The Monsieur: OR, A LETTER from a French Catholick at London to his Friend at Paris, concerning the present State of the English Nation.

I Know you expect to hear how I find the State of Affairs in this Country, which I will assure you are in no point so benign and promising as we were made to be∣lieve, and as I hoped to find them before I came over, by which I see that flatter∣ing our condition, and rendring things better than they are, is the common-disease of all Nations, and that therefore there is no such effectual cure of false reports as being on the spot.

You know, Sir, we were both told of three Parties in this Kingdom, but I can find but two, the Protestants and the Catholicks, the latter hath many of the Gentry for its favou∣rers, but the greatest part of the Nobility, the body of the Gentry, and the generality of the people are all on the other side. Which had we known in time, I should never have advised the English Catholicks to this Attack, which whatever may be told you, if it be not very tenderly and dexterously managed to bring them off, I doubt it will prove their utter ruin; for to attempt the restoring a Religion against the universal temper of a Nation, where Principle in many, and Interest in (almost) all have possessed the people with an inveterate and invincible prejudice against it, though it may well enough become the foolish zeal of a few devout Priests and Bigots, yet that other persons of wisdom and fortune should be drawn in to engage themselves in such an unaccountable piece of indiscretion, is to me one of the greatest wonders in nature. For if I am not abused in my information, I do believe, to make Spain Protestant is as easie an undertaking as to make England Catholick; and then how near this attempt is to an impossibility, I leave you and all men to judg.

And now to think of engaging Authority on our side, is I doubt a notion as wild and idle as the undertaking it self; for it is but to request Authority that it would please to play the fool for our sakes; and how we have deserved such a kindness from it, I fear will be too hard a difficulty to demonstrate.

Besides, natural defects that carry an impossibility in them, cannot be cured by Authority it self, no more than Authority can cure a man that is born blind or lame, and make him to see or go; so that if we could bubble Authority to our side (which I totally despair of ever doing) yet would not that effect our business; it is true it might hurt it self, but cannot at all help us, because there is such a natural defect in our present undertaking that no cure can reach or help it. For the English compute their men at Twelve hundred thousand at the least, and of these the Catholicks and their Interest make scarce Fifty thousand; now what a brow must that man have that would go about to perswade Authority that it is its true in∣terest to stick by the four and twentieth part of its people against no less than the whole three and twenty parts thereof? would not Authority think you judg such a man fitter for Bedlam than to be conversed with? especially an Authority that hath so oft and publickly professed it self Protestant, as the Authority of England hath done.

Again, what arguments can we lay before Authority (admit it would hear us) to attain our end? For there are but two ways to effect it, either legally or forcibly; if by Law, then it must be done by Parliament, (which is the greatest thing we dread) for there can be no Laws made but by Parliament, nor no Parliaments but by the Peoples choice, and the Votes of the Protestants being above twenty to one to ours, there is an utter impossibility that ever we can have a Parliament for our turn, and so cannot bring about our point by Law; and if by force we should attempt it, the impossibility is as great every way, because the odds still bears the same proportion, and we may as rationally hope that one man can beat three and twenty, as that the English Catholicks can subdue the Protestants by force.

Now if you please to add to all this, that the Authority of the Nation is already engaged, and by their many publick Manifesto's have declared, That there hath been, and still is, a hor∣rid Hellish Popish Plot carrying on, against the Life of the King, and the Protestant Religion; and can we ever think that the Government will cast that reflection on their own reputation as to suffer themselves to be wheedled to unsay this, and say the contrary, and all this for so inconsiderable a minor part of the Nation, against so vast a majority thereof? I confess for one, I must totally lay aside the understanding of a man before I can ever incline to this opinion. Page  [unnumbered]I know, Sir, you expected a fairer face of things from hence than I have sent you; but if I am valuable for any thing in the world, it is for fidelity, and the faithful discharge of what I am intrusted with. I believe you have more pleasing accounts given you by some, that ou• Interest here is on the increasing hand, and that both the Gentry and Clergy of the Church of England in Court and Country do come off apace to us, with a many grateful things of that nature; but if you will please to credit me, somewhat nigh this account I have sent you, is the very truth. I do not deny but that some of the Clergy and Gentry may have come over to us, but must also tell you, that they are such a some as are none but such as meer Indi∣gents, or so debaucht that they are a very scandal to any profession they are of; and that Churches reputation must needs run exceeding low that glories in such Converts; and to compensate this accession too, I do assure you that the Dissenters and sober Church of Eng∣land men have a far greater kindness for each other than formerly, and for ought I can learn, are very hearty in their union against us, as the common enemy to both; and to tell you one sad truth for all, both the riches and industry, the landed-men, and the trading part of the Nation are against us as one man; and consider, if the number, riches and trade of the Kingdom are against us, what small Cards must be left for us to shew for our game?

