IT hath been Our Observation, that for several Years last past, a Malevolent Party hath made it their business to promote Sedition by false News, Libellous Pamphlets, and other wicked Arts; whereby they endeavoured not only to render Our Government odious, and Our most Faithful Subjects suspected to the people, but even to incite them to a dislike and hatred of Our Royal Person: Whereupon it was evident to Us, that the Heads of this Party could have no other aim, but the ruine of Us and Our Government.

And whilst by Our utmost care, We manifested to all our Subjects Our Zeal for the maintenance of the Protestant Religion, and Our resolutions to Govern according to Law; It was a great trouble to Us to find, that evil persons by misrepresenting Our actions to the people, should so far insinuate themselves into the affections of the weaker sort, as that they looked upon them as the only Patriots and Assertors of their Religion and Liberties, and gave themselves up en­tirely to their Conduct.

As their numbers increased, so did their boldness, to that height, that by often shewing themselves in Tumults and Riots, and unlawful and seditious Con­venticles, they not only engaged, but proclaimed an Impunity to their own Party, who thought them­selves already too strong for the Laws; and they seemed to believe, that in a short time they should gain upon the people, so as to perswade them to a total Defection from the Government.

But it pleased God, by these their violent ways, to open the eyes of Our good Subjects, who easily fore­saw what troubles these methods would produce; and thereupon with great courage, as well as duty and affection towards Us, upon all occasions did manifest their resolution and readiness in defence of Our Per­son, and support of Our Government, and the Reli­gion Established: and did likewise convince the com­mon people of the villanous designs of their Factious Leaders, and the miseries that would befal them in pursuing such courses.

By these means the Factious Party lost ground daily, and finding that it was impossible to keep up the spirits of their Followers, against the Religion Established, and the Laws; whilst we were steady in the maintenance and execution of them, became de­sperate, and resolved not to trust any longer to the slow methods of Sedition, but to betake themselves to Arms; not doubting but that they remained still strong enough by Force to overturn the Government, which they could not undermine.

It is hard to imagine how men of so many differ­ent Interests and Opinions could joyn in any Enter­prize; but it is certain, they readily concurred in the resolution of taking Arms to destroy the Govern­ment, even before they had agreed what to set up in the place of it.

To which purpose they took several ways; For, whilst some were contriving a general Insurrection in this Kingdom, and likewise in Scotland; others were conspiring to Assassinate Our Royal Person, and Our Dearest Brother, and to massacre the Magistrates of Our City of London, and Our Officers of State, that there might be no appearance of Government, nor any means for Our Subjects to unite for their De­fence.

In case it had pleased God to permit these wicked designs to have taken Effect, there could have been nothing in prospect but confusion: For, instead of the Reformation they pretended, their success would have produced Divisions and Wars among themselves, until the predominant Party could have enslaved the rest, and the whole Kingdom.

But the Divine Providence, which hath preserved Us through the whole course of Our life, hath at this time in an extraordinary manner shewed it self in the wonderful and gracious deliverance of Us and Our Dearest Brother, and all Our Loyal Subjects from this Horrid and Damnable Conspiracy.

As it is therefore Our desire that all Our Loving Subjects should joyn with Us in giving Thanks to Al­mighty God for this mercy, so We thought it necessary they should be now in some measure Informed of the Fact as it hath been Discovered to Us by undoubted proof, and the confession of divers of the Accomplices in this Conspiracy; whereof, though We have not as yet perfectly Traced all the Particulars, the principal and main Designs of it nevertheless, have appeared to be as followeth.

About the beginning of October last, when the Heads of the Faction saw the Magistracy of Our City of London Settled in Persons of Loyal principles, they [Page 6]became impatient, and fell immediately to Consult of Rising in Arms; for which some thought their Party so well prepared, that they could not fail of at­taining their ends whenever they should break out into open Force.

Whereupon there was a meeting of some of the prin­cipal Conspirators, to Agree about the best means to Master Our Guards, and to Seize Our Person; but upon Consideration, they found it necessary to pre­pare their Friends in the several Counties, as also the Disaffected party in Scotland to joyn with them, without which, any Attempt in Our said City, or upon Our Guards, appeared too rash to be underta­ken; so that they laid aside the thoughts of a present Rising, and disposed themselves to find, by a Corres­pondence with Scotland, and with several parts of this Our Kingdom, how far they might be Assisted by a General Insurrection, so that they might not in Human probability fail of Success.

