⚫ been as filent to thy letter, as I ufe to be to the idle and malicious fhams of the times: but as the laws ' of friendship are facred, with those that value that relation, so I confefs this to be a principal one with me, not to deny a friend the fatisfaction he defires, ' when it may be done without offence to a good con⚫ science.

The business chiefly infifted upon, is my POPERY, ⚫ and endeavours to promote it. I do fay then, and ‹ that with all fincerity, that I am not only no Jefuit, but no PAPIST. And, which is more, I never had any temptation upon me to be it, either from doubts. in my own mind about the way I profefs, or from 'the discourses or writings of any of that religion. And, in the prefence of Almighty God, I do declare, that the king did never once, directly or indirectly, attack me, or tempt me, upon that sub'ject, the many years that I have had the advantage of a free accefs to him; fo unjuft, as well as fordidly falfe, are all thofe ftories of the town.

The only reason, that I can apprehend, they have to repute me a Roman Catholick, is, my frequent going to WHITEHALL, a place no more forbid to 'me than to the reft of the world, who, it seems, find 'much fairer quarter. I have almoft continually had one business or other there for our friends, whom I ever served with a steady folicitation, through all C times, fince I was of their communion. I had alfo a great many perfonal good offices to do, upon a principle of charity, for people of all perfuafions, thinking it a duty to improve the little intereft I had for the good of thofe that needed it, especially the 'poor. I might add fomething of my own affairs too; though I must own (if I may without vanity) that they have ever had the leaft fhare of my thoughts. or pains, or else they would not have still depended as they yet do.

• But because some people are fo unjust, as to render inftances for my Popery, (or rather hypocrify, ' for so it would be in me) it is fit I contradict them

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as particularly as they accufe me. I fay then folemnly, that I am fo far from having been bred at ST. OMER'S, and having received orders at ROME, that I never was at either place, nor do I know any body there; nor had I ever a correfpondency with any body in thofe places; which is another ftory in• vented against me. And as for my officiating in the king's chapel, or any other, it is fo ridiculous, as well as untrue, that befides that nobody can do it but a priest, and that I have been married to a wo· man of fome condition above fixteen years, which no prieft can be, by any difpenfation whatever; I have not fo much as looked into any chapel of the Roman religion, and confequently not the king's, though a common curiofity warrants it daily to people of all perfuafions.

And once for all, I do fay, that I am a Proteftant • Diffenter, and to that degree fuch, that I challenge the most celebrated Proteftant of the English church, or any other, on that head, be he layman or clergyman, in publick or in private. For I would have fuch people know, it is not impoffible for a true • Proteftant Diffenter to be dutiful, thankful, and ferviceable to the KING, though he be of the Roman • Catholick Communion. We hold not our property or • protection from him by our perfuafion; and therefore his perfuafion fhould not be the measure of our allegiance. I am forry to fee fo many that feem fond of the reformed religion, by their difaffection to him • recommend it fo ill. Whatever practices of Roman • Catholicks we might reasonably object againft, (and no doubt but fuch there are) yet he has difclaimed • and reprehended thofe ill things by his declared opinion against PERSECUTION, by the ease in which he actually indulges all Diffenters; and by the confirmation he offers in parliament, for the fecurity of the Proteftant religion and liberty of conscience. And in his honour, as well as in my own defence, I am obliged in confcience to fay, that he has ever. ⚫ declared to me, it was his opinion; and on' all occa• fions,

fions, when duke, he never refused me the repeated proofs of it, as often as I had any poor fufferers for confcience-fake to folicit his help for.

• But some may be apt to fay, "Why not any body "elfe as well as I? Why must I have the preferable "accefs to other Diffenters, if not a PAPIST?" I answer, I know not that it is fo. But this I know, that I have made it my province and bufinefs; I have followed and preffed it; I took it for my calling and station, and have kept it above these fixteen years; and, which is more, (if I may fay it without vanity or reproach) wholly at my own CHARGES too. To this let me add the relation my father had to this king's fervice, his particular favour in getting me ' released out of the Tower of London in 1669, my 'father's humble request to him, upon his death-bed, to protect me from the inconveniences and troubles my perfuafion might expofe me to, and his friendly promise to do it, and exact performance of it, from the moment I addreffed myself to him: I fay, when all this is confidered, any body, that has the least pretence to good-nature, gratitude, or generofity, 'muft needs know how to interpret my access to the king. Perhaps fome will be ready to fay, "This is "not all, nor is this yet a fault, but that I have been "an adviser in other matters disgustful to the king

