1689.

Whitehall into the City. The Cavalcade being pafs'd A. C by, the King and Queen were Conducted by the two Sheriffs to the Guildhall, where they and their numerous Retinue were entertain'd with a Magnifi-Their Ma cient Feaft. His Majefty, to exprefs his Satisfacti-jefties Dine on, conferr'd the honour of Knighthood on Chrifto- at Guildphr Lithuillier and John Houblon Efquirres the two hall, O&o. Sheriffs, and on Edward Clark and Francis Child two 29. of the Aldermen. Five Days before the King having been pleas'd to permit the Grocers of King Wil London to chufe him Sovereign Mafter of that Com-liam made pany, the Wardens, with fome of the Principal Free of Members, prefented to him a Copy of their Electi- Grocerson, and Inftrument of his Freedom of the faid hal, Octo. Company in a Golden Box; for which his Majefty 24. thank'd them, and as a mark of his Royal Favour, made Ralph Box, their Chief Warden, a Knight. Not many Days after fome Audacious Malecontents offer'd an Indignity to the King's Picture in the Guildhall of London, by cutting away the Scepter and Crown thereof; whereupon the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen promis'd a Reward of 5ool. to any Perfon that fhould difcover the Author of that Infolence.

The greateft part of the Rebels in Scotland ha- Troubles ving laid hold of the Act of Oblivion, and Collo- and Difnel Cannon with a handful of Men under his Com-contents in mand, being retir'd into the Ifland of Mull, feveral Scotland. of the Regiments, there were fent into Ireland to reinforce the Duke of Schomberg's Army. The draining that Kingdom of fo many Forces encourag'd the Highlanders to renew their Excurlions, Burning and Plundering where foever they fet Footing; and having gather'd into a Body of 800 Men, under the Command of the Laird Lochelly, they march'd out of Inverloghy, thinking to have furpriz'd Invernefs, but were timely prevented. Befides thefe Troubles a General Difcontent began to spread it felf through the Scotch Nation. who bore with Impatience the late Prorogation of the late Parliament, before their Grievances had been fully redrefs'd, according to their Expectations, and King William's

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repeated

A. C. repeated Promifes; wherefore feveral Members of 1689. that Affembly Petition'd his Majefty for their speedy fitting, that they might pafs fuch Bills as were a natural Confequence of their Petition of Right. This Addrefs or Remonftrance was prefented to the King at Hampton-Court, and because it was conceiv'd in fuch Terms, as difcover'd too plainly the Condition of Scotland, care was taken to fupprefs the Printed Copies of it. Nor were the Commons of England lefs follicitous to fecure the Liberties of the Subject, having with great unanimity and dif patch put the finishing Hand to the Bill of Rights; though without mentioning the House of Hanover, upon a wrong Suggeftion from one of their Mem. bers, that there was but one only Daughter, who was defign'd to be bestow'd inMarriage on the King of Poland. At the fame time the Attorney General was order'd to bring in a Bill of Indemnity, in fuch ample manner as might anfwer his Majefty's gracious Intentions and Clemency. On the other fide the King order'd the Accounts of the Expences of laft Summer, and of the neceffary Charges for the next Years Service, to be laid before the Commons, who having perus'd the fame, unanimouf ly Voted a Supply of Two Millions Sterling to his Majefty.

About this time Collonel Ludlow, who upon King Ludlow Charls II. Reftoration, was excepted out of the Gecomes over neral Pardon by Act of Parliament in 1661, for to Enghaving been one of the Judges of King Charles 1. jand. upon the Encouragement given him by a great Courtier, came over into England to offer the King his Service in the reducing of Ireland. He was no fooner arriv'd in London, but his Houfe was crowded by Multitudes of fuch Fanaticks and Independents, as in Cromwell's time had labour'd to introduce a Common-Wealth. The Commons were foon inform'd of this Prefumption; and among the reft Sir Edward Seymour reprefented to the Houfe, how highly it reflected on the Honour of the Nation, that one of the Parricides of that King, whofe Death the Church of England had juftly dignified with the Title of Martyrdom, fhould not only be fuffer'd

fuffer'd to live here, but alfo entertain'd with hopes A. C. of Preferment. Thereupon the Commons order'd 1689. their Speaker to present an Address to his Majefty, to defire him to iffue out his Proclamation for the APprehending the faid Ludlow, who ftood attainted of High Treafon by Act of Parliament. The King comply'd with this Addrefs; but however he thought fit to favour the Collonels Efcape, and not to publifh his Proclamation till after he was fafely Novem. arriv'd in Holland, with the Dutch Ambaffadors.

*

14.

From Holland Mr. Ludlow return'd to his Retire-A Procla ment at Vevay, a fmall Town in the Country ofmation a gainst him. Vaux in Switzerland, where he had liv'd to a great Age, notwithstanding the Attempts made upon him by the Creatures of King Charles II. and King James II. and where he afterwards writ thofe Me moirs which have fince appear'd under his Name. By thefe it is plain, that he acted upon a different Bottom from Cromwell, whofe Tyranny and Ufurpation he always Detefted, having himfelf nothing in View but the Eftablishment of a Free Republican Government: But as the execrable Murther, His Cha which he both promoted and approved in order to compafs his Defigns, can never be Juftified, fo all that can be faid in his Favour is, that 'twas pity a Man of his Courage and Conduct was fo unfhaken in his wrong Principies.

