TO see the French Masters at Sea, and the English Glory thus sunk in the eyes of all Christendom by a Complication of Disasters, cannot but raise the Curiosity of all true Lovers of their Countrey to enquire into the Source and Cause of so important E­vents. That we who have been able to make so great a Figure in the World, e­ven long before the Accession of the Crown of Scotland to Ours, and to turn the Scale of Europe to whatever Side we espou­sed; and who have so often dyed with our Enemies Blood, the Fields of France, and ac­quir'd [Page 2] so many Laurels in that Countrey, should at this very moment be oblig'd to turn our Backs to that very Enemy whom we have so often beaten, and upon that ve­ry Element which Nature and the Possession of some Ages had made properly our own; Who could ever have dream'd! Let us therefore enquire into the Causes of our present Misfortunes, and let us do it with that impartiality the Subject requires. It's but just the Authors and Abettors of Eng­land's Miseries, should be retriev'd from O­blivion, and their Infamy should be handed down to the unhappy Children, that shall have reason to curse their Fathers Villanies and Treasons.

England within these few years has been amused with three different Plots, and to be carried on by three different Parties; but at the bottom, we have had but one Plot, and that carried on & manag'd but by two Parties, in constant Friendship with one another. We first of all saw a Popish one laid open and dis­cover'd, with as demonstrative clearness, as such Hellish Works of Darkness could admit of. The King seemd, and the Parliament and whole Nation did really believe the Reality of [Page 3] this Plot. But within a little time these two unhappy Parties, the Papists, and the High­flown Passive-Obedience men, (both equally the cause of all our Woes) joyn'd hand in hand to turn this Popish Plot into ridicule; and by a complication of Subornations, In­triegues, and Perjuries, they at last got it hiss'd out of doors.

Then it was the Pulpits began to ring with Outcries against those true blew Protestants (as they and their admired Buffoon, L'Estrange, call'd them in derision) who had the sauci­ness to endeavour the Exclusion of the then Duke of York from the Crown, as the only means to save England from a Ruin that threatned her. There was nothing at that time to be heard, in the most of our Church­es, but the Divine Right of Succession; the singu­lar Loyalty of the Duke to his Brother; and the horridness of the Attempt to set so Pious so Ge­nerous, so well-natur'd a Prince beside the Throne: Yea, it was become a kind of Treason to dare to say, He was a Papist.

It was not enough the Popish Plot should be hiss'd off the stage; our two loving Parties employed their utmost diligence to sham the world with a Whig Plot (for so they christned [Page 4] it) as the only proper method to revenge themselves upon the wise and more moderate part of the Nation, that had been more for­ward than others in the Discovery of the Po­pish one. How this sham Protestant Plot was managed, and what Sacrifices were offered up to the Revenge of an implacable Prince, the barbarous Murther of the Earl of Essex, with the illegal Executions of the Lord Russel, Algernon Sidney, and many others, do speak out more than words can.

This Whig Plot was eccho'd in the Pulpits with all the villanous Names Hell could in­vent: And to be a Whig, was then a thousand times worse than to be a Mahometan. Every little Creature that had got into a Pulpit by the beneficence of a Patron, perhaps as silly as himself, though he could not sufficiently deserve his Ten or Twelve Pounds a year, unless he belch'd out once a Sunday, all the stench he possibly could, against the poor Whigs; and indeed the so doing was the pro­perest way to come to Preferment. Now un­der the Name of Whig, they comprehended then, as well as now, not only the Dissenters, but all those of the Clergy or Laicks, that came not up to that mad height of theirs, in [Page 5] point of Ceremonies, Passive-Obedience, Divine Right of Succession, and the like.

King Charles being hurried off the Stage, God knows how; The Duke of York suc­ceeds with the loud Acclamations of the two Parties I have named, and with the submissive silence of the rest of the Nation. Our High­flown Church-men strove, which of them un­derstood the Art of Flattery best, in their Addresses to King James: And ev'ry thirtieth of January was solemniz'd with Peals of Ord­nance from the Pulpits against the poor Whigs, for not only taking away the Life of the Father, but endeavouring to exclude the best, and the most pious Prince in the World, his Son from the Succession, by that accurs'd Bill of Exclusion. Indeed this Anniversary-day, had something in it like the Bacchanalia of Rome, wherein Slaves and Servants might safe­ly insult and hector their Masters: And it often fell out, that a silly Fellow, who by Importunity, and perhaps worse means, had gotten into a Living, durst on this general Madding-day, reproach to his Face his Patron that gave him Bread, meerly because he was either a Whig, or at least would not bellow out Reproaches against that side, as loud as others.

