Bedford, a nobleman of numberlefs good qualities, and led into this confpiracy from a conviction of the duke of York's intentions to restore popery. He was liberal, popular, humane, and brave, All his virtues were fo many crimes in the present fufpicious d fpofition of the court. The chief evidence against him was lord Howard, a man of very bad character, one of the confpirators, who was now contented to take life upon fuch terms, and to accept of infamous fafety. This witnefs fwore that Ruffel was engaged in the defign of an infurrection; but he acquitted him, as did alfo Rumfey and West, of being privy to the affaffination. The jury, who were zealous royalifts, after a fhort deliberation, brought the prifoner in guilty, and he was condemned to fuffer beheading. The fcaffold for his execution was erected in Lincoln's-in-fields; he laid his head on the block without the least change of countenance, and at two ftrokes it was fevered from his body.

The celebrated Algernon Sidney, fon to the earl of Leicester, was next brought to his trial. He had been formerly engaged in the parliamentary army against the late king, and was even named on the high court of justice that tried him, but had not taken his feat among the judges. He had ever oppofed Cromwell's ufurpation, and went into voluntary banishment upon the restoration. His affairs, however, requiring his return, he applied to the king for a pardon, and obtained his request. But all his hopes and all his reasonings were formed upon republican principles. For his adored republic he had written and fought, and went into banifhment, and ventured to return. It may eafily be conceived how obnoxious a man of fuch principles was to a court that now was not even content with limitations to

its power. They went fo far as to take illegal methods to procure his condemnation. The only-witnefs that depofed again ft Sidney was lord Howard,

and

and the law required two. In order, therefore, to make out a fecond witnefs, they had recourfe to a very extraordinary expedient. In ranfacking his clofet fome difcourfes on government were found in his own hand-writing, containing principles favourable to liberty, and in themfelves no way fubverfive of a limited government. By overftraining fome of these they were conftrued into treafon. It was in vain he alledged that papers were no evidence; that it could not be proved they were written by him; that, if proved, the papers themselves contained nothing criminal. His defence was over-ruled; the violent and inhuman Jefferies, who was now chiefjuftice, eafily prevailed on a partial jury to bring him in guilty, and his execution followed foon after. One can scarce contemplate the tranfactions of this reign without horror. Such a picture of factious guilt on each fide, a court at once immerfed in fenfuality and blood, a people armed againft each other with the moft deadly animofity, and no fingle party to ba found with fenfe enough to ftem the general torrent of rancour and factious fufpicion.

Hambden was tried foon after; and as there was nothing to affect his life, he was fined forty thoufand pounds. Holloway, a merchant of Briftol, who had fled to the Weft-Indies, was brought over, condemned, and executed. Sir Thomas Armstrong also, who had fled to Holland, was brought over, and shared the fame fate. Lord Effex, who had been imprisoned in the Tower, was found in an apartment with his throat cut; but whether he was guilty of fuicide, or whether the bigotry of the times might not have induced fome affaffin to commit the crime, cannot now be known.

This was the last blood that was fhed for an imputation of plots or confpiracies, which continued during the greatest part of this reign.

AL

At this period the government of Charles was as abfolute as that of any monarch in Europe; but happily for mankind his tyranny was of but short duration. The king was feized with a fudden fit which refembled an apoplexy; and though he was recovered by bleeding, yet he languifhed only for a few days, and then expired, in the fifty-ninth year of his age, and the twenty-fifth of his reign. During his illness fome clergymen of the church of England attended him, to whom he difcovered a total indifference. Catholic priests were brought to his bed-fide, and from their hands he received the rites of their communion.

CHAP XXXI.

JAMES II.

A. D. T

HE duke of York, who fucceeded his brother by the title of king James 1685. the Second, had been bred a papift by his mother, and was ftrongly bigotted to his

principles.

He went openly to mafs with all the enfigns of his dignity; and even fent one Caryl as his agent to Rome to make fubmiffions to the pope, and to pave the way for the re-admiffion of England into the bofom of the catholic church.

A confpiracy, fet on foot by the duke of Monmouth, was the firft difturbance in his reign. He had, fince his laft confpiracy, been pardoned, but was ordered to depart the kingdom, and had retired to Holland. Being difmiffed from thence by the prince of Orange upon James's acceffion, he went to Bruffels, where finding himself ftill purfued by the king's feverity, he refolved to retaliate, and make an at

tempt

A. D.

tempt upon the kingdom. He had ever been the darling of the people, and fome averred that Charles had married his mother, and owned Monmouth's legitimacy at his death. The duke of Argyle feconded his views in Scotland, and they formed the fcheme of a double infurrection; fo that while Monmouth should attempt to make a rifing in the West, Argyle was alfo to try his endeavours in the North. Argyle was the firft who landed in Scotland, where he published his manifeftoes, put himself at the head of two thousand five hundred men, and ftrove to influence the people in his caufe. But a formidable body of the king's forces coming against him, his army fell away, and he himself, after being wounded in attempting to escape, was taken prifoner by a peafant, who found him standing up to his neck in a pool of water. He was from thence carried to Edinburgh, where, after enduring many indignities with a gallant fpirit, he was publicly executed.

1685.

Mean while Monmouth was by this time landed in Dorfetthire, with fcarce an hundred followers. However his name was fo popular, and fo great was the hatred of the people both for the perfon and religion of James, that in four days he had affembled a body of above two thousand men.

Being advanced to Taunton, his numbers had encreased to fix thousand men ; and he was obliged every day, for want of arms, to difmifs numbers, who crowded to his ftandard. He entered Bridgewater, Wells, and Frome, and was proclaimed in all those places; but he loft the hour of action, in receiving and claiming thefe empty honours.

The king was not a little alarmed at his invafion; but still more at the fuccefs of an undertaking that at first appeared defperate. Six regiments of British troops we recalled over from Holland, and a body of regulars, to the number of three thoufand men,

were

were fent, under the command of the earl of Feverfham and Churchill, to check the progrefs of the rebels. They took poft at Sedgemore, a village in the neighbourhood of Bridgewater, and were joined by the militia of the country in confiderable numbers. It was there that Monmouth refolved, by a defperate effort, to lose his life or gain the kingdom. The negligent difpofition made by Feverfham invited him to the attack; and his faithful followers fhewed what courage and principle could do againft difcipline and fuperior numbers. They drove the royal infantry from their ground, and were upon the point of gaining the victory, when the mifconduct of Monmouth, and the cowardice of lord Gray, who commanded the horse, brought all to ruin. nobleman fled at the firft onfet; and the rebels being charged in flank by the victorious army, gave way, after a three hours conteft. About three hundred were killed in the engagement, and a thousand in the purfuit; and thus ended an enterprize, rafhly begun, and more feebly conducted.

This

Monmouth fled from the field of battle above twenty miles, till his horfe funk under him. He then alighted, and exchanging cloaths with a fhepherd, fled on foot, attended by a German count, who had accompanied him from Holland. Being quite exhaufted with hunger and fatigue, they both lay down in a field, and covered themselves with fern. The shepherd being found in Monmouth's cloaths by the purfuers encreased the diligence of the fearch; and, by the means of blood hounds, he was detected in his miferable fituation, with raw pease in his pocket, which he had gathered in the fields to fuftain life. He burst into tears when seized by his enemies; and petitioned, with the moft abject fubmiffion, for life. He wrote the most fubmiffive letters to the king, and that monarch, willing to fcaft his eyes with the miseries of a fallen enemy,

gave