54

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

cn.\p.

Vll .

1087 .

escape; and either of the two suppositions was fatal to theKing’s character for honesty. It was notorious also that hehad been completely subjugated by the Jesuits. Only a fewdays before the publication of the Indulgence, that Order hadbeen honoured, in spite of the well known wishes of the HolySee, with a new mark of his confidence and approbation.Ilis confessor, Father Mansuete, a Franciscan, whose mildtemper and irreproachable life commanded general respect,but who had long been hated by Tyrconnel and Petre, hadbeen discarded. The vacant place had been filled by anEnglishman named Warner, who had apostatized from thereligion of his country and had turned Jesuit. To the mo-derate Roman Catholics and to the Nuncio this change wasfar from agreeable. By every Protestant it was regarded as aproof that the dominion of the Jesuits over the royal mind wasabsolute. * Whatever praises those fathers might justly claim,flattery itself could not ascribe to them either wide liberalityor strict veracity. That they had never scrupled, when theinterest of their faith or of their Order was at stake, to call inthe aid of the civil sword, or to violate the laws of truth andof good faith, had been proclaimed to the world, not only byProtestant accusers, but by men whose virtue and geniuswere the glory of the Church of Rome. It was incredible thata devoted disciple of the Jesuits should be on principlezealous for freedom of conscience: but it was neither in-credible nor improbable that he might think himself justifiedin disguising his real sentiments, in order to render a serviceto his religion. It was certain that the King at heart preferredthe Churchmen to the Puritans. It was certain that, whilehe had any hope of gaining the Churchmen, he had nevershown the smallest kindness to the Puritans. Could it thenbe doubted that, if the Churchmen would even now complywith his wishes, he would willingly sacrifice the Puritans?His word, repeatedly pledged, had not restrained him from

* Ellis Correspondence, March 15. July 27. 1686; Barillon, M * r ' <0 ‘March March ,V 1687; Ronquillo, March l 1 * 81 , in the MackintoshCollection.