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 LXVI. (Book 66)

Of the Earl of Shaftsbury's being Ca∣lumniated by the French Agents to King Charles II. in order to put him out from being President of the Council, and from all Publick Administration.

My LORD,

THE joy conceived by the Ministers of this Court, at the displacing of my Lord of Shaftsbury from his great Of∣fice of President of the King's Council, and consequently from all Administration of Publick Affairs, is as open and unexpres∣sible as the Instruments and Causes of such a change are secret; but so far as I have had any intelligence of this grand Affair, which I predict to be no good Omen to our poor Country, I am free, and I hold my self in duty bound to communicate to your Lordship; who perhaps will not much wonder at such a change, when I tell you that the Emissaries of this Court, but more especially the women kind, whom I need not Name, have incessantly as they have been taught their Lessons,

been buzzing the King in the Ears with such Calumnies and Accusation, as here follow according as they are inserted here.

They were to lay hold on all opportu∣nities, to render the said Noble Lord ob∣noxious to the King, but yet to be very tender in their first attack, and therefore frequently to say; That truly his President was a person of incomparable Parts and Abilities in matters of State, and that to do him Justice, he had done his Prince as im∣portant service as any of his Subjects; That though he had in former times fallen in with the republican interest, which was then predominant in the Nation; yet he had since shewed so much Zeal for the Monarchy, as might justly obliterate all former miscarriages; provided still he proved constant in his Devoir, and gave no suspition of his being inclinable to re-as∣sume the principles, which he seemed once so entirely to have forsaken; and when they had again and again made way by such insinuations as these for more despe∣rate Attacks; They urged his Majesty might call to mind the time and occasion when, as well as of whom the Earl had once said, that when a man is wanting to himself, he deserves that others should be so to him also; and he might consider how false and

dangerous a Maxime that was, when it re∣ferr'd to a Prince or ones Country, to whom one is never allowed to be want∣ing; That the Earl had been as good as his word, was already sufficiently manifest, when he had discovered in Parliament the secret motives that had engaged the King to grant Liberty of Conscience before the late War, as well as his Alliance with France, and insinuated the designs his Ma∣jesty had to retrench the liberty of Parlia∣ments, which was indeed no more then to reduce that Assembly within the bounds of their Duty; that his conduct ever since in promoting the Test, &c. gave no small Umbrage that he meant more then a bare exclusion of his Royal Highness from publick Offices; That they could not be positive that a change of Government was design∣ed thereby, and a new essay for the mon∣strous Metamorphosis of the Monarchy in∣to a Republick once more; but that surely, it looked that way; For if the thing were considered aright, the King, 'twas true, was an Established Prince, and now long in possession, and in whose person there could be no plausible pretence to induce the people to abandon that form of Go∣vernment; and for the Regal power it self, the time was yet too short since a Compa∣ny of Tyrants had plunged the State into Troubles, for to propose an entire aboli∣tion

of King's a second time, seeing those very persons who went under the notion of Republicans, did not so much yet aim for the most part at the change of the form of the Monarchical Government, as at the diminution of the Authority; and hence it might be reasonably inferred, that the Earl well foreseeing he could not pro∣ceed directly to that which he aimed at, began cunningly to take a round which he judged would conduct him with more safety to the same end: And that seeing no possibility of dispossessing the King, he had formed a design to disinherit the person that ought to succeed him, being assu∣red that the best expedient to destroy the regal Dignity, was to disturb the order of Succession; And that his Majesty must needs foresee the dangers arising from the Coun∣sells of so pernicious a Man, whose autho∣rity in Court, Parliament and City was equally formidable as his Pollicy.

I will not take upon me to determine what great services his Majesty has lost by the discarding of this great Statesman, he may want it in time, and be better perswa∣ded then ever of the Character himself has given once of him upon his resolution of a difficult Case, viz. That he had a Chan∣cellor who knew more Law than all his Judges, and more Divinity than all his

Bishops; if these particulars be not new to your Lordship, I desire to know it, that I may be more cautious for the future in my Intelligence, wherein I always aim at pleasing your Lordship,

Who am Your humble Servant.

Paris, Aug. 29th, 1681.