XIV. BOOK better expedient found out to lessen the chancellor's credit, than by restoring Long to the execution of 1655. the secretary's function. Whereupon they sent for him, and advised him to prepare a petition to the king, "that he might be again restored to his office "and attendance, or that he might be charged with "his crimes, and be farther punished, if he did not "clear himself, and appear innocent." This petition was presented to the king, when he was in council, by the queen; who came thither only for that purpose, and desired that it might be read; which being done, the king was surprised, having not in the least received any notice of it; and said, "that her "majesty was the principal cause that induced his majesty to remove him from his place, and that "she then believed that he was not fit for the "trust." She said, "she had now a better opinion Is refused "of him, and that she had been misinformed." The by the king thought it unfit to receive a person into so near a trust, against whose fidelity there had been such public exceptions; and his majesty knew that few of his friends in England would correspond with him; and therefore would not be persuaded to restore him. This was again put all upon the chancellor's account, and the influence he had upon the king. king. Whereupon chancellor chequer of 66 Thereupon Mr. Long accused the chancellor of accuses the having betrayed the king; and undertook to prove of the ex- that he had been over in England, and had private his having conference with Cromwell: which was an aspersion so impossible, that every body laughed at it: yet and con- because he undertook to prove it, the chancellor Cromwell. pressed, "that a day might be appointed for him to produce his proof:" and at that day the queen been in England, versed with XIV. 1655. The busi in council. Massonet is as a hearsay came again to the council, that she might be pre- BOOK sent at the charge. There Mr. Long produced Massonet, a man who had served him, and afterwards been an under-clerk for writing letters and commis-ness heard sions, during the time of the king's being in Scotland, and had been taken prisoner at Worcester; produced and, being released with the rest of the king's ser- witness of vants, had been employed, from the time of the king's return, in the same service under the chancellor; the man having, before the troubles, taught the king, and the duke of York, and the rest of the king's children to write, being indeed the best writer, a for the fairness of the hand, of any man in that time. 66 Massonet said, "that after his release from his imprisonment, and whilst he stayed in London, hẻ "spoke with a maid, who had formerly served him, "that knew the chancellor very well, and who as"sured him, that one evening she had seen the "chancellor go into Cromwell's chamber at White"hall; and after he had been shut up with him "some hours, she saw him conducted out again." And Mr. Long desired time, that he might send over for this woman, who should appear and justify it. To this impossible discourse, the chancellor said, "he would make no other defence, than that there "were persons then in the town, who, he was con"fident, would avow that they had seen him once every day, from the time he returned from Spain "to the day on which he attended his majesty at Paris;" as indeed there were; and when he had said so, he offered to go out of the room; which the 66 a the best writer,] MS adds: in Latin as well as English, it. 1655. 66 66 66 BOOK king would not have him to do. But he told his XIV. majesty, "that it was the course; and that he ought not to be present at the debate that was "to concern himself;" and the keeper, with some warmth, said, "it was true;" and so he retired to his own chamber. The lord Jermyn, as soon as he was gone, said, "he never thought the accusation "had any thing of probability in it; and that he "believed the chancellor a very honest man: but "the use that he thought ought to be made of this calumny, was, that it appeared that an honest "and innocent man might be calumniated, as he thought Mr. Long had likewise been; and there"fore they ought both to be cleared." The keeper said," he saw not ground enough to condemn the "chancellor; but he saw no cause neither to de"clare him innocent: that there was one witness “which declared only what he had heard; but that "he undertook also to produce the witness herself, "if he might have time; which in justice could not "be denied; and therefore he proposed, that a com"petent time might be given to Mr. Long to make "out his proof; and that in the mean time the "chancellor might not repair to the council:" with which proposition the king was so offended, that, with much warmth, he said, " he discerned well the "design; and that it was so false and wicked a "charge, that, if he had no other exception against "Mr. Long than this foul and foolish accusation, it was cause enough never to trust him." And therefore he presently sent for the chancellor, and, as soon as he came in, commanded him to sit in his The king place; and told him, " he was sorry he was not in a "condition to do him more justice than to declare acquits the chancellor. 66 XIV. " him innocent;" which he did do, and commanded BOOK the clerk of the council to draw up a full order for his vindication, which his majesty himself would sign. 1655. accuses the The keeper could not contain himself from ap- The keeper pearing very much troubled: and said, "if what he chancellor "heard from a person of honour, who, he thought, chequer of "would justify it, were true, the chancellor had having 66 of the ex spoken ill aspersed the king in such a manner, and so much of the king. "reviled his majesty in point of his honour, that "he was not fit to sit there." The chancellor was wonderfully surprised with the charge; and humbly besought his majesty, "that the lord keeper might "produce his author, or be looked upon as the con"triver of the scandal." The keeper answered, “that if his majesty would appoint an hour the "next day for the council to meet, he would pro"duce the person, who, he was confident, would "justify all he had said." Gerard pro prove it. The next day, the king being sat in council, The lord the keeper desired that the lord Gerard might be duced to called in ; who presently appeared; and being asked, "whether he had at any time heard the chancellor "of the exchequer speak ill of the king?" he answered, “Yes.” And thereupon made a relation of a conference that had passed between the chancellor and him a year before, when the king lay at Chantilly; "that one day, after dinner, the king took “the air, and being in the field his majesty alighted "out of his coach, and took his horse, with other of "the lords, to ride into the next field to see a dog "set partridge; and that he, the lord Gerard, and b reviled] depraved BOOK 1655. 66 66 "the chancellor remained in the coach, when he enXIV. "tered into discourse of the king's condition; and said, that he thought his majesty was not active enough, nor did think of his business; and, that "the chancellor, who was known to have credit "with him, ought to advise him to be active, for "his honour and his interest; otherwise, his friends "would fall from him. But, that it was generally "believed, that he, the chancellor, had no mind that "his majesty should put himself into action, but cellor's de fence. 66 was rather for sitting still; and therefore it con"cerned him, for his own justification, to persuade "the king to be active, and to leave France, where "he could not but observe that every body was "weary of him. To all which the chancellor took 66 great pains to purge himself from being in the "fault; and said, that nobody could think that he "could take delight to stay in a place where he was "so ill used; but laid all the fault upon the king; "who, he said, was indisposed to business, and took "too much delight in pleasures, and did not love "to take pains; for which he was heartily sorry, "but could not help it; which," Gerard said, "he thought was a great reproach and scandal upon "the king, from a man so obliged and trusted, who ought not to asperse his master in that manner.” The chancellor was a little out of countenance; 66 66 66 The chan- and said, "he did not expect that accusation from any body, less that the lord Gerard should dis"cover any private discourse that had passed a year "before between them two, and which appeared by "his relation to have been introduced by himself, " and by his own freedom: that whosoever believed "that he had a mind to traduce the king, would |