JAMES THE SECOND.

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something worse, and that, whatever zeal he might profess forcivil liberty, the Saints would do well to avoid all connection J6 s5.~with him. *

Nathaniel Wade was, like Ayloffe, a lawyer. He had Wide,long resided at Bristol, and had been celebrated in his ownneighbourhood as a vehement republican. At one time hehad formed a project of emigrating to New Jersey, where heexpected to find institutions better suited to his taste thanthose of England. His activity in electioneering had intro-duced him to the notice of some Whig nobles. They hademployed him professionally, and had, at length, admittedhim to their most secret counsels. He had been deeply con-cerned in the scheme of insurrection, and had undertaken tohead a rising in his own city. He had also been privy to themore odious plot against the lives of Charles and James. Buthe always declared that, though privy to it, he had abhorredit, and had attempted to dissuade his associates from carryingtheir design into effect. For a man bred to civil pursuits,

Wade seems to have had, in an unusual degree, that sort ofability and that sort of nerve which make a good soldier.Unhappily his principles and his courage proved to be not ofsufficient force to support him when the fight was over, andwhen, in a prison, he had to choose between death andinfamy.**

Another fugitive was Richard Goodenougli, who had Good-formerly been Under Sheriff of London. On this man his eno “ 8h-party had long relied for services of no honourable kind, and

* Sprat’s True Account; Burnet, i. 634.; Wade’s Confession, Harl.

MS. 6845.

Lord Howard of Escrick accused Ayloffe of proposing to assassinatethe Duke of York; but Lord Howard was an abject liar; and this storywas not part of his original confession, but was added afterwards by wayof supplement, and therefore deserves no credit whatever.

*• Wade’s Confession, Harl. MS. 6845.; Lansdowne MS. 1152.; Hollo-way’s narrative in the Appendix to Sprat’s TrueAccount. Wade ownedthat Holloway had told nothing but truth.

Macaulay, History. IL 7