Whilst this first Design was Forming, some Vil­lains were likewise carrying on that Horrid and Exe­crable Plot of Assassinating Our Royal Person, and Our Dearest Brother, in Our coming from Newmarket, and Mony was deposited for that purpose: But by the shortness of the time (We being then immedi­ately upon Our Return) and for want of neccessary preparations, they were forced to defer the Execu­tion of it till further Opportunity.

It was then proposed among them, Whether they should Attempt the same at Our next going to New­market, in March last? But some objected, That Our Guards, which usually remain here some time after Our Departure, would be capable of making a great Opposition upon the arrival of the News. For which Reason, and because they were not then in a Suffi­cient [Page 7]Readiness; It was Agreed to be done at Our Return from Newmarket.

The place appointed was the House of one Richard Rumbold a Malster, called the Rye, near Hoddesdon in the County of Hertford: And it was Resolved, That Forty-persons in number, who were to be Actors in this Assassination, under the Command of the said Richard Rumbold, should hide themselves in or near the said House; And when Our Coach should come over against them, then Three or Four were to Shoot with Blunderbusses at the Postilion and Horses, and if they should fail killing the Horses, some were to be ready in the way, who in the Habit of Labourers should turn a Cart cross the passage, and so stop Our Coach. Others were apointed to Shoot into the Coach, where Our Royal Person, and Our Dearest Brother were to be, others to Fire upon the Guards that should be then attending Us. And it was fur­ther Resolved, that upon the same Day, Many Lords and other persons of Quality, whom they supposed favourable to their Design, should be invited to dine in Our City of London, that they might be the more ready to appear among the Citizens upon arrival of the News. The Actors in the said Assassination having Contrived the manner of their escape, by a nearer passage than the usual Road, By which means they hoped to get to London as soon as the News could be brought thither.

They thought it would be easie upon their per­petrating this Horrid Fact, to possess them selves of the Government, presuming upon the numbers of the Disaffected.

But lest the blackness of such an Action might de­ter any from joyning with them, they prepared to palliateit as far as they could, by some remonstrance, or [Page 8]Declaration, which was ready to be Printed and dis­persed in that Confusion, to amuse the people. And lest Our Officers of State, and the Magistrates of Our said City, with the Militia thereof, and other Our Loyal Subjects, should be able to put some stop to their Carrier, they resolved to follow this Blow with a Massacre; wherein they particularly designed for immediate Slaughter, Our Officers of State, the present Lord Mayor, and Sheriffs, and the Magistracy of our City, and other our Subjects that had been most Eminent for their Loyalty.

But it pleased Almighty God, by His wonderful providence, to defeat these Councels by the sudden Fire at Newmarket, which necessitated Our return from thence before the time We had appointed.

Yet these Villains were not thereby discouraged from pursuing the same Bloudy Design, but resolved to take the first opportunity for effecting the same, and proposed to themselves that it might be done either in Our passage from Windsor to Hampton Court, or in Our journey to Winchester, or when We should go by Water in Our Barge, or under Bedford Garden Wall, as We should pass that way, or at the Bull Feast, which was to be in Red-Lion Fields; they being informed that We and Our Dearest Brother had intentions of coming thither.

And that they might be the better prepared when there should be occasion, by having a certain number of Arms lying always ready for that purpose; Arms for forty men were bespoke in all haste, (viz.) thirty Carbines, with Belts and Swivels, thirty Cases of Pi­stols, and ten Blunderbusses, which were accordingly made, and paid for.

And for the more easie drawing their Party toge­ther against the time of Execution, they contrived to [Page 9]divide Our Cities of London and Westminster, and the Suburbs into twenty parts; from each of which they expected five hundred men to be ready at the first Onset; and some Agitators were to give an account of the men to be furnished in each division, and to give out Orders to them, as there should be occasion.

And to the end the Forces they should raise might be the sooner modelled into the form of an Army, there were one hundred Old Officers, who had been engaged in the late Rebellion, ready in Town to take the Command of them; In the pursuit of which pro­ject they continued, till they knew that a discovery had been made to Us.