But alas! poor King James soon lost the kindness of these his former Votaries: For he who had been told every day, He might do what he pleas'd, and was accountable to none but God; thought He might safely venture to make tryal of the Passive Obedience of them that told him so. Here he was mightily mistaken, and hence he may date all his Misfortunes. The Devil might much more justly say of these Passive Obedience Gen­tlemen, in relation to King James, than of Job of old, in relation to God Almighty; Do they serve thee for nought? Hast thou not made a hedge about them, and about their house, and about all that ever they have, on every side? But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that they have, and they will curse thee to thy face And as long as King James was caressing them, and giving them not only good Words, but good Deeds, especially a belov'd power to trample on the Dissenters, Then it was, He was the best King in the World: But whenever his Jesuited Counsellors hrd advis'd him to in­fringe in the least these mens Priviledges, Then their Complaints of King James were heard further off than England, and the very Nations abroad were deafen'd with the noise [Page 7] of their trifling Afflictions, and indeed more they were not, if compar'd with what other People met with from that Prince's Mini­sters.

Then was there nothing heard of among these Gentlemen, but how far the King had broken his Oath to maintain the Church of Eng­land, and how far he had invaded their Liber­ties and Priviledges, but especially in allowing a Toleration to the Dissenters. For a Toleration to Papists alone, they would easily have swallowed; but that the Dissenters (whom in their Pulpits they had a thousand times over call'd worse than the Papists) should be free from their Clutches, and should en­joy a perfect freedom from their Censures, was a thing intollerable to them. Their se­cret Murmurings broke out at length into o­pen Complaints; And in fine, His present Majesty, the then Prince of Orange, could get no rest from their Importunities; But come over he must, and settle things on a sure bot­tom: And it was they who were most active in inviting him over to England.

The Prince from a Generous Principle of Zeal for the Protestant Religion, which was indeed by this time on the brink of Ruine, and [Page 8] which none had hastened more forward than our high-flown Passive-obedience Men; He un­dertook an Enterprize of the great'st Consequence that this Age has seen, and ventur'd his All, to retrieve three Nations from a fate that impend­ed over them. The best and soberest part of the Nation rose for His Majesty upon his land­ing; and who prov'd more forward than some of our Passive-obedience Men themselves at that time? Not only they declar'd for him, not only address'd they K. James for a Parliament in order to Pinion Him, which is all one on the matter as to dethrone Him; but likewise upon that King's going away, they meet with the rest of the Peers and Members of Parliament, and joyntly invite the Prince to take upon him the Government, and to exercise a Power that wanted nothing of a King, but the Name.

One would have thought that Party, and the Gentleman at Lambeth, their Head, had been very cordial in bringing about this Revolution, since they went as far as any of their Neigh­bours at first in all the steps of it. But alas! We were mistaken, these worthy Gentlemen had other aims than we knew of. They con­curr'd in the inviting the Prince of Orange o­ver to England; in declaring for him after [Page 9] he came; and in fine, in addressing him to take upon him the Government in so difficult Jun­cture. But this was all in order to make use of the P. of Orange's Name, Power and Interest, to bring about the Redress of their trifling Grievan­ces. That Prince they were resolv'd to make but a Tool of for their little self-ends, whereof one was the utter abasing of the poor Dissenters, and laying them at their mercy. I confess I cannot but laugh at the insupportable Folly of these unthinking Creatures, that could imagine, the P. of Orange, who made so great a Figure in Europe, and whose presence was of so great ne­cessity on the Continent, could be impos'd upon to come over to England in the heart of Winter, amidst a thousand Dangers, and at a vast Charge, and that meerly to fasten, forsooth, a tottering Pillar or two in the Cathedral of Canterbury, or the Chappel of Lambeth. That Illustrious Prince was born for greater Glories than these; and those poor Monkish Statesmen are not able to fathom the Genie of a Heroe.

