She had one put about her to be her secretary, Coleman, who became so active in the affairs of the party, and ended his life so unfortunately, that since I had much conversation with him, his circumstances may deserve that his character should be given, though his person did not. I was told he was a clergyman's son; but he was early caught by the Jesuits, and bred many years among them. He understood the art of managing controversies, chiefly that great one of the authority of the church, better than any of their priests. He was a bold man, resolved to raise himself, which he did by dedicating himself wholly to the Jesuits; and so he was raised by them. He had a great easiness in writing in several languages; and wrote many long letters, and was the chief correspondent the party had in England. He lived at a vast expense, and talked in so positive a manner, that it looked like one who knew he was well supported. I soon saw into his temper, and I warned the duke of it; for I looked on him as a man much more likely to spoil business, than to carry it on dexterously. He got into the confidence of P. Ferrier, the king of France's confessor, and tried to get into the same pitch of confidence with P. de la Chaise, who succeeded him in that post. He went ahout every where, even to the jails among the criminals, to make proselytes. He dealt much both in the giving and taking of bribes. But now the affairs of England were calmed, I look again to Scotland, which was yet in a storm. The king wrote to duke Hamilton to come up; and when he and lord Tweedale arrived, they were so well received, that they hoped to carry their point: but the king's design in this was, that, if he could have brought the house of commons to have given money, he was resolved to have parted with duke Lauderdale, and have employed them: and his kind usage of them was on design to persuade the commons to use himself better, by shewing that he was ready to comply with them. He gave them so good a hearing, that they thought they had fully convinced him; and he blamed them only for not complaining to himself of those grievances. But, as soon as he saw it was to no purpose to look for money from the house of commons, and had signed the peace, he sent them down with full assurances that all things should be left to the judgment of the parliament. They came down through the greatest fall of snow that has been in all my life-time. When they got home, instead of a session, there was an order for a prorogation; which gave such an universal discontent, that many offered at very extravagant propositions, for destroying duke Lauderdale and all his party. Duke Hamilton, who told me this some years after, when an act of grace was published, was neither so bad, nor so bold, as to hearken to these. The king wrote him a cajoling letter, desiring him to come up once more, and to refer all matters to him; and he assured him, he would make up all differences. In the mean while duke Lauderdale took all possible methods to become more popular. He connived at the insolence of the presbyterians, who took possession of one of the vacant churches of Edinburgh, and preached in it for some months. The earl of Argyle and sir James Dalrymple were the men on whom the presbyterians depended most. Duke Lauderdale returned to his old kindness with the former; and lord Argyle was very ready to forget his late unkindness; so matters were made up between them. Dalrymple was the president of the session, a man of great temper, and of a very mild deportment, but a cunning man. He was now taken into the chief confidence t. He told the presbyterians, if they would now support duke Lauderdale, this would remove the prejudice the king had against them, as enemies to his service. This wrought on many of them. What influence soever this might have on the presbyterians, the strange conduct with relation to them provoked the clergy out of measure. Some hot men, that were not preferred as they thought they deserved, grew very mutinous, and complained that things were Executed for being concerned in the Popish Plot. Sir James Dalrymple was the seventh baron, and first viscount, Stair. He was born in 1619. During the civil war he took up arms with the parliament, but appears soon to have disapproved of their proceedings, for he speedily retired from the army, and obtained the professorship of philosophy at Glasgow. At the restoration he was particularly honoured, being created a baronet, a member of the college of justice, and then baron Stair. In 1671, he was appointed president of the court of session, but objecting most earnestly against the cruelties practised there, he was dismissed from office, and retired to the Hague. He here became a favourite with the prince of Orange, who, as soon as he became king of England, restored him to his place as a judge, and made him a viscount. He died in 1695. He published "An Apology for his Own Conduct."-Gen. Bio. Dict. let fall into much confusion. And they raised a grievous outcry for the want of a national synod, to regulate our worship and government: and so moved in the diocesan synods, that a petition should be offered to the privy council, setting forth the necessity of having a national synod. I liked no part of this. I knew the temper of our clergy too well to depend much on them; therefore I went out of the way on purpose when our synod was to meet. Petitions were offered for a national synod, which was thought an innocent thing: yet, it being done on design to heighten the fermentation the kingdom was in, great exceptions were taken to it. One bishop and four of the clergy were turned out by an order from the king, pursuant to the act asserting the supremacy. After a year, upon their submission, they were restored. Though I was not at all concerned in this, (for I was ever of Nazianzen's opinion, who never wished to see any more synods of the clergy) yet the king was made believe, that I had laid the whole matter, even though I did not appear in any part of it. Another disorder broke out, which had greater effects. A cause being judged in the supreme court of session, the