dom, and which tend to the overthrow of the Pro"teftant religion, and the liberties of the people." A likely thing indeed, that a Proteftant Diffenter, who from fifteen years old has been (at times) a fuf‹ ferer in his father's family, in the univerfity, and by 'the government, for being fo, fhould defign the • deftruction of the Proteftant religion. This is just as probable as it is true, that I died a Jefuit fix years · ago in America. Will men ftill fuffer fuch stuff to 'pafs upon them? Is any thing more foolish, as well < as falfe, than that because I am often at WHitehall, therefore I must be the AUTHOR of all that is done there, that does not please abroad? But fuppofing fome fuch things to have been done, pray tell me,

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if I am bound to oppofe any thing that I am not called to do? I never was a member of council, cabinet, or committee, where the affairs of the king• dom are tranfacted. I have had no office, or trust, • and confequently, nothing can be faid to be done by me; nor, for that reafon, could I lie under any teft or obligation to discover my opinion of publick acts of state; and therefore neither can any fuch acts, nor my filence about them, in juftice be made my crime. Volunteers are blanks and cyphers in all governments. And unlefs calling at Whitehall once a day, upon many occafions, or my not being turned out of nothing (for that no office is) be the evidence of my complying in difagreeable things, I • know not what elfe can, with any truth, be alledged against me. However, one thing I know, that I < have every where most religiously obferved, and < endeavoured in converfation with perfons of all ranks and opinions, to allay heats, and moderate extremities, even in the politicks. It is below me to be more particular; but I am fure it has been my < endeavour, that if we could not all meet upon a religious bottom, at least we might upon a civil one, the good of England; which is the common interest of king and people: that he might be great by justice, and we free by obedience; diftinguishing rightly on the one hand, between duty and slavery; and on the other, between liberty and licentiouf• nefs.

But, alas, I am not without my apprehenfions of the cause of this behaviour towards me, and in this I perceive we agree; I mean my constant zeal for an impartial liberty of confcience. But if that be it, the caufe is too good to be in pain about. I ever • understood that to be the natural right of all men; and that he that had a religion without it, his religion was none of his own. For what is not the religion of a man's choice, is the religion of him that impofes it: fo that liberty of confcience is the first ftep to have a religion. This is no new opinion

' with me. I have writ many apologies within the last twenty years to defend it, and that impartially. Yet I have as conftantly declared, that bounds ought 'to be fet to this freedom, and that morality was the BEST; and that as often as that was violated, under a pretence of confcience, it was fit the civil power 'fhould take place. Nor did I ever once think of promoting any fort of liberty of confcience for any body, which did not preferve the cOMMON PROTESTANCY of the kingdom, and the ANCIENT RIGHTS of the government. For, to fay truth, the one cannot be 'maintained without the other.

Upon the whole matter, I muft fay, I love ENGLAND; I ever did fo; and that I am not in her debt. 'I never valued time, money, or kindred, to serve her and do her good. No party could ever biafs me 'to her prejudice, nor any perfonal intereft oblige me in her wrong. For I always abhorred discounting private favours at the publick cost.

Would I have made my market of the fears and jealoufies of the people, when this king came to the crown, I had put twenty thousand pounds into my 'pocket, and an hundred thousand into my province; for mighty numbers of people were then upon the wing: but I waved it all; hoped for better times; expected the effects of the king's word for liberty ' of confcience, and happiness by it; and till I faw my friends, with the kingdom, delivered from the legal bondage which penal laws for religion had fubjected them to, I could with no fatisfaction think of leaving England; though much to my prejudice beyond fea, and at my great expence here; having, in all this time, never had either office or penfion, and always refusing the rewards or gratuities of those I have been able to oblige.

If therefore an univerfal charity, if the afferting an impartial liberty of confcience, if doing to others as one would be done by, and an open avowing and fteady practising of these things, in all times, to all 'parties, will justly lay a man under the reflection of VOL. I.

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