drawn from a manuscript account taken from archbishop Tillotson's own mouth. That the match between that prince and princess, being made upon political views against the will of the duke of York, and not with the hearty liking of the king, the country party as they were then called, were exceedingly pleafed and elevated, and after the lord mayor's feaft, a fecret defign was laid to invite the new married couple into the city, and a public and folemn entertainment to be made for them. To prevent this, the court hurried both the bride and bridegroom, as fast as they could, out of town, fo that they departed with fuch precipitation, that they had fcarce time to make any provision for their journey.

Their fer

vants and baggage went by the way of Harwich, but the prince and princess by Canterbury road, where they were to lye till the wind was fair, and the yatcht ready to fail with them. Being arrived at Canterbury, they repaired to an inn, and no good care being taken in their hafte to feparate what was needful for their journey, they came very meanly provided, thither. Monf. Bentinck, who attended them, endeavoured to borrow fome plate and money of the corporation for their accommodation, but upon grave deliberation, the mayor and body proved to be really afraid to lend them either. Dr. Tillotfon dean of Canterbury, at that time in refidence there, hearing of this, immediately got together all his own plate, and other that he borrowed, together

together with a good number of guineas, and all other neceffaries for them, and went directly to the inn to Monf. Bentinck, and offered him all that he had got, and withal complained, that they did not come to the deanry, where the royal family ufed to lodge, and heartily invited them ftill to go thither, where they might be fure of a better accommodation.

This

laft they declined, but the money, plate, and the reft were highly acceptable to them. Upon this, the dean was carried to wait upon the prince and princefs, and his great intereft foon. brought others to attend upon them. 'By this lucky accident, adds the account, he began that acquaintance and the correfpondence with the prince and Monf. Bentinck, which yearly encreased to the very revolution, when both Monf, Bentinck had great occafion for him and his friends, on his own account, as well as the prince himself, when he arrived at the crown. And this was the true fecret ground, on which the bishop of London, (whofe qualities and fervices feemed to intitle him without a rival, to the archbishopric) was yet fet afide, and Dr. Tillotfon advanced over his head". But this folemn and circumstantial ftory, when examined, will be found liable to great exceptions. The fudden death of his fecond brother, Mr. Jofhua Tillotfon, by vomiting of blood, on the fixteenth of September 1678, affected him in a very fenfible manner, and being unwilling to fhock his father, then at his houfe at Sowerby, with the abrupt

abrupt communication of it, wrote the fame day to his kinfman Mr. Timothy Bentley, defiring him to acquaint him with the lofs of his fon, and to intreat him, "to bear it with patience, and fubmiffion to the will of God, and to comfort himfelf, as I, fays he, defire to do, with the hope of meeting and enjoying him in a better life". The difcovery of the popish plot in September 1678, of which the reality, or at leaf extant has been fince treated as oneof the greatest problems in hiftory, having giyen great alarm to the parliament, which met. on the twenty firft of October, a few days af ter the murder of Sir Edmunbury Godfrey, the dean was appointed to preach before the House of Commons, on the fifth of November following. His text was Luke ix. 55, 56. and the defign of his difcourfe was to thew, that a revengeful, cruel, and deftructive spirit is directly contrary to the defign and temper of the gospel, and not to be excufed upon. any pretence of zeal for God and religion. ́ In the conclufion he makes an application of that doctrine to the occafion of the day, by expofing the principles and practices of the church of Rome, and particularly in the gun-powder treafon-plot, avowed by the authors, who expreffed a concern for its ill fuccefs, as appeared by the original papers and letters of SirEdward Digby, then in the dean's hands.

He had not long after this an occasion to improve thefe confiderations, concerning the nature and tendancy of popery, to the difen

gaging a young nobleman of great parts from the profeflion of it, in which he had been educated. This was Charles earl of Shrewsbury, created a duke, by king William, to whom he was fecretary of ftate, having had a confiderable fhare in the revolution, and in the latter end of whofe reign he retired to Italy for his health, where he continued, till about the year 1710, when he returned to England, and joined the new miniftery, notwithstanding which he was again made lord chamberlain to king George I, as he had been to queen Anne, and died on the first of Febru ary 1717-18. His lordship was led into an inquiry into his first religion, by the discove ry of the popish plot and was foon made fenfible of its errors and corruptions, by fo thorough a mafter of that fubject as the dean of Canter bury, whom he attended for the first time, at the public worship in Lincoln's-inn chapel, on Sunday the fourth of May 1679.

The discovery of the Rye-houfe plot, in June the fame year 1683, opened a very melancholy fcene, in which the dean had a large fhare of diftrefs on account both of his friendfhips and his concern for the public. One of the principal objects of his follicitude and anxiety, was William lord Ruffel, eldeft fon of William earl, and after the revolution, duke of Bedford. His lordship having fhewn fo warm a zeal for the bill of exclusion, which he had moved for in the house of commons, in the beginning of November 1680, had lit

tle

The dean

tle reason, notwithstanding the integrity of his own perfonal character, and the dignity and weight of his family and its connections, to oxpect any favour from the court. He was committed to the tower on the twentyfixth of June, and brought to his trial at the Old Baify, on Friday the thirteenth of July, where he was found guilty of high treafon. appeared as a witness for his lordship's charac ter, at his trial, declaring, that he had been many years paft acquainted with him, and had always judged him a perfon of great virtue and integrity, and very far from any fuch wicked' defign, as he stood charged with. And after lord Ruffel's condemnation, the dean and Dr. Burnet were fent for by his lordship, and they both continued their attendance upon him, tilk his death; the day before which, the dean delivered to him a letter, in which he endeavoured to perfuade him to what he had fome days. before in vain attempted, a declaration against the lawfulness of refiftance. The principles of this letter, were the ground of thofe expreffions, which he ufed in his prayer with his ford fhip on the fcaffold in Lincoln's.inn fields, on Saturday the twenty firft of July. "Grant that all we, who furvive, by this and other inftances of thy providence may learn our duty to God and the king". And this prayer, as well as his letter, were confidered by the court as fuch a fanction to their favourite doctrines and measures, that Mr. Roger L'Eftrange was furnished with copies of them, inferted by