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 LVI. (Book 56)

St. Germain endeavouring to reclaim one Lusancy to the Church of Rome, whose Communion he had forsaken, used King Charles II's Turning Papist as an Argument; which the other disco∣vering, forced St. Germain to flee in∣to France, where he was punished for his Indiscretion for a Time.

My LORD,

IT was not without some Difficulty that I have been able to perform the Promi∣sory Clause of my last Letter, in reference to Father St. Germain's unseasonable Words concerning the King's Perversion to the Romish Church; who, among others, more particularly repeated the said Brags to a young Friar, then lately turned Protestant, in the Savoy, (as I learnt afterward;) and whom, for what peculiar Reasons I could never come to know, he laboured with more than ordinary Application to reclaim back again from his pretended Heresie, and at any rate to dispatch him back into France. That same young Friar went by the Name of Lusancy; but St. Germain said, his true Name was Beau-Chateau; and, it seems, had been St. Germain's Scholar formerly, when Regent in the College of Clermont,

in this City; and consequently, knowing more of St. Germain, than any other Man, perhaps, in England. It may be, the Fear of some Inconveniency to their Designs, by that Knowledge, and such Discourses as he might happen to have thereupon, was one Reason of the said Father's so great eagerness to remove him out of the way. In fine, How, de facto, and in truth, he managed the Business with him, I can∣not affirm; but certain it is, that Lusancy pretended, that upon his deferring, as the other thought, a little too much his full Compliance with his Desires, he offered him Violence; and, with several Accom∣plices, threatned to stab or pistol him if he would not sign such a Recantation as he presented, and go along with those he brought with him, in order to his imme∣diate Transportation: And that upon Com∣plaint thereof to the Parliament, then Sit∣ting, by a noble Lord, to whom Lusancy applied himself, and whom I need not name, I believe, to your Lordship, though perhaps you have never heard this Story before, in its full length, and by the Dis∣covery of some other of their Practices, the said Lusancy forced St. Germain to flee; and was the Cause of some Stir against Po∣pish Priests and Emissaries at that time; which were the Praeludium to what fol∣lowed afterwards, in the time of the late Conspiracy imputed to the said Party. And

no less certain it is on the other side, that St. Germain's Imprudence and ill Conduct, both in that and other things, was so de∣fenceless and inexcusable, that he was a long time in some Disgrace with the Duke and Dutchess, with Father la Chaise, and the whole Society of his Order; to whom he was forced, by a long and laborious Apology, to vindicate himself as well as he could; particularly, about the unhappy Af∣fair of Lusancy, and his rash and inconsi∣derate Speeches of the King and Duke of York, which he compiled with much Arti∣fice and Eloquence; and made me cloath it in the English Tongue, to the end he might satisfie his Friends of both Nations of his Innocence of those foul Aspersions cast upon him, as he would have it: Yet he could never so solidly refute what was so plainly objected against him, but that still there remained Causes sufficient to suspect, that the Assertions of such as ac∣cused him were not without some real Grounds. And indeed, though they were glad to have the same pass for a plausible Defence among Secular Persons, for their common Reputation, upon which that sub∣tile Society so much value and esteem them∣selves; yet within their own Cloisters they were so little satisfied with his specious Pleas, that they mulcted him, as they u∣sually do their own Members upon failure of Conduct, by sending him to and fro,

and employing him in low and contempti∣ble things, which only Juniors used to per∣form; and were a long time before they admitted him to any considerable Post a∣gain; though at last, after sufficient Morti∣fication, upon his uninterrupted and vehe∣ment Importunities, to be restored again once more to their good Opinion; and re∣peated Promises to be more assiduous in their Service, and careful of his Conduct for the future, and because he had been at first with Coleman, the chief Author of the Duke's being drawn into a close and separate Intrigue with the Court of France, by the Intervention of Father la Chaise, and knew best of any the Secrets and Mystery of it, he was again intrusted to manage the Continuation of that Correspondence, by the means of Coleman, his old Friend's receiving all Letters from him, and trans∣mitting all those of Father la Chaise and his Creatures in France, to Coleman and his Ma∣ster, and others with whom they had any Intrigue in England; among whom was one Lady Glascow, who received and dis∣persed most of the Letters which were not inclosed in Coleman's Pacquet, and which were commonly numerous enough, direct∣ed to her under six or seven several Names, changing every time, or every other time at least, the Name, and the Direction. Of which Correspondence I may, perhaps, be able to give your Lordship a fuller Account

another time; presuming this cannot but find Acceptance, though from so mean a Person as is,

My LORD,

Your Lordship's Most Devoted and Humble Servant.

Paris, Sept. 2. 1680. N. S.