No reward but that of the Crown was suffi­cient for the mighty favour the Prince had done us, in delivering us from Popery and Slavery; And there was indeed no other means left to as­sure us of safety, in so perplexing an Event, as [Page 10] that of K. James's going away, and the Conse­quences that did attend it. But to set the Crown upon the head of a Prince, who being brought up in Foreign Church, they suppos'd would prove no blind Bigot to Theirs, was a thing our High Priest and the rest of the Gang could not bear. A Popish Prince, so be it he would grant them a high hand over the Prote­stant Dissenters, they would rather trust on the Throne, that a Protestant One, who they knew would never consent to such Practices.

And here I would fain know of our Lambeth Holy Club, what mighty difference there is be­twixt the Inviting a Foreign Prince to Invade by Arms the Right of their Jure Divino King (as they call King James) and thereafter Ad­dressing that Prince to accept of a Power, which only belongs in their sense to Kings; and that of Swearing Obedience to that same Prince after he is actually Declared and Constituted King by the Nobility and Representatives of the People? How comes it that these Gentle­men were so free to do the first, and think it so unpardonable a sin to do the last? It's with con­ferring of Crowns, as with another Civil Con­tract, of which the Law says, Multa impediunt Ma­trimonium contrahendum, quae non destruunt con­tractum: [Page 11] Many things may hinder a Marriage from being at first entred into, which cannot dissolve it after it's consummated. So many things might have been said to hinder the Crown from being conferred upon his Majesty, which cannot have any place now, after he is by Act of Parliament setled in the Throne. And to any body, but these that are wilfully ignorant, the Inviting and Assisting his Majesty against the late King, before the Crown was conferr'd upon him, was a greater Invasion of their darling Principle of Passive Obedience, than the Swearing to him af­ter he is declared and acknowledged King by the Parliament.

The King and Queen being thus setled on the Throne, we have immediately the effects of these mens inconstancy exprest in a Third Plot, whereof we are now principally to treat: Which has been managed principally by the disaffected Clergy and Laicks; for the Papists have really the least share in it. The first step the Clergy made, was the writing against the taking the new Oaths to their Majesties, enjoyn'd them by Act of Parliament; and the buzzing in­to the Ears of their poor ignorant Votaries, the Ʋnlawfulness of those Oaths, and the conti­nuing Right of King James to the Crown.

This piece of their Artillery, it was thought would have done some considerable Execution; But alas! a great many of the Gentlemen themselves who had been industrious to per­suade others to refuse the Oaths, they could so little digest the loss of their Livings, as they chose rather to take these unlawful Oaths (as they call'd them) than to expose themselves to the least Suffering. And I remember a pret­ty story of a Reverend Divine in the North on this occasion: He had damn'd to Hell in his Sermons, all that rose for King William, before he was declar'd King; and ever after he was declar'd and Crown'd, to this very day, would never pray for him: He had in all Com­panies, but more especially among those of his own Character, exclaim'd against the taking the Oaths, and told them over and over again, that he had rather beg than take them: His Insinuations, and (as they expected) his Exam­ple, prevail'd with a great many of the poor Parsons and Curates of the Country, to let the time expire that was appointed for taking the Oaths. But the Gentleman himself, the very last night of the prefixed time, comes stealing in to the Magistrates of the Town where he lived, and takes them without any Scruple. But enough of this worthy Divine.

There being very few of our disaffected Clergy that had the Courage to lay down their Places for the Oaths, the next step of the Plot was, to cheat the World and their own Con­sciences with a ridiculous and foolish distinction of taking the Oaths to a King de facto, but not de jure. The design of this Distinction was first to salve their own Consciences, and to vin­dicate themselves from the Reproaches of their Comerades, who had absolutely refused to take the Oaths. And 2ly, To bear it in up­on the minds of the people, That their Maje­sties were not Lawful and Rightful King and Queen of England, but de facto only, that is, in plain English, Downright Ʋsurpers. This was so little adverted to, even by some of the honest Clergy, that in several of their Writings for ta­king the Oaths, they seemed to grant the distincti­on; which was indeed upon the matter, a granting the Question, tho these worthy Per­sons had no ill intentions in it. And indeed what could be more efficacious to alienate the hearts of the People from Their Majesties, than either to suppose them King and Queen de facto only, or to buzze into the Peoples ears, that in Swearing Allegiance to them, they thereby acknowledge no lawful Right to the [Page 14] Crown to be in their Persons. This distinction did not only give them scope to take the Oaths to their Majesties, but also to pray for them by Name in their Pulpits. But yet some of them, of more sincerity than the rest, would not pray for them by Name at all; and yet to prevent any trouble from the Law, they wisely pray'd in general Terms for the King and Queen. Here was a pretty way of playing fast and loose with God Almighty: He might take it in what sense he pleased; either for King James and Queen Mary, or King William and Queen Mary: And thus both God Almighty, and the Act of Par­liament were satisfied. Others of a more nice stomach yet, would not pray for the King and Queen, but for the King and the Royal Family: A rare master-piece of wit! The word King takes in either King William or King James, and the Royal Family takes in all: And so be sure, the Parson must hit right one way or other.

