REFLECTIONS, &c.

IT is no eaſy task to offer Reflections on what was deliver'd by Men who were to anſwer it very ſoon after, at a great and juſt Tribunal. But ſince the obſervations, that do Naturally occur from the reading theſe Papers, lie heavier on the Cauſe, and Party, and their Religion, and Principles, than on the Perſons of theſe unhappy Men, I think it is a Charity to the Publick to help all readers to re-examine them with due attention; and to make theſe Remarks on them, which are ſo Juſt and Obvious, that even thoſe, who might read them too haſtily, and with too much partiality to obſerve them at firſt, will be forc'd to acknowledge, on a ſecond reading, they are Native and Genuine, without putting any Force or Strain on them.

1. Mr. Charnock and Mr. King do both confeſs the Fact, and ſo they have Eſtabliſh'd the Credit of the Witneſſes; but with remarkable difference, that Mr. King owns that God had given him a ſenſe of his Wickedneſs, and acknowledges the Juſt Hand of God in his Puniſhment for that Crime in particular, and ſo deſires to find Mercy at his Hand. But Mr. Charnock ſeems not to think ſo hardly of his ſhare in that deſign; he mentions it without any Words condemning it, or importing that he had repented of it; So it is plain he thought it was no Sin. It is as plain that his Confeſſor thought ſo too. For as no Man, who knows the Principles of that Religion, will believe that he would die without Abſolution, ſo no Prieſt, who thought it a Mortal Sin, could give him Abſolution, without obliging him to confeſs the Guilt, as well as the Fact. And, ſince he has not done that, we may well conclude, that his Prieſt thought it was no Sin, and ſo thought him oblig'd to make no other Confeſſion; but what might cover the Party. Key ſays nothing at all of the matter; but a Criminal who dies without denying that, for which he is Condemn'd, is preſum'd to confeſs it.

2. Both Mr. Charnock and Mr. King deny that they ſaw or knew of any Order or Commiſſion of King James, for the Aſſaſſination. Mr. Charnock adds, that he has had frequent Aſſurances of his having rejected ſuch propoſals when they have been offered. It is no great Honour to a Prince, that any dare make ſuch propoſals to him. We have a King who would treat any that ſhould make ſuch Propoſals to Him in ſuch a manner, as ſhould for ever diſcourage the attempt for the future. When theſe are frequently made, it ſeems the thing is liked, tho' the methods may not be approv'd of, or the time not thought proper. To be often ſo licited is no Character of a ſevere Virtue.

But, what is here denied? An Order or Commiſſion for Aſſaſſination. This was never affirmed, nor ſo much as ſuſpected. The word Aſſaſſination is too hard to be put in any Princes Orders or Commiſſions. But a Commiſſion to Attack the Prince of Orange (as he calls him) in his Winter Quarters, Or to Seize his Perſon and to fight his Guards, or to levy War againſt the Perſon of the Prince of Orange in England, by all ways and means (after which manner we are told, the Witneſſeſs expreſs themſelves) This is not denyed by Mr. Charnock, therefore it may be preſumed that it is confeſs'd by him; and the denial of this would have agreed better with the words that go before, in which he owns the Undertaking to attack the Prince of Orange and his Guards. Now the natural cloſe of this Period ought to have been (if it had Conſiſted with Truth) that he neither ſaw nor knew of any Order or Commiſſion from King James for that Undertaking. But he changes the word, and puts Aſſaſſinating inſtead of it. It is plain, Mr. Charnock and Mr. King, both had a mind to clear King James as far as they could. But tho' their Confeſſor might bring them to prevaricate and to uſe art in the choice of their laſt words, yet they would not dye with a plain lye in their mouths. A Commiſſion to Attack the Prince of Orange, was what was mentioned in the depoſition. That is not denied by them, and therefore it is preſumed to be confeſs'd. But, tho' the Undertaking to Attack the Prince of Orange and his Guards, is not in expreſs words, a Commiſſion to Aſſaſſinate him; yet it were ſuſpecting of any Man's weakneſs too much to go about to prove, that both in effect are one and the ſame thing. When the Evidence is made publick, it will then appear what the depoſitions were, and whether the Proteſtations that are made in theſe Papers, do contradict them or not In the mean time here is a poor pretence; for the party to give out that the Offenders dyed clearing King James of any Order or Acceſſion to this matter. They do indeed deny an Order for an Aſſaſſination, which was not in the Depoſitions, but they do not deny a Commiſſion for Attacking his Perſon, which was mentioned in them. They had a mind to ſay all they could ſay, but durſt not ſay all that was neceſſary for the wipeing off ſo black an imputation.

