Volume II Part 28 (2/2)
2d October, 1685 Having a letter sent me by Mr Pepys with this expression at the foot of it, ”I have so to show you that I may not have another tily went After dinner, he had me and Mr Houblon (a rich and considerable merchant, whose father had fled out of Flanders on the persecution of the Duke of Alva) into a private roo lately alone with his Majesty, and upon soton dying a Ro seemed to profess himself a Protestant, taken all the tests, etc, till the day (I think) of his death, his Majesty said that as to his inclinations he had known the his places, he did not think it convenient to declare hi, those who believe the Church of Ro to church, and ht have been had, he himself had most reason to make use of it INDEED, he said, as to SOME MATRIMONIAL CASES, THERE ARE NOW AND THEN DISPENSATIONS, but hardly in any cases else
This fa of his Majesty, if he ht ask it without offense, and for that his Majesty could not but observe hohispered a many whether his late Majesty had been reconciled to the Church of Roht his Majesty to pardon his presu which did not befit hienuously told him that he both was and died a Ro since declared that it was upon so the King his brother), but that he was of that persuasion: he bid hi a cabinet, he showed hi about a quarter of a sheet, on both sides written, in the late King's own hand, several arguing her with heresy, novelty, and the fanaticism of other Protestants, the chief whereof was, as I ree the primacy and infallibility of the Church of Roes should never dispute it, till of late; how unlikely our Savior would leave his Church without a visible Head and guide to resort to, during his absence; with the like usual topic; so well penned as to the discourse as did by noyet written all with his own hand, blotted and interlined, so as, if indeed it was not given hiuments and reasons as had been inculcated from time to ti his looking on the Protestant religion (and by naland) to be without foundation, and consequently false and unsafe When his Majesty had shown hiinals, he was pleased to lend him the copies of these two papers, attested at the bottom in four or five lines under his own hand
These were the papers I saw and read This nice and curious passage I thought fit to set down Though all the arguether weak, and have a thousand times been answered by our divines; they are such as their priests insinuate a were Catholic but the Church of Rome, no salvation out of that, no refor all their errors on St Peter's successors' unerring dictatorshi+p, but proving nothing with any reason, or taking notice of any objection which could be ranted, and upon it a resolution and preference ih it was no other than was to be suspected, by his late Majesty's too great indifference, neglect, and course of life, that he had been perverted, and for secular respects only professed to be of another belief, and thereby giving great advantage to our adversaries, both the Court and generally the youth and great persons of the nation becohly profane God was incensed to n very troublesoues, fires, loss of reputation by an universal neglect of the public for the love of a voluptuous and sensual life, which a vicious Court had brought into credit I think of it with sorrow and pity, when I consider how good and debonair a nature that unhappy Prince hat opportunities he had to havethat ever swayed the British scepter, had he been firm to that Church for which his rateful to Alhty God, who so ion; had he endeavored to own and propagate it as he should have done, not only for the good of his kingdom, but of all the Reformed Churches in christendoh our re them to be supplanted, persecuted, and destroyed, as in France, which we took no notice of The consequence of this, time will show, and I wish it may proceed no further The emissaries and instruments of the Church of Roland, as knowing that alone to be able to cope with them, and that they can never answer her fairly, but lie abundantly open to the irresistible force of her arguments, antiquity and purity of her doctrine, so that albeit it may move God, for the punishain the profession of her here, and darkness and superstition prevail, I aland will never be extinguished, but remain visible, if not eminent, to the consummation of the world I have innumerable reasons that confirm me in this opinion, which I forbear to mention here
In the meantime, as to the discourse of his Majesty with Mr Pepys, and those papers, as I do exceedingly prefer his Majesty's free and ingenuous profession of what his own religion is, beyond concealment upon any politic accounts, so I think him of a most sincere and honest nature, one on whose word one may rely, and that he makes a conscience of what he promises, to perforland may yet subsist, and when it shall please God to open his eyes and turn his heart (for that is peculiarly in the Lord's hands) to flourish also In all events, whatever does becoland, it is certainly, of all the Christian professions on the earth, the most primitive, apostolical, and excellent
8th October, 1685 I had my picture drawn this week by the famous Kneller
[Sidenote: LONDON]
14th October, 1685 I went to London about finishi+ngthe King's birthday, there was a solemn ball at Court, and before it music of instruments and voices I happened by accident to stand the very next to the Queen and the King, who talked withwas now building all that range froarden to the street, and s were to be in this new building, as also a new Council cha house I returned ho, to London
22d October, 1685 I accompanied my Lady Clarendon to her house at Sfield, in Berks, dining by the way at Mr Grahashot; the house, newly repaired and capacious enough for a good family, stands in a park
Hence, ent to Sfield; this house is after the ancient building of honorable gentleardens and waters as elegant as it is possible to make a flat by art and industry, and noso extraordinarily skilled in the flowery part, and ; so that I have hardly seen a seat which shows more tokens of it than what is to be found here, not only in the delicious and rarest fruits of a garden, but in those innureatest ornaolden, and other cider pippins; walks and groves of elarden is so beset with all manner of sweet shrubs, that it perfumes the air The distribution also of the quarters, walks, and parterres, is excellent
