A brief history of the times, &c. ...

CHAP. VII.

By what means This Imposture came to be Promoted, and the Manner of doing it.

WE have now brought down This Phantome of a Plot,* 1.1 from Forty to Seventy Two; From Seventy Two, to Seventy Eight; From Habernfeld to Sr William Boswell, and so to Arch-Bishop Laud, to King Charles the First; To Prynnes Romes Master∣piece; To Tongs True Narrative; From Valladolid, St Omers, the White Horse in the Strand; The Con∣sult at the Savoy, 'till we have at last Lodg'd it at Fox-Hall, where it lies ready for Projection. Tong says that He and his Pupil went thither for Priva∣cy. Otes Swears that it was for Sanctuary; and that they went Both, in fear of their Lives from the Pro∣vincial, and the Iesuits. They had been Tossing, Turning, and Contriving, a Long time before they could bring their Matters together; And now it begins to Work for Good and All.

Dr Tong's Diary of Sep. 2. 1678. says that [Mr Jones,* 1.2 and Mr Otes came to Dr Tonge to St Mary Ove∣ries after Sermon time, and so All Three went by Water to Fox-Hall; but Otes in a Boat by Himself, and following at a Distance for fear of dis∣covery, which was the first time that Otes was made known to Mr Kirkby. Vpon This Occasion, Otes was furnish'd with Mony, a Suit and a Gown, with Other Necessaries.] Tong having made the Way smooth be∣fore-hand. The Council-Minutes agree likewise, that Munday the Second of September, was the First Day that ever Mr Kirkby saw Otes.

There is likewise in the Hand-Writing of Dr Tonge, a Paper Entitled [Mr Christopher Kirkbys En∣formation;] which is very nigh word for word the same with a Printed Paper of 1679. Entitled, [A Compleat, and True Narrative of the Manner of the Discovery of the Popish Plot to his Majesty, by Mr Christoper Kirkby. The Abstract of it is This.

That August 12. 1678. About Noon,* 1.3 Tong shew'd Mr. Kirkby a Narrative of the Popish Confederacy in Forty Three Articles. Tong En∣joyn'd Mr Kirkby Privacy; and to tell no body of it but the King, which he Promis'd to do. He could not speak with his Majesty That Day, but the Day following, he put a Paper into the Kings Hand in the Outward Gal∣lery going into the Park. His Majesty Ask'd him some Questions, and so Appointed him to Attend 'till he came back; when Kirkby told the King, that Pickering and Grove were to shoot him, and Sir George Wakeman to Poyson him; and that he had a friend at hand with Papers to make out the Particulars. Kirkby was then Commanded to bring his Friend in the Evening, to At∣tend his Majesty; And in the Red Room a Copy of the

Narrative was Deliver'd to his Majesty in the Doctors Hand, but with All Caution of Privacy Imaginable. His Majesty told them that he would put the ••apers into a sure Hand, and Order'd them to Attend the Earl of Danby, which they did the Next Day; finding his Lordship with the Papers in his Hand, who desired Mr Kirkby to Withdraw while he spake to the Dr. Some Two or Three Days after, the Dr brought More Enformations, which Mr Kirkby seal'd up, and Convey'd to the said Earl. About the 20th of August the Dr Propos'd the seizing of Pickering, and Grove; and on the 23th, Pickering and Keines were to be shew'd, that they might know them again; and Grove should have gone to Windsor, but he fell Sick. On the 26th The Dr. Propos'd the Inter∣cepting of Letters: and on the 31th. Enquiry was made in the Post-Office about such Letters.

Sep. 2. Otes came first to Fox-Hall, and Presently there came out Further Discoveries. Sep. 4. Otes told Kirkby that the Provincial had Beaten him for Telling Tales; Whereupon, Tong got Otes to Swear his Narrative before Sir Edmund-bury Godfrey, Sep. 6. Tong Deposing upon Oath, that it had been made known to the King. Sep. 5. Mr Kirkby went to Windsor, but the King took no Notice of him. On the 7th and 8th, he could not speak with the Earl of Danby Neither. Sep. 9. The King took no Notice of Kirkby again; All of them thinking it hard, that the Discovery was so much Neglected. Sep. 27. Tong was Order'd to Attend the Councill; but coming Late was Order'd to Attend the Next Morning. In the Mean time they Resolv'd to get Copies Sworn; and on the 28th early they got Two Copies of the First Depositions also Sworn; that they might Each of them have an Authentique Copy. Mr Kirkby and Tong went after This, to Whitehall, while Otes went to Fox-Hall. The Coun••ell, in fine, Order'd Tong to bring Otes

thither, whereupon they Attended, and had Both their Lodgings Immediately Assign'd them in Whitehall. Thus far Mr Kirkbys Narrative; To which I shall only add a Word or Two out of a Paper of Dr Tongs.

Friday, Sep. 27. The Councel met about the Plot, and sent for Dr Tong; but rose before he Spake with them. Sir Robert Southwell Order'd Dr Tong to appear before his Majesty and the Councel Next Mor∣ning. Mr Otes Swore Two Copies before Sir E. B. Godfrey.

Saturday 28. Dr Tong appear'd, and referred himself to the Papers he had Given,* 1.4 or Transmitted to his Ma∣jesty. Being desired to give the like Brief Account to them, as he had done to his Majesty, he referred himself also therein to a Paper-Account, which he had formerly Transmitted to his Majesty, which was Read. The Dr was also afterwards desired to put the Papers before the Bord into Method; To which he Answered, that they were a Journal, and Or∣dered, as he Received them, not only by Dates, but by Marginal Numbers.]

After Tong and Otes's taking Sanctuary in Whitehall, these Sparks could not fail of being Wellcom'd into the Next House of Commons; for the very Countenance of giving them Credit thus far, was as Good as a Testimonial for a Countenance of Re∣putation in Another Place; And after the Authority of believing it so far in Iest, it is not to be Won∣der'd that it should Gain much a Greater Reputa∣tion among the Common People in Earnest. There was a Nest-Egg of Old Standing, and that Every body gave over almost for Ad••le, 'till in the End it came to Disclose, and by Degrees, to Feather, and Take Wing. There's One Note in This Place not to be Omitted, which is; that in several

Raggs of Scribled Papers of Dr Tongs that pre∣tend to Matter of Fact; there are Divers Passages Manifestly Defac'd, and Alter'd; So that of One Thing they are made quite Another, which could never be by Applying the Truth to the Fac••, but by Accommodating the Story to the Imposture.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Deduction of the Plot.
• * 1.2

  Tong's Diary of their going to Whitehall.
• * 1.3

  An Abstract of Mr Kirkbys Nar∣rative.
• * 1.4

  Tong with his Narrative before the Councell.