The secret history of White-Hall, from the restoration of Charles II down to the abdication of the late K. James writ at the request of a noble lord, and conveyed to him in letters, by ̲̲̲late secretary-interpreter to the Marquess of Louvois, who by that means had the perusal of all the private minutes between England and France for many years : the whole consisting of secret memoirs, which have hitherto lain conceal'd, as not being discoverable by any other hand / publish'd from the original papers, by D. Jones, gent.

LETTER XXXII. (Book 32)

Of K. James's Closetting several Persons; and the Arguments he was advis'd to use to them to consent to the Abrogating of the Penal Laws and Test.

My Lord,

YOur Lordship, for ought I know, may know much better than I can inform you, what Arguments the King has us'd to such as have been lately Closetted by him; and if Fame be not a—, you are one of that number; for a List of them is not yet come into our—; but I can transmit into your Hands what has been concerted here in the nature of Instructi∣ons to the French Emissaries at White-Hall here∣upon; they were to represent to the King, and he to the closetted Gentlemen, That there were four Kings who had endeavour'd to bring the King∣dom of England into an Uniformity in Religion, that so the People might live in Amity one with another; and notwithstanding all the Expedi∣ents, tho' seemingly very likely to take effect and succeed according to wish, which wise Poli∣ticians had suggested from time to time; yet they had hitherto proved abortive, and their Endea∣vours had been in vain: That therefore the only way left for to settle Tranquillity in a State, so as to be no more to be disturb'd about Religion, was to grant every one the freedom fully to en∣joy

his own: That such an Iudulgence of all Religions in Holland was as much a cause of the flourishing of that State in Wealth and Great∣ness, and more than any other that could be assign'd; and to say that such a Liberty, tho' it might be compatible enough with a Republick, was not yet with Monarchical Governments, was a gross Mistake; and Experience shewd it to be quite otherwise both in the Turkish Em∣pire, Kingdom of Persia, and elsewhere, where the Greek and Armenian Christians have been tolerated in their Religion for many Ages, and yet have been so far from being mutinous, or Disturbers of the respective States they have liv'd under, that they are great Supporters of them, especially the Armenians, who are almost the only Merchants they have in that mighty and extensive Kingdom of Persia: That the Perse∣cutions which our Nonconformists in England have from time to time been under, had been the cause of the flight of many good Subjects beyond the Seas, of whom our neighbouring Nations drew great and solid Advantages; and that those who have staid at home have, by rea∣son of the Pressures they have labour'd under, provd uneasie, and turn'd Malecontents; and if they have not had Virtue and Constancy enough patiently to suffer under their Misfor∣tunes, they were alwaies ready to favour Re∣volts and enter into Factions, whereof they had seen fatal effects in the late Reigns, from which no King could be able to secure his Person and his Subjects, but that uneasie and turbulent Spi∣rits would be alwaies ready, under Pretence of Religion, which they abused, to disturb and molest them. Which Reasons the King was to back closely with large Promises of Favour, and

if he found any obstinate, to mix his Reasons and Promises with some Intimations of his Dis∣pleasure; and, upon an absolute Refusal, to proceed to divest some of their Places under him. and to alledge for a Reason of his so do∣ing, That it was not reasonable that they who refused their Services should enjoy his Favours; and that if hereupon any should be so audacious as to tell him, That this Practice of his was irregular and contrary to the Freedom which the Laws of the Land allow'd to them, especial∣ly as Members of Parliament, whose Suffrages ought to be spontaneous and free, they were to be put in mind, that they had forgot the Vio∣lences used by King Henry VIII, upon the like occasions, and the methods so many other Kings had put in practise, to engage their Parliaments to subscribe to their Wills: that they might consider that two of the most famous Parlia∣ments that ever were in the Kingdom of England had authoriz'd this Conduct, in the Reign of Edward III, and King Richard II, when some of the Pope of Rome's Bulls were contested, as being looked upon too much to entrench on the King's Prerogative; that the Parliament pray∣ed King Edward, and obliged Richard, almost against his Will, to give their Consent, by par∣ticular Conferences with the Members, to pro∣mise to use the utmost of their Power to main∣tain the King's Prerogative, and the Rights of the Crown, against that See, &c. But if that after all, the King should find, that neither Ar∣guments, Promises, Threats, nor Examples would do, he was advis'd to proceed in his Brother's Steps by ••uo Warranto, and so to concert measures with those that presided over Elections for the regulating of Corporations

whereon they depended, tho' this was by far the more tedious way, but yet there was one way to hasten it: for whereas new Charters, in his Brother's time granted in lieu of the old ones, were many of them retarded, because the Court-Officers insisted upon too much Mony; the King now might give positive Directions to such persons to dispatch them without such Considerations, with a Promise to gratifie them another way; and if he found that would not do, then he was to cashier such Officers, and put others in their room who would engage to do the business to effect. I am afraid, my Lord, I have wearied you with an impertinent Letter; and therefore if an abrupt conclusion will any way mend the matter, I remain,

My Lord,

Your Lordship's most humble Servant.

Paris. Nov. 19. 1687. N. S.