiality of the Lord Chief Juftice. The King The King falling fick the latter end of Autaken ill. gust this Year, fome Lords of the Council, who had difcovered the Duke of Monmouth's Ambition to fucceed to the Crown on the Demife of his Majefty, and the various Arts practifed by Shaftsbury to effect it, and exclude the Duke of York, thought it expedient to fend for his Royal Highnefs the Duke of York from Bruffels, in order to fecure his SuccefThe Duke fion: And the Duke accordingly arrived at Whitehall the fecond of September, but found the King pretty well recovered. of York comes over. Practices of As the News of the King's Illnefs had been Monmouth improved by the Faction to heighten the Fear of and Shafif Popery, and prejudice the People against his defeat the Royal Highness, it is not to be conceived what Succeffion. a Confternation they were in; Fire and Faggot, bury to with a total Subverfion of the Conftitution, were now hourly expected; while Shaftsbury every where fuggefted, That nothing but the advancing the Duke of Monmouth to the Throne could deliver them from it: And Monmouth himself, 'tis faid, charmed with the near Profpect of a Crown, made ufe of every popular Art to engage the People in his Favour, if the King should die: Which his Majesty being acquainted with, Monmouth was removed from his Place of Captain-General, and orMonmouth dered to leave the Kingdom; whereupon he fent abroad. embarked for Holland; and Shaftsbury foon Shaftsbury after was turned out of the Privy Council. turned out. ་ The Earl of Mulgrave, afterwards Duke of Bucks, relates, That no Perfon contributed more count of York and more to Monmouth's Advancement at Court 4.D.1679. at first than the Duke of York; That his 31 Car. II. Royal Highness recommended him to the Poft of Captain-General, as well to prevent Schom- Earl Mulberg's poffeffing it, as out of Friendship to Mon- grave's Acmouth's Wife, a Lady of Wit and Reputation, the Diffe who had the Ambition of making her Huf- rence beband confiderable, and the Addrefs of fuc- tween the ceeding in it, by ufing her Intereft in fo friend- Duke of ly an Uncle, whofe Defign Mulgrave believed Monmouth. was only to convert her: But whether this Familiarity of theirs was contrived, or only connived at, by the Duke of Monmouth, he could not determine. However, this great Intimacy between the Duke of York and his Nephew, according to Mulgrave, was broken by the Inconftancy of one of their Miftreffes, and was the Occafion of fuch a Divifion between them, as never ceafed, till it coft one of them the Hazard of his Crown, and the other the Lofs of his Life on the Scaffold : So great an Unconftancy, fays that Noble Writer, there is in Court-Affairs, and fuch Ignorance in those who commonly write them, that they very gravely attribute to Prudence, or Providence, what is often nothing elfe but Humour, Love, or Jealoufy. And poffibly this Difference between his Royal Highness and his Nephew, on Account of this Amour mentioned by Earl Mulgrave, gave Shaftsbury the firft Hint of working upon his Patron and Pupil (Monmouth) to rival York in the Crown, as well as in his Love. But to return from this Digreffion, if it be one. Upon the King's Recovery, the Lord Mayor Rejoicings and Aldermen, attended by an Hundred of for the King's Rethe Principal Citizens on Horfeback, went covery, down to Windfor to congratulate his Majefty on AD.1679 on the Occafion; and two Days after the 21 Car. II. King, with his Royal Highness and the whole Court, returning to Whitehall, Bonfires were made in all the Principal Streets of the City to teftify their Joy; fo little did the People' believe the King had any Defign upon their Religion or Liberties, as fome factious Leaders would have infinuated. His Royal Highness afterwards attended the King to New-Market, and having obtain'd Leave to bring over his Family from Bruffels, and to refide in Scotland, from whence he might, with more Eafe, return to England in Cafe of any Exigency; the following Notice of this Refolution was given in the Gazette the 7th of October, (viz.) His Royal Highness having reprefented to "his Majefty, that he conceives it for many Refpects more proper for him to be in his "Majefty's Dominions, rather than those of "another Prince; and made it his humble Request to his Majefty to have his Leave to go into Scotland; His Majefty hath granted it, and its prefum'd his Royal Highnefs will, in a fhort Time, repair thither". Accordingly the Duke and of York and Dutchefs, with their Family, coming to St. his Family go to Scot James's from Bruffels the 12th of October, land. foon after fet out for Edinburgh, and arrived there the 4th of December. The Duke The Dukes of York and Monmouth were now both at a Distance from Court, the One in Scotland, the other in Holland: And as they were the Heads of the two contending Parties in the Nation, the King was in Hopes the Heats would have been abated by their Abfence, and the Parliament might have met without any Inconvenience at the Day they ftood prorogued to; but it was found upon Examination, |