The next step of the Plot was this; The Act of Parliament enjoyning the Oaths to their Majesties, it seems, admits of some favoura­ble Interpretation in Law, upon the part of those that only Preach, but have no Cure of Souls. Before they came to find out this noble Inven­tion, the Plot was lame, because the Machines [Page 15] that moved it, were debarr'd from the Pulpits, where their Train would take best. The whis­pering in Corners was only small shot, but the Thunders from the Pulpit, would certainly do mighty Execution; and no fitter place to e­rect a Battery, than upon a Velvet Cushion.

Some wise Lawyers having found out this happy Defect in the Act of Parliament, one of the greatest Champions was detach'd from the Body of the Army, to beat the Road, and try this new Experiment. And then D. S. with the loud Acclamations of the Party, mounts the Chair first; and as an Introduction to his Ser­mons, gives his Auditory an account of the happy Discovery he had made, of so great a Blessing to Mankind; as his having Liberty to Preach to them, notwithstanding the Act of Par­liament about taking the Oaths.

This Achilles was followed by a great num­ber of lesser Mermidons; who partly by stealth, and partly by the Pious Zeal of some of their own sort of Church-Wardens, got up into some Pulpits in London, and a great many more in the Country; where they were led about in Triumph. This was a down-right Invasion on the Act of Parliament; for it was never the meaning of the Lawgivers, that only the Cure [Page 16] of Souls should fall under the compass of the Act, and that that those who would not take the Oaths, might have leave to Preach, and thereby Trumpet up the People to a Dissatisfa­ction with the Government.

All these steps of the Plot, were to be back'd with another Engine of theirs; and that was the publishing to the World, The History of Pas­sive Obedience. In order to this Master-piece of Learning (for so must certainly a bare Col­lection of other Mens Writings be) a Reverend Club meets at L. where they muster up a great many Expressions of English Divines, both Ancient and Modern, to establish their Notion of Passive-Obedience. Although the most of the Citations of this Pamphlet, be far wide of the Question, and refer only to Obedience to Magistracy in general, and the unlawfulness of private Persons, their rising up against the Government upon every frivolous pretext: Yet this silly Pamphlet was handed about in Triumph among the Party; and it was a Damnable Sin, for any of the Gang to want it off his Table; yet many times the Bible that lay there before for fashion, was removed to give place to this new Guest.

But alas! All that's past, was but small [Page 17] drops before the Deluge of Rain that succeeded. The next Engine of the Plot is the happy Result of a kind of Oeconomick Council of the whole Party: The Liturgy of the Church of England must be laid aside, and a new one must be cal­culated for the Meridian of King James's Totter­ing Fortune: And the greatest wonder of all, is, That the Council who publish'd this new Litur­gy, did not usher it in with, It seems good to the Holy Ghost, and to us.

In this New Liturgy they insinuate to the World, That in effect, all that are for Their Majesties Interest, were without King, without Priest, and without God in the World. A dreadful Doom, before a Terrible Tribunal! None are indeed at this rate, within the compass of the Church, but this Holy Jacobite Club, and their followers. But let us hear the very Words of this part of the Liturgy; Restore us again (say they) the Publick Worship of thy Name, the Reverend Administrations of thy Sacraments; raise up the for­mer Government both in Church and State, that we may be no longer without King, without Priest, and without God in the World.

