The History of the Plot.

IN Sept. 1678. Otes and Tong, Together, made a Composition of a Damnable, Hellish Story, that they call'd the Popish Plot. And, such as it was, it was Sworn before Sir E. B. G. and Pre∣sented, with Wond'rous Formalities of Zeal, and Caution, to his Late Majesty Himself. There were Iesuits Letters, forsooth, to be Seiz'd at the Post-House, to Patch up the Credit of a Broken Bus'ness. I have, at This Instant, the Originals by me; Five in All, and at Least, Three of the Five, most Vndeniably the Hand-Writing of Otes, and Tonge, Themselves. Briefly; the Shot was Manifes•ly Pointed at his Royal Highness, and thorough Him at the King, his Brother; and thorough his Late Majesty, at Monarchy it self, as will be made Clea∣rer then the Day, in the Sequel of this Discourse. The Faction, that was Resolv'd to make the Most on't, and to Emprove the Imposture; wrought such Havock, for a Month, or Six Weeks upon't, with Frightfull Stories, Continual Alarums; Fresh and Fresh Discoveries, and Enformations, that a great many Wise, Good, and Sober Men were Startled at it; and the Common People, as Mellow as Tin∣der, to take Fire at the least Spark.

At the Opening of the Following Parliament, of October 21. 1678. His Majesty had This Pas∣sage in his Speech. [I now intend to Acquaint you, (as I shall allways do with any thing that Concerns me) that I have been Enformed of a Design against Page  33 my Person by the Jesuits; of which, I shall forbear any Opinion, lest I should say too Much, or too Lit∣tle; but I will leave the Matter to the Law.] The Commons fell presently to work, upon the Plot-Papers; the Further and Further Enformations, of Titus Otes; (That Inexhaustible Fountain of In∣vention, and Slander.) Sir Edmundbury-Godfreys Matters; Priest-Hunting, and Impeaching. And Then came-on the Humour of Seizing Caudle-Cups, for Altar-Plate; Medals, and Guineys, for Popish-Trinkets; the Burning of our Blessed Savi∣our, in Effigie; Playing the Merry-Andrews, and Buffoons, in Priests-Habits; Making Sport with Holy Orders, and Holy Things; 'till in the Con∣clusion, for fear of Popery, they ran-a-Muck (as they call it) at Christianity it self, and bore down Every thing that stood in their Way, betwixt This and Hell. There was no Place left for Moderati∣on, Sobriety, or Councel; Truth, Iustice, Huma∣nity, Honour, and Good Nature, were All Popishly-Affected, and never such a Competition, betwixt Divine Providence, on the One hand, and the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, on the Other; for the Preserving, or the Destroying of a Na∣tion.

The History of the Interval, betwixt Otes'es Damnable Discovery, and (if the Conceit be not too Trivial) the Discovery of Damnable Otes, has been the Entertainment of all Peoples Tongues, and Thoughts, and the Amazement of Christendome, no less then the Horrour of All Good Men: To see the Foundations of Three Kingdoms, Shaken with the Page  34 Breath of Four or Five Prostitute, Mean, and Stig∣matiz'd Varlets: An Imperial Monarchy, well-nigh Sunk into a Common-Wealth, upon the Credit of Notorious Impostors, and Common Cheats: An Apo∣stolical Church, in danger to be Over-turn'd, in the Name of God, and for the sake of Religion, by the same Instruments: Iayls, and Dungeons, fill'd with Men of Honour, Faith, and Integrity, upon the Testimony of Pillory'd Pick-Pockets, and of the Sink of Mankind: The Heir Apparent to the Crown, in a fair way too, to be Disinherited, at the In∣stance of Felons, and Renegades: Perjury, and Subornation, Triumphant; and Nothing so Sacred, either in Heaven, or upon Earth, as to be Secure from the Outrages of the Rabble. The Faction in short, had got a-Head, and there was No Resisting the Torrent. Now the Fact was Agreed upon at All Hands; but as to the Rise, the Occasion, and the Danger of these Distempers; People were Di∣vided; Some would have it to be a Popish Plot upon the Kings Person, and Government, and the Protestant Religion: Others would have it to be a Republican Plot against All Three, under Another Name, but with the self Same Design; That is to say, of Killing the King; Changing the Govern∣ment; Dissolving the Church; and, rather then fail, their Ends to be Compass'd by Fires, and Mas∣sacres; as was Expresly Own'd by divers of the Common-Wealth-Conspirators that were brought to Iustice, Some in 1666. and Others in 1683. Cer∣tain it is, that the Cover of the Four Evangelists never had Fouler Lips laid to't, (the Merits of the Page  35 Cause apart) then Those of the Kings Witnesses, upon This Occasion: And it fell out too, huge Vnluckily for Their Purpose, that the People that were to be Massacred, should break out into so ma∣ny Rebellions, for fear of having their Throats Cut; while the People that they swore were to Cut their Throats, were either Coop'd-up in Prisons, or Gibbe∣ted up and down the Kingdom, like so many Vermin in a Cony-Warren, without making anyOne Attempt, either upon the Person of his Majesty, or upon the Peace of his Dominions; Nay, and (to give them their Due) without so much as Muttering against the Government, under All This Rigour. The Cause is now coming to an Issue; and the Articles of the Charge (Mutatis Mutandis) the very Same on Both sides; as Perjury, Subornation, Packing of Witnesses, and Iuries; Only for Pickering, reade Rumbold; for Papist, reade True-Protestant; And so in like manner, where the Same Reason holds in Other Cases.

The Theme that I am now upon, is so Copious; It has so many Incidents that Necessarily fall into the Story; the Matter is of so Great a Consequence to be Clear'd, and there is so Great a Variety of Previous, and Leading Circumstances, in the Na∣ture of Praecognita, that require a Place in the Preamble to This Narrative; that the Prologue to my Bus'ness has been a great deal longer then I intended: But I shall now Hasten to an Impartial Account upon the Two Plots in Question.

Page  36AS to the Proof, or Testimony of a Popish Plot,* we have the Cre∣dit of Witnesses Innumerable, (such as they are) both English and Irish: But the Foundation of the Whole Fabrick, is Otes'es Consult at the White-Horse in the Strand; And All the Rest has been, but a Superfoetation upon that Original. It has been Sworn to be a Plot; Iudg'd to be a Plot; I know not how many Priests, Iesuits, and Others have Dy'd for't as a Plot: But, in fine, Such a Plot it was, as no bo∣dy ever yet saw Any thing Of it, or any thing Like it, but with Otes'es Eyes; which, in the Bus'ness of Don Iohn, Mr. Coleman, and Several Other Instances, have been found not be Infallible. So that upon the Main, Otes'es Plot is the Ground-Work of the Whole; And if That Fails, All Fails: which may nevertheless Be, and No Affront to the Believers of it: For an Oath may be Good in Law, and yet Carry a Man to the Devil upon the Point of Conscience.