party appealed to the parliament. This was looked on as a high contempt, done on design to make the parliament a court of judicature, that so there might be a necessity of frequent parliaments. So the judges required all the lawyers to condemn this, as contrary to law. And they had the words of a law on their side: for there lay no such appeal as stopped process, nor was there a writ of error in their law; but upon petitions, parliaments had, though but seldom, reviewed and reversed the judgments of the courts. So the debate lay about the sense of the word "appeal." Sir George Lockhart, brother to the ambassador, was the most learned lawyer, and the best pleader I have ever yet known in any nation; and he had all the lawyers almost in a dependence on him. He was engaged with the party, and resolved to stand it out. The king sent down an order to put all men from the bar that did not condemn appeals: and, when that wrought not on them, they were by proclamation banished Edinburgh, and twelve miles about it: and a new day was assigned them for making their submission: the king, in a very unusual style, declaring, on the word of a prince, that if they submitted not by that day, they should never be again admitted to their practice. They stood it out, and the day lapsed without their submitting. Yet afterwards they renounced appeals in the sense of the Roman law; and, notwithstanding the unusual threatening in the proclamation, they were again restored to practice but this made a stop for a whole year in all legal proceedings *. The government of the city of Edinburgh was not so compliant as was expected. So duke Lauderdale procured a letter from the king to turn out twelve of the chief magistrates, and to declare them for ever incapable of all public trusts; so entirely had he forgotten his complaints formerly made against incapacity, even when passed in an act of parliament. The boroughs of Scotland have, by law, a privilege of meeting once a year in a body, to consider of trade, and of by-laws relating to it. At a convention held this year a petition was agreed on, and sent to the king, complaining of some late acts that hindered trade, for the repeal of which there was great need of a session of parliament: they therefore prayed, that when the king sent down a commissioner to hold a session, he might be instructed in order to that repeal. This was judged a legal thing by the lawyers there: for this was a lawful assembly: they did not petition for a parliament, but only for instructions to the session; yet it was condemned as seditious, and those who promoted it were fined and imprisoned for it. Thus duke Lauderdale was lifted up out of measure, and resolved to crush all that stood in his way. He was made earl of Guildford, in England, and had a pension of 3,000l.: and he let himself loose into a very ungoverned fury. When duke Hamilton and some other lords came up, the king desired they would put their complaints in writing. They said, the laws were so oddly worded, and more oddly executed, in Scotland, that the modestest paper they could offer might be condemned as leasing-making, and misrepresenting the king's proceedings; so they would not venture on it. The king promised them, that no ill use should be made of it to their prejudice; but they did not think it safe to trust him, for he seemed to be entirely delivered up to all duke Lauderdale's passions. This act would stamp the despotic nature of Charles the Second, if all other evidence failed. He was determined not only that his will should be superior to the law, but that all lawyers should admit it to be so. It is no wonder then that I could not stand before him, though at my coming up the duke of York received me with great kindness, and told me how he had got out of great difficulties, and added, that the king was very firm to him; he commended likewise his new duchess much he was troubled at our disorders: he was firm to duke Lauderdale, but he would have endeavoured to reconcile matters, if there had been room for it. He told me the king was highly incensed against me; and was made believe, that I was the chief spring of all that had happened: he himself believed me more innocent; and said, he would endeavour to set me right with him; and he carried me to the king, who received me coldly. Some days after, when the duke was hunting, the lord chamberlain told me, he had orders to strike my name out of the list of the chaplains; and that the king forbade me the court, and expected I should go back to Scotland. The duke seemed troubled at this, and spoke to the king about it: but he was positive. Yet he admitted me to say to him what I had to offer in my own justification. I said all that I thought necessary, and appealed to duke Hamilton, who did me justice in it. But the king said, he was afraid I had been too busy, and wished me to go home to Scotland, and be more quiet. The duke upon this told me, that, if I went home without reconciling myself to duke Lauderdale, I should be certainly shut up in a close prison, where I might perhaps lie too long. This I looked on as a very high obligation; so I resigned my employment, and resolved to stay in England. I preached in many of the churches of London, and was so well received, that it was probable I might be accepted of in any that was to be disposed of by a popular election. So a church falling to be given in that way, the electors had a mind to choose me: but yet they were not willing to offend the court. The duke spoke to duke Lauderdale, and told him that he had a mind I should be settled in London, and desired he would not oppose it. Duke Lauderdale said, all this was a trick of the party in Scotland, to settle me, that I might be a correspondent between the factions in both kingdoms. Yet, upon the duke's undertaking that I should not meddle in those matters, he was contented that the king should let the electors know, he was not against their choosing me. Upon this duke Lauderdale, seeing what a root I had with the duke, sent a message to me, that, if I would promise to keep no farther correspondence with duke Hamilton, I should