The nurseries, kitchen-garden full of the eries well furnished: but, above all, the canal and fish ponds, the one fed with a white, the other with a black running water, fed by a quick and swift river, so well and plentifully stored with fish, that for pike, carp, brea it We had at every meal carp and pike of a size fit for the table of a Prince, and what added to the delight was, to see the hundreds taken by the drag, out of which, the cook standing by, we pointed out e had most mind to, and had carp that would have been worth at London twenty shi+llings a piece The waters are flagged about with _Cala a closet, that retains the smell very perfectly There is also a certain s and other exotics: also a very fine bowling-green, meadow, pasture, and wood; in a word, all that can render a country seat delightful There is besides a well-furnished library in the house
[Sidenote: LONDON]
26th October, 1685 We returned to London, having been treated with all sorts of cheer and noble freedoious and virtuous lady She was now preparing to go for Ireland with her husband, made Lord Deputy, and went to this country house and ancient seat of her father and fa her absence; but never were good people and neighbors more concerned than all the country (the poor especially) for the departure of this charitable wo to part fro the man, who had sustained her parents (some time since dead) by her labor, and has for e, or to receive any assistance froives her rent-free; she lives on four pence a day, which she gets by spinning; says she abounds and can give alreat huularity; she is continually working, praying, or reading, gives a good account of her knowledge in religion, visits the sick; is not in the least given to talk; very ly behavior; of a coht In suious a life, as is seldoes now-a-days
27th October, 1685 I was invited to dine at Sir Stephen Fox's with my Lord Lieutenant, where was such a dinner for variety of all things as I had seldom seen, and it was so for the trial of a o with his Lordshi+p into Ireland; there were all the dainties not only of the season, but of what art could add, venison, plain solid meat, fowl, baked and boiledplenty, and exquisitely dressed There also dined hter), my Lady Treasurer, Lord Cornbury, and other visitors
28th October, 1685 At the Royal Society, an urn full of bones was presented, dug up in a highhile repairing it, in a field in Ca many others, believed to be truly Roman and ancient
Sir Richard Bulkeley described to us a model of a chariot he had invented, which it was not possible to overthrohatever uneven way it was drawn, giving us a wonderful relation of what it had performed in that kind, for ease, expedition, and safety; there were some inconveniences yet to be remedied--it would not contain more than one person; was ready to take fire every tenon no fewer than ten rollers, it ious noise, alht for these inconveniences
31st October, 1685 I dined at our great Lord Chancellor Jefferies', who used me with much respect This was the late Chief-Justice who had newly been the Western Circuit to try the Monmouth conspirators, and had for the obnoxious in West him first a Baron, and now Lord Chancellor He had some years past been conversant in Deptford; is of an assured and undaunted spirit, and has served the Court interest on all the hardiest occasions; is of nature cruel, and a slave of the Court
3d Nove with the utmost barbarity, exceeded even what the very heathens used: innu all their earthly substance, and hardly escaping with their lives, dispersed through all the countries of Europe The French tyrant abrogated the Edict of Nantes which had been made in favor of the all their churches, banishi+ng, ialleys all thethee by soldiers sent to ruin and prey on the people to the Mass, and then executing theoods, ate up their fields and substance, banished or sent the people to the galleys, and seized on their estates There had now been nuh Geneva only (and that by stealth, for all the usual passages were strictly guarded by sea and land) 40,000 toward Switzerland In Holland, Denmark, and all about Germany, were dispersed soh ht for shelter and welcome as distressed Christians and confessors, they found least encouragement, by a fatality of the times ere fallen into, and the uncharitable indifference of such as should have ee The famous Claude fled to Holland; Allix and several reat estates came over, who had forsaken all France was almost dispeopled, the bankers so broken, that the tyrant's revenue was exceedingly diminished, manufactures ceased, and everybody there, save the Jesuits, abhorred as done, nor did the Papists themselves approve it What the further intention is, ti soue which the Bishop of Valentia on Rhone , as if he was a God, for persecuting the poor Protestants, with this expression in it, ”That as his victory over heresy was greater than all the conquests of Alexander and Caesar, it was but ished in England; and that God seenani the saraph is very bold and re on Archbishop Usher's prophecy as now begun in France, and approaching the orthodox in all other refor was much taken notice of, that the ”Gazettes” which were still constantly printed twice a week, infor us as done all over Europe, never spoke of this wonderful proceeding in France; nor was any relation of it published by any, save what private letters and the persecuted fugitives brought
Whence this silence, I list not to conjecture; but it appeared very extraordinary in a Protestant country that we should know nothing of what Protestants suffered, while great collections were n places, more hospitable and Christian to appearance
[Sidenote: LONDON]
5th Nove, and o to church, tothe first Gunpowder Conspiracy anniversary that had been kept now these eighty years under a prince of the Roion Bonfires were forbidden on this day; what does this portend!
9th Nove in his speech required continuance of a standing force instead of a militia, and indemnity and dispensation to Popish officers fro to the Coranted; but returned no thanks to the King for his speech, till farther consideration
12th Nove the bill for the Supply, to consider the Test, and Popish officers; this was carried but by one voice
14th Nove e; there were my Lord Deputy of Ireland, the Bishops of Ely and St Asaph, Dr Sherlock, and other divines; Sir William Hayward, Sir Paul Rycaut, etc