some pretended to justify by alleging, that a like violence had been practised against a prisoner during the fury of the popish plot. Such wild notions of retaliation were at that time propagated by the court party.

The witnesses produced against College were Dugdale, Turberville, Haynes, Smith-men who had before given evidence against the Catholics, and whom the jury, for that very reason, regarded as the most perjured villains. College, though beset with so many toils, and oppressed with so many iniquities, defended himself with spirit, courage, capacity, presence of mind; and he invalidated the evidence of the crown, by convincing arguments and undoubted testimony; yet did the jury, after half an hour's deliberation, bring in a verdict against him. The inhuman spectators received the verdict with a shout of applause: but the prisoner was nowise dismayed. At his execution, he maintained the same manly fortitude, and still denied the crime imputed to him. His whole conduct and demeanour proved him to have been a man led astray only by the fury of the times, and to have been governed by an honest, but indiscreet, zeal for his country and his religion.

Thus the two parties, actuated by mutual rage, but cooped up within the narrow limits of the law, levelled with poisoned daggers the most deadly blows against each other's breast, and buried in their factious divisions all regard to truth, honour, and humanity.

CHAP. LXIX.

State of affairs in Ireland-Shaftesbury acquitted-Argyle's trial -State of affairs in Scotland-State of the ministry in England -New nomination of sheriffs-Quo warrantos-Great power of the crown-A conspiracy-Shaftesbury retires and dies-Ryehouse plot-Conspiracy discovered-Execution of the conspirators-Trial of lord Russel-His execution-Trial of Algernon Sidney-His execution-State of the nation-State of foreign affairs-King's sickness and death-and character.

State of

Ireland.

WHEN the cabal entered into the mysterious affairs in alliance with France, they took care to remove the duke of Ormond from the committee of foreign affairs; and nothing tended farther to increase the national jealousy entertained against the new measures, than to see a man of so much loyalty, as well as probity and honour, excluded from public councils. They had even so great interest with the king as to get Ormond recalled from the government of Ireland; and lord Roberts, afterward earl of Radnor, succeeded him in that important employment. Lord Berkeley succeeded Roberts, and the earl of Essex, Berkeley. At last, in the year 1677, Charles cast his eye again upon Ormond, whom he had so long neglected, and sent him over lieutenant to Ireland. "I have done every thing (said the king) to disoblige that man, but it is not in my power to make him my enemy." Ormond, during his disgrace, had never joined the malecontents, nor encouraged those clamours, which, with too much reason, but often for bad purposes, were raised against the king's measures. He even thought it his duty, regularly, though with dignity, to pay his court at Whitehall; and to prove that his attachments were founded on gratitude, inclination, and principle, not on any temporary advantages. All the expressions which dropped from him, while neglected by the court,

shewed more of good humour, than any prevalence of spleen and indignation. "I can do you no service (said he to his friends); I have only the power left by my applications to do you some hurt." When colonel Cary Dillon solicited him to second his pretensions for an office, and urged that he had no friends but God and his grace; "Alas! poor Cary (replied the duke), I pity thee: thou couldst not have two friends that possess less interest at court." "I am thrown by (said he, on another occasion), like an old rusty clock; yet even that neglected machine, twice in twenty-four hours, points right."

On such occasions, when Ormond, from decency, paid his attendance at court, the king, equally ashamed to shew him civility and to neglect him, was abashed and confounded. "Sir (said the profligate Buckingham), I wish to know whether it be the duke of Ormond that is out of favour with your majesty, or your majesty with the duke of Ormond; for, of the two, you seem the most out of countenance."

When Charles found it his interest to shew favour to the old royalists, and to the church of England, Ormond, who was much revered by that whole party, could not fail of recovering, together with the government of Ireland, his former credit and authority. His administration, when lord-lieutenant, corresponded to the general tenor of his life; and tender equally to promote the interests of prince and people, of Protestant and Ca tholic. Ever firmly attached to the established religion, he was able, even during those jealous times, to escape suspicion, though he gratified not vulgar prejudices by any persecution of the popish party. He increased the revenue of Ireland to 300,000l. a year-he maintained a regular army of ten thousand men-he supported a well-disciplined militia of twenty thousand; and though the act of settlement had so far been infringed, that Catholics were permitted to live in corporate towns, they

66

were guarded with so careful an eye, that the most timorous Protestant never apprehended any danger from them.

The chief object of Essex's ambition was to return to the station of lord-lieutenant, where he had behaved with honour and integrity: Shaftesbury and Buckingham bore an extreme hatred to Ormond, both from personal and party considerations: the great aim of the anticourtiers was to throw reflections on every part of the king's government. It could be no surprise, therefore, to the lord-lieutenant, to learn that his administration was attacked in parliament, particularly by Shaftesbury; but he had the satisfaction, at the same time, to hear of the keen, though polite defence, made by his son, the general Ossory. After justifying several particulars of Ormond's administration against that intriguing patriot, Ossory proceeded in the following words: Having spoken of what the lord-lieutenant has done, I presume with the same truth to tell your lordships what he has not done. He never advised the breaking of the triple league he never advised the shutting up of the exchequer he never advised the declaration for a tole-ration-he never advised the falling out with the Dutch and the joining with France-he was not the author of that most excellent position, Delenda est Carthago, that Holland, a Protestant country, should, contrary to the true interests of England, be totally destroyed. I beg that your lordships will be so just as to judge of my father, and all men, according to their actions and their counsels." These few sentences, pronounced by a plain gallant soldier, noted for probity, had a surprising effect upon the audience, and confounded all the rhetoric of his eloquent and factious adversary. The prince of Orange, who esteemed the former character as much as he despised the latter, could not forbear congratulating by letter the earl of Ossory on this, new species of victory which he had obtained.,

Ossory, though he ever kept at a distance from faction, was the most popular man in the kingdom; though he never made any compliance with the corrupt views of the court, was beloved and respected by the king. A universal grief appeared on his death, which happened about this time, and which the populace, as is usual wherever they are much affected, foolishly ascribed to poison. Ormond bore the loss with patience and dignity; though he ever retained a pleasing, however melancholy, sense of the signal merit of Ossory. "I would not exchange my dead son (said he), for any living son in Christendom."

These particularities may appear a digression; but it is with pleasure, I own, that I relax myself for a moment in the contemplation of these humane and virtuous characters, amidst that scene of fury and faction, fraud and violence, in which at present our narration has unfortunately engaged us.

Besides the general interest of the country party to decry the conduct of all the king's ministers, the prudent and peaceable administration of Ormond was in a particular manner displeasing to them. In England, where the Catholics were scarcely one to a hundred, means had been found to excite a universal panic on account of insurrections, and even massacres, projected by that sect; and it could not but seem strange, that in Ireland, where they exceeded the Protestants six to one, there should no symptoms appear of any combination' or conspiracy. Such an incident, when duly considered, might even in England shake the credit of the plot, and diminish the authority of those leaders, who had so long, with such industry, inculcated the belief of it on the nation. Rewards, therefore, were published in Ireland, to any that would bring intelligence or become witnesses; and some profligates were sent over to that kingdom, with a commission to seek out evidence against the Ca-> tholics. Under pretence of searching for arms or papers,