drink but water, for aboue that time; besides by the account which My Lord Tyrconnel had of what this Fleet would bring when it came, he perceiued it would fall infinitly short of supplying them with those necessarys, that were in a manner indispensebly required; there was so little mony, and so small a quantity of provisions, that all My Lord Tyrconnel aimed at was only to giue the Soldiers, each a penny a day, and their bread, with rations to the Officers in proportion, yet upon computation he found it would not reach for two months, unless the King sent a thousand pistoles more, which he earnestly beg'd of his Majesty to doe, thō he spared it out of his small allowance, and retrenched it from the necessary expence of his family.

Thus was the King press'd and teazed with more vehemence, as the difficulty of answering their expectations encreased; it was a grievous affliction to him, not (to) be able to relieve them, but he could not do impossible things, however he did infinitely more in supplys of that nature, than could haue been expected in his circomstances, never Prince knew better how to struggle with want and poverty, nor how to put that little he had, to the most proper, Charitable, and benificial uses, and would haue counted himself happy had that been the only burthen upon him; but the continual complaints, dissentions, and animositys amongst his own people perplexed him more than all the rest, where it was of the greatest importance to mentain an unity: The Duke of Tyrconnel's signal services clamed a right to a continuation in the high station he had put him; and yet not being so versed in the leading of an Army, and management of Military Affairs, as many whose sole profession it was (which his illwillers failled not to represent, togather with certain partialitys which it was hard for a man in ́so much power and so many provocations to keep entirely free from) put the King in great doubts, which side to incline too, or how

TOM.

IV.

1691.

The King plex'd with the

hugely per

Sollicitations

and dissentions

of his friends.

TOM.

IV.

1691.

The attempts made in England for the

to keep the ballance so even, as that though he could not make them friends to one an other, at least he might keep all sides in amity with himself; for besides the four Envoys from the Army, others had sent up remonstrances against his conduct : The Count de Lausun sided openly with the Complainers, but that My Lord Tyrconnel was not much ashtonished at; thō they had agreed well enough in Ireland, he knew the occasion of the change, but what gaue him most disquiet, he sayd, was to find by his Majestys couldness to him, he had giuen too much credit to the insinuation of his enemys; whilst they, on the other hand, were dissatisfyd he did not giue more, and the Court of France the less inclined to giue a helping hand to people that pulled so many different ways; all which contradictions and disunions fell still upon the King in the end, he was called upon for justice by those who thought themselves injuried, for supplys to all their wants, and redress of all their grivances, while those from whom he could only expect assistance were prepossessed against him and against those methods. which alone were capable of relieveing them: this put the Irish under a necessity of equiping, paying, cloathing and provideing for an Army, in a manner without mony, cloaths, amunition, or provisions, except what came from France, which was so little, and so long a comeing, that they had all like to haue perished ere it arriued, and yet were under a necessity all the while of repaireing their fortifications, thō the poor Soldiers had scarce a piece of bread to eat, or a handful of straw to ly upon, when they return'd tired from their worke; so that under such an universal indigence, togather with want of discipline, and union amongst themselves, it was a miracle they brought it so far as they did.

The afflicting accounts of these things, were grievious to the King's resto- King, but were not the only ones he had; it seemed as if the extent of his dominions had been ordained by providence only

ration, proue

unsuccessfull likewise.

IV.

1691.

to serue for an augmention of his Crosses, for England brought TOM, in its quota to this account too; the King's friends there were in no condition to resist the government, yet their numbers encreased dayly with such as began to be dissatisfyd with the Change, this drew many of them to consult how to redress the miseries they had brought upon themselves; but those struggles proueing too weake to disingage them, serued only to intangle them the more, and afflict the King with the news of continual disapointments, the oppression and ruin of his friends by courts of pretended justice in England, as they were by famin and the Sword in Scotland and Ireland.

