TO comply with what you deſire, I will explain ſome things which we talked of before I left England. I have been in a ſtation of great Noiſe, without power or Advantage whilſt I was in it, and to my Ruine now I am out of it. I know I cannot juſtifie my ſelf by ſaying, though it is true, that I thought to have prevented much miſchief; for when I found that I could not, I ought to have quitted the ſervice: Neither is it an excuſe that have got none of thoſe things which uſually engage Men in publick Affairs: My Quality is the ſame it ever was, and my Eſtate much worſe, even ruin'd, though I was born to a very conſiderable one, which I am aſhamed to have ſpoiled, though not ſo much as if I had encreaſed it by indirect means. But to go on to what you expect; The pretence to a Diſpenſing Power being not only the firſt thing, which was much diſliked ſince the Death of the late King, but the foundation of all the reſt, I ought to begin with that, which I had ſo little to do with, that I never heard it ſpoken of till the time of Monmouths Rebellion, that the King told ſome of the Council, of which I was one, that he was reſolved to give Employments to Roman Catholicks, it being fit that all perſons ſhould ſerve who could be uſeful, and on whom he might depend. I think every body adviſed him againſt it, but with little effect, as was ſoon ſeen: that Party was ſo pleaſed with what the King had done, that they perſwaded him to mention it in his Speech at the next meeting of the Parliament, which he did, after many Debates whether it was proper or not, in all which I oppoſed it as is known to very conſiderable Perſons, ſome of which were of another opinion; for I thought it would engage the King too far, and it did give ſuch offence to the Parliament, that it was thought neceſſary to prorogue it. After which the King fell immediately to the ſupporting the Diſpenſing power, the moſt chimerical thing that was ever thought of, and muſt be ſo till the Government here is as abſolute as in Turkey, all power being included in that one. This is the ſenſe I ever had of it, and when I heard Lawyers defend it, I never changed my opinion or language; however it went on, moſt of the Judges being for it, and was the chief buſineſs of the State, till it was looked on as ſettled. Then the Eccleſiaſtical Court was ſet up, in which there being ſo many conſiderable Men of ſeveral-kinds, I could have but a ſmal part; and that after Lawyers had told the King it was legal, and nothing like the high Commiſſion Court, I can moſt truly ſay, and it is well known that for a good while I defended Magdalen College purely by care and induſtry, and have hundreds of times begg'd of the King never to grant Mandates, or to change any thing in the regular courſe of Eccleſiaſtical Affairs, which he often thought reaſonable, and then by perpetual importunities was prevailed upon againſt his own ſenſe, which was the very Caſe of Magdalen College, as of ſome others.

Theſe things which I endeavoured, though without Succeſs, drew upon me the anger and ill-will of many about the King. The next thing to be Try'd, was to take off the Penal Laws, and the Teſts, ſo many having promiſed their concurrence towards it, that his Majeſty thought it fecible; but he ſoon found it was not to be done by that Parliament, which made all the Catholicks deſire it might be diſſolv'd, which I was ſo much againſt, that they complained of me to the King, as a Man who ruined all his Deſigns, by oppoſing the only thing could carry him on; Liberty of Conſcience being the Foundation on which he was to build. That it was firſt offered at by the Lord Clifford, who by it had done the work, even in the Late King's Time, if it had not been for his weakneſs, and the weakneſs of his Miniſters; Yet I hindred the Diſſolution ſeveral weeks, by telling the King that the Parliament in Being would do every thing he could deſire, but the taking off the Penal Laws and the Teſts, or the allowing his Diſpenſing Power; and that any other Parliament, though ſuch a one could be had as was propoſed, would probably never Repeal thoſe Laws; and if they did, they would certainly never do any thing for the ſupport of the Government, whatever exigency it might be in. At that time the King of Spain was ſick, upon which I ſaid often to the King, that if ye ſhould dye, it would be impoſſible for his Majeſty to preſerve the Peace of Chriſtendom; that a War muſt be expected, and ſuch a one as would chiefly concern England; that if the Preſent Parliament continued, he might be ſure of all the help and Service he could wiſh; but in caſe he diſſolv'd it, he muſt give over all thoughts of Foreign Affairs, for no other would ever aſſiſt him, but on ſuch terms as would ruine the Monarchy; ſo