JAMES THE SECOND.
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poisoner, was admitted to mercy. For Storey was able to chap.give important assistance to Jeffreys in wringing fifteen TissT -thousand pounds out of Prideaux.*
None of the traitors had less right to expect favour than Wade,Wade, Goodenough, and Ferguson. These three chiefs of enough,the rebellion had fled together from the field of Sedgemoor, |Sson. erand had reached the coast in safety. But they had found afrigate cruising near the spot where they had hoped to em-bark. They had then separated. Wade and Goodenoughwere soon discovered and brought up to London. Deeply asthey had been implicated in the Rye House Plot, conspicuousas they had been among the chiefs of the Western insurrection,they were suffered to live, because they had it in their powerto give information which enabled the King to slaughter andplunder some persons whom he hated, but to whom he hadnever yet been able to bring home any crime.**
How Ferguson escaped was, and still is, a mystery. Ofall the enemies of the government he was, without doubt, themost deeply criminal. He was the original author of the plotfor assassinating the royal brothers. He had written thatDeclaration which, for insolence, malignity, and mendacity,stands unrivalled even among the libels of those stormy times.
He had instigated Monmouth first to invade the kingdom, andthen to usurp the crown. It was reasonable to expect that astrict search would be made for the arch traitor, as he wasoften called; and such a search a man of so singular an aspectand dialect could scarcely have eluded. It was confidentlyreported in the coffee houses of London that Ferguson wastaken; and this report found credit with men who had ex-cellent opportunities of knowing the truth. The next thingthat was heard of him was that he was safe on the Continent.
* Calamy’s Memoirs; Commons’ Journals, Dec. 26. 1690; Sunder-land to Jeffreys, Sept. 14. 1685; Privy Council Book, Feb. 26.168g.
** Lansdowne MS. 1152.; llarl. MS. 6S45.; London Gazette, July 20.
1685.
Macaulay, History. II.
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