that he intended to introduce popery into his kingdoms: but it is probable they were mistaken in their conjectures (ss).

.

But

much as a jefuit at Paris, who was coming for England, had the boldnefs to vifit the embaffador there, who knew him to be fuch, and, offering his fervice, acquainted him with his journey, as if there had been no laws there for his reception. And for the most invidious protection and countenance of that whole party, a public agent from Rome (firft Mr. Con, a Scotishman, and after him the count of Rofetti, an Italian) refided at London in great port; publickly vifited the court, and was avowedly reforted to by the catholicks of all ⚫ conditions, over whom he affumed a particular jurif• diction; and was careffed and prefented magnificently by the ladies of honour who inclined to that profeffion. They had likewife, with more noife and vanity than prudence would have admitted, made publick collec⚫tions of money to a confiderable fum, upon fome re• commendations from the queen, and to be by her majefty prefented as a free-will offering from his Roman catholick fubjects to the king, for the carrying on the war against the Scots; which drew upon them the rage of that nation, with little devotion and reverence to the queen herself; as if fhe defired to fupprefs the pro• teftant religion in one kingdom as well as the other, by the arms of the Roman catholicks. To conclude, they carried themselves fo, as if they had been suborned by the Scots to root out their own religion (c).' This defcription, as an ingenious writer obferves, would almost (d) Enquiry have fuited the reign of king James II. (d)

(c) Clarendon, vol. i. p. 148.

into the

K. Charles I. had in the tranfactions of

.

(ss) Many believed Charles himself was a papift, share which but they were mistaken, &c.] I hear,' fays Mr. Garrard, in a letter to the lord-deputy Wentworth, dated London, Dec. 16, 1637, of certain papers fcattered lately in Somerfet-houfe, directed to the lords of his majeftie's Glamorgan, council, wherein it is faid, that half his majeftie's p. 293, Svo. council are of the Romish religion already; and that

the earl of

Lond. 1747.

lying

But though there might not have been any intention to submit to Rome, yet it is well

lying fcribler, whoever he was, perfwades the reft to comply that way, otherwife they would have scorns and difgraces put upon them by his majefty; for all ⚫ would run that way within one half. A bold and high 'impudence! I pray God he may be found, that

he may receive condign punishment (e).' But this (e) Straffcribler was not fingular in the thought that popery forde's letwas intended to be established here, as appears from the ters, vol. ii. two following paffages in Laud's diary. 1633, Aug. 2.

That very morning at Greenwich, there came one to C me, feriously, and that avowed ability to perform it, • and offered me to be a cardinal: I went presently to the king, and acquainted him both with the thing and the perfon. Aug. 17, Saturday, I had a ferious offer made to me again to be a cardinal: I was then from court; but fo foon as I came thither (which was Wednesday Aug. 21), I acquainted his majefty with it. But my anfwer again was, that fomewhat dwelt within me, ' which would not suffer that, till Rome were other than

P. 142.

it is (f). Appearances certainly must have been (f) Laud's greatly in favour of Romanifm, when the head of the diary, by Wharton, church of England was thought not indifpofed to com- P. 49. mence a member of the facred colledge. therefore to wonder, that Mr. Prynne imagined Laud's

We are not

6

end was, that popery might creep in among us by de· grees, without the leaft oppofition or impeachment (g). However, it does not appear that Charles (g) Canteror the archbishop had any fuch intentions.

6

"He [Charles] was ill thought of by many, especially the puritans, then fo called (fays Lilly), for fuffering the chapple at Somerset-house to be built for the queen, ⚫ where mass was publickly faid: yet he was no papift, or favoured any of their tenets, nor do I remember any fuch thing was ever objected against him.Many alfo have blamed him for writing unto the pope when he was in Spain; others think ill of him for the many 6 • reprieves

