?14· 'Ihe HISTORY oJ the PuRITANS. VoL. II. ChKi;g II The king having fummoned a new parliament to meet in March all 1•~7e;. · parties exerted themfelves in the elections; the non-coliformijls appeared ge– ~ nerally for thofe who were for profecuting the popijh plot, and Jecuring a ./1 1 . new par- protejlant fuccefji'on: Thefe being efieemed patriots and friends of liberty ramn;t, · r: ·. h r h d J ' m oppotl!IOn to t ate w o \).1a e a oud cry for the church, and favoured the arbitrary meal"ures of the court, and the perfonal interefi of the duke of YOrk. The elections in many places were the occafion of great heat, but were carried al~ofi every where againll: the court. Mr. R.apin fays, that the prefbytenans, though long opprelfed, were fiill numerous in corporations. The.femi-co?iformijls (as Mr. Eachard calls the moderate churchmen), and the df!Jenters were an one fide, and the high churchmen and papijls on the other, Before the parliament alfembled, the duke of . York was fent out of the way to FYanders, but with this pofitive alfurance, that his majejly would corifent to nothing in prejudice if his right qf Juc– ce!Jion. · And further to ingratiate himfelf with the people, and make a !hew of moderation, a new privy counfel was chofen out of the low church party; but this not fatisfying as long as the duke' fucceffion was in view, the commons foon after the opening the feffions, ordered in a bill to difable tbe duke of YOrk fi·om inheriting the imperial crown of England, and carried it through the boufe with a high hand. Upon which his majefiy came to the houfe and diffolved them, before they had fat three months. This threw the nation into new convulfions, and produced a great number of pamphlets againfi the govenment, the act: for refiraining the prefs being lately expired. Mealtubplot, The popijh plot having fixed a brand of infamy and ingratitude on the B~·rnet, P· whole body of roman Catholics, the courtiers attempted to relieve them, ~~~in, p. hy. fetting~on fo_ot a foam pr~to/Jantplot, and fatheri.ng it upon the prefby2-39• 240. tenans : l~ or tb1s purpofe fp1es and other mercenarres were employed, to bribg news from all parts of the town, which was then full of cabals. At length a plot was formed by one Dangojield, a fubtle and dangerous papifi, but a very villain, who had been lately got out of gaol by the ailill:ance of one Mrs. Cellier a midwife, a lewd woman, who carried him to the coun– tefs of Powis, wbofe huiband was in tbe Tower for the popilh plot; with her he formed his fcheme, and having got a lifi of the names of the chief protefiant nobility and gentry, he writ treafonable letters to them, to be left at the houfes of the non-conformifis and other active protefiants in feveral parts of England, that fearch being made upon feme other pre– tences, when the letters were found, they might be apprehended for trea– fon. At the fame time, he intruded into the company of fame of the mofi: zealous enemies of popery about town, and informed the king and the duke of York, that he had been invited to accept of a commijjion; that a newfirm if government was to beJet up; and that the king and royalJat71ily
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=