that, when his father was entertaining propofitions of marrying him to popish Princelles, once to the Archduchefs, and at another time to a daughter of Savoy, he in a letter that he wrote to the King on the twelfth of that October in which he died (the original of which Sir William Cook fhewed me) desired, that if his father married him that way it might be with the youngest person of the two, of whofe converfion he might have hope, and that any liberty fhe might be allowed for her religion might be in the privatest manner poffible. Whether this averfion to Popery haften'd his death or not I cannot tell. Colonel Titus affured me that he had from King Charles the firft's own mouth, that he was well affured he was poifoned by the Earl of Somerfet's means.

It is certain, that from the time of the Gunpowder Plot, King James was fo ftruck with the terror of that danger he was then fo near, that ever after he had no mind to provoke the Jefuits; for he faw what they were capable of.

Plot.

And fince I name that confpiracy which the Pa- The Gunpifts in our days have had the impudence to deny, powder. and to pretend it was an artifice of Cecill's to engage fome defperate men into a Plot, which he managed fo that he could difcover it when he pleased, I will mention what I my felf faw, and had for fome time in my poffeffion. Sir Everard Digby died for being of the Confpiracy: He was the Father of the famous Sir Kenelm Digby. The family being ruined upon the death of Sir Kenelm's Son, when the executors were looking out for writings to make out the titles of the eftates they were to fell, they were directed by an old fervant to a cupboard that was very artificially hid, in which fome papers lay that she had obferved Sir Kenelm was oft reading. They looking into it found a velvet bag, within which there were two other filk bags: (So carefully were thofe relicks kept :) And there was within these a collection of

all

afraid of

fuits.

all the letters that Sir Everard writ during his im prifonment. In thefe he expreffes great trouble, because he heard fome of their friends blamed their undertaking: He highly magnifies it; and fays, if he had many lives he would willingly have facrificed them all in carrying it on. In one paper he fays, they had taken that care that there were not above two or three worth faving, to whom they had not given notice to keep out of the way: And in none of thofe papers does he exprefs. any fort of remorfe for that, which he had been engaged in, and for which he fuffered.

King Upon the discovery of that Plot there was a geJames was neral profecution of all Papifts fet on foot: But the Je- King James was very uneafy at it; which was much encreased by what Sir Dudly Carlton told him upon his return from Spain, where he had been Ambaffadour; (which I had from the Lord Hollis, who faid to me that Sir Dudly Carlton told it to himself, and was much troubled when he faw it had an effect contrary to what he had intended.) When he came home, he found the King at Theobald's hunting in a very careless and unguarded manner: And upon that, in order to the putting him on a more careful looking to himfelf, he told the King he muft either give over that way of hunting, or ftop another hunting that he was engaged in, which was Prieft hunting: For he had intelligence in Spain that the Priefts were comforting themfelves with this, that if he went on against them they would foon get rid of him: Queen Elizabeth was a woman of form, and was always fo well attended, that all their plots against her failed, and were never brought to any effect: But a Prince who was always in woods or forefts would be eafily overtaken. The King fent for him in private to enquire more particularly into this: And he faw it had made a great impreffion on him: But wrought otherwife than he intended. For the King, who refolved to gratifie his

4

humour

riage.

humour in hunting and in a careless and irregular way of life, did immediately order all that profecution to be let fall. I have the minutes of the Council Books of the year 1606, which are full of orders to discharge and tranfport Priefts, fometimes ten in a day. From thence to his dying day he continued always writing and talking against Popery, but acting for it. He married his only daughter to a Proteftant Prince, one of the most zealous and fincere of them all, the Elector Palatine; upon which a great Revolution happen'd in 'the affairs of Germany. The eldest branch of the The ElecHouse of Austria retained fome of the impreffions tor Palathat their Father Maximilian II. ftudied to infufe tine'sMar into them, who as he was certainly one of the best and wifeft Princes of thefe latter ages, fo he was unalterably fixed in his opinion against perfecution for matters of confcience: His own fentiments were fo very favourable to the Proteftant doctrine, that he was thought inwardly theirs. His brother Charles of Grats was on the other hand wholly managed by the Jefuits, and was a zealous patron of theirs, and as zealously fupported by them. Rodolph and Matthias reigned one after another, but without iffue. Their brother Albert was then dying in Flanders: So Spain with the popifh intereft joined to advance Ferdinand, the fon of Charles of Grats: And he forced Matthias to refign the Crown of Bohemia to him, and got himfelf to be elected King. But his government became quickly fevere: He refolved to extirpate the Proteftants, and began to break thro' the privileges that were fecured to them by the laws of that kingdom.

