JAMES THE SECOND.

131

he might leave his 'crown at the disposal of Lewis. It wasbetter for Englishmen to be the vassals of France than theslaves of the Devil." This extraordinary document washanded about from Jesuit to Jesuit, and from courtier tocourtier, till some eminent Roman Catholics, in whom bigotryhad not extinguished patriotism, furnished the Dutch Ambas-sador with a copy. He put the paper into the hands of James.James, greatly agitated, pronounced it a vile forgery con-trived by some pamphleteer in Holland. The Dutch ministerresolutely answered that he could prove the contrary by thetestimony of several distinguished members of His Majesty’sown Church, nay, that there would be no difficulty in pointingout the writer, who, after all, had written only what manypriests and many busy politicians said every day in the gal-leries of the palace. The King did not think it expedient toask who the writer was, but, abandoning the charge of for-gery, protested, with great vehemence and solemnity, thatno thought of disinheriting his eldest daughter had evercrossed his mind. “Nobody,” he said, “ever dared to hintsuch a thing to me. I never would listen to it. God does notcommand us to propagate the true religion by injustice; andthis would be the foulest, the most unnatural injustice.”* **Notwithstanding all these professions, Barillon, a few dayslater, reported to his court that James had begun to listen tosuggestions respecting a change in the order of succession,that the question was doubtless a delicate one, but that therewas reason to hope that, with time and management, a waymight be found to settle the crown on some Roman Catholicto the exclusion of the two Princesses.*** During many months

* “Que, quand pour dtablir la religion Catholiquc et pour la con-firmer icy, il (James) devroit se rendre en quelquo fa^on dependantde la France, et mettre la decision de la succession a la couronne entreles mains de ce monarque Id, qu’il seroit obligd delefaire, parcequ’ilvaudroit mieux pour ses sujets qu’ils devinssent vassaux du Roy deFrance, diant Catholiques, que de demeurer comme esclaves duDiable.”This paper is in the archives of both France and Holland.

** Citters, Aug. ,'i:. . 1685; Barillon, Aug. I .

*** Barillon, Sept. !|. 1680. “La succession esl une malidre fortddlicate a traitor. Je sais pourtant qu'on en parle au Roy d’Anglelerre.

9 *

CHAP.

VIII.

1687 .