Eikåon vasilikåe tritåe, or, The picture of the late King James further drawn to the life in which is made manifest by several articles that the whole course of his life hath been a continued conspiracy against the Protestant religion, laws, and liberties of the three kingdoms : in a letter to himself : part the third / by Titus Oates ...

Article XXII.

YOUR Brother and you were very industrious in misapplying of the Taxes and Subsidies given by Parliament: When they gave Money for any one or more particular Uses, it is well known that for the most part they were not an∣swered, to the great hazard of the Kingdom: But here I must particularize.

1. The Parliament in lieu of several Advantages the Crown made, by which publick House-keeping was maintained in your Father's Reign, to the Glory of the English Nation, gave the Hereditary Excise, and took those Advantages a∣way by Act of Parliament, who thought of nothing less than that the Publick Tables should have been kept up: But you and your Brother having travelled a∣broad, and having not been much troubled with the smell of Victuals, when you were come home you began your Show with open House-keeping; but it was so offensive to your tender Stomachs that it was laid aside, judging your manner of living at Bruxels more sutable to the Constitutions of your Bodies: And up∣on laying down of House-keeping, you know what use the Hereditary Excise was put to, against the Intent and Meaning of the Act of Parliament that settled it.

2. The Customs were given by Parliament in a great measure for the Support of the Navy, which is the Bulwark of England: But how they were applied to that Use, let all the World judg; part of the Customs of England having been paid in Pensions, and a great part for secret Services. I am sure when the King had occasion either to repair or fit out a Fleet, or build Ships, a particular Tax was made for those Purposes.

3. Your Brother was forced to borrow a great Sum of Money of the City, nay several in the Year 1664, at which many stood in admiration how he should lie under such a necessity of Money. 'Tis true, there was a great Army to be paid off and disbanded, but for that the Convention had made a good Pro∣vision, had it not been misapplied; and he had the Excise settled on him, valued at 500000 l. per Annum, the Customs then valued at 600000 l. the Chimney-Money 150000 l. the Arrears of twelve Months Assessment commencing the 25th

of December 1659: The Post-Office, which was valued at 50000 l. per Annum; and the Arrears of the Excise and new Imposts: And in the second Session of the Long Parliament, he had given him 1270000 l. and a Benevolence, and 60000 l. to the poor Cavaleers, to gratify them in some measure for drinking the King's Health, and a farther Relief to the poor maimed Officers who had served your Father in the late Wars he wickedly raised against his People; and also four intire Subsidies by the Laity, and four by the Clergy; besides the forfeited Estates of those that put your Father to death, whether in England or Ireland. Now seeing after all this your Brother was in Debt so soon after his Restoration, can we conclude any otherwise than that you joined together to spend those Revenues, Taxes, &c. in other ways than the Parliament intended? Pray how much did you receive out of the Treasury for Secret Service, to main∣tain a whole Regiment of Trapans, from one end of the Kingdom to the other? If there was such a necessity of trapanning, why was not the Parliament moved for an Establishment to keep those Rogues (that drew poor Men into Plots, and then swore against them, nay for hearing the Treason they themselves spake) in constant pay? But when the Parliament had given Money for the Honour and Safety of the Government, you spent it upon these Men that disturbed its Peace, and rendred it vile and contemptible: And the Money given to fit out a Fleet, was expended chiefly in rigging up a Fleet of Land Fire-ships, a parcel of nasty Whores that were even the Scandal of their own Profession of Whoring, as also the much admired Pimps and Bawds.

4. You know the Parliament at Oxford in 1665, gave a mighty Tax of 2500000 l. by which we thought the War against the Dutch would have been carried on with great Vigour and Application, the Money being given for that End; and truly we did provide a Fleet, but then what Use 1250000 l. was put to, the Seamen not being paid, is worth the knowing. You may remember lit∣tle was done in the War in 1666, it being famous for Sir Robert Holms's admira∣ble Expedition to the Fly, where he burnt 150 Fisher-boats, and the never-to-be-forgotten Fire of London: But your Brother and you having occasion for the aforesaid Sum, you fitted out no Fleet in 1667, for your Mother had assured your Brother and you, that the French King had told her the Dutch would not be out that Year, and so we lay still: But the Dutch provided for War, and came to save us some Charges, and burnt our Ships in Chatham-Harbour. But, Sir, I observe, that tho your Brother was merry and feeding his Ducks, yet there was not a Penny of Money, and therefore the Parliament was called, and when the time of their Sitting came, they provided Money for the Dutch who wanted our Money; and we wanting Peace, were forced to take such a Peace as the French King would give us.

