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 LXXII. (Book 72)

Of King Charles II's. Resolution a little before his Death, to alter his me∣thod ef Government.

My Lord,

I Am very well satisfied your Lordship must know in a very great measure, the present Resolutions of the King, in respect to his Future Government, when you know so well by whose Agency he was at first Undeceiv'd, and by whose Coun∣cil and Assistance he intends to proceed; but the Ministers here have too many Agents still about him to remain long Ig∣norant of the Design, and are not a little Allarm'd to understand, his Majesty hath resolv'd to restore all Charters, to call a Parliament, and thereby to get a mo∣derate Liberty settled on Dissenters, and to have the Boundaries of Prerogative, Parliamentary Priviledges, and Popular Liberty so clearly settled and explain'd, that there may arise no more Disputes a∣bout them between King and People for the Future; and that it shall be made Trea∣son after that, even in Parliament, once to move any thing prejudicial to the

King's declar'd and explain'd Prerogatives, or to the Parliament and Peoples declar'd Priviledges and Liberties; and that all Of∣ficers Military and Civil, shall be equally Sworn to maintain the one as well as the other; that the Duke, for the present, shall be Sollicited to go for Scotland, at∣tended with such Persons as would take care to observe his Steps narrowly; and that in his Absence the Princess Mary be Declar'd Heir Presumptive to the Crown, and the Prince invited to Reside with her in England till the King's Death, and the Duke totally Excluded, and confin'd to live at Modena or Rome, and not in this Kingdom, or elsewhere; but to have all his Revenues allow'd him; and that if he prove Refractory, and refuse to Retire any where else, but into France, that then he shall not only be depriv'd of his Reve∣nue, but be altogether confin'd in some Castle in England under a good Guard, &c. I do not question, my Lord, but this matter is sufficiently aggravated by the French Emis∣saries, and perhaps there may be something more in it, than I am able to fathom; however it was my Duty to Transmit the same as I find in represented, tho your Lord∣ship may know much more truly the Fact, than,

My Lord,

Your humble Servant

Paris Jan. 4. 1685. N. S.