During all this time, the principal Conspirators were managing their other design for a general In­surrection in both Kingdoms.

The late Earl of Shaftsbury, who had at first pres­sed them to sudden Rising, which he would have had before the seventeenth of November last, or upon that day at the farthest, sent to the Conspirators, at a Meeting appointed by them, to know their resolu­tion; and finding they would not adventure without farther preparation, conveyed himself secretly into Holland, to avoid the danger he might be in by a discovery.

His withdrawing himself from their Councels, did not discourage them from pursuing their design, only made them more cautious; whereupon a new Coun­cel was appointed of six persons that were to have the chief management of Affairs, in order to a general Insurrection, by a correspondency with their Party in Scotland, and several Counties of this Our King­dom. And because a correspondency by Letters was thought dangerous, it was held necessary that some person should be sent into Scotland, to invite the [Page 10]Heads of the disaffected Party in that Our Kingdom, to come hither, under pretence of purchasing Lands in Carolina; but, in truth, to concert with them the best means for carrying on the design joyntly in both Kingdoms: And a Treaty was thereupon had with Archibald Campbell late Earl of Argile, already At­tainted of Treason, who demanded thirty thousand Pounds at first; but afterward agreed to accept of ten thousand pounds for buying of Arms in Holland, and making other provisions necessary for a Rebel­lion within Our Kingdom of Scotland.

In the said Councel of Six it was debated, whether the Rising in this Kingdom should be first in our City of London, where, by reason of the vast numbers that might readily unite, they thought they might easily master the Guards, or rather in some remote parts, whereby We should be under a necessity of sending Our Guards to suppress them, and thereby the Rising in Our said City would become more secure and ef­fectual: But at last it was resolved, as most conve­nient, that it should be in all parts at the same time, lest Our City might be defended by the Militia thereof, without the help of Our Guards, which We might send for the suppressing any Insurrection in the Countrey; and they did all dispose themselves accordingly, for the compassing their design, which was very near taking effect.

But such was the abundant mercy of Almighty God, while they were yet meditating their execrable Mischiefs against Our Royal Person, Our Dearest Brother, and the Government, a Discovery was made unto Us by one of the Accomplices, on the twelfth of June last; since which time We have used the best means we could for the Detecting, and prevention of so Hellish a Conspiracy.

But so it has happened, That divers of the Con­spirators, having notice of Warrants issued out for their Apprehension, are fled from Justice: Viz. James Duke of Monmouth, the Lord Melvin, Sir John Coch­rane, Sir Thomas Armestrong, Robert Ferguson, who was the common Agitator entrusted by all Parties in the several Conspiracies, Richard Goodenough, Francis Goodenough, Richard Rumbold the Maltster, William Rumbold his Brother, Richard Nelthorp, Nathaniel Wade, William Thompson, James Burton, Joseph Elby; Samuel Gibbs, Francis Charleton, Joseph Tyle, [...] Casteers, [...] Lobb, both Nonconformist Preachers, Edward Nor­ton, John Row, John Ayloff, and John Atherton.

Ford Lord Gray being Apprehended, made his Escape out of the hands of a Serjeant at Arms, and Arthur late Earl of Essex being committed to the Tower for High Treason, killed himself.

Others have been taken and committed to Custo­dy, some of whom, viz. the Lord William Russel, Thomas Walcot, William Hone, and John Rouse, have upon their Tryals been Convicted, Attainted, and Executed according to Law

This we thought fit to make known to our Lo­ving Subjects, that they being sensible (as We are) of the Mercy of God in this great Deliverance, may chearfully and devoutly joyn with Us in returning solemn Thanks to Almighty God for the same.

For which end We do hereby appoint the ninth day of September next to be observed as a day of Thanksgiving in all Churches and Chappels within this Our Kingdom of England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed, in such manner as shall be by Us directed in a Form of Prayer, with Thanksgiving, which We have Commanded to [Page 12]be prepared by Our Bishops, and published for that purpose.

And it is Our Pleasure, That this Declaration be publickly Read in all the said Churches and Chap­pels, as well on Sunday the second of September next, as upon the day of Thanksgiving aforesaid.

Given at Our Court at Whitehall the Eight and twentieth day of July, 1683. In the Five and thirtieth Year of Our Reign.