that from abroad, or at home, he would be deſtroy'd, if the Parliament were Broken, and any Accident ſhould happen, of which there were many, to make the aid of his People neceſſary to him. This and much more I ſaid to him ſeveral times privately, and in the hearing of others; but being over powr'd, the Parliament was broke, the Cloſeting went on, and a new one was to be choſen, who was to get by Cloſeting, I need not ſay; but it was certainly not I, nor any of my Friends; many of them ſuffered, who I would fain have ſaved; and yet I muſt confeſſe with grief, that when the King was reſolved, and there was no remedy, I did not quit, as I ought to have done, but ſerved on in order to the calling another Parliament. In the midſt of all the preparations for it, and whilſt the Corporations were Regulating, the King thought fit to order his Declarations to be Read in all Churches, of which I moſt ſolemnly proteſt, I never heard one Word, till the King directed it in Council, that drew on the Petition of my Lord the Arch-Biſhop of Canterbury, and the other Lords the Biſhops, and their Proſecution, which I was ſo openly againſt, that by arguing continually to ſhew the Injuſtice and the Imprudence of it, I brought the fury of the Roman Catholicks upon me to ſuch a Degree, and ſo unanimouſly that I was juſt ſinking; and I wiſh that I had then ſunk, but whatever I did fooliſhly to preſerve my ſelf, I continued ſtill to be the Object of their hatred, and I reſolv'd to ſerve the Publick, as well as I could, which I am ſure moſt of the conſiderable Proteſtants then at Court can teſtifie; and ſo can one very Eminent Man of the Country, whom I would have perſwaded to come into buſineſs, which might have done, to have helped me to reſiſt the violence of thoſe in power; but he deſpaired of being able to do any good, & therefore would not engage. Some time after came the firſt news of the Prince's deſigns, which were not then looked on as they have proved, no body foreſeeing the Miracles he has done by his wonderful Prudence, Conduct, and Courage; for the greateſt thing which has been undertaken theſe thouſand years, or perhaps ever, could not be affected without Vertues hardly to be imagined till ſeen nearer hand. Upon the firſt thought of his coming I laid hold of the opportunity to preſs the King to do ſeveral things which I would have had done ſooner; the chief of which were, to reſtore Magdalen College, and all other Eccleſiaſtical Preferments, which had been diverted from what they were intended for, to take off my Lord Biſhop of London's Suſpenſion, to put the Counties into the hands they were in ſome time before, to annul the Eccleſiaſtical Court, and to reſtore entirely all the Corporations of England: Theſe things were done effectually, by the help of ſome about the King; and it was then thought I had deſtroyed my ſelf, by enraging again the whole Roman Catholick Party, to ſuch a height as had not been ſeen; they diſperſed Libels of me every day, told the King that I betrayed him, that I ruined him, perſwading him to make ſuch ſhameful Condeſcentions; but moſt of all by hindring the ſecuring the chief of the diſſaffected Nobility and Gentry, which was propoſed as a certain way to break all the Prince's Meaſures; and by adviſing his Majeſty to call a free Praliament, and to depend upon that, rather than upon Foreign aſſiſtance. It is true, I did give him thoſe Councils which were called weak to the laſt moment he ſuffered me in his Service; then I was accuſed of holding Correſpondence with the Prince, and it was every where ſaid amongſt them, that no better could be expected from a man ſo related as I was to the Bedford & Liceſter families, & ſo allied to Duke Hamilton, and the Marqueſs of Halifax. After this Accuſations of high Treaſon were brought againſt me, which with ſome other Reaſons relating to Affairs abroad, drew the King's Diſpleaſure upon me, ſo as to turn me out of all without any Conſideration, and yet I thought I eſcaped well, expecting nothing leſs than the loſs of my Head, as my Lord Middleton can tell, and I believe none about the Court thought otherwiſe; nor had it been otherwiſe, if my Diſgrace had been deferred a day longer; all things being prepared for it, I was put out the 27th of October, the Roman Catholicks having been two months working the King up to it without Intermiſſion, beſides the ſeveral Attacks they had made upon me before, and the unuſual Aſſiſtance, they obtained to do what they thought ſo neceſſary for the carrying on their Affairs, of which they never had greater hope than at that time, as may be remembred by any who were then in London. But you deſired I would ſay ſomething to you of Ireland, which I will do in very few words, but exactly true.