But the loudest blast of their Trumpet, we meet with, when they come to Pray for the late King James: it's here the Holy Club has ex­hausted [Page 18] all their Rhetorick and Zeal in the following Words. Send forth (say they) thy Light and thy Truth, and let them preserve us. Pro­tect and defend thy Servant our Sovereign Lord the King. O prepare thy Loving Mercy and Faithfulness, that they may preserve him. Strengthen his hands, and the hands of all that are put in Authority under him, with Judgment and Justice, to cut off all such workers of Iniquity as turn Religion to Rebellion, and Faith into Faction (a pretty gingling of the Letters, mightily conducing to the Force of the Prayer), That they may never prevail a­gainst us, or triumph in the Ruin of thy Church among us. To this end defend the King, bind up his Soul in the bundle of Life, and let no Weapon form'd against him prosper. Be unto him a helmet of Salvation, and a strong Tower of Defence a­gainst the Face of his Enemies. Let his Reign be prosperous, and his Days many. Make him glad ac­cording to the Days wherein thou hast afflicted him, and for the Years wherein thou hast made him suffer Adversity. Give him the Necks of his Enemies, and also every day more and more the Hearts of his Subjects. As for those that are implacable, cloath them with shame; but upon himself and his Posterity (that is, the Prince of Wales) let the Crown flourish. I have been at the pains to copy out [Page 19] thus much of the Prayer, that we may there­by see in what a Praying frame the Gentlemen were, when they compos'd it: And the truth is, I do not remember we ever saw them so transported with an extatick fit of Zeal, in all their Prayers for King James, when he was up­on the Throne.

The General Council having thus compos'd this new Liturgy, there were above 10000 of them printed and dispersed up and down among the Party. And to this very day they use them in their Cabals, laying aside a great part, and sometimes all the old Liturgy: For alas! the old Liturgy comes not up to the heat and zeal of this new one; and how many old Women are become very devout upon it, that had almost been worn out of all love for the Old one, many years ago; especially if they have any little odd Money to spare to the poor distrest Clergy, that have left their places for pure Conscience sake.

Now at the very time the great Guns of these new Prayers are thus furiously playing, the Club are working a Mine under ground, to widen the Breach, in order to a General Assault. There are a great many of King James's Of­ficers, and other well-wishers about Town, [Page 20] that must be taken care of, until things be rea­dy for a final Insurrection, wherein there will be use for them. To this effect, there are so many of the Holy Club detach'd up and down, to persuade monied People, who wish well to the Cause, to contribute for the subsistence of these cashier'd Gentlemen. There are no in­considerable Sums of Money Levied and Paid out upon that account; among the Colle­ctors of which, there must be one Fellow that eat King William's Bread. And certainly it were worth the while, to be present at one of the Meetings of the General L. Club, to hear what extraordinary fine Persons they extend their Care and Charity to, upon this account; and to learn the little Arts these great Statesmen, put in practice, to persuade the silly old Women to tell down their Dust, for carrying on so pious a Work.

But now I come to the main Points of this noble Contrivance, and it may indeed be cal­led The Plot by way of Eminence; all that went before, being but an Introduction to it. His Majesty, from a Noble and Boundless Cou­rage, will needs venture his Person once more for the safety of these Kingdoms, and His Journey to Ireland is concluded upon: In or­der [Page 21] to this Expedition, the most and the bet­ter Disciplin'd part of the Army are to attend His Majesty; And it will be impossible to leave any considerable Force behind him in his absence. Like as the Transportation of the Queen of Spain; and the Convoy of the Streights Merchant-men, had carried a consi­derable part of our Fleet to the Mediterranian: And another part of it was to attend His Maje­sty and the Army to Ireland: So that our Fleet was not to be so considerable, as otherwise it would have been.

All these Circumstances raised the Courage of our Plotters; and now was the only and fit­test time to give the blow: In order to which, their mighty Patron the French King must be induc'd to act a considerable, and in effect, the most dangerous part. They knew, that his own Interest was linked intirely with that of King James's; and that it concerned as much the French King in this Juncture, to sup­port King James, and to maintain a War against King William in his own Kingdoms, as if the Kingdom of France it self were at the stake. The French King, from long custom, knew how to improve his Gold in England to advan­tage, and many a considerable return had he [Page 22] made of that sort of trade. Our Plotters know best the Genius of the People; and where to bestow this Gold to the best advantage. They had been well acquainted with all the Villanies and Treacheries of the last two Reigns; because some of them had a conside­rable share in them: And they wisely consi­dered, that if they, by some French Gold, could gain Offices or Places, to those of their own Party, then they would be Masters of all the Secrets of the Nation: And it should be their own fault if they improved not the Intel­ligence they might have from them, to the forwarding King James's affairs.

