31 Car. II. wherein he tells them, That the King was 4.D.1675. ready to pass any further Laws against Popery which fhould be defired, provided they did not extend to the Diminution of his own Prerogative, nor alter the Defcent of the Crown in the right Line, nor defeat the Succeffion. chofen King. But the very firft Tranfaction in this Par- Mr. Edw. liament had a very ill Afpect, and feemed to Seymour foretel the Confufions that followed; for the Speaker, Commons being directed to choose a Speaker, and rejectmade choice of Mr. Edward Seymour, the very ed by the Man who had fo violently profecuted the Earl of Danby: Whereupon the King, expecting this Houfe of Commons would begin where the other left off, rejected Mr. Seymour, and ordered them to choose another; but they refufed, and infifted, That the presenting their Speaker for the King's Approbation, was but a Thing of Courfe, and his Majefty had no Power to reject him: Which Refolution they adhered to, till his Majefty found there was no other Way of ending the Dif pute, but by proroguing them for two or three Days. And the Parliament meeting again on the 15th of March, made choice of Mr. Serjeant Gregory for their Speaker; whom his Majefty approved. revived. But the Change of the Speaker made no The ProfeAlteration in the Measures of the Commons: cution of the Popish They no fooner returned to their Houle, but Plot, and they appointed a Secret Committee, to pre- of the Earl pare the Evidence, and draw up Articles of Danby, against the five Popish Lords in the Tower, and to take further Examinations concerning the Plot, and Godfrey's Murder: They fent a Meffage alfo to the Lords, to defire the Earl of Danby might be committed to fafe Cuftody, F 2 and 4.D.167 and referred it to the Committee of Secrecy 31 Car. II. to draw up further Articles against him: And 31 Bedloe for his Evi dence. on the 21st of March, Oates and Tongue were fent for by the Commons, to give in their Narratives and Informations of the Plot; when Oates did not only accufe the Earl of Danby, as a Confpirator, but Sir John Robinfon, Colonel Edward Sackville, and Captain Edward Goring, all of them Proteftants, and Members of the Houfe of Commons; and the Houfe was fo well fatisfied with Bedloe's Depofitions on thefe Heads, that they addressed 500l. paid his Majefty, That the Five hundred Pounds Reward might be paid him, as the firft Difcoverer of 'Godfrey's Murder; and that the Twenty Pounds Reward might be paid to every one that difcovered a Popish Prieft; and that Care might be taken of Bedloe's Safety: Which his Majefty anfwered, should be done, and faid he had hitherto taken all the Care he could of Mr. Bedloe, knowing how confiderable his Evidence was: Much about the fame time arofe another Evidence of the Plot; viz. one Edmond Everard, a Scotchman, who had been four Years a Prifoner in the Tower : This Man alfo was directed to put his Difcoveries in Writing, by way of Narrative, according to the Precedent Oates had fet him: And the Commons having confidered the feveral Narratives, and other Evidence produced before them, came to a Refolution, Refolution That there then was, and for divers Tears had been, a horrid and treasonable Plot and Confpiracy carried on by Papifts, for murdering his Majesty, Subverting the Proteftant Religion, and the ancient Government of this Kingdom. In which Addrefs Refolution they had the Concurrence of the for a Faft. Lords; as alfo in an Addrefs for a Faft, vo implore A new Witness arifes. concern ing the Plot 31 Car. II. implore Almighty God to infatuate and de- 4.D.167. feat the wicked Counfels of their Enemies; and accordingly the 11th of April was appointed for a Publick Faft. Earl of The Commons hearing about the fame time, Enquiries that the Earl of Danby had procured his Ma- into the jefty's Pardon, ordered a Committee to fearch Danby's the Offices for it, and to enquire of the Lord Pardon. Chancellor how it was obtained: To which the Chancellor anfwered, That the Pardon was paffed with the utmost Privacy, at the Defire of the Earl, who gave this Reason for it, That he did not intend to make use of it, but to ftand upon his Innocence, unless falfe Witneffes fhould be produced against him; that his Majefty alfo refolved, it should pafs with Privacy, and foon after commanded the Lord Chancellor to bring the Seal to Whiteball; which he did, and