complished, forged letters and plots were called into operation, and always with complete effect. The letter carries the stamp of forgery in indelible characters.

Plots of the popes, cardinals and Jesuits, to destroy the Protestant religion.

However incredible it may appear, it is nevertheless true, that many well-meaning Frotestants have most seriously believed that the religious divisions which arose in Europe after the reformation, were produced by the plots and management of the Roman Catholics, particularly the Jesuits; and that from this source sprung the Puritans, the most violent enemies the Roman Catholics ever encountered! To cap the climax, it is asserted in grave histories, Carte's and Nalson's, for instance, that the solemn league and covenant, for "the extirpation of popery, 9588 &c. was a trick of the Roman

Catholics!

A letter obviously fabricated, and pretended to have been written by a Jesuit of the name of Malt, at Madrid, to one Heth, who had become a Protestant, or who, according to Nalson, pretended to be a Protestant, for the purpose of exciting divisions among the Protestants, contains the following paragraph:

"Brother,

"Hallingham, Coleman, and Benson have set a faction among the German heretics, so that several who have turned from us have now denied their baptism, which, we hope, will soon turn the scale, and bring them back to their old principles. This we have certified to the council and cardinals, that there is no other way to prevent people from turning heretics and for the recalling of others back again to the mother church, than by the diversities of doctrines."

SAM. MALT.

Heth was tried and condemned;" and for three days brought to the market-place at Rochester, where he stood by the high-cross with a paper before his breast, in which were written his crimes; then he was pilloried; and on the last day his ears were cut off, his nose slit,

popish priests and Romish resusants; and if they so proceeded, his holiness would cause an army to be raised, and sent into Ireland, and that the pope takes it ill that the parliament will not discharge the seven priests whom his majesty hath reprieved."588

"It is observable how this covenant was resented abroad by Papists and Protestants: by Papists with infinite joy, in hopes it might oblige his majesty and successors to detest that religion whose zealots had been authors of such an intolerable covenant as was inconsistent with monarchy. The priests and Jesuits from Doway and other seminaries, came over in great numbers upon that incouragement, hoping to find favour; insomuch that his majesty was forced by rigorous proceedings to force them to retire. By the Protestants the covenant was received as his majesty's public ministers abroad gave him an account, with most offensive scandal and grief."590

598 Nalson, I. 29

599 Rushworth, IV. 558.

590 Nalson, I. 29.

and his forehead branded with the letter R. and he was condemned to indure perpetual imprisonment: but it lasted not long; for a few months after, he died suddenly, not without suspicion of having poison'd him

self."591

It is almost too ludicrous for comment, but it must not be passed over, that on the assertion that the three Jesuits, whose names are specified, have "set a faction among the German heretics," who "have denied their baptism," Nalson makes a note, in which he unqualifiedly asserts, that "the Jesuits were the authors of the sect of anabaptists!!" This, truly, displays a most wonderful degree of sagacity. It is difficult to say to what extent a man may carry his credulity, who reposes faith in such a puerile conceit.

"The reader," observes Dr. Nalson with profound wisdom, "is desired seriously to observe, that the Jesuits, pope and cardinals have laid this down as a maxim, that divisions and separations are the most effectual way to introduce popery, and ruin the protestant religion."s

He further gravely informs us that the Roman Catholics "joined hands with the Puritans" to destroy the established religion!! This

"What is observable in this narrative is the original of separate congregations, of extempore prayer, the vilifying the public church service, stiling it English mass, the pretences to the Spirit, the denying the king's supremacy, despising lawful ordination, and licenses to preach in stated parochial congregations, the juggling people out of their money and their loyalty, are all arrows that originally came out of the Romish quiver: and that there can be no doubt, but ever since this man's success, the pope and college de propaganda fide, the Jesuits and priests have been industrious to improve this advantage, and to stock us with disguised emissaries, who increase our differences, and exasperate all the separations against the church in England, in hopes by our division to destroy both."594

