'71 2 ne H 1sT 0 R y of the PuRITANS, Vor.. II. Ch~/(~ !I. . Tho~gh the king gave. himfelf no credit to the plot, yet finding it 167 s. 1mpra~hcable to ftem the tide of ~he people's zeal, he contented to the \~executiOn of the law, upon feveral of the condemned criminals: Mr. N qt mdl/ed Co!t'man, and five of the jefuits, were executed at 'T-;•burn who protefl:ed 111 court. h . . ' t e1r mnocence to the la.fl: ; and a year or two >forward lord Stqfford was behe1ded on 'Jower-Htll. But th« court party tun1ed the plot into ridicule; .the king told lord Hal!ijax, · that it was not probable that the papijls jhould corifpire to kill him, for have I not been kind enough to them (fays his ma– jejly?) Yes (Jays his lordjhip) you hm•e been too kind indeed to them; but they know you will only trot, and they ~vant a prince that will gallop. The cou_rt employed their tool Sir Roger L'Ejlrangr, to write a weekly paper agalllft the plot; and the country party encouraged Mr. Car to· write a weekly packet of advice from Rome, diji:overing the frauds andJuperjlitions if that court ; for which he was arraigned, conviCted and fined in the court of King's- Bench, and his papers forbid to be printed. An admirable order for a prote!hnt court of judicature ! Aa todifBut it was impoffible to allay the fears of the parliainent, who had a qualify pa-. quick fenfe of the danger of popery, and therefore pafT~d a bill, to difab.'e Pifl~.10 Jit m all perfons if that religion from jitti11g in either houfe if parliament, which lf:r~:~en~ .. is flill in force, being excepted out of the act of toleration,. The act 436. requires all members of parliament to renounce by oath, the doClrine if tra'?Jitbjlcmtiation, and to declare the worjhip if the virgin Mary, and if the faints, praBijed in the church qf Rome, to be idolatrous. B,ilhop Gunning argued againft chargin~ the church of Rome with idolatry; but the houte paid him little regard; and when the bill was patTed, he took the oath in common with the reil. Occajion of The duke of York got himfelf excepted out of the hill, but the fears diffilving_tbe of his acceflion to the crown were fo great, that there was a loud talk long par/,a- of bringing a bill into the houfe, to exclude him from the fucceffion as mmt. a papili, upon which the king came to the houfe November 9· and affured them, that he would confent to any bills for fecuring the proteftant religion, provided they did not impeach the right of.fuccejfion, nor the dej~·ent of the crown in the true line, nor the jtift rights qf any prottftant jitccejfor. But this not giving fatisfaction, his majefl:y towards the end of December, firt1: prorogued, aud then difTolved the parliament, after they had been. chofen Rem11rks on tbe popi/b plot, almot1: eighteen years. It may be proper to oblerve concerning the popijh plot, that though the king's life might not be immediately ftruck at, yet there was fuch flrong evidence to prove the reality of a plot, to jitbvert the con.ftitution and introduce popery, that no difinterefted perfon can doubt it. Mr. Rapin who had carefully confidered the evidence, concludes that there was a me– ditated
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