There had been many conferences held by the King's Protestant friends in England how to restore him, so as to retriue the Church of England's honour and yet prouide for its security, and that his return might be without danger to the Protestant Religion, which they had an equal concern for with that of their duty to their Prince; this made them aprehend a French power and yet they found it impracticable to compas the King's restoration without it; for they owned the greatest part of England was still the same fooles or knaues, and that nothing would make them other but fear, so that unless the King (they sayd) would shew them some cause for that, he must not expect they would ever be his again, or that the people would be gained by obligations alone; but on the other hand he was to consider, that a french power was hugely disagreeable to the Nation, and that there was no offring at an absolute conquest, which, if he did, would prove a more bloody business than the Romans, Saxons, or Normans found it: in order therefore to accommodate these seeming contradictions, it was resolved My Lord Preston should goe to the King, togather with Mr John Ashton, and M' Elliot, to propose the embraceing in the first place such methods as would pleas the people, by bestowing imployments about him to Protestants

VOL. II.

M'

3 L

My Lord sent to the King, but is seized in the

Preston is

river the 30 of

decem: 1690.

IV.

1691.

TO M. preferable to Catholicks, and by that means tell the Nation what they may expect when he comes amongst them; that he might liue a Catholick in devotion, but must reign a Protestant in government, that the utmost he could expect for Catholicks was a legal libertie of Conscience, and that the least he must think of for the Protestants, was to put the administration into their hands, who being at least two hundred to one, had the wealth, heads, and power of the Nation on their side, that he must haue (even during his abode in France) at least eight or nine Protestants Lords or Gentlemen in his Council, that he might apear to be, so far theirs again: then on the other hand their business was to obtain a force, but upon these conditions, that the most Christian King would engage his word, only to assist his Majesty as a friend and Mediator and not send the offended Prince back with the ungratefull character of a Conquerour; that he would pleas to permit the English Protestants to haue Chappels at their own cost, which would convince the world that his late severity to the Hugenots proceeded more from the hazard he thought himself in, from their Antemonarchical and resisting principle, than a desire of persecution; and that the King would pleas to publish in his Declaration, that he brought only so much power with him, as was necessary for his defence, and (to) secure his Subject's resort to him, but would dismis them assoon as he had rid the Kingdom of the foreigners that had invaded it; this was the substance of what they were to negotiate, but the design being discover'd, they were seized on board the Vessel they had hired for that purpose, before it got out of the river: In the hurry of this surprize, My Lord Preston fortuned to leaue the instructions and other papers as they were tyd up togather to a piece of lead, in the place where he lay, which M' Ashton

Interlined as before mentioned. EDITOR.·

perceiveing, tooke up as privately as he could, and puting them in his brest, endeavour'd to get to the side of the Ship, with intent to drop them gently into the river; but being observed, was prevented, and they seized upon, ere he could do it, which proved fatal to them as being the only evidence of their design: accordingly My Lord Preston and M Ashton (there not appearing evidence enough against Mr Elliot) were brought to their tryals, condemned, and the later executed, being the first that suffer'd by a court of justice for the Royal cause, which was a new subject of grief to the King for he knew not what would be the Consequence, when he found the Laws, as well the sword, turn'd against him; and those suffer as traitors who were most distinguished for their fidelity and Loyalty. My Lord Preston indeed obtained his pardon, but it was by confessing most, if not all he knew, he own'd he had consulted with My Lord Clarendon, the Bishop of Ely, and Mr Pen about restoreing the King, and that M' Pen had tould him, the Duke of Ormonde, ye Earles of Devonshire, Dorset, Maclesfeild, Lord Brandon &c, were well affected to it, he confirmed the account the Government had already of the Scoth Plot, wherein Nevil Pain had been concerned, that My Lord Dartemouth had given him that account of the Fleet which was found in his papers; but My Lord Danby (to whose examination he was left) was not satisfyd with this discovery, he thought he could accuse those persons more fully if he pleased, whose names he pretended he have learn'd only by hearsay from M' Pen and therefore was against his being pardonned, unless he did it; but it is probable the Prince of Orange thought it not prudent to attack so great a body of the Nobility at once, that what he knew, was sufficient either to be a ware of them, or by forgiveness and a seeming clemency gain them to his intrest, which method succeeded so well, that what ever sentiments those Lords, (which Mr Pen had named) might