60

HISTOEY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XVIII.

1G92.

tions and the originals. He had succeeded in making a collee-- tion of papers written by men of note who were suspected ofdisaffection. Some autographs he had stolen; and some hehad obtained by writing in feigned names to ask after the cha-racters of servants or curates. He now drew up a paper pur-porting to be an Association for the Restoration of the banishedKing. This document set forth that the subscribers boundthemselves in the presence of God to take arms for His Majesty,and to seize on the Prince of Orange, dead or alive. To theAssociation Young appended the names of Marlborough, ofCornbury, of Salisbury, of Sancroft, and of Sprat, Bishop ofRochester and Dean of Westminster.

The next thing to be done was to put the paper into somehiding place in the house of one of the persons whose signatureshad been counterfeited. As Young could not quit Newgate, hewas forced to employ a subordinate agent for this purpose. Heselected a wretch named Blackhead, who had formerly beenconvicted of pequry and sentenced to have his ears clipped.The selection was not happy; for Blackhead had none of thequalities which the trade of a false witness requires exceptwickedness. There was nothing plausible about him. Hisvoice was harsh. Treachery was written in all the lines of hisyellow face. He had no invention, no presence of mind, andcould do little more than repeat by rote the lies taught himby others.

This man, instructed by his accomplice, repaired to Sprat’spalace at Bromley, introduced himself there as the confidentialservant of an imaginary Doctor of Divinity, delivered to theBishop, on bended knee, a letter ingeniously manufactured byYoung, and received, with the semblance of profound re-verence, the episcopal benediction. The servants made thestranger welcome. He was taken to the cellar, drank theirmaster’s health, and entreated them to let him see the house.