bury's doom,

P. 184.

(b) Lilly, P. 16,

P. 39.

well known that Charles aimed at a thing

moft

reprieves he gave unto feminary priefts, and Mr. Pryn fweats to no purpose in aggravating his offence thereby. Why might he not as well, in a civil way, write unto the pope, as write and fend his ambaffador to the < great Turk, I know not; and for his mercy to those priests, who had not occafioned rebellion in his dominions, truly charity bids me to make rather a good than ill conftruction. And were not the common law of this nation more in force than the canon of scripture, thofe things could not be juftified, putting men to death for religion, or taking orders beyond fea (b)." And archbishop Ufher left a memorandum, in his own hand-writing, in the following words: The king once • at Whitehall, in the prefence of George duke of Bucking• ham, of his own accord, faid to me, that he never loved 6 popery in all his life; but that he never detefted it beUfher's fore his going into Spain (i).' Dr. Ryves alfo, in a life, by Parr, poftfcript to a letter to the said archbishop, dated Oct. 8, 1623, writes: No one doubts but that the prince went a good proteftant out of England; but it is as certain, thanks be given to God for it, that he is returned out of Spain tenfold more confirmed in our's, more obdu(3) Id. p. rate againft their religion than ever he was before (k).' I will add but a proof or two more. • His daughter, the lady Elizabeth, being admitted to fee him the day before his execution, he bid her read bishop Andrewe's • fermons, Hooker's ecclefiaftical polity, and bishop Laud's book against Fisher, which would ground her against popery (). And in his fpeech on the fcaffold he has the following paffage. My confcience in religion, I think, is very well known to all the world; and there'fore I declare before you all, that I die a Chriftian, ac< cording to the profeffion of the church of England, as I found it left me by my father: and this honeft man (m) Id. p. [Dr. Fuxon], I think, will witness it (m).' Is not this very ftrong, confidered as coming from the mouth of a dying man? Need we more proofs that Charles was not a papift himfelf? or fhall we yet fufpect that the introduction

302.

(7) King Charles's works, p. 206.

209.

most prejudicial to truth, honefty, and the public duction of popery was what he had in his view? Forbid it, charity! forbid it, candor!

It is very remarkable, that fir Edward Dering and Mr. May acquit Laud alfo of any fuch purpose. His [Laud's] book, lately set forth (especially for the latter 'half thereof), hath muzzled the jefuit, and fhall ftrike 'the papist under the fifth rib, when he is dead and

P. 25.

gone (n). The archbishop of Canterbury was much (~) Dering's against the court of Rome, though not against the speeches, church, in fo high a kinde: for the doctrine of the P. 5. Roman church was no enemy to the pompe of prelacy; 'but the doctrine of the court of Rome would have fwallowed up all under the pope's fupreamacy, and ⚫ have made all greatness dependant upon him: which 'the archbishop conceived would derogate too much 'from the king in temporals (and therefore hardly to be accepted by the court), as it would from himself in fpirituals, and make his metropolitical power fubordinate, which he defired to hold abfolute and indepen'dent within the realme of England (0).' In fhort, (0) May's whoever confiders that Laud was the inftrument of re- parliamentary hiftory, claiming Chillingworth from popery, that he was his patron, and the encourager of his writing that immortal book The Religion of Proteftants; I fay, whoever confiders but this, will go near to acquit him from popery, and the defign to establish it (p).—I fhall conclude this (p) See note with obferving, that if any ftrefs was to be laid on life of Chila little book entitled, Certamen religiofum: or a con- lingworth, ference between K. Charles I. and Henry late marquis p. 9--13, of Worcester, concerning religion in Ragland-castle, printed at London 1649, in 12mo.' this monarch muft *725. be looked on as a good proteftant: for he therein shews zeal for the reformation, and a deteftation of the church of Rome. But the authority of this book was not admitted by Charles's friends (9); and neither the diction or (2) See fentiments feem well to agree with his genuine undoubted Athenæ, writings, and confequently nothing is to be concluded vol. i. p. from thence in his favour. The publisher of this piece 568,

was

Maizeaux's

8vo. Lond.

Wood's

public welfare, even uniformity in modes and forms (TT).

This

was Thomas Baylie, D. D. fubdean of Wells, who afterwards turned to the Romish communion, and was very bitter against all who followed not his example.

(TT) Charles aimed at a thing most prejudicial-uniformity in modes and forms.] Heylin fhall be my authority for the fact.

Laud had not fate long in the chaire of Canterbury, ''when he procured an order from the lords of the council, bearing date O. 1, 1633, by which their English • churches and regiments in Holland (and afterwards by degrees in all other foreign parts and plantations) were ⚫ required ftrictly to obferve the English liturgy, with all the rites and ceremonies prescribed in it.-And now at laft, fays he, we have the face of an English church in • Holland, refponfal to the bishops of London for the time being, as a part of their diocefs, directly and immediately fubject to their jurifdiction. The like course alfo was prescribed for our factories in Hamborough, and thofe further off, that is to fay, in Turkey, in the • Mogul's dominions, the Indian iflands, the plantations • in Virginia, Barbadoes, and all other places where the • English had any standing refidence in the way of trade. The like done alfo for regulating the divine fervice in the families of all embaffadors refiding in the courts of foreign princes for his majestie's fervice; as alfo in the English regiments ferving under the States.-The Englih agents and embaffadors in the courts of foreign princes, had not been formerly fo regardful of the ⚫ honour of the church of England as they might have been, in defigning a fet room for religious ufes, and keeping up the vestments, rites, and ceremonies prefcribed by law in performance of them. It was now hoped, that there would be a church of England in all courts of Christendom, in the chief cities of the Turk, and other great mahometan princes, in all our facto⚫ries and plantations in every known part of the world, by which it might be rendered as diffuse and catholick

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as