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guish betwixt the King and his Perfon; but thinks thofe that dare be fo bold derive their Logick, with the Jefuits, from Hell. His Heart thinks no dif loyal Thought, much lefs dares he fpeak a Word to leffen the Reverence due to Majefty; not for Fear of Punishment, but the Sin. In a word, he is one that dares, in his Prince's juft Quarrel, to meet Death with Chearfulness, as David met Goliah, or as Daniel went into the Lions Den; he can ferve his God, his King, and Country, without Fear of Enemies; and with Chearfulness can fing his Nunc Dimittis, as Simeon did with Chrift in his Arms. And this alone is your True Proteftant.

OATES's PETITION: To the King's most Excellent Majefty, and to the Lords and others of his Majesty's most Honourable Privy-Council.

T

The bumble Petition and Complaint of Titus Oates fheweth,

HAT your Petitioner, according to his Duty and Allegiance which he owes, and is always bound to pay to your Majefty and the Government establish'd by Law, did in the Month of September, in the Year 1678, difcover a most horrid and hellish Popish Plot against your Majefty and the Proteftant Religion and Government, to the Amazement of your Majesty and the Privy-Council, as appears by the several Proclamations iffued out by your Majefty's Order, with the Advice of your moft Honourable Privy-Council; which your Petitioner is, and will be ready to produce, when thereunto commanded by your Majesty.

That your Majefty was fo highly fenfible of the great Danger your Perfon was in, and your Government, by reafon of that Confpiracy, that you were graciously pleased to proclaim feveral folemn Fafts and Days of Humiliation, and did will and require your loving Subjects to join in hearty Prayers and Supplications with your Majefty unto Almighty God for the Bleffings of the Difcovery, and for the farther Discovery thereof; and in feveral of your Majesty's moft gracious Speeches to your Houfes of Parliament, hath been pleased to exprefs, How unfafe your Majefty was till the faid Plot was fearched to the Bottom.

That feveral Roman Catholick Priefts and others were apprehended and committed, indicted and convicted, attainted and executed upon your Petitioner's Evidence, together with the Evidence of others, the Attainders of which Perfons remain (as your Petitioner believes) upon Record.

That (upon the Evidence of your Petitioner and others) four Parliaments declared in their VOTES, That there was an horrid Popish Plot for the DeAtruction of your Royal Perfon and your Government, and the Subverfion of the Proteftant Religion as by Law establish'd.

That Roger L'Eftrange, whom your Petitioner hears is now a Juftice of the Peace (though turn'd out for feveral Misdemeanors in the Year 1680) hath

defamed

defamed and arraign'd the Juftice of the Nation, in ridiculing the faid Popish Plot, and the Discovery and Discoverers thereof, in certain fcandalous and feditious Pamphlets of his call'd the Obfervator, and in feveral other Pamphlets.

That the faid Roger L'Eftrange pretends, in fome of those feditious and fcandalous Pamphlets, That he is Authorized fo to do by one or both of your Secre

taries.

That the faid fcandalous and feditious Pamphlets appear to countenance Popery in your Proteftant Government, and the Popish Party have been much encouraged by the fame to revile and threaten your Petitioner; he the said L'Eftrange pretending that he had Authority for fo doing.

That your Petitioner hath borne the fcandalous Reflections and Afperfions, upon the Account of his Discovery of the faid Plot, from the faid L'Estrange, these four Years with Patience; and had the Scandals only touch'd your Petitioner, I would not have complained to your Majefty and this Honourable Board; but fince the faid L'Etrange fcandaloufly vilifies the faid Discovery, and calls in queftion the Juftice of your Government, your Petitioner therefore thought fit to apply himself to your Majefty, and this Board, for Redrefs.

The Premiffes confider'd, your Petitioner humbly prays your Majefty, and this Right Honourable Board, to relieve your Petitioner and bis Evidence from the feditious Calumnies of the faid Roger L'Eftrange, and not fuffer your Petitioner to be left to be daily oppreffed and deftroyed for thofe Services which your Majesty, and Council, and Parliament, and Courts of Justice are fenfible of: And your Petitioner fball (as in Duty bound) pray for your Majesty's Health, and long Life, and happy Reign, &c.

