expreffing a wifh that he had been more attentive to the ftyle of his work, and that the valuable practical remarks with which it is stored had been mixed with lefs of the alloy of hypothetical reafoning. T% Conclufion of the Account of Macpherson's ORIGINAL O purfue this multifarious collection through the whole series of papers, and to give a diftinct account of their contents, would be impracticable. Some of the most important and curious amongst them have already been taken notice of; and with regard to the reft, we can only exhibit a fhort view of their general nature, with a few inftances, by way of fpecimen. The Stuart Papers begin in the year 1688, and are carried on to the acceffion of the houfe of Hanover. They abound, throughout, with the various intrigues of the agents for the excluded family, firft for the restoration of James, and afterward for the advancement of his fon to the throne of these realms. The different schemes that were formed by them, from time to time, for thefe purposes, and the alternate hopes and fears by which they were actuated, are minutely displayed. We fee how ready they were to flatter themselves, after repeated difappointments, with the attainment of the great object of their wishes. The policy of the court of St. Germains is fully brought to light, and the characters of its minifters, adherents, and correfpondents, are clearly developed. The agents of the family fometimes appear to have been too fanguine, and to have given too favourable an account of the ftrength of the party; and Mr. Macpherson, in his Hiftory, has, occafionally, yielded a degree of credit to their reprefentations, which they do not deferve; as we have lately fhewn in a material inftance. In the Stuart Papers for 1701, we meet with an extract from the Continuation of the Memoirs of James II. which contains an account of his death and character. That part which relates to his death we fhall lay before our Readers: "The King publickly, and by name, forgave all his enemies. He had often declared, that he was more beholden to the Prince of Orange than to all the world befides. The King of France came to wait upon him. He lighted at the cafle gate, as others did, to prevent the noife of coaches from difturbing him. Juft before he expired, he mentioned by name, with, a loud voice, the Prince of Orange, the Princess of Denmark, and the Emperor; and faid he wished they might be acquainted that he forgave them all. The King of France, the third time he came to fee the King, declared he would own the Prince of Wales King of England. He had befitated long. The Dauphin, the Duke of Burgundy, and all the princes, thought it unbecoming the dignity of the crown of France, not to own the title of of the Prince of Wales. He firft acquainted the Queen, then the Prince, of his refolution. He came, at laft, to the King's bed-fide. "Sir," faid he, "I am come to fee how your Majefty finds yourfelf to-day." But the King not hearing, made no reply. Upon which, one of his fervants telling him that the King of France was there, he roufed himself, and faid, "Where is he?" Upon which the King of France replied, "Sir, I am here, and I am come to see how you do." The King thanked him for all his favours. His Moft Chriftian Majefty replied, "Sir, what I have done is but a fmall matter. I have fomething to acquaint you with of greater confequence." The King's fervants began to retire. "Let nobody withdraw," faid the King of France. "I am come, Sir, to acquaint you, that whenever it fhall pleafe God to call your Majesty out of this world, I will take your family into my protection, and will treat your fon, the Prince of Wales, in the fame manner I have treated you, and acknowledge him, as he then will be, King of England." All that were prefent, whether French or English, burft at once into tears, expreffive of a mixture of joy and grief. Some threw themfelves at his Moft Chriftian Majesty's feet. All feemed fo much affected, that the King of France himself burst into tears. King of England was endeavouring to fay fomething. But the confufed noife was fo great, and he fo weak, that he could not be heard. The King of France went away. But as he paffed, he called the officer of the guard, and defired him to treat the Prince of Wales as King, whenever his father fhould expire. 