BOOK They landed at Dover, continued their journey to London, and walked the town; stayed there 1655. above three weeks, till they had bought horses, which they quartered at common inns, and listed men enough of their friends and acquaintance to prosecute their purpose. And then they appointed their rendezvous at Barnet, marched out of London as Cromwell's soldiers, and from Barnet were full fourscore horse well armed and appointed, and quartered that night at St. Alban's; and from thence, by easy journeys, but out of the common roads, marched safely into Scotland; beat up some quarters which lay in their way, and without any misadventure joined Middleton in the Highlands; where poor Wogan, after many brave actions performed there, received upon a party an ordinary flesh wound; which, for want of a good surgeon, proved mortal to him, to the very great grief of Middleton, and all who knew him. Many of the troopers, when they could stay no longer there, found their way again through England, and returned to the king. In the distress which the king suffered during his abode in France, the chancellor of the exchequer's part was the most uneasy and grievous. For though all who were angry with him were as angry with the marquis of Ormond, who lived in great friendship with him, and was in the same trust with the king in all his counsels which were reserved from others; yet the marquis's quality, and the great services he had performed, and the great sufferings he underwent for the crown, made him above all their exceptions: and they believed his aversion from all their devices to make marriages, and to XIV. 1655. The queen's against the of the ex France. traffic in religion, proceeded most from the credit BOOK the other had with him. And the queen's displeasure grew so notorious against the chancellor, that after he found by degrees that she would not displeasure speak to him, nor take any notice of him when she chancellor saw him, he forbore at last coming in her presence; chequer in and for many months did not see her face, though he had the honour to lodge in the same house, the palace royal, where both their majesties kept their courts; which encouraged all who desired to ingratiate themselves with her majesty, to express a great prejudice to the chancellor, at least to withdraw from his conversation: and the queen was not reserved in declaring, that she did exceedingly desire to remove him from the king; which nothing kept him from desiring also, in so uncomfortable a condition, but the conscience of his duty, and the confidence his majesty had in his fidelity. intended of This disinclination towards him produced, at one and the same time, a contrivance P of an odd nature, and a union between two seemingly ¶ irreconcileable factions, the papists and the presbyterians: which was discovered to the king by a false brother, before the chancellor had any intimation of it. The lord A petition Balcarris, with Dr. Frazier, and some other Scots the Scottish about the court, thought themselves enough quali- presbyteri fied to undertake in the name of all the presby-carris and terians; and caused a petition to be prepared, in that the which they set out, "that the presbyterian party of the ex"had great affections to serve his majesty, and much power to do it; and that they had many proposi- removed. "tions and advices to offer to his majesty for the by degrees] Not in MS. P contrivance] conspiracy 4 seemingly] very ans by Bai Frazier, chancellor chequer might be BOOK "advancement thereof: but that they were dis"couraged, and hindered from offering the same, XIV. 1655. And of the Roman ca 66 66 by reason that his majesty intrusted his whole af"fairs to the chancellor of the exchequer; who was "an old known and declared enemy to all their "party; in whom they could repose no trust: and therefore they besought his majesty, that he might "be removed from his council, at least not be suf"fered to be privy to any thing that should be pro"posed by them; and they should then make it "appear how ready and how able they were in a "very short time to advance his majesty's affairs." Another petition was prepared in the name of his tholics also, Roman catholic subjects; which said, "that all his majesty's party which had adhered to him, were "now totally suppressed; and had, for the most against him. 66 66 part, compounded with his enemies, and submitted "to their government: that the church-lands were "all sold, and the bishops dead, except very few, "who durst not exercise their function: so that he "could expect no more aid from any who were con"cerned to support the government of the church "as it had been formerly established: that by the "defeat of duke Hamilton's party' first, and then 66 by his majesty's ill success at Worcester, and the "total reduction of the kingdom of Scotland after"wards by Cromwell, his majesty might conclude "what greater aid he was to expect from the presbyterian party. Nothing therefore remained to "him of hope for his restoration, but from the af"fection of his Roman catholic subjects; who, as 66 they would never be wanting as to their persons, "and their estates which were left, so they had BOOK hope to draw from the catholic princes, and the 66 66 66 XIV. pope himself, such considerable assistance both in 1655. men and money, that his majesty should owe his "restitution, under the blessing of God, to the sole power and assistance of the catholics. But they "had great reason to fear, that all these hopes "would be obstructed and rendered of no use, not 66 66 66 66 only by there being no person about his majesty " in whom the catholics could have any confidence, "but by reason that the person most trusted by him, and through whose hands all letters and despatches must pass, is a known enemy to all ca"tholics; and therefore they besought his majesty, “that that person, the chancellor of the exchequer, might be removed from him; whereupon he should "find great benefit to accrue to his service." It was concluded amongst them, that when these two petitions should be weighed and considered, the queen would easily convince his majesty, that a person who was so odious to all the Roman catholics, from whose affections his majesty had most reason to promise himself relief, and to all the protestants who could contribute to his assistance or subsistence, could not be fit to be continued in any trust about him. discovered When matters were thus adjusted, which were the longer in preparation, because the persons concerned could not, without suspicion and scandal, The design meet together, but were to be treated with by per- by one Mr. sons mutually employed, one Mr. Walsingham, a ham to the person very well known to all men who at that king; which time knew the palace royal, who had been Walsing quashed em-them both. BOOK ployed in the affair, came to the king, and, whether XIV. out of ingenuity, and dislike of so foul a combina tion, or as he thought the discovery would be grateful to his majesty, informed him of the whole intrigue, and gave a copy of the petitions to the king ; who shewed them to the marquis of Ormond, and the chancellor of the exchequer; and informed them of the whole design. And from this time his majesty made himself very merry with it", and spoke of it sometimes at dinner, when the queen was present; and asked pleasantly," when the two petitions "would be brought against the chancellor of the "exchequer?" which being quickly known to some of the persons engaged in the prosecution, they gave it over, and thought not fit to proceed any farther in it; though both parties continued their implacable malice towards him, nor did he find any ease or quiet by their giving over that design, their animosities against him still breaking out one after another, as long as the king remained in France; the queen taking all occasions to complain to the queen regent of the king's unkindness, that she might impute all that she disliked to the chancellor; and the queen mother of France was like to be very tender in a point that so much concerned herself, that any man should dare to interpose between the mother and the t son. There was an accident fell out, that administered some argument to make those complaints appear more reasonable. The cardinal de Retz had always expressed great civilities towards the king, and a desire to serve him; and upon some occasional con design] intrigue " with it] with the design X x parties] factions. |