'Tis true for sometime we did make good earnings in perswading the Church of England men that the Dissenters would pull them down again, and at the same time perswading the Fanaticks that the Church of England would extirpate them. But that day is done; for now both the one and the other see that all those sentiments were nothing else but our arts and shams upon them; and therefore as the lo•sest of the Church of England men are friendly to us, so the more solid have now such a friendship for Dissenters as themselves are in pain when they are prosecuted, and looking upon them us part of their Interest, esteem all such as ill friends to the Protestant Religion as busie themselves against them; for since they see li∣berty is given to French Dissenters, the English think that Charity ought to begin at home, and therefore may very well be allowed to their own Dissenters also. We hang now only by our Sheet-anchor, That these kind of people will serve his Majesty as they did his Father, but how long such a fright will prevail upon a Prince of his understanding, especially there being no better bottom to hold such a surmizes keep, me in a continual apprehension; for I am sure when ever this Anchor comes home, there is nothing but a wreck to be expected for us.

Three Parliaments successively you have seen already stand ready to swallow us up, and had assuredly done it had not this notion preserved us. So that when ever this slips, we are gone to all intents and purposes. For the people are still the same, and in reason will chuse much the same Parliaments; for look what the people are, such are always their Parliaments, which is the truest measure you can take of the People of England; for were the People Ca∣tholick, you would have Catholick Parliaments; but to expect a Popish Parliament from a Protestant People, is as unnatural an expectation as to look for the Sun at midnight; and therefore we had no other way to preserve us from these Parliaments, but this single sham, That they were as much enemies to His Majesty as to His Brother; whereas in truth they were no enemies to His Majesty nor His Brother neither, but to the Catholick Profession, and to the Duke as he was the Head thereof in this Kingdom, and thereby had as much unfitted himself for the Government of Protestants, as our Harry the Fourth of France had, being a Protestant for the Government of Catholicks. And to say all, we did but oppose those Politicks in these Protestant Parliaments which we our se•ves have practised in all Catholick Countries; and as long as we can continue this Cheat to perswade the World that the Pro∣testants are enemies to Monarchy and his Majesty, we shall keep off the deadly blow; but when that art ceaseth, as God knows how soon it may, we may bid good night to all other designs for ever. For I do not see that our new device of fetching off Witnesses doth effect what some fancied it would, our game being gone too far, and grown too unweildy to be retreived by such little tricks at these, and the reason is plain: for there is not a man that we fetch off, but that hath some intimate friend or other, with whom he doth advise, before he cometh over, and to whom he doth impart the offers and terms of his coming to us, or else he huffs it out that he will not be starved and neglected, as he swears he is by the other party. For turning tales and sides, is so shameful an Act especially to men of any mettle or in∣genuity, that they reckon themselves Debtors to their own Reputation, to say something in the excuse thereof, which sayings, when they are brought into open Courts of Justice a∣gainst them, doth so blast and stain their Testimony, that not one of a hundred that hears it, will give the least credit; and therefore though many of our Friends talk high what great Gainers we were by the Tryal of the man at Oxford, yet I must crave liberty to dissent from their opinion, and assure you, That we were very great Losers by his Blood.

Sir, Whatever may be told you, This is the true State of matters here; and therefore if the Government cannot be perswaded to accept of the Blood already shed, for payment, and cross the Book by an Act of Oblivion; I shall quit my Post here, as foreseeing that all things will revert with a vengeance on us; and that it doth not lye within the compass of hu∣mane Prudence to prevent it. I am