The Attorney General having brought in a Bill of Indemnity, both he and the Sollicitor General were order'd by the Commons to prepare another to lay Penalties and Fines on fuch, as in the late Reigns, had been Inftrumental to the Violation of the Laws. Afterwards the Houfe declared That thofe who had put to Death fome Perfons in the Ifland of St. Hellen, under pretence of Rebellion, were Guilty of Murther, and a Committee was appointed to inquire from whom they had their Warrant. A Bill was alfo order'd to be brought in to declare the late Chancellor Jeffery's Eltate Forfeited to the Crown and to attaint his Blood: But the proceedings against a Man after his Death, whether Natural or Violent, being of a very ill Confequence, and contrary to the Eftablish'd Laws, that Bill met L14

racter.

with

A. C. with fo much oppofition that no Progrefs was made 1689. in it. The Lord Griffin having been often requir'd by Proceedings Letters and otherwife to attend the Houfe of Lords, against and still refusing to appear, their Lordships defir'd the Lord the King by an Addrefs to Summon him Griffin. by his Royal Proclamation to render himfelf, (at fuch a Day as his Majefty fhould appoint) to their Houfe, if then actually Sitting, or to one of the Secretaries of State. His Lordship being accordingly Summon'd, furrendred himself to the Lord Nottingham, and on the 19th of October having made his Appearance before the House of Lords, the Speaker told him, That he knew what he had to do before his fitting in that Houfe, whereupon his Lordship defir'd time to Confider of taking the Oaths, he not being prepar'd for it: Which was readily Granted.

The fame Day the Parliament was Prorogu'd, a Packet was intercepted, which plainly difcover'd how little the Lord Griffin was inclin'd to own the prefent Government. This Difcovery happen'd in the following manner. His Lordfhip having caus'd a large Tin Bottle to be made with a double Bottom; order'd his Cook to go to a Pewterers at an unfeafonable Hour of the Night, to get the falfe Bottom folder'd: The Pewterer finding a Packet between the two Bottoms of the Bottle,began to fufpect fomething; and the Cook not giving him a fatisfactory An. fwer about its Contents, he made bold to open it. The Superfcription of feveral Letters directed to King James, the Duke of Berwick, &c. juftified the Pewterers Sufpicion, who immediately feiz'd the Lord Griffin's Cook, and carried him to one of the Secretaries of State; but he being gone to Bed, and his Servants refufing to admit the Pewterer to their Mafter's Prefence, the Lord Griffin, who by this time began to apprehend what had befaln his Meffenger, took this opportunity to make his Efcape. Befides the Letters, there was found an Account of fome private Refolutions of the Council, and an exact Lift of all the Land and Sea Forces of England, whereupon the Lord Griffin's House and Papers

were

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were fearch'd, his Lady committed to the Tower, A. C. feveral fufpected Perfons Arrefted, and the Custom- 1689. Houfe Officers order'd to ftop all unknown Perfons, that offer'd to cross the Seas without Paffes. The Lord Griffin having abfconded himself fome few Days, and finding it difficult to go out of the Kingdom, furrendred himself to the Earl of Shrewsbury, Secretary of State, who having examin'd him, committed him to the Cuftody of a Meffenger, from whence he was fent into the Tower. Thereupon the Commons appointed a Committee to enquire how the Lord Griffin came to know a Refolution, which the King had Communicated to Four Perfons only; and the Lords Addrefs'd his Majefty to let him understand that the said Lord being one of their Members, they were confequently his proper Judges. The King having left the Cognizance of this Affair to the Peers, they began to Examine the Papers intercepted in the Pewter-Bottle, which were the only Evidence against the Lord Griffin; and because fome few Days before it had been refolv'd in that Houfe, that Colonel Algernoon Sidney was unjustly Condemn'd, nothing but Writings, found in his Clofet, having been produc'd against him, the Earl of Rochefter argu'd, from a Parity of Reafon, in Favour of the Lord Griffin; who after feveral warm Debates was fet at Liberty upon fufficient Bail.

While the Lord Griffin's Affair was depending, the Proceedings Lord Prefton, Vilcount of Scotland, having prefent-against ed to the Houfe of Lords a Patent from King James, the Lord dated from Versailles the 21st of January, whereby Preston. he was created Baron of England, their Lordships Voted him Guilty of High-Treafon; but however they thoughr fit to refer the Examination of that Matter to the Judges their Afliftants. My Lord Prefton pretended, that the Patent being dated one day before the Meeting of the Convention, which had Voted the Throne Vacant, it ought therefore to be valid; to which it was anfwerd, That the Vacancy was fuppos'd to begin from the Moment King James left the Kingdom, whereby he abdica. ted the Government. The next Day the Judges brought