From this narrative we may observe, that the chief rise and original of our unhappy divisions and separations is to be fetcht from the devilish policy of the Papists, counterfeiting a design to advance the reformation of the protestant religion to a greater purity; that the pope, cardinals and Jesuits, have been always instrumental in raising these divisions and separations, and that they judge this the most effectual way to introduce popery; that they hate our bishops and prayers, and delude innocent and unwary people into a dislike and hatred of them; that there is no way to discover them, but by their sowing these seeds of separation and sedition; and that therefore it is the interest of all true Protestants to unite with the church of England, and thereby give that deadly blow to the Romanists, which the bishop here seems prophetically to foretel, and to quit these separations, which otherwise will hazard the ruin of protestant religion, by the introduction of popery."595

"The Papists who early perceived there was no such certain way

51 Nalson, I. Int. xlviij. 592 Idem, xlvi. 493 Idem, xlvi. 594 Idem, xlii. 595 Idem, xlviii.

is a bright idea, and about as probable as that Bonaparte set Moscow on fire-or that the Cortes of Spain called in the aid of the duke of Angouleme.

Carte has copied the silly story of the origin of the covenant having been popish; that it was received with joy by the papists!* and that in consequence of it, numbers of priests and Jesuits came over to England!

"A large particular discovery of the plot and treason against the king, kingdom, and Protestant religion, and to raise the Scottisk

wars."

Such is the caption of a long, desultory narrative of a plot, pretended to be discovered in 1640, by one Andreas ab Habernfield, at the Hague, and communicated to William Boswell, an agent of the British government there. It occupies no less than fourteen folio pages in Nalson's Collections, and is as implicitly credited by the historian, as if it had been established by the most unexceptionable evidence, and yet it carries fraud; falsehood and forgery stamped on its forehead with unerring characters. The idea of a Jesuit preparing a "poisoned nut" for the purpose of destroying king Charles, and "often showing" this very precious article to a suspicious stranger, in " a boasting manner," has more the air of an Arabian Tale than of reality, and must excite contempt for the folly, and indignation for the wickedness of the contriver.

"Snares are prepared for the king. For this purpose the present business was so ordered, that very many of the English should adhere to the Scots; that the king should remain inferior in arms, who thereupon should be compelled to crave assistance from the Papists, which yet he should not obtain, unless he would condescend unto

to ruin the Reformation *** laid hold immediately of this opportunity, and entering in at the back door of schism and separation, joined hands with the non-conforming Puritans, to bring ruin and desolation upon this church and kingdom!!596

"This covenant gave great offence to the French and other protestant churches abroad, fearing it would bring an indelible scandal upon their religion, and alienate the minds of princes from it; but as its original was popish, it was received with infinite joy by the Papists.597

A portion of the heads of this grand conspiracy follows:

1. "That the king's majesty and lord archbishop are both of them in great danger of their lives."

2. "That the whole commonwealth is by this means endangered, unless the mischief be speedily prevented.

3. "That these Scottish troubles are raised, to the end, that under this pretext the king and archbishop might be destroyed.

4. That although these Scottish tumults be speedily composed, yet that the king is endangered, and that there are many ways by which destruction is plotted to the king and lord archbishop."598

596 Nalson, I. introd. xxxviii. 597 Carte, I. 89. 598 Nalson, I. 471.

conditions, by which he should permit universal liberty of the exereise of the popish religion; for so the affairs of the Papists would succeed according to their desire. To which consent, if he should shew himself more difficult, there should be a present remedy at hand for the king's son growing now very fast to his youthful age, (who is educated from his tender age, that he might accustom himself to the popish party,) the king is to be dispatched; for an Indian nut, stuffed with most sharp poison, is kept in the society, (which Cuneus at that time showed often to me in a boasting manner,) wherein a poison was prepared for the king, after the example of his father."599

This plot was communicated to archbishop Laud by Mr. Boswelland was by the archbishop_imparted to the king as a matter of extraordinary importance. The most superficial reader cannot fail to notice one gross inconsistency in it. While the heaviest charge against the king and more particularly against the archbishop, was their secret attachment to, and encouragement of, the Roman Catholic religion, which, it was asserted, all their measures were calculated to introduce, it appears, according to this veracious informant, that the Jesuits were plotting to destroy them in order to advance that religion!!