It was not only Places and Offices, wherein Intelligence is properly to be had, but even those in the Fleet and elsewhere, our Plotters ex­pected to have men of their own Stamp put in, with their Gold: And whether they fail'd in the last or not, I cannot tell; sure if they did, it was not for want of Pains or Money, for they spar'd neither.

The King being gone; Admiral Killigrew being in the Streights; and Sir Clousely Shouel in St. George's Channel; And the Holland Squa­dron not yet joyn'd ours, nor ours fully met: Then was the time for our Plotters to put [Page 23] their long thought on design in Execution. In order to which, at one of their General Meetings in London, where it was necessary some of the Clergy should be present to Bless so Pious a Work; it was concluded to give in a Memorial in Name of the Loyal and Distress'd Subjects of England (for so they nam'd themselves) to his Most Christian Majesty; Humbly Inviting him out of his extraordinary Goodness, and for the Affection he always bore to opprest Virtue, That he would assist them in restoring Their lawful King, His Ancient Ally and Confede­rate, to his Throne; and in breaking the Yoak of Usurpation, under which these Three Nati­ons were at this time so heavily Groaning. But it will be absolutely fit here to insert the very Words of their Memorial it self, as it has been discover'd by a certain Person of late, and as it was exprest in the French Tongue, in which it was Originally written, and given in.

The MEMORIAL is thus:

There are Five more Articles in this Memorial, that for certain Reasons I will not Copy out; only I'll tell the Reader, they are of a piece with the rest, and full as ill. Here are some truths, but a great many more lyes; and such as none but People of their gang could be capable of. And if the Readers Cu­riosity tempt him to be very inquisitive how this Memorial came to light; let him wait but a little, and perhaps he will see both it, and the Deliverers and Contrivers of it, made publick enough.

It might be thought strange, that this Gene­ral Council should venture their Credit, to in­vite the French King over to England upon no better or surer grounds; for by the by, the De­sign of the Memorial, was to bring them over, and there had been some two or three other Memorials before this, over and above a con­stant Correspondence betwixt the French Mi­nister Monsieur de Croisie, and them. But the very truth is, The Clergy, who were the great Contrivers and Managers of this, and who by their Profession are for the most part extra­ordinarily [Page 28] credulous of any thing they incline to, did really believe, that immediately upon the appearing of the French Fleet, and the burn­ing of ours (which they thought as sure) there would certainly be a general Insurrecti­on through a great many places of the King­dom, in order to join them at their Landing, and to Declare for King James. They knew how busie they themselves had been to buzze into the ears of all People they had any Inte­rest with, jealousies of the Government; and the reasonableness of calling back a Prince, that was by an unalterable Divine Right, their King. They knew how busie they had been in every corner, to whisper the great and heavy Taxes the Kingdom lay under in this Reign; and how greatly Trade was decay'd of late. When in the mean time these Wretches were Consci­ous to themselves, That we had given more to King Charles to throw away upon his Whores, than we had given to King William to reduce Ireland to the Crown of England. They likewise knew, that the Dissenters had been of late a little disoblig'd by the continu­ing the Sacramental Test, and by the 500 l. Bill; and some other things that seem'd very hard, considering their hearty affection to [Page 29] King William's Interest. They knew that some of the most moderate part of the Church of England, called Whigs, had met with some mor­tifications of late, in the Elections for Parlia­ment, but more especially in the change of the Lieu­tenancy of London. They were also pretty well acquainted with the temper of some men in Of­fices both in the Lieutenancy and Militia, who had gone a considerable length in the high-flown courses of the late Reign: And they were easily induc'd to think, that they who had gone the greatest length in betraying the Liberties of the City of London, and in packing up Juries, and the like, could never be cordial Friends to the present Government. All which things prevail'd with these new kind of Statesmen, to believe, that a general Insurrection in England, was one of the easiest things of a thousand; considering the Absence of the King, and some other things mentioned in the Memorial. But they counted without their host; and whether out of fear, or want of Power, none of the Male-contents of England durst stir a foot in the Cause they wish'd so well to.