Now, Sir, do but observe, that had we applied the Money given to carry on the Dutch War to that use, our Ships had not (to our great Dishonour) been burnt in Port. But, I pray, what use was 1250000 l. put to? You know your Brother had contracted a great Debt with Cleveland that nasty Whore, and ano∣ther Debt to the Pimps, who, poor Rogues, had had no great matter of Pay in two Years; and the poor Men that fired London were not to be slighted, for the Labourer was worthy of his Hire. Your Priests complained, and their Mouths were

to be stop'd; and the Queen-Mother must have a Present for interposing with the French King for that base Peace: So that truly there was little or no Money left. Thus you may see what was the dismal Effect of this misapplying the Publick Money. Nay, Sir, you may remember that the Seamen came down in great Bodies to you for Pay; and some of them were in a most gracious manner apprehended, and hanged for only asking for their Own, which they had so dearly earned with the hazard of their Lives.

5. I must not omit telling you, that after the Peace with the Dutch was con∣cluded, tho but a base one, yet we that espoused their Cause at that time, were exceeding glad of the Peace: There was a Triple League concluded between the Swede, the Dutch, and our Selves, for which great Sums of Money were given, as well for a Compensation to the King's Grace in making it, as to help him to support it, in order to bridle the French King's Insolence: So that your Brother had two Millions and a half Sterling in one Year's time for this Triple League; but it is well known that upon the strength of this Stock a Peace was clapt up with the French King, the Triple League shamefully broken, the second wicked War made upon the Dutch, and the Exchequer shut up, and all this thrô the Misapplication of the Treasure of the Nation.

Sir, let me observe this to you, that your Brother by this Triple League had gained much of the Love of his People, and you your self shared in it too, tho you had no hand in that League, unless it were to break it, which the People did not see for some time. The Design of your Sister's coming being very dark, it past only for a bare Interview: But Coventry was a considerable Gainer, whilst another lost 2200 l. in the Treaty of Nimeguen; and Coventry had 10000 l. and above 100000 Pistols of the French King, for his special Service in that Af∣fair: All the Ministers sent to Foreign Courts to damn that good Work, were re∣warded, even Sir William Lockyard escaped not the French King's Favour for the Service he did in that Affair: But tho your Brother had not only reconciled his Parliament to him, by severely treating the Earl of Clarendon for all the good Service, and united them so to him by this League, that they were ready to give him all they had, yet the Tables were quite turned when they saw into his Proceedings, and hated him and you too as such Villanous Tools to satisfy (if possible) the French King's Pride and Ambition: Nay, some of your Favo∣rites were so offended at these ungodly Miscarriages, that they could not but de∣clare their Resentments of this villanous Misapplication of the Treasure of the Nation, that it cost them their Places in the Committee of Foreign Affairs.

6. Remember that your Band of Pensioners gave the King another small Spell of 1250000 l. for his extraordinary Occasions; one would have thought those Liberal Givers designed it for carrying on the War, but it was so ill a One, that those Scoundrels were ashamed of it, and would not say it was for that Use, tho they had a pretty deal of Cabbage out of it for their own extraordinary Occa∣sions. How was the rest spent? Was it applied to the fitting out your Fleet? No, there was a French Supply for that, and this was made use of for an Army that was to have paid themselves out of the Treasure, not of Amsterdam but of London; which being smoaked in time, the Army was in part ordered to be dis∣banded, and Money given for that Use; but you made bold to send them into

the French Service, and the Money was made use of to other Purposes of far greater Advantage to the Conspirators at Whitehall.

7. There was a Tax of 600000 l. given for building and furnishing of Ships with very great Ease; for your Pensioners were willing to confirm their Conti∣nuation, or else they had been undone; and since their Hand was in, they gave the additional Excise of Beer, Ale, and other Liquors, for three Years: Which Liberality of theirs was an absolute Orvietan against a Dissolution. I pray, Sir, what Ships were built that were of Service? I think you had better have called it an Act for the extraordinary Occasions of the villanous Builders, for they got part of the Money, and we but a few useless Ships: Nay, I think some of the Ship-money was applied to supply the extraordinary Occasions of Portsmouth, that nasty Whore, and the rest of the Pimps and Bawds at Whitehall: And upon the strength of the Additional Excise, you and your Conspirators most bravely ma∣tured your Counsels, in order to make the Nation die the second Death.