This occafioned a general infurrection, which The Afwas followed by, an affembly of the States, who fairs of Bohemia. together with those of Silefia, Moravia and Lufatia joined in depofing Ferdinand: And they offered their Crown firft to the Duke of Saxony who refused it, and then to the Elector Palatine who accepted of it, being encouraged to it by his two

uncles

The diforders in

uncles Maurice Prince of Orange and the Duke of Boullion. But he did not afk the advice of King James: He only gave him notice of it when he had accepted the offer. Here was the probableft occafion that has been offered fince the Reformation for its full eftablishment.

The English Nation was much inclined to fupport it: And it was expected that fo near a conjunction might have prevailed on the King: But he had an invincible averfion to war; and was fo poffeffed of the opinion of a divine right in all Kings, that he could not bear that even an elective and limited King fhould be called in queftion by his fubjects: So he would never acknowledge his fon-in-law King, nor give him any affiftance for the fupport of his new dignity. And tho' it was alfo reckoned on, that France would enter into any defign that should bring down the house of Auftria, and Spain by confequence, yet even that was diverted by the means of De Luynes; a worthlefs but abfolute favourite, whom the Archduchefs Ifabella, Princefs of the Spanish Netherlands gained, to oblige the King into a neutrality by giving him the richest heirefs then in Flanders, the daughter of Peguiney, left to her difpofal, whom he married to his brother.

*

Thus poor Frederick was left without any affiftance. The jealoufy that the Lutherans had of the Holland. afcendant that the Calvinifts might gain by this acceffion had an unhappy fhare in the coldnefs which all the Princes of that confeffion fhewed towards him; tho' Saxony only declared for Ferdinand, who likewife engaged the Duke of Bavaria at the head of a catholick league to maintain his interefts. Maurice Prince of Orange had embroiled Holland by the efpoufing the controverfy about the decrees of God in oppofition to the Arminian party, and by erecting a new and illegal court by the authority, of the States General to

It is plain here must be meant by King the King of France.

judge

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judge of the affairs of the Province of Holland; which was plainly contrary to their conftitution, by which every Province is a Sovereignty within itself, not at all fubordinate to the States General, who act only as Plenipotentiaries of the several Provinces to maintain their union and their common concerns. By that affembly Barnevelt was condemned and executed: Grotius and others were condemned to perpetual imprifonment: And an affembly of the minifters of the feveral Provinces met at Dort by the fame authority, and condemned and deprived the Arminians. Maurice's enemies gave it out that he managed all this on defign to make himself mafter of the Provinces, and to put those who were like to oppose him out of the way. But tho' this feem a wild and groundlefs imagination, and not poffible to be compaffed; yet it is certain that he looked on Barnevelt and his party as men who were fo jealous of him and of a military power, that as they had forced the truce with Spain, fo they would be very unwilling to be. gin a new war; tho' the difputes about Juliers and Cleves had almoft engaged them, and the truce was now near expiring; at the end of which he hoped, if delivered from the oppofition that he might look for from that party, to begin the war anew. By thefe means there was a great fermentation over all the Provinces, fo that Maurice was not then in condition to give the elected King any confiderable affiftance; tho' indeed he needed it much, for his conduct was very weak. He affected the grandeur of a regal court, and the magnificence of a crowned head too early: And his Queen fet up fome of the gay diverfions that he had been accustomed to in her father's court, fuch as balls and masks, which very much difgufted the good Bohemians, who thought that a revolution made on the account of religion ought to have put on a greater appearance of ferioufnefs and fimplicity. Thefe particulars I had from the children of fome who belonged to that court. The elected King

VOL. I.

C

was