The French King giving ear to the Represen­tations and Importunities of these Gentlemen, put all his Wit on the rack to get money to equip [Page 30] the greatest Fleet that ever that Nation set to Sea; and at a vast charge he brought the Thou­lon Squadron round the whole Continent of Spain, and through the Streights, to join his Brest Fleet. He left not behind, one Seaman that could be found in France, and scarce one Ship more of any Force, in all his Harbours. Upon the notice given him by his Trusty Pen­sioners here, he directs this French Armado straight for the Isle of Wight, where our Fleet was to rendezvous; and if it had but arrived there some few days before it came, we had not had Twenty Ships together at that place: Yet so near were we to ruin, that albeit our Fleet was become by that time pretty strong, and the most of the Ships arriv'd; yet if Heaven had not turned the Wind in a moment, they had every one of them, in all probability, been burn'd at Anchor. The French Fleet pas­sing in sight of Weymouth, the Mayor of that place did very wisely dispatch two Expresses, one for the Queen, and another for my Lord Torrington, the Admiral: But the Wind blow­ing a fair fresh Gale, the French Fleet had certainly been amidst ours, before the Wey­mouth Express could possibly reach Portsmouth, if the Wind had continued but some hours [Page 31] longer. Our Fleet being in this imminent, and almost inevitable hazard, and the French being within a few Leagues of them, the Wind in an instant turn'd about, and put a stop to their design'd and easie Victory, by obliging them to lye by.

This happy Providence counter-acted all the Plots of our Enemies both at Home and Abroad; and we had time given us to prevent the Destruction that threatned us. And to compleat the Mercy, it fell out, that at that very precise time this hapned, there was a full Discovery made by some Persons here, who had been concerned in the Plot all along, of their whole Affairs and Transactions both with France, and at Home.

We read of one of the Nations of Asia, that when any signal Misfortune befals their State, they immediately thereupon offer up to their angry Deities some of their Priests, as a Sacrifice to atone their Wrath; because, say they, Those Priests ought to have taught us how to have pleased the Gods, so as not to provoke them to inflict such judgments upon us. The truth is, it's a wonder the English Nation, upon the af­front that has befallen them, in being forc'd to turn their backs to the French at Sea, have [Page 32] not in their fury De-Witted some of those men who have brought all this upon us, both by Inviting the French, and by the Intreagues they have manag'd at home: And I must tell them, that the Crimes of the Two unhappy Brothers in Holland (which gave rise to that word) were not fully so great, as those of some of them; and yet their Punishment has been one of the severest that any Criminals ever met with in this Age.

I am very inclinable to believe, that all the Officers and Seamen of the Fleet have been Proof against the Insinuations of our Plotters; and that they have not yielded to the Tem­ptations of French Gold; tho at the same time, I do not doubt, they have been assaulted with both: And if so, the wonder is the greater, if it be true, that is talked so freely up and down, That a great many of the Officers have bought their Places with money. It's hard to believe that there are any such practi­ces in England, as the buying and selling Places, especially those in the Fleet, upon which de­pend both the Saftety and Glory of England: But if any such thing be, then the Retreat we have been forc'd to make, will certainly open the eyes of our Governous, to see the mighty [Page 33] and almost irrecoverable prejudices that attend such slavish methods of getting Commands; and will put them upon employing fit Per­sons, in whose Fidelity and Valour we may safely trust. Altho I be far from vindicating the late Usurpation of Cromwell, yet I cannot but admire the choice he made of brave and skilful Com­manders in the Fleet; under the conduct of whom, England got so much Glory in the War against the Dutch: Over and above their Va­lour and Skill, Those Commanders both in their Practice and by their Orders, kept up the strictest Discipline among their Soldiers; and if there was any immoralities committed amongst them, it was by stealth, and not in face of the Sun. It's to be confess'd, it's very hard for some men to resist the Temptations of deprav'd Nature, and they are to be in some measure pitied, when they do it in a manner that expresses their shame of it. But when men commit the grossest immoralities in the open view of the world; it is in it self an outbraving of God Almighty, and a virtual denying of his Justice, or of his Power to ex­ert it. And it's strange how any can dare to expect success from Heaven, when they are openly declaring War against it, by their [Page 34] avowed Impieties. And I am afraid, we wait for Success in vain, as long as in our Ar­mies and Navies, among our Officers and Sol­diers, there is not a Reformation, at least of open Immoralities.