66 The "The next day, the King was fomething better. The Prince of Wales was permitted to fee him, which he was not often suffered to do; it being obferved, that when he faw him, it raised such a commotion in him, as was thought to do him harm. When he came into the room, the King ftretching forth his arms to embrace him, faid, “I have not feen you fince his Moft Chriftian Majefty was here, and promised to own you when I fhould be dead. I have fent my Lord Middleton to Marly, to thank him for it." He was taken next day with continual convulfions and thaking in his hands; and, on the day following, being the fixteenth of September, he expired." The paper from which the preceding extract is taken is followed by the attestation of Sir David Nairne, concerning what he knew of the life and virtues of James the Second. From this detail it appears that James was remarkably fuperftitious. "I atteft," fays Sir David," that during the refidence of that prince at St. Germains, he heard ordinarily two maffes every day, one in the morning, and another towards noon: that he performed his devotions on all the great feftivals, and likewife on several other days of the year, and then heard, for the mot part, three maffes; and if, on thefe days, there were vefpers, fermon, and exaltation of the hoft, at the parish church, or at the chapel of the caffle, or at the church of the Recollets, he was there; and in every Lent and Advent, he had fermon in his chapel thrice a-week, and he never failed to go there regularly, attended always by his Queen, his religious confort, who U 3 was was likewife, as every one knows, an example of piety. They went likewife together every year, on foot, to the proceffion of the holy facrament, with the parish, over all the town of St. Germains. On the day and octave of Corpus Chrifti, and at the return of that long proceffion, they ftaid to hear high mals at the parish church; and on every evening, during the octave, they were prefent at the exaltation of the hoft; and, as there was fcarcely a Sunday or a great holiday, during the year, but there was an exaltation at the parish church, their Majefties were always prefent; and when there was no established fund for faying mafs, they ordered one to be faid, which kept up a great deal of devotion in the place, and edified every oneThis pious Prince practifed, from time to time, fpiritual retirements, for leven or eight days, in fome religious house at Paris, from whence he went every day incognito, with a few attendants, to vifit churches, and to be prefent at fermons, maffes, and falves; and when it was Eafter week, he went to the Paffion fermon and night offices. He was likewife three or four times in retirement at La Trappe; one of which times I remember to have been, as he was on his way to La Hogue. He ftaid there ufually three days, practifing nearly the fame abftinence with the Monks, and being prefent at a great part of their service." Sir David Naine doth not feem to have been lefs fuperftitious than his royal matter; for he mentions the miraculous cures afcribed to the interceffion of this holy King, in fuch a manner as fhews his own firm belief of them. Mr. Macpherson justly obferves, that if the Stuart family had been restored, and continued in the Romifh faith, James would probably have been canonized; care having early been taken to collect fuch printed proofs as would have been then fufficient to procure him that honour. Indeed, it feems to have been feriously intended to apply for his canonization. His fuperftitious votaries had begun to collect fuch proofs as had been always thought fufficient to obtain a place in the Romish calendar. This appears from Nairne's atteftation, and from fome extracts, which are inferted in the prefent collection. Among the virtues of King James, Sir David Nairne reckons, "above all, his inviolable attachment to the Holy See, and to the catholic, apoftolic, and Roman religion, to which he had already facrificed his three crowns, and was difpofed to facrifice farther his life, if neceffary, as he often protefted." From the whole detail concerning this Prince, it is evident that he was one of the weakest, moft fuperftitious, and obftinate bigots, that ever existed; fo that there could have been no real dependance on his engagements, if, upon the faith of them, he had been reftored to the British throne, When he had thought himself fecure, his blind fubmiffion to his fpiritual guides would foon have induced him to break his promises, and to determine upon the perfecution of his Proteftant fubjects. The people of this country were, therefore, fully juftified in their averfion to his reftoration, on the account, folely, of religion; and every philofophical mind must be fenfible, that, on the fame account, independently of other reafons, there could have been no fafety in reinftating him in the poffeffion of that power which he had juftly forfeited. The hopes of the adherents to the Stuart family rofe to an extravagant pitch in the year 1711, after the removal of the Earl of Godolphin, and the introduction of a new miniftry. Much confidence was built on the fuppofed attachment of Queen Anne to her brother, and the violent principles of the Tories, in favour of the hereditary fucceffion of the crown. In this ftate of things, the Pretender fent the following letter to the Queen, which every one will allow to be well written : May, 1711. "MADAM, "The violence and ambition of the enemies of our family, and of the monarchy, have too long kept at distance those who, by all the