FN 665 Van Cleverskirke, Feb 25/March 6 1696. I am confident that no sensible and impartial person, after attentively reading Berwick's narrative of these transactions and comparing it with the narrative in the Life of James (ii. 544.) which is taken, word for word, from the Original Memoirs, can doubt that James was accessory to the design of assassination.
FN 666 L'Hermitage, March Feb 25/March 6.
FN 667 My account of these events is taken chiefly from the trials and depositions. See also Burnet, ii. 165, 166, 167, and Blackmore's True and Impartial History, compiled under the direction of Shrewsbury and Somers, and Boyer's History of King William III., 1703.
FN 668 Portland to Lexington, March 3/13. 1696; Van Cleverskirke, Feb 25/Mar 6 L'Hermitage, same date.
FN 669 Commons' Journals, Feb. 24 1695.
FN 670 England's Enemies Exposed, 1701.
FN 671 Commons' Journals, Feb. 24. 1695/6.
FN 672 Ibid. Feb. 25. 1695/6; Van Cleverskirke, Feb 28/March 9;L'Hermitage, of the same date.
FN 673 According to L'Hermitage, Feb 27/Mar 8,there were two of these fortunate hackney coachmen. A shrewd and vigilant hackney coachman indeed was from the nature of his calling, very likely to be successful in this sort of chase. The newspapers abound with proofs of the general enthusiasm.
FN 674 Postman March 5. 1695/6.
FN 675 Ibid. Feb. 29., March 2., March 12., March 14. 1695/6.
FN 676 Postman, March 12. 1696; Vernon to Lexington, March 13;Van Cleverskirke, March 13/23 The proceedings are fully reported in the Collection of State Trials.
FN 677 Burnet, ii. 171.; The Present Disposition of England considered; The answer entitled England's Enemies Exposed, 1701;L'Hermitage, March 17/27. 1696. L'Hermitage says, "Charnock a fait des grandes instances pour avoir sa grace, et a offert de tout declarer: mais elle lui a este refusee."FN 678 L'Hermitage, March 17/27.
FN 679 This most curious paper is among the Nairne MSS. in the Bodleian Library. A short, and not perfectly ingenuous abstract of it will be found in the Life of James, ii. 555. Why Macpherson, who has printed many less interesting documents did not choose to print this document, it is easy to guess. I will transcribe two or three important sentences. "It may reasonably be presumed that what, in one juncture His Majesty had rejected he might in another accept, when his own and the public good necessarily required it. For I could not understand it in such a manner as if he had given a general prohibition that at no time the Prince of Orange should be touched. . . Nobody that believes His Majesty to be lawful King of England can doubt but that in virtue of his commission to levy war against the Prince of Orange and his adherents, the setting upon his person is justifiable, as well by the laws of the land duly interpreted and explained as by the law of God."FN 680 The trials of Friend and Parkyns will be found, excellently reported, among the State Trials.
FN 681 L'Hermitage, April 3/13 1696.
FN 682 Commons' Journals, April 1, 2. 1696; L'Hermitage, April 3/13. 1696; Van Cleverskirke, of the same date.
FN 683 L'Hermitage, April 7/17. 1696. The Declaration of the Bishops, Collier's Defence, and Further Defence, and a long legal argument for Cook and Snatt will be found in the Collection of State Trials.
FN 684 See the Manhunter, 1690.
FN 685 State Trials.
FN 686 The best, indeed the only good, account of these debates is given by L'Hermitage, Feb 28/March 9 1696. He says, very truly; "La difference n'est qu'une dispute de mots, le droit qu'on a a une chose selon les loix estant aussy bon qu'il puisse estre."FN 687 See the London Gazettes during several weeks; L'Hermitage, March 24/April 3 April 14/24. 1696; Postman, April 9 25 30FN 688 Journals of the Commons and Lords; L'Hermitage, April 7/1710/20 1696.
FN 689 See the Freeholder's Plea against Stockjobbing Elections of Parliament Men, and the Considerations upon Corrupt Elections of Members to serve in Parliament. Both these pamphlets were published in 1701.
FN 690 The history of this bill will be found in the Journals of the Commons, and in a very interesting despatch of L'Hermitage, April 14/24 1696.
FN 691 The Act is 7 & 8 Will. 3. c. 31. Its history maybe traced in the Journals.
FN 692 London Gazette, May 4. 1696.
FN 693 Ibid. March 12. 16. 1696; Monthly Mercury for March, 1696.
FN 694 The Act provided that the clipped money must be brought in before the fourth of May. As the third was a Sunday, the second was practically the last day.
FN 695 L'Hermitage, May 5/15 1696; London Newsletter, May 4., May 6. In the Newsletter the fourth of May is mentioned as "the day so much taken notice of for the universal concern people had in it."FN 696 London Newsletter, May 21. 1696; Old Postmaster, June 25.;L'Hermitage, May 19/29.
FN 697 Haynes's Brief Memoirs, Lansdowne MSS. 801.
FN 698 See the petition from Birmingham in the Commons' Journals, Nov. 12. 1696; and the petition from Leicester, Nov. 21FN 699 "Money exceeding scarce, so that none was paid or received; but all was on trust."--Evelyn, May 13. And again, on June 11.: "Want of current money to carry on the smallest concerns, even for daily provisions in the markets."FN 700 L'Hermitage, May 22/June 1; See a Letter of Dryden to Tonson, which Malone, with great probability, supposes to have been written at this time.
FN 701 L'Hermitage to the States General May 8/18.; Paris Gazette, June 2/12.; Trial and Condemnation of the Land Bank at Exeter Change for murdering the Bank of England at Grocers' Hall, 1696. The Will and the Epitaph will be found in the Trial.
FN 702 L'Hermitage, June 12/22. 1696.
FN 703 On this subject see the Short History of the Last Parliament, 1699; Narcissus Luttrell's Diary; the newspapers of 1696 passim, and the letters of L'Hermitage passim. See also the petition of the Clothiers of Gloucester in the Commons' Journal, Nov. 27. 1696. Oldmixon, who had been himself a sufferer, writes on this subject with even more than his usual acrimony.
