had been intercepted, from which it appears that the parliament and the city were foon to be delivered. into the hands of the cavaliers.

They perhaps yet knew little themselves, beyond fome general and indiftinct notices. "But Waller," fays Clarendon, "was fo confounded with fear, that "he confeffed whatever he had heard, faid, thought, "or feen; all that he knew of himself, and all that "he fufpected of others, without concealing any "perfon, of what degree or quality foever, or any "difcourfe which he had ever upon any occafion "entertained with them; what fuch and fuch ladies "of great honour, to whom, upon the credit of his "wit and great reputation, he had been admitted, "had spoke to him in their chambers upon the pro

ceedings in the Houfes, and how they had encou"raged him to oppofe them; what correspondence "and intercourse they had with fome Minifters of "State at Oxford, and how they had conveyed all "intelligence thither." He accufed the Earl of Portland and Lord Conway as co-operating in the tranfaction; and teftified that the Earl of Northumberland had declared himself difpofed in favour of any attempt that might check the violence of the Parliament, and reconcile them to the King.

He undoubtedly confeffed much, which they could never have discovered, and perhaps fomewhat which they would with to have been fuppreffed; for it is inconvenient, in the conflict of factions, to have that difaffection known which cannot fafely be punished.

Tomkyns was feized on the fame night with Waller, and appears likewife to have partaken of his

cowardice; for he gave notice of Crifpe's commiffion of array, of which Clarendon never knew how it was discovered. Tomkyns had been fent with the token appointed, to demand it from Lady Aubigney, and had buried it in his garden, where, by his direction, it was dug up; and thus the rebels obtained, what Clarendon confeffes them to have had, the original copy.

It can raise no wonder that they formed one plot out of these two defigns, however remote from each other, when they faw the fame agent employed in both, and found the commiffion of array in the hands of him who was employed in collecting the opinions and affections of the people.

Of the plot, thus combined, they took care to make the most. They fent Pym among the citizens, to tell them of their imminent danger, and happy efcape; and inform them, that the defign was "to "feize the Lord Mayor and all the Committee of "Militia, and would not fpare one of them." They drew up a vow and covenant, to be taken by every member of either House, by which he declared his deteftation of all confpiracies against the Parliament, and his refolution to detect and oppose them. They then appointed a day of thanksgiving for this wonderful delivery; which fhut out, fays Clarendon, all doubts whether there had been fuch a deliverance, and whether the plot was real or fictitious.

On June 11, the Earl of Fortland and Lord Conway were committed, one to the cuftody of the mayor, and the other of the fheriff; but their landş and goods were not seized.

Waller

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66

Waller was ftill to immerse himfelf deeper in ignominy. The Earl of Portland and Lord Conway denied the charge; and there was no evidence against them but the confeffion of Waller, of which undoubtedly many would be inclined to queftion the veracity. With thefe doubts he was fo much terrified, that he endeavoured to perfuade Portland to a declaration like his own, by a letter extant in Fenton's edition. "But for me," fays he, "you had "never known any thing of this business, which was prepared for another; and therefore I cannot imagine why you fhould hide it fo far as to contract "your own ruin by concealing it, and perfifting unreasonably to hide that truth, which, without "you, already is, and will every day be made more "manifelt. Can you imagine yourself bound in "honour to keep that fecret, which is already re"vealed by another? or poffible it fhould ftill be a "fecret, which is known to one of the other sex ?— "If you perfift to be cruel to yourself for their "fakes who deferve it not, it will nevertheless be "made appear, ere long, I fear, to your ruin. "Surely, if I had the happiness to wait on you, I "could move you to compaffionate both yourself "and me, who, defperate as my cafe is, am defirous "to die with the honour of being known to have "declared the truth. You have no reason to contend "to hide what is already revealed-inconfiderately "to throw away yourself, for the intereft of others, "to whom you are less obliged than you are aware "of."

This perfuafion feems to have had little effect. Portland fent (June 29) a letter to the Lords, to R 4

tell

tell them, that he "is in cuftody, as he conceives, "without any charge; and that, by what Mr. Wal"ler hath threatened him with fince he was impri"foned, he doth apprehend a very cruel, long, and

ruinous restraint:-He therefore prays, that he "may not find the effects of Mr. Waller's threats, ❝ a long and close imprisonment; but may be fpee"dily brought to a legal trial, and then he is confi"dent the vanity and falfehood of those informations which have been given against him will "appear."

In confequence of this letter, the Lords ordered Portland and Waller to be confronted; when the one repeated his charge, and the other his denial. The examination of the plot being continued (July 1), Thinn, usher of the houfe of Lords, depofed, that Mr. Waller having had a conference with the Lord Portland in an upper room, Lord Portland faid, when he came down, "Do me the favour to "tell my Lord Northumberland, that Mr. Waller "has extremely preffed me to fave my own life and his, by throwing the blame upon the Lord Conway "and the Earl of Northumberland."

Waller, in his letter to Portland, tells him of the reafons which he could urge with refiftlefs efficacy in a perfonal conference; but he over-rated his own oratory; his vehemence, whether of perfuafion or intreaty, was returned with contempt.

One of his arguments with Portland is, that the plot is already known to a woman. This woman was doubtlefs Lady Aubigney, who, upon this occafion, was committed to cuftody; but who, in reality,

when

when the delivered the commiffion, knew not what

it was.

The Parliament then proceeded against the confpirators, and committed their trial to a council of war. Tomkyns and Chaloner were hanged near their own doors. Tomkyns, when he came to die, faid it was a foolish bufinefs; and indeed there feems to have been no hope that it fhould efcape difcovery; for though never more than three met at a time, yet a defign fo extenfive muft, by neceffity, be communicated to many, who could not be expected to be all faithful, and all prudent. Chaloner was attended at his execution by Hugh Peters. His crime was, that he had commiffion to raife money for the King; but it appears not that the money was to be expended upon the advancement of either Crifpe or Waller's plot.

The Earl of Northumberland, being too great for prosecution, was only once examined before the Lords. The Earl of Portland and Lord Conway perfifting to deny the charge, and no teftimony but Waller's yet appearing against them, were, after a long imprisonment, admitted to bail. Haffel, the King's meffenger, who carried the letters to Oxford, died the night before his trial. Hampden efcaped death, perhaps by the intereft of his family; but was kept in prifon to the end of his life. They whose names were inferted in the commiffion of array were not capitally punished, as it could not be proved that they had confented to their own nomination; but they were confidered as malignants, and their eftates were feized.

"Waller, though confeffedly," fays Clarendon, the moft guilty, with incredible diffimulation af

"fected