obligations of nature and duty, ought to be more firmly united; and have hindered us from the proper means and endeavours of a better underflanding between us, which could not fail to produce the moft happy effects to ourselves, to our family, and to our bleeding country. But whatever the fuccefs may be, I have refolved now to break through all referve, and to be the first in an endeavour so just and neceffary. The natural affection I bear you, and that the King our father had for you, till his last breath; the confideration of our mutual intereft, honour, and fafety, and the duty I owe to God and my country, are the true motives that perfuade me to write to you, and to do all that is poflible for me to come to a perfect union with you. "And you may be affured, Madam, that though I can never abandon, but with my life, my own juft right, which you know is unalterably fettled by the moft fundamental laws of the land; yet I am most defirous rather to owe to you, than to any living, the recovery of it. It is for yourself that a work fo jutt and glorious is referved. The voice of God and nature calls you to it; the promifes you made to the King our father enjoin it; the prefervation of our family, the preventing of unnatural wars, require it; and the public good and welfare of our country recommend it to you, to refcue it from prefent and future evils; which muft, to the latest pofterity, involve the nation in blood and confusion till the fucccffion be again fettled in the right line. "I am fatished, Madam, that if you will be guided by your own inclinations, you will readily comply with fo juft and fair a propofal as to prefer your own brother, the laft male of our name, to the Duchefs of Hanover, the remoteft relation we have, whofe friendship you have no reafon to rely on, or be fond of, who will leave the government to foreigners of another language, of another intereft, U 4 and and who, by the general naturalization, may bring over crowds of his countrymen to fupply the defect of his right, and enfave the nation. "In the mean time, I affure you, Madam, and am ready to give all the fecurity that can be defired, that it is my unalterable refolution to make the law of the land the rule of my government, to preterve every man's right, liberty, and property, equally with the rights of the crown; and to fecure and maintain those of the church of England, in all their just rights and privileges, as by law eftablished, and to grant fuch a toleration to Diffenters as the parliament fhall think fit. "Your own good nature, Madam, and your natural affection to a brother, from whom you never received any injury, cannot but incline your heart to do him juftice; and, as it is in your power, I cannot doubt of your good inclinations. And I do here assure you, that, in that cafe, no reasonable terms of accommodation which you can defire for yourself, fhall be refufed by me. But as affairs of this moment cannot be fo well tranfa&ted by letters, I must conjure you to fend one over to me, fully inflructed and empowered by you, or to give fecurity for fuch a one from me; for by that way only, things can be adjusted to our mutual fatisfaction, which fhall be managed on our fide with the utmoft fecrecy. "I have made this firft ftep towards our mutual happiness, with a true brotherly affection, with the plainnefs and fincerity that becomes both our rank and relation, and in the most prudent manner I could at prefent contrive; and will be directed by you in the profecution of it, relying entirely on your knowledge and experience, as to the means and inftruments. "And now, Madam, as you tender your own honour and happinefs, the prefervation and re-establishment of our ancient royal family, the fafety and welfare of a brave people, who are almoft finking under prefent weights, and have reason to fear greater; who have no reason to complain of me, and whom I mutt still, and do love as my own. I conjure you to meet me in this friendly way of compofing our difference, by which only we can hope for thofe good effects which will make us both happy; yourself more glorious than all the other parts of your life, and your memory dear to all posterity." Mr. Macpherson afferts, that the above letter is evidently the Pretender's own diction; and, fpeaking of the abstract of another letter which immediately follows, fent by the Chevalier to his friends in England, our Author obferves, that it is the compofition of the Pretender himself, who was a better, more eafy, and perhaps a more elegant writer, than any one of his fervants. It doth not appear that Mr. Macpherson had fufficient reasons for this affertion. It hath never been understood that the late Pretender was a man of confiderable abilities; nor are any proofs of his having been such exhibited in the present collection, excepting thefe and fome few other letters; in which it is far more probable that he received the affiftance of his minifters |