Plot for the destruction of Oliver Cromwell, protector.

In Thurloe's state papers, is a letter giving an account of a plot, overheard by a man who had "retired to rest under a stone wall," for the destruction of the protector, intended to strengthen the hands of that hypocrite. It excited considerable sensation, and answered the purpose intended.

"I met with a poore honest man, a feltmaker, who as he was comeinge from Beekington to Bristoll, with a parcell of hatts, was constrained to rest himselfe under a stone wall, joyneing to the highway; and as he satt ther, two gentlemen-like met each other, and after a salutation past betweene them, the one asked the other what newes. The other answered, that he knew none. Thereupon one replyed, and tould the other, seeinge he was his speciall friende, he would acquaint him of very good newes; and that was, that he sayd he came lately from Southampton, where he met with a French merchant, borne in France of English parents, and his wife a French woman, whose brother was a Jesuite, and did afirme, that certaine Jesuits had taken an oath and the sacrement, and thereby bound themselves to kill the lord protector, or to loose their owne lives; and that beinge done, he sayd there would be greate confusion and fighting for the government, by which meanes Charles the second's party beinge greate, would strike in, and carry the cause. The other partie replyed, it would doe well, if it could be effected; only hee could wish the common people might not be made to suffer much: but the other told him, the kingdome would be brought into a poore condition. After this, they saluted one another, and departed. The poore man overhearinge all this discourse, he was in such a tremblinge, that he durst not appeare to

599 Frankland, 863.

Titus Oates's plot.

Shaftesbury, one of the most profligate politicians that ever disgraced or embroiled a nation, was incessant in his endeavours to have James II. excluded from the succession to the throne of Great Britain-and by his consummate craft and influence in parliament, carried a number of measures, which tended towards that end. Nothing could so completely promote that object as overwhelming the Roman Catholics with obloquy, and exciting against them the hatred and abhorrence of their fellow subjects. To this sinister purpose all his talents and energies were directed. In this career he was not withheld by any scruples, or any nefarious consequences, even the shedding of innocent blood. His conscience was of the most accommodating character, and was seared as with a hot iron against the inroads of remorse. It never unkindly interposed any scruples in his way. To him the end in view, however unjust, sanctified the means, however atrocious or wicked.

Under the auspices of this Machiavel, Titus Oates, one of the worst of men-a protege worthy of such a patron-anno 1678, lodged informations of a plot against a number of the most respectable of the Roman Catholic nobility and gentry of England, in conjunction with the Jesuits in foreign countries, for the murder of the king-the destruction of the established religion-and the introduction of that of the conspirators.' There was the utmost incoherence in the story. He was guilty of the most manifest perjury; as, at different times, he swore to things diametrically opposite to each other -one of which must necessarily, and both probably be false. His testimony was contradicted in the most unequivocal manner by numbers of witnesses of the most irreproachable character. But such was the delusion and insanity of the moment, that every thing he aver

speake, for feare of mischiefe, because they had uttered such horrible thinges; but when they were gone, he lookt after them, but knew them not only weare in a gentile habit, and cloathes." gray

99600

"Oates, the informer of this dreadful plot, was himself THE MOST INFAMOUS OF MANKIND. He was the son of an Anabaptist preacher, chaplain to colonel Pride; but having taken orders in the church, he had been settled in a small living by the duke of Norfolk. He had been indicted for perjury, and by some means had escaped. He was afterwards a chaplain on board the fleet, whence he had been dismissed, on complaint of some unnatural practices, not fit to be named." 99601

"Such bountiful encouragement brought forth new witnesses. William Bedlow, a man, if possible, more infamous than Oates, appeared next upon the stage. He was of very low birth; had been noticed for several cheats, and even thefts; had travelled over many parts of Europe, under borrowed names; and frequently passed himself for a man of quality, and had endeavoured by a variety of lies and con-, trivances, to prey upon the ignorant and unwary.

600 Thurloe, II. 178.

601 Hume, IV. 315.

602 Idem, 322.