Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub

SECTION THE SECOND.

not.

11.

putes where begins.

Rose p.41.

In the portion of Mr. Fox's Work, noticed in this Section, SECTION Mr. Rose has discovered little to blame, and much to approve; and we shall now proceed to examine, whether Mr. Rose disthe few animadversions he has made, are well founded or Mr. Fox's Work His first observation is, that " The Historical Part "of Mr. Fox's Work, though classed with the prefatory "reflections under the title of Introduction, begins at the "Restoration." To this, it is only necessary to answer, that Mr. Fox himself must be supposed to know best, where he meant his work should begin, and in a private

letter he writes, "the death of Charles the Second is the Fox, p. xvii,

[ocr errors]

period, from which I commence my History, though

"in my Introduction I take a pretty full view of his

[blocks in formation]

Mr. Rose is well satisfied with the historian, till they Treachery of are arrived at the year 1670, and approves of the ministers.

Charles to his
Rose, p. 41.

SECTION 11.

Fox, P, 21.

Rose, p. 428

[ocr errors]

46

66

character given of the ministry, known by the name of the Cabal. But he objects to Mr. Fox's assertion, that "the King kept from them the real state of his connection with France; and from some of them at least, the secret of what he was pleased to call his religion," and to his not deciding whether the motive for this conduct in Charles was his habitual treachery, or an apprehension that his ministers "might demand "for themselves some share of the French money, which " he was unwilling to give them." Mr. Rose, in a note, remarks, that this is an extraordinary alternative, for, from a variety of letters from Barillon to Lewis found in Dalrymple, and one of them printed in the Appendix to the Historical Work, it is evident" that Charles's "ministers were fully apprized of his money transactions " with Lewis." Mr. Rose is guilty here of a little anacronism, for Barillon did not come over to England, as ambassador, till 1677, and the letters, here alluded to, were written after that period, and of course long after the Cabal had been dismissed. It remains for Mr. Rose to shew how Mr. Fox's observations upon the ministers of 1670 can be affected by letters, written concerning others who were in power, seven years at least afterwards.

But to return, Mr. Rose says, first, that, for this charge of treachery, on the part of the King, there is no authority quoted, and there is no probability of its

being well founded. As to authorities, we learn from a Letter in the Preface, that Mr. Fox regarded his Introduction, including the period down to the death of Charles the Second," rather as a discussion, alluding "to known facts, than a minute inquiry into disputed points," and he might think himself justified in assuming this concealment to be a known fact, after both Dalrymple, and Macpherson had produced abundant authorities to prove it.

[ocr errors]

That the charge is improbable, becomes next the task of Mr. Rose to prove, and to do this, he has recourse to that same inconsistent course of argument, which he adopts upon many other occasions. The clause in the treaty itself, stipulating that it should be kept secret until a fit time should occur to put it into execution, does not, as he observes, prove that it was to be concealed from any of Charles's confidential servants, for though all the ministers had been informed of its contents, that clause might properly have continued to make a part. Its object was to secure the concealment of the treaty from others, not from those, who were in the confidence of the King, or already acquainted with it.

That the King did not conceal the secret of his religion from some of his ministers at least, is attempted to be proved by Mr. Rose in this curious manner. He cites, but for the purpose only of combating it, the assertion of

[blocks in formation]

II.

SECTION Dalrymple," that the treaty was unknown to the protestant ministers;" this, he says, is not correct, because Lord Arlington was one of the English commissioners, who negotiated and signed it, and he was a professed Protestant, though a concealed Catholic. Dalrymple was well aware of the religious faith of Arlington, when he made the above assertion; and because he was a concealed Catholic, and as such trusted with the secret, classed him with the avowed professors of his religion, and excluded him from the number of Protestant ministers.

Rose, p. 43.

Ib. p. 51.

"To one of his ministers therefore," adds Mr. Rose, triumphantly, "the whole of this treaty was perfectly well "known." We will go further, and admit that it was known to two of them, Arlington a concealed, and Clifford an avowed Catholic, and their names, with those of Arundel, and Sir Robert Bellings, also Catholics, are signed as commissioners to the abstract of the treaty, which Mr. Rose himself has published. The reference he makes to the treaty, he says, "establishes beyond all controversy, "that Mr. Fox's charge against the King, and his "ministers, of mutual treachery towards each other, is "not founded." Here Mr. Rose does not correctly state the before mentioned passage in Mr. Fox's book: for it does not contain a charge of mutual treachery, but of treachery, only on the part of the King, towards his ministers, in concealing, from some of them, the secret of his religion.

II.

Mr. Rose, not very consistently, admits that the Duke SECTION of Buckingham was not in the secret; but forgetful of his prudent engagement never to contend with Mr. Rose Int. xiv. Fox in argument, when he agreed with him in fact, will not allow that he was excluded for either of the reasons suggested, and informs us that, in a letter from Charles to the Duchess of Orleans, his timidity was assigned as a reason; and in one to Lewis, that he could not keep a secret. The first of these reasons the reader may have some difficulty to discover in the letter alluded to, and the validity of the second it is not material at present to discuss.

The reader may now, upon the abstract of the treaty produced by Mr. Rose, and the admissions made by him, judge for himself whether Mr. Fox's assertion is not substantially verified. It appears that to Clifford, and Arlington, the one an avowed, the other a concealed Catholic, the full extent of the Treaty was known, for they negotiated it; and that it was kept from the knowledge of Buckingham, a Protestant. But Mr. Rose has not attempted to prove, that either Lauderdale, or Ashley, who were also members of the Cabal, and both Protestants, were were ever consulted. On the contrary, Dal. Mem. ii. in Colbert's letter of the 25th of August, 1670, cited P.83. by Mr. Rose, it is stated, that Charles had proposed the Traité Simulé, which should be a repetition of the former one, in all things, except the article relative to the King's declaring himself a Catholic; and

R

[ocr errors]

Rose, p. 43.

« ПредишнаНапред »