8. There was 1200000 l. given your Brother to enter into an actual War with France, yet with that you clapt up a more close Alliance with France, and with the Act you and your Conspirators begged a Million of Money; this is ano∣ther instance of your Misapplication of the Nation's Treasure. But this by the way observe, that this Peace which you and your Conspirators made with France was but a Treacherous one; and it manifested both your Brother and you to be such Persons with whom the Nation's Money was not to be trusted, since the trusting you with such immense Sums tended so much to the endangering the Kingdom.

9. Your Pensioners finding there was no War made against France in pursu∣ance of the said Act, and that the Army was a great Grievance to the Nation, gave six hundred and odd thousand Pounds to disband them; yet with that Mo∣ney you rather augmented your Forces, and kept up your Army to the great hazard of the Peace of the Kingdom. Nay, Sir, in a word, to order the Mo∣ney in a Bill so as to prevent its being embezeled, was argument enough to make it miscarry, for you chose rather to go without it than it should be appropriated to any particular use.

10. The Pensioner Parliament having been your Drudges for eighteen Years, and beginning to have their Eyes a little too much opened, it was high time to part with them: therefore having granted the aforesaid Sum of 600 and odd thousand Pounds to disband the Army, and the additional Duty upon Wines for three Years, and being that Sessions disposed to give no more Money, your Bro∣ther having sworn on the 29th of December (laying his Sacred Hands upon Ports∣mouths bare B—for the greater solemnity of the Business) that he would dis∣solve the Parliament, came to the House on Monday the 30th of December 1678, and prorogued them to the 4th of February; but on the 25th of January that Par∣liament was by Proclamation dissolved, and the same Day Writs issued out for the Meeting of a new one at Westminster the 6th of March following, which was just forty Days between the Test and Return.

This Parliament being sat down, and finding the Army was a great Grie∣vance to the Nation, and like to be of fatal Consequence if maintained, passed a Bill for the raising one hundred and ninety odd thousand Pounds to disband it:

and tho this was but a new Parliament, yet they understood your Brother's old Practices, and yours too, of putting the Monies to uses never intended by Par∣liament, and therefore resolved never to trust you any more in the Matter of Money; for as this was the least Tax, so it was the last that ever your Brother saw from any Parliament in his Reign.

11. Another demonstration of the Point in hand, was the immense Sums Chif∣finch and the Privy Purse issued out for those Uses the Parliament never intended, who design'd the Money they had so freely given to defray the publick Charge of the Nation: but since Chiffinch had the disposal of so much, why did not the Parliament give that Rascally Pimp, and the Whore his—who was Whore and Papist enough (as well as a Dutchess) to serve you, Sir, a swinging Sum for their extraordinary Occasions, for they were both Labourers in this Vineyard? And truly the work of the Night lying upon their Hands somewhat too hard, they took in a Rogue that was a Fellow-labourer with them till the Death of Charles II. And who had the gracious Opportunity of robbing his Clo∣set we cannot tell; but old Chiffinch, if alive, could: and, Sir, if you will have it examined who robb'd yours, I believe a little Matter might find you out the Man; I have seen the Rogue go to Chappel-Prayers, now Mass is out of Fashi∣on, as devoutly as any Pimp or Bawd about Whitehall ever did in yours or your Brother's Time.

But, Sir, you may see the just Judgment of Almighty God upon you; for as you joined with your Brother and a parcel of thorow-pac'd Rogues to embezle the Nation's Money to support a Crew of Pimps, Bawds, Whores, and Trai∣tors, Cutthroats, and Murderers; so your grand Pimp, and his villanous De∣puty, embezled 〈◊〉〈◊〉 your Brother and you intrusted him or them with, to o∣ther Uses and Purposes than ever you intended: for how Chiffinch could acquire such an Estate honestly, since his way of living was so profuse, I cannot tell, un∣less by these Courses; and whether that little scabby Rascal could attain to the Estate he has without fingering some of your Jewels, when you did us the Ho∣nour to leave us, I pray, Sir, let us join together to examine: if we carry our Cause, it may for ought I know, be a Travelling Penny in your Pocket when you leave St. Germaini.