You know the plain paths I tread. I hear his ways are such, which is the great ground of the great value I have for him, and the service I would gladly pay him on all occasions.

I do not find any great gall in the new elections, but even that not only men in places, but long parliament men, and even my Lord Danby's pensioners, come in promiscuously. So that I trust in God the same calmness in the House will answer that of the kingdom; and that we may yet live to see our poor religion unshaken, and our liberties preserved, his Majesty live in great honour and plenty, and England make that figure in the world she ought and must do, unless God, tired of his continual blessings bestowed upon us, intend for our ingratitude to plunge us into those miseries which threaten so apparently this kingdom.

I am, Sir,

Your most faithful servant,

W. HARBORD.

August 20. I was visited by the Bishop of Munster's agent; I went to see Monsieur Spiegle, the Holstein minister, and Monsieur Van Beuninghen, who is still of the same mind, that there is nothing

VOL. I.

G

to be done so well as a league with Spain, and desires me to write to my Lord Sunderland so.

21st. Mr. Bracy was with me, a gentleman of Dort, of the English faction, and who desires to be of the council of Holland, which Sir W. Temple had undertaken. Afterwards, Monsieur de Groot, minister of the Elector Palatine, came to me. He is nephew of Hugo Grotius. Sir Alexander Collier was with me in the afternoon. I went to see Mr. Rockwood, who told me how the French ambassador took place of the Prince Elector's base son, that he had not yet been with him, because he did not know whether his master would suffer him to yield the pas to him.

24th. Mr. Meredith told me of one Serjeant, a priest, a friend of Coleman' that fled hither, and, being asked by Mr. Rockwood if there was any plot, he said he could not be so disingenuous as to deny it absolutely to him, and therefore he would confess to him that they had thoughts of bringing in their religion, and, in order to do it, they desired that as many as could should be employed in the army. He said he believed that the Jesuits had the design of taking away the King's life, which they called

1 Coleman the Jesuit.

way, but

bringing their business about in a natural
we, said he, would never admit of such a thing.'

28th. Colonel Fitz'Patrick and I had a great deal of discourse of this country: he told me they were in an ill condition, that they owed sixty mil

"It is first to be remembered that there was really and truly a Popish plot in being, though not that which Titus Oates and his associates pretended to reveal not merely in the sense of Hume, who, arguing from the general spirit of proselytism in that religion, says there is a perpetual conspiracy against all governments, Protestant, Mahometan, and Pagan; but one, alert, enterprising, effective, in direct operation against the established Protestant religion in England. In this plot the King, the Duke of York, and the King of France, were chief conspirators; the Romish priests, and especially the Jesuits, were eager co-operators. *

*

*

*

"The conspiracy, supposed to have been concerted by the Jesuits, at St. Omers, and in which so many English Catholics were implicated, chiefly consisted, as is well known, in a scheme of assassinating the King. Though the obvious falsehood and absurdity of much that the witnesses deposed in relation to this plot render it absolutely incredible, and fully acquit those unfortunate victims of iniquity and prejudice, it could not appear at the time an extravagant supposition, that an eager, intriguing faction should have considered the King's life a serious obstacle to their hopes.

*

Nothing could have been more anxiously wished at St. Omers than the death of Charles; and it does not seem improbable that the atrocious fictions of Oates may have been originally suggested by some actual though vague projects of assassination, which he had heard in discourse among the ardent spirits of that college."-Hallam's Const. Hist. ii. 572.

lions, and paid £50,000 every year for interest, and that some of their soldiers had not been paid for these three years.

29th. The Pensioner was with me: we had a great deal of discourse about the guarantee, and then about the merchants, whom he will assist, but he advises them to have patience for a while. I writ to Mr. Godolphin, to Lord Sunderland, and to Mr. Spencer, for some money, and to the Duke. 30th. I received letters from Lord Sunderland, Lady Sunderland, and others.

THE COUNTESS OF SUNDERLAND TO MR. SIDNEY.

August 15.

I received yours of the 5-15 last night, just as I came to Windsor, and upon my word I was gladder of it than I have been of any thing a great while ; the marks of your friendship being more precious to me than you can imagine. I have not writ to you since your going because I was at Althorpe, from whence I could say nothing but what you must be sure of without repetition, my being most unalterably your friend, absent and present, to the last of my life, and, if you need a letter to confirm your

assurance, let me tell you, you are not worthy of it, but I hope better from you.

My Lord and I, whenever we meet, bewail your absence; this very day he said he was not able to bear your being away longer than October, and I thought that too long for more reasons than one; for, besides the friendship I have for you, indeed you are wanted for advice. I have somewhat on my spirits, that I must of necessity communicate to you, but 'tis a secret of such vast consequence, that I am ruined if it be known to any body living. Therefore I dare not venture it but by an express, and then in cipher. I will get my Lord's to copy, but he must not know the secret less than any body else, but it imports you and him and all of us. It has given me the spleen more than I ever had it in my life. Pray, when you know it, let it die with you, and resolve to follow my advice in the assisting me, for you are equally concerned. For God's sake, burn my letters! I am fancying I am talking to you, and the trust I put in you leads me into a disclosing my thoughts beyond what is fit for a post. If you know of any express, be

This great secret, which Lady Sunderland is so anxious to keep from her Lord, must remain a mystery. The letter alluded to, if it ever was written, has not been preserved.