My Lord Tyrconnel has been ſo abſolute there, that I never had the Credit to make an Enſign, or keep one in, nor to preſerve ſome of my Friends, for whom I was much concerned from the laſt Oppreſſion and injuſtice, though I endeavoured it to the utmoſt of my Power; but yet with Care and Diligence, being upon the place, and he abſent, I diverted the calling a Parliament there, which was deſigned to alter the Acts of Settlement. Chief Juſtice Nugent, and Baron Rice, were ſent over with a draught of an Act for that purpoſe, furniſhed with all the preſſing Arguments could be thought on to perſwade the King, and I was offered forty thouſand pounds for my Concurrence, which I told to the King, and ſhewed him at the ſame time the injuſtice of what was propoſed to him, and the prejudice it would be to that country, with ſo good ſucceſs, that he reſolved not to think of it that year, and perhaps never: This I was helped in by ſome Friends, particularly my Lord Godolphin, who knows it to be true, and ſo do the Judges before named, and ſeveral others.

I cannot omit ſaying ſomething of FRANCE, there having been ſo much talk of a League between the two Kings. I do proteſt I never knew of any; and if there were ſuch thing, it was carried on by other ſort of men laſt Summer. Indeed French Ships were offered to joyn with our Fleet, and they were refuſed; ſince the noiſe of the Prince's Deſign more ſhips were offered, and it was agreed how they ſhould be commanded if ever deſired. I oppoſed to death the accepting of them, as well as any aſſiſtence of men, and can ſay moſt truly, that I was the principal means of hindering both, by the help of ſome Lords, with whom I conſulted every day, and they with me; to prevent what we thought would be of great prejudice, if not ruinous to the Nation. If the Report is true, of Men, Ships, and Money, intended lately for England out of France, it was agreed upon ſince I was out of buſineſs, or without my knowledge; If it had been otherwiſe, I believe no body thinks my Diſgrace would have happened: My greateſt Miſfortune has been to be thought the Promoter of thoſe things I oppoſed and detaſted, whilſt ſome I could name have been the Inventors & Contrivers of what they have had the art to ſay upon others; and I was often fooliſhly Willing to bear what my Maſter would have done, though I uſed all poſſible Endeavours againſt it. I lie under many other Miſfortunes and Afflictions extream heavy, but I hope they have brought me to reflect on the occaſion of them, the looſe, negligent, unthinking Life I have hitherto led, having been perpetually hurried away from all good Thoughts by Pleaſures, Idleneſs, the Vanity of the Court, or by buſineſs: I hope, I ſay, that I ſhall overcome all the Diſorders my former Life had brought upon me, and that I ſhall ſpend the remaining part of it in begging of almighty God, that he will pleaſe either to put an end to my Sufferings, or to give me ſtrength to bear them; one of which he will certainly grant to ſuch as relie on him, which I hope I do, with the ſubmiſſion that becomes a good Chriſtian. I would enlarge on this Subject, but that I fear you might think ſomething elſe to be the reaſon of it, beſides a true ſenſe of my faults, and that obliges me to reſtrain my ſelf at preſent, I believe you will repent in having engaged me to give you this Account, but I cannot the doing what you deſire of me.