again be restored to his favour. I said I had promised the duke to meddle no more in Scotch affairs; but I could not forsake my friends, nor turn against them. By this he judged I was inflexible. So he carried a story to the king the very night before the election, that upon enquiry was found to be false, when it was too late to help what was done. Upon that the king sent a severe message to the electors. So I missed that. And sometime after a new story was invented, of which Sharp was indeed the author, by which the king was made believe, that I was possessing both lords and commons against duke Lauderdale. Upon that the king ordered Coventry to command me to leave London, and not to come within twenty miles of it. The duke told me what the particulars were, which were all false; for lord Falconbridge and lord Carlisle were the lords, into whom it was said I was infusing those prejudices. Now I was known to neither of them; for, though they had desired my acquaintance, I had declined it. So I told all this to secretary Coventry, who made report of it to the king in the duke's presence: and those lords justified me in the matter. I hoped the king would upon all this recall his order; but he would not do it: so I asked to have it in writing. The secretary knew it was against law, so he would not do it. But I was forbidden the court *. The • When this subject was examined by the house of commons at the beginning of. the year following, 1675, Mr. secretary Coventry gave a somewhat different version of what took place between himself and Burnet. He said he told the doctor that the king had received some ill impressions of him, for meddling with affairs which did not concern him, and therefore it was convenient for him to go out of town. Burnet desired to have an interview with his majesty; but Coventry declined this, though he consented to present any address he might choose to send; and Burnet accordingly wrote a petition, which was delivered. Burnet soon after wished to have the king's message in writing, but Coventry told him that he had had no message direct from the king, even to forbid him the court; such a message would have come through the lord or the vice chamberlain, he only advised him to absent himself.-Grey's Debates, iii. 19. Mr. Henry Coventry, who had the above conversation with Burnet, was the third son of the first earl of Coventry. He took a master's degree in arts at All Souls College, Oxford. He adopted a line of politics very different to that pursued by his younger brother, sir William. He suffered much for his adhesion to the king in the civil war. At the restoration, he was appointed a groom of the bedchamber. In 1664, he was sent envcy to Sweden, and remained there nearly two years. In 1667, duke brought duke Lauderdale and me once together, to have made us friends; but nothing would do, unless I would forsake all my friends, and discover secrets. I said, I knew no wicked ones; and I could not break with persons, with whom I had lived long in great friendship. The duke spoke to the lord treasurer *, to soften duke Lauderdale with relation to me, and sent me to him. He undertook to do it, but said afterwards, duke Lauderdale was intractable. This violent and groundless prosecution lasted some months. And during that time I said to some, that duke Lauderdale had gone so far in opening some wicked designs to me, that I perceived he could not be satisfied unless I was undone. So I told what was mentioned before of the discourses that passed between him and me. This I ought not to have done, since they were the effects of confidence and friendship. But such a course of provocation might have heated a cooler and older man than I was, being then but thirty, to forget the caution that I ought to have used. The persons who had this from me resolved to make use of it against him, in the next session of parliament; for which the earl of Danby and he were preparing, by turning to new methods. Lord Danby set up to be the patron of the church party, and of the old cavaliers; and duke Lauderdale joined himself to him. It was said the king had all along neglected his best and surest friends; so a new measure was taken up, of doing all possible honours to the memory of king Charles the First, and to all that had been in his interests. A statue of brass on horseback, that had been long neglected, was bought, and set up at Charing Cross; and a magnificent funeral was designed for him†. The building of St. Paul's, in London, was now set on foot with great zeal. Morley and some of the bishops were sent for, and the new ministry settled a scheme with them, by which it was offered to crush all the designs of popery. The ministers expressed a great zeal in this, and openly accused all the former ministers for neglecting it so long. But, to excuse this to the duke, they told him it was a great misfortune that the church party and the dissenters were now run into one; that the church party must have some content given them; and then a test was to be set on foot that should for ever shut out all dissenters, who were an implacable sort of people. A declaration renouncing the lawfulness of resistance in any case whatsoever, and an engagement to endeavour no alteration in church or state, was designed to be a necessary qualification of all that might choose or be chosen members of parliament. If this could be carried, the king's party would be for ever separated from the dissenters, and be so much the more united to him. In order to this, it was necessary to put out severe orders of council against all convicted, or suspected, papists. The duke acquainted me with this scheme. He disliked it much. He thought this would raise the church party too high. He looked on them as intractable in the point of popery. Therefore he thought it was better to keep them under, by supporting the papists. He looked on the whole project as both knavish and foolish. And upon this he spoke severely of duke Lauderdale, who he saw would do anything to save himself; he had been all along in ill terms both with Sheldon and Morley; but now he reconciled himself to them: he brought Sharp out of Scotland, who went about assuring all people that the party set against him was likewise set against the church. This, though notoriously false, passed for true among strangers. And Leighton coming up at the year's end to quit his archbishopric of Glasgow, Burnet had made such submissions he was our ambassador at Breda, and had a considerable influence in breaking the Triple Alliance. In 1671, he was again ambassador in Sweden, and, returning the following year, was made secretary of state. Mr. speaker Onslow considered him the only honest minister employed by the king after Clarendon's removal. In 1679, he retired from office, as the Gazette announced, "on account of his infirmity of body," and entirely against the wish of the king. He never again accepted employment. He died in 1686, aged sixty-eight.