the King commanded the Seal to be taken out of the Bag; which his Lordship was obliged to fubmit to, it not being in his Power to hinder it; and the King having written his Name on the Top of the Parchment, directed it to be fealed: Whereupon the Purfe-Bearer fixed the Seal to it: The Chancellor adding, That at the Time of affixing the Seal, he did not look upon himfelf to have the Cuftody of the Seal: Whereupon Mr. Powle and others made very fevere Speeches against the Earl; and the Commons fent to the Lords, to demand Juftice against him, and that he be immediately fequeftered from Parliament, and committed to fafe Cuftody They refolved alfo on an Address against the Irregularity and Illegality of the Pardon, and reprefented the dangerous Confequences of granting Pardons to Perfons impeached by the Commons. The : A.D.1679 31 Car. II. The Earl of Shaft tempts to bury at of each Kingdom. The Earl of Shaftsbury, to inflame the Commons ftill more, made a Speech on the 25th of March, wherein he enumerated Abundance of Grievances he pretended the Scots lay under; fuggefting, that they were intolerably opprefled and governed by arbitrary unite the Councils; and that the Cafe would foon be Factions the fame in England, as the Miniftry was the fame; by which he aimed at the bringing about an Union between the Malecontents of both Kingdoms, and fpiriting up another Civil War: And this Speech being fent down to Scotland, and difperfed in that Kingdom, had in fome measure the Effect he defigned it fhould; for the Difaffected there became very infolent, expecting to be countenanced in their intended Rebellion by the Parliament of England, as their Forefathers had been in theirs. But to return to the Earl of Danby, who thinking it proper to keep out of the Way at this time, the Lords fent a Meffage to the Commons, to acquaint them, That they had ordered the Black Rod to apprehend the Earl, but that he could not be found: Whereupon A Bill for the Commons ordered a Bill to be brought in for the Attainder of the Earl, if he did not the Earl of furrender himfelf at a certain Day; and a Danby. Bill was brought in accordingly. Bedloe about the fame time depofed, That the Earl would have corrupted him, and endeavoured to prevail on him to alter his Evidence: Oates alfo depofed, That the Earl reflected on him, and faid, as he paffed by, There goes one of the Saviours of the Nation: He depofed alfo, That Colonel Sackville faid, They were Sons of Whores who faid there was a Plot: Whereupon: the Colonel was fent to the Tower, and expelled the Houfe: And indeed every Man was in Danger the At tainder of Danger of the Refentment of the Commons, 4.D.1679. 31 Car. II. There were feveral Conferences between the Lords and Commons, on the Bill for the Attainder of the Earl of Danby, which the Lords thought too fevere, and would have mitigated Matters; but the Commons infifting that it should pafs as they had drawn it, the Peers, at length, agreed with them: Whereupon, the Earl furrender'd himself, on the He fur 21ft of April, in order to his Trial, rather renders, than incur the Pains and Penalties in the Act; and being brought the next Day to the Bar of the Houfe of Peers, they allow'd him Time, 'till the Sitting after Eafter, to give in his Answer to the Articles, and order'd him Council, with the Ufe of the Records, and Process, to bring in his Witneffes; after which, he was committed to the Tower, being And is attended thither by vaft Multitudes of People, othe not to honour, but infult him, as a principal Tower. Confpirator in the Popish Plot, as 'twas call'd by one Side, though the Papifts denominate it a Proteftant Plot, to ruin them, and look upon the Earl as one of the Contrivers of it. committed of the Fac Upon the Earl's going to the Tower, Sir The King William Temple relates, that his Majefty told complains him, He had not now one Minifter left, to tion to whom he could fpeak with Confidence, unlefs Sir William the Treasurer's Friend (Sir William); and Temple. lamented the ill Situation of his Affairs, occafion'd by the Practices of defigning, ambitious Men, who made ufe of the Apprehenfions the People were under, on account of Is advised this Plot, to promote their own dark Defigns, to take and throw all Things into Confufion: And that Sir William thereupon advifed his Ma- Council. jesty their Lead ers into his |