PART H. MONTAGUE, the English ambaffador at the court A. D. 167. of France, difappointed in his expectation of being made fecretary of state, returned without leave, and took his feat in the lower houfe. He had been deeply concerned in the money negociations between Charles and Lewis. On the late difagreement of these two princes, he had been gained by the latter; and now, on the failure of his hopes of preferment from the court of England, he engaged, for one hundred thoufand crowns, to difgrace the king, and to ruin his minifter, who was become peculiarly obnoxious to France 18. Danby, having fome intimation of this intrigue, ordered Montague's papers to be seized; but that experienced politician, prepared against the possibility of fuch a circumstance, had delivered into fure hands the papers that could moft effectually ferve his purpose. The violence of the minifter afforded a kind of excufe for the perfidy of the ambaffador. Two of Danby's letters were produced before the house of commons. One of these contained inftructions to demand three hundred thoufand pounds a year, for three years, from the French monarch, provided the conditions of peace fhould be accepted at Nimeguen, in consequence of Charles's good offices; and, as Danby had forefeen the danger of this negociation, the king, in order to remove his fears, had fubjoined with his own hand, that the letter was written by his exprefs orders 19. THIS circumstance rather inflamed than allayed the refentment of the commons, who naturally concluded, that the king had all along acted in concert with the French court, and that every step which he 18. Dalrymple's Append. p. 193.. See alfo Danby Papers. 19. Journals, Dec. 14, 1678. had XIV. had taken, in conjunction with the allies, had been LETTER illufory and deceitful. It was immediately moved, That there is fufficient matter of impeachment against A.D. 1678. the lord-treafurer; and the queftion was carried by a confiderable majority. Danby's friends were abashed, and his enemies were elated beyond measure with their triumph. The king himfelf was alarmed: his fecret negociations with France, before only fufpected, were now afcertained. Many who wifhed to fupport the crown were afhamed of the meanness of the prince, and deferted their principles in order to fave their reputation. THE articles exhibited against the treasurer were fix in number; and confifted, befide the letters, of various mifmanagements in office, moft of which were either frivolous or ill founded. Danby, upon the whole, had been a cautious minifter. When the impeachment was read in the house of peers, he rose and fpoke to every article. He fhewed that Montague, the informer against him, had himself promoted with ardour the money-negociations with Lewis. He cleared himself from the afperfion of alienating the King's revenue to improper purposes: and he infifted particularly on his known averfion against the interefts of France; declaring, that whatever compliances he might have made, he had always esteemed a connexion with that kingdom pernicious to his master and deftructive to his country 20. The lords went immediately into a debate on the question; and, upon a divifion, the majority were against the commitment of Danby. The commons however infifted, that he fhould be fequeftered from parliament and committed. A violent conteft was likely to enfue; and the king, Journal's of the Lords, Dec. 25, 1678. who PART II. who thought himself bound to fupport his minister, and faw no hopes of ending the difpute by gentle means, first prorogued, and afterward diffolved the parliament. A.D. 1679. THIS was a defperate remedy in the present critical ftate of the nation, and did not answer the end propofed. It afforded but a temporary relief, if it may not be faid to have increased the disease. The new parliament, which the king was under the neceflity of affembling, confifted chiefly of the most violent of the former members, reinforced by others of the fame principles. The court had exerted its influence in vain the elections were made with all the prejudices of the times. The king's connexions with France had alienated the affections of his fubjects; but the avowed popery of the duke of York was a fill more dangerous subject of jealousy and difcontent. Senfible that this was the fatal fource of the greater part of the misfortunes of his reign, and foreseeing the troubles that were likely to be occafioned by the violent fpirit of the new reprefentatives, Charles conjured his brother to conform to the established church. He even fent the archbishop of Canterbury and the bishop of Winchester to perfuade him, if poffible, to become again a Proteftant; and on finding all their arguments loft on his obftinacy, he defired him to withdraw beyond fea, in order to appease the people, and to satisfy the parliament that popish counfels no longer prevailed at court. This propofal the duke alfo declined, as he apprehended that his retiring would be conftrued into an acknowledegment of guilt; but when the king infifted on his departure, as a step neceffary for the welfare of both, he obeyed, after engaging Charles to make a public declaration of the He went LETTER illegitimacy of the duke of Monmouth. JAMES duke of Monmouth, natural fon of Charles II. by Lucy Walters, and born about ten years before the Restoration, poffeffed all the qualities that can engage the affections of the populace, with many of those that conciliate the favour of the more dif cerning part of mankind. To a gracefulness of perfon, which commanded refpect, he joined the most winning affability; by nature tender, he was an enemy to cruelty he was conftant in his friendships, and just to his word. Active and vigorous in his conftitution, he excelled in the manly exercises of the field. He was perfonally brave, and loved the pomp, and the very dangers of war; but he was vain even to a degree of folly, verfatile in his measures, and weak in his understanding. This weaknefs rendered him a fit tool for the earl of Shaftesbury, the most able and unprincipled man of his age, and who had lately distinguished himself as much by his opposition against the court, as formerly by the violence of his counfels in its favour, while one of the Cabal. That bold and arch-politician had flattered Monmouth with the hopes of fucceeding to the crown. A story had even been propagated of his legitimacy, in confequence of a fecret contract of marriage between the king and his mother. This ftory was greedily received by the multitude: and on the removal of the duke of York from the kingdom, and the prospect of his being excluded from the fucceffion by the jealousy of parlia ment, it was hoped that Monmouth would be declared 21. Burnet, vol. ii. James II. 1679. A. D. 1679. A. D. 1679. PART II. prince of Wales But Charles, in order to cut off all fuch expectations, as well as to quiet his brother's apprehenfions, made a folemn declaration before the privy council, that he was never married to any woman but the queen; and on finding that Monmouth continued to encourage the belief of the lawfulness of his birth, the king renewed his proteftation, and made it particular against Lucy Walters 22. THE fubfequent events of this reign, my dear Philip, furnish abundant matter for the memorialist; bu, the ftruggle between the king and parliament excepted, they have little relation to the line of general hiftory. I fhall, therefore, pafs them over flightly, of fering only the most important to your notice. One could wish that the greater part of them were erafed from the English annals. THE new parliament, no way mollified by the difmiffion of the duke of York, difcovered all the violence that had been feared by the court. The com. mons revived the profecution of the earl of Danby: they reminded the lords of his impeachment; and they demanded juftice, in the name of the people of England. Charles, determined to fave his minifter, had already had the precaution to grant him a pardon. That he now avowed in the houfe of peers; declaring that he could not think Danby in any refpect criminal, as he had acted in every thing by his orders. The lower house, paying no regard to this confeffion, immediately voted, that no pardon of the crown could be pleaded in bar of an impeachment by the commons 22. Kennet, vol. iii. Hume, vol. viii. of |