TITUS OATES.

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OATES'S LETTER: For the Right Honourable Sir Leoline Jenkins, Knight, his Majesty's Principal Secretary of State, at Whitehall.

I

Gave your Honour laft Friday the Trouble of a few Lines, in which I told you, that I had Bufinefs of Importance with the King and Council; your Anfwer was, That I must apply myself to a Justice of Peace, or Courts of Juftice: The Business I had with the Council is a Complaint against Roger L'Eftrange, Efq; who in feveral Libels of his called the Obfervator, and other feditious Pamphlets, hath (as I humbly conceive) vilified and ridiculed the Evidence of the Popish Plot, and arraigned the Proceedings of the Govern ment upon the faid Plot; and to give himself a Reputation in this his illegal Course, he pretends, in one or more of thofe his faid Obfervators, that he hath Authority or Leave from fome of his Majefty's Minifters for fo doing; which I Eee 2

dare

396

A Second Collection of

dare not believe. Your Honour knows, that his Majefty was fo fenfible of the Danger he was in, by reafon of that horrid Confpiracy, that he did not only recommend the ftrict Examination thereof to his Houfes of Parliament, but alfo was pleafed to acquaint them, how unfafe he was till it was fearched to the Bottom. Befides this, three Fafts were proclaimed, appointed and kept, which the King himself strictly kept, and commanded all his loving Subjects so to do feveral Perfons have been executed, and several Parliaments have voted, That there was an borrid and bellifh Popish Plot: Now all thefe things confidered, I could never have imagined that any private Perfon could have been fo bold with the Government, as to ufe fuch Reflections upon their Proceedings, and call in question the Veracity of the Teftimony of that Evidence, which was juftified by his Majesty's Council, and the Parliament, and the Courts of Juftice. I thought I should never have lived to have seen the Day that the Plot fhould be call'd in queftion, which the King had own'd in his feveral Proclamations; but fince it is fo, I must pray your Pardon, if I cannot apply myself for Redress in that Way and Method your Honour was pleafed to order: For I humbly conceive, that it is the Government that is abused, and therefore in Confcience and Honour it is bound to vindicate it's Proceedings from fuch Afperfions as are caft upon them by the faid L'Eftrange and his Confederates. I would not ufe any Method or Way to injure the worst of my Enemies, but hope the Council will take my hard Usage from the faid L'Eftrange into ferious Confideration, and caufe the faid L'Eftrange to be filenced, and Reparation to be made me. To that End, I have in this fent a Petition to the King and Council, which I would have prefented, if I might have had the Liberty to appear at Court, in which I pray for Redress. I hope God will put it into your Hearts to do me Right. In the mean Time, Sir, I am

Feb. 28.
1683.

Your Honour's

Humble Servant, TITUS OATES.

My bumble Requeft is, that this Petition inclofed may be prefented to the
King in Council, fo that I may be in fome probable Way of having
Redrefs.

A LIST of all the Confpirators that have been seized (and where committed) fince the Discovery of the horrid and bloody Plot, contrived by the Fanaticks against the Lives of his Majefty and his Royal Highness.

A

RTHUR Earl of Eflex, cut his Throat in the Tower.
William Lord Ruffel, beheaded in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields.

Capt. Thomas Walcot, John Rowfe, William Hone, Joiner, executed at Tyburn.

Captain William Blagg, tried and acquitted.

In

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The Names of thofe mentioned in his Majefty's Proclamations; together with those

which are fled from Justice.

The Names of those that are fled from Justice.

Duke of Monmouth,

Ford Lord Gray,

Mr. Nathaniel Wade,

Mr. William Thompson,

Sir Thomas

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The Names of the Confpirators who were indicted July 12th, with the Number of Witnefes against each particular Perfon, viz.

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