3. Mr. Charnock confeſſes that he heard of a Commiſſion for Levying of War, tho' he declares he never ſaw it; in which he does not contradict the Evidence, but he ſtudies to repreſent this as conſiſting with the deſign of King James's coming over, and as of a peice with it He does not explain the nature of this Commiſſion, nor contradict the Evidence that was given againſt himſelf in this particular. The Artifice here is a little too groſs not to be eaſily obſerved. He has already anſwered for it and I will urge it no more.

4. It may be eaſily imagin'd that ſome Perſons were careful enough to put them in mind to juſtify the whole party, but more particularly the Roman Catholicks, and to purge them of any knowledge of this deſign or acceſſion to it. No body can imagine a deſign of this nature was to be talked of about the Town, or to be Communicated to more than thoſe who were to be in ſome manner concerned in it, but it cannot be doubted, but that the Party had it among them, that an overturning of the preſent conſtitution was very near, and very certain; of this ſo many Indications broke out, deliver'd with ſuch an air of aſſurance, and in ſo many different ways and methods, that tho' the party is known to be very Sanguine (I am ſorry that this word belongs to him in both ſenſes) yet there ſeem'd to be ſomewhat on this occaſion, that ſhew'd they depended upon that which was more infallible then an Invaſion, for that was to turn on two ſuch unſteady Elements, as the Winds and the Seas, that they muſt be very Sanguine indeed, if they could be ſo poſitive in a thing that was under ſo many uncertainties. The Aſſurances with which his deſign was Publiſhed in all parts beyond the Seas. The Triumphs that were made upon it, as ſo well laid that it could not fail. And the Medals prepared for the perpetuating the Memory of it, which without ſuch help is not like to be ſoon forgot will be upon an other occaſion, laid open with ſo much light as will ſilence all the Contradiction of the moſt impudent of the Party. One thing is evident, that if the Party had not at leaſt ſo much warning given them, as to be ready upon that diſmal Signal to run together, and to ſee to their own preſervation, at leaſt till the French had landed; it was certainly the moſt barbarous expoſing of them all to the Fury of the Mob that could have been imagined, for it is not to be doubted, but that if they had ſucceeded in that Black deſign of Aſſaſſinating the King, or as Mr. Charnock words it, of Attacking the Prince of Orange and his Guards, It would have inflamed the Spirit of the Nation to that degree, that the party if it had not been well prepar'd and fortifi'd would have been quickly Sacrific'd in that height of Fury to which ſo inhumane a Crime muſt have tranſported both City and Country. But how Black and Cruel ſoever theſe deſignes againſt the King, and all his faithful Subjects might have been. Yet we may ſuppoſe, they took more care of their own Friends and Party, and that there was warning enough given them, but in what manner that was done, muſt be referr'd to the ſucceeding Trials, in which there can be little difficulty, ſince the Truth of the deſign is now become evident beyond the poſſibility of Contradiction.

5. Mr. King Vindicates himſelf from King-Killing Principles, and Honeſtly puts this on his own Raſhneſs and Paſſions. Mr. Charnock it ſeems was not within the reach of this, for he thought the King was indeed no King, and ſo calls him only the Prince of Orange; but it is left to others to Judge what difference there is between thoſe who think that King William is not a King, and thoſe who think that he is King de Facto, yet he has no Right, no not ſo much as by Law to be King.