But to return to the French Expedition: Our Murmurers and Plotters were strangely eleva­ted with the expectation of its Success. In their fond imaginations King James was al­ready at White-Hall; and some of them were publickly in Coffee-houses acting the part of a Herauld, in Marshalling his Triumphant en­try into London. Never was our new Liturgies, I spoke of, so threadbare as now, with being so often said over and over again in private meet­ings of the Party: And the ordinary subject of their discourse was, the Greatness and Magnani­mity of the French King, the number and force of his Fleet, the weakness of ours; and sometimes a defect of His Majesties forces in Ireland, to keep them in heart. Their Impudence was arriv'd at that height, that in open Exchange, one of the long Robe was pleased to say with relation to the Hollanders loss in the late Engagement at Sea, That they were well paid off for the Present they had sent us some twenty months ago.

But that none of that Party may want the [Page 35] due Praise their Writings deserve, I'll give the Reader a Dedication made by one of them (and him of the long Robe too) to the French King not many Months since, when the Plot was just upon the wheel, and which for the Nobleness of the stile I must commend, tho the matter of it be downright Blasphemy. Immortalitati & Alternitati, Nominis & Numinis Lodovici Magni, Galliarum Imperatoris, Clementis, Victoris, Felicis, semper Augusti, ob Egregiam Pie­tatem & Regiam munisicentiam, erga Afflictos Principes Brittannicos, nomine Brittaniarum Insu­larum, hosce Versiculos Anglice conscriptos, humillime consecrat. In English thus; To the Im­mortality and Eternity of the Name and Divinity of Lewis the Great Emperor of France, Victorious, Happy, Merciful, Allwise, August; in acknowledge­ment of his Royal goodness and bounty towards the af­flicted Princes of Brittain, These Verses Written in English, are in name of the Brittish Isles most humbly Consecratated by, &c. Thus we see how far an English Jacobite can outvy a French Poet himself, in the art of Blasphemous Flattery.

But how soon are all these kind of Peoples hopes laid in the dust, upon the arrival of the news of His Majestis Glorious Victories in Ireland? and how far has it counterpois'd the [Page 36] joy they had some days ago for the Action be­tween the two Fleets? A little time will shew, that notwithstanding of all they have done to Ruin him, no body will be more forward than they to fawn upon his Majesties good Fortune, whenever once they are quite out of hopes of King James's retrieving his. But sure the Government will be Wiser, than ever to dart any of its warm beams upon such kind of Creatures, any farther than to let them live the Scorn of all Honest men, and the Ha­tred of every one that loves their Countrey and their Religion.

Thus have I given some of the Reasons of the late Disasters (if I may call them so) which we have met with, within these few days in England, tho they are more than made up by our wonderful Success in Ireland; yet I must call it a Disaster, to be obliged to retire without obtaining a full Victory over the French, and to see the Dutch Squadron receive so great a Damage, without being able to come up to their Assistance. And the consi­deration of this, has forc'd from me some Expressions against the Authors and Abettors of these Misfortunes, that perhaps I would otherwise have spared: And I attest God to [Page 37] witness, that nothing but Love to my Coun­try and Religion, to then Majesties Persons and Government, has extorted them from me.

When I have spoken so much against the Practices of our discontented Clergy; both Reason, and my own Inclination, do oblige me to admire and praise the wise and pious Con­duct of that part of the Clergy who have been true to their Country, and to their Religion, and have not (as some others of their Chara­cter) resisted the Mercies of God, that has been wonderfully manifested in delivering us from Popery and Slavery; but who by their Precepts and Example, have excited their People to receive these Mercies with all the just return of thanks. God forbid, that I should be so unhappy, as to be mistaken in any of the Reflections I have been obliged to make of the Carriage of some of that Order; or, that I should be thought to derogate in the least from the singular Learning, Piety, and Zeal, that shine visibly among the Divines of the Church of England, by any thing I have said against those, who are indeed a reproach to that Church. I must confess, there is one thing that has mightily provoked me against these Male contents, and that is, their veno­mous [Page 38] and ill-natur'd Reflections, both in their Discourses and Libels, against some of the first Luminaries of the Church, whose Books they are not worthy to bear; and that meerly upon the account of their Affection to the present Government. And altho these Reverend and Excellent Persons, are pleased by a Miracle of good Nature, to suffer their Follies and Im­pertinencies; I know no reason why others, that have not the Honour to be of that Sacred Order, should spare them.