44

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

VII.

I68T.

Admiral

Herbert.

Declara-tion of In-dulgence-

miration was Arthur Herbert, brother of the Chief Justice,member for Dover, Master of the Robes, and Rear Admiralof England. Arthur Herbert was much loved by the sailors,and was reputed one of the best of the aristocratical classof naval officers. It had been generally supposed that hewould readily comply with the royal wishes: for he was heed-less of religion; he was fond of pleasure and expense; he hadno private estate; his places brought him in four thousandpounds a year; and he had long been reckoned among themost devoted personal adherents of James. When, however,the Rear Admiral was closeted, and required to promise thathe would vote for the repeal of the Test Act, his answer was,that his honour and conscience would not permit him to giveany such pledge. “Nobody doubts your honour,” said theKing; “but a man who lives as you do ought not to talk abouthis conscience.” To this reproach, a reproach which camewith a bad grace from the lover of Catharine Sedley, Herbertmanfully replied, “I have my faults, Sir: but I could namepeople who talk much more about conscience than I am in thehabit of doing, and yet lead lives as loose as mine.” He wasdismissed from all his places; and the account of what he haddisbursed and received as Master of the Robes was scrutinisedwith great and, as he complained, with unjust severity.*

It was now evident that all hope of an alliance between theChurches of England and of Rome, for the purpose of sharingoffices and emoluments, and of crushing the Puritan sects,must be abandoned. Nothing remained but to try a coalitionbetween the Church ofRome and the Puritan sects against theChurch of England.

On the eighteenth of March the King informed the PrivyCouncil that he had determined to prorogue the Parliamenttill the end of November, and to grant, by his own authority,entire liberty of conscience to all his subjects.** On the fourthof April appeared the memorable Declaration of Indulgence.

• Barillon, March JJ. 1687; Lady Russell to Dr. Filzwilliam, April 1.;Burnet, i. 671. 762. The conversation is somewhat differently related inClarke’s Life of James, ii. 204. But that passage is not part of the King’sown memoirs.

** London Gazette, March 21.168;.