-Grainger's Biog. Hist. vi. 125; Oxford ed. of Burnet's Hist. * Sir Thomas Osborne, earl of Danby and afterwards duke of Leeds. This statue was cast in 1633, by Le Sœur, for the earl of Arundel; but it was not erected until about 1678, when it was placed on its present pedestal, the work of that he was restored to it*. So that wound which had been given to episcopacy in his person was now healed. And Leighton retired to a private house in Sussex, where he lived ten years in a most heavenly manner, and with a shining conversation. So now duke Lauderdale was at the head of the church party. The court was somewhat disturbed with discoveries that were made at this time. When sir Joseph Williamson came back from Cologne, he secretly met with Wicquefort, who has published a work about ambassadorst. He was the Dutch secretary that translated the intelligence that came from England. And sometimes the originals were left in his hands. Williamson prevailed with him to deliver these to him. Most of them were written by the lord Howard's brother, who upon his brother's death was afterwards lord Howard. He was a man of wit and learning, bold and poor, who had run through many parties in religion. In Cromwell's time he was rebaptised, and had preached in London. He set up in opposition to Cromwell, as a great commonwealth's man, and did some service in the Restoration. But he was always poor, and ready to engage in anything that was bold. He went over in the beginning of the war, and offered to serve De Wit. But he told me he found him a dry man. As soon as the prince was raised, he waited on him and on Fagel; and undertook not only to send them good intelligence, but to make a great party for them. He pressed the prince to make a descent on England, only to force the king to call a parliament, and to be advised by it. And he drew such a manifesto as he believed would be acceptable to the nation. He, and one of the Du Moulins that was in lord Arlington's office joined together, and gave the States very good intelligence. Du Moulin, fearing that he was discovered, took the alarm in time and got beyond sea. Most of the papers that Wicquefort delivered were of Howard's writing. So upon his examination in the Tower, it appeared they had his letters against him. And, when notice was sent of this to Holland, Wicquefort was called on to bring before them all the original letters that were trusted to him; and, upon his not doing it, he was clapped up. And the States sent word to the king, that if any person suffered in England on the account of the letters betrayed by him, his head should go for it. Halewyn told me, when it was put to the judges to know what sort of crime this could be made, since the papers were given up after the peace was concluded, (otherwise the betraying the secrets of the state to enemies was a manifest crime), they came to this resolution, that as by the Roman law everything was made capital that was contra salutem Populi Romani, so the delivering up such papers was a capital crime. This threatening saved Howard. But yet Wicquefort was kept very long in prison, and ruined by it. He had a sort of a character from one of the princes of Germany, upon which he insisted. But the States thought that his coming into their service was the throwing up of that character. Upon this occasion Carstairs, mentioned in the year 1672, was sent over from Holland to England. And he was seized on with a paper of instructions that were drawn so darkly, that no wonder if they gave a jealousy of some ill designs then on foot. The prince said, when asked about it, that it was only meant for a direction for carrying on the levies of some regiments, that the king had allowed the Dutch to make in Scotland, which the king did the better to excuse his letting so many continue in the French service. However, mention being made of money to be paid and of men to be raised, and a compliment being ordered to be made to duke Hamilton, this looked suspicious. Howard had confessed all he knew upon promise of pardon. So that, and this, laid together, gave the court some apprehensions. Duke Lauderdale made use of it to heighten the king's ill opinion of the party against him. And, because lieutenant-general Drummond was, of all the military men, he that had the best capacity and the greatest reputation, he moved that he might be This prelate was no relation to our author. + Abraham de Wicquefort wrote two works upon the duties of ambassadors L'Ambassadeur et ses fonctions," and "Mémoires touchant les ambassadeurs et les ministres publics." For thirty-two years he had been resident-minister of the elector of Brandenburgh, but at the end of that time was committed to the Bastile for communicating intelligence to his native country, Holland. When released, De Wit employed him to write the History of the Seven United Provinces; but before he had completed it he was seized and condemned to imprisonment for life for betraying state secrets, as will be immediately noticed. In 1679 he escaped, and found a protector in the duke of Zell. His "Histoire des Provinces Unics desPays-Bas, &c." is an excellent and authentic work.-Moreri's Hist. Dict. This thoroughly base man was the chief evidenco against his friends, Algernon Sidney and lord W. Russell, whom ho betrayed |