adapted to promote a mutual confidence, and a perfect harmony, between the king and his fubjects; which the two houfes defired might be printed.

One of the first things to which the duke applied himself, was the purging the army by difbanding the difaffected. The Exchequer being empty, he paid their arrears out of his own pocket, as it was a service which admit. ed no delay.

The Fanatics in England, who meditated a new commonwealth, flattered themselves with the affiftance of these forces, and with the concurrence of the Prefbyterians, discontented by the act of uniformity, and the refolution of the parliament to fupport the act, put the fectaries upon making an infurrection, hoping frength from Scotland, but more from Ireland, to fupport their attempts. Many of the Irish were, by the court of claims, to be repoffeffed of their eftates; which making the adventurers and foldiers, every one for himself, fear being thruft out of the lands they enjoyed, occafioned great clamours againft the proceedings of that court, and the defigns of the government; and fome of the moft furious fpirits refolving to keep by the fword what eftates they enjoyed, readily engaged with that party.

An infurrection was intended, a confpiracy formed, and a private committee appointed for conducting the affair; but the whole was

discovered

difcovered to the duke. Blood was one of the committee. But, notwithstanding this intelligence, the duke owed his prefervation to his own vigilance; for the day pitched upon to feize him and fun prize the caftle was the tenth of March, of which he had notice; but the confpirators altering the time, and fixing it on the fifth, his informer was ignorant of the change till near the hour of its defigned execution. The duke, however, was on his guard; of which the traitors having fome information, the attempt was not made. Some of them fled, and others were taken.

In the year 1670, the duke's unalterable zeal for his majefty's fervice, engaged his protection of the Irish Remonftrants. Thefe were the Catholics who opposed the violences of the pope's nuncio; but the Anti-remonftrants prevailing by the fupport of the English miniftry, that which the duke had offered others, was the ground of general hatred which the Irish Roman-catholics bore his grace.

In the year 1677, the duke of Ormond was for the third time, declared lord lieutenant of Ireland. He was received by the univerfity with all poffible demonstrations of refpect and esteem by that learned and loyal body, and with very great ceremony by the earl of Effex, who was to refign the fword to him. Soon after his arrival, he laid the foundation of the great hofpital for foldiers; erected Charles-fort, to fecure the harbour of Kinfale; and employed the greatest part of his time in

detecting

detecting frauds in the revenue; which, as alfo the forces of the kingdom, he confiderably augmented for the fecurity thereof.

His majesty, at this time thinking to gain over his enemies, took the method to make them more formidable, by putting them into the posts of power and credit; to which end he defired the duke to refign his poft of lordfteward of the houshold. The account of the popifh-plot being fent by his grace, with its extending to Ireland, and a defign upon his own life, occafioned his iffuing proclamations neceffary for the fecurity of that kingdom, and taking other proper methods to that end. Though the duke used very necessary precautions to prevent the threatened commotions, yet his moderation not agreeing with more violent tempers, a defign of affaffinating his grace was ftrongly rumoured, and letters to that purpose dropt in the streets, in hopes that his own fecurity might push him on to feverities; but his firmnefs of mind was not to be fhaken; and he made use of no harsher means than what were neceffary, had the imaginary danger been real; except against Tories, or common robbers and murderers, in the per fons of their relations, who protected or cons cealed them.

The lord Shaftsbury (to whofe views the duke, in retaining the government of Ireland, was a main obftacle) in a fpeech to the lord's houfe, infinuated that his grace was popishly inclined. This attack from him made the

duke's

<duke's friends apprehend farther designs against him, and give him their advice to come to England. He accordingly wrote to Mr. fe cretary Coventry for his majesty's permiffion; but the answer his majesty gave, was, He had one of his kingdoms in good hands, and was refolved to keep it fo. It was, however, reported that the duke was to be removed; and lord Arlington asked his majesty, If such a report was true: he answered, It was a dam; ned lie; and, that he was satisfied while he, the duke of Ormond, was there, that kingdom was fafe.

The king, convinced, to demonftration, of the defign of fetting up a commonwealth a fecond time, refolving to exert himself, would have brought lord Shaftfbury to his tryal; but the grand-jury refused to find the bill upon the ftrongest evidence.

This infamous partiality, however, anfwered the king's views, by opening the eyes of the people; which was fo fatal to the Republicans that they could never recover the blow. His majesty's resolution to affert his authority, extricated him out of all his diffi-t culties, and leffened thofe under which the duke had long ftruggled; and, as the ferment abated in England, the people's minds were quieted in Ireland; where, all being hushed into a calm, his grace had an opportunity, the king having fent for him, to cross to England, leaving his son, the earl of Aran, lorddeputy.

He

He received the compliments of, and prefents from, every town through which he paffed from Chester to London; into which he was ushered by a great number of perfons of diftinction. In his entry he was attended by twenty feven coaches and fix, three hundred gentlemen on horfeback, five of the king's trumpets, the ferjeant trumpet, and a kettle drum. At court he met with an affectionate reception by his majesty, and was immediately fworn of the privy council.

The city of London had been poisoned with republican principles, and the dependance that fet of men had on juries, encouraged them openly to avow their defigns to overturn the conftitution. The duke was indefatigable in his endeavours to defeat the defigns of the anti-monarchical faction. He faw nothing lefs than the whole conftitution at flake; and thefe endeavours were not only well understood by, but extremely grateful to, his majefty, who made him an English duke on the ninth of November.

In 1633, the Rye-house plot was the last recourse, after the faction had in vain tryed to get a parliament called before they had loft all influence. The king reflecting on the end defigned by, and the generality of perfonsconcerned in it, faid, in his reflections in the intended affaffination, That it was very strange beggars fhould contend for property, atheists for religion, and baftards for fucceffion.

On