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HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

VII.

168T.

discomfiture. His temper, naturally unamiable, was soonexasperated to violence; and he circulated a memorial re-flecting on the Pope. He had now put himself in the wrong.The sagacious Italian had got the advantage, and took careto keep it. He positively declared that the rule which ex-cluded Jesuits from ecclesiastical preferment should not herelaxed in favour of Father Petre. Castelmaine, much pro-voked, threatened to leave Rome. Innocent replied, with ameek impertinence which was the more provoking because itcould scarcely he distinguished from simplicity, that his Ex-cellency might go if he liked. “But if we must lose him,”added the venerable Pontiff", “ I hope that he will take care ofhis health on the road. English people do not know howdangerous it is in this country to travel in the heat of the day.The best way is to start before dawn, and to take some rest atnoon.” With this salutary advice and with a string of beads,the unfortunate Ambassador was dismissed. In a few monthsappeared, both in the Italian and in the English tongue, apompous history of the mission, magnificently printed in folio,and illustrated with plates. The frontispiece, to the greatscandal of all Protestants, represented Castelmaine in therobes of a Peer, with his coronet in his hand, kissing the toeof Innocent.*

* Correspondence of James and Innocent, in the British Museum;Burnet, i. 103—705.; Welwood’s Memoirs; Commons’Journals, Oct. 28.1689; An Account of bis Excellency Roger Earl of Caslelmaine’s Em-bassy, by Michael Wright, chief steward of his Excellency’s house atRome, 1688.

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