Tion was, I refolved to pursue steadily the king's, which at the fame time was manifeftly the nation's, intereft, and yet to keep fair with the parliament, and the managers on that fide; for this appeared the likelieft way of doing him real fervice. And yet fome officious fcruples, which forced themselves upon me at first, had like to have fixed me in other meafures. In the ftream of those, who chose to defert the houses rather than fhare in the violent counfels that prevailed in them, the general difguft had, alfo, carried me to withdraw myself. But this ftart of zeal was foon over. I presently faw, and found means to fatisfy the king, that it would be more for his fervice that I fhould return to the parliament. I therefore refumed my feat and took leave (to fay the truth, it was not denied me by the house, who had their own ends to ferve by this indulgence [k]) to

[*] To this purpose my Lord CLARENDON. "He [Mr. W.] fpoke, upon all occafions, with great C 3 reafon

reafon and debate in all points with great freedom. At the fame time my affections to the common intereft were not fufpected; for, having no connexion with the court, nobody thought of charging me with private views; and not forgetting, befides, to cultivate a good understanding with the perfons of chief credit in the house, the plainness I ufed could only be taken for what it was, an honeft and parliamentary liberty. This fituation was, for a time, very favourable to me: for the king's friends regarded me as the champion of their caufe; whilft the prudence of my carriage towards the leading members fe

fharpness and freedom: which (now there were fo few that used it, and there was no danger of being over-voted) was not restrained; and therefore used as an argument against those, who were gone upon pretence, that they were not fuffered to declare their opinion freely in the houfe; which could not be believed, when all men knew what liberty Mr. WALLER took, and spoke every day with impunity, against the fenfe and proceedings of the house." B. vii.

cured

cured me, in a good degree, from their,

jealoufy.

DR. MORE.

YOUR policy, I obferve, had now taken a more refined turn. The juncture of affairs might poffibly justify this addrefs but the ground you ftood upon was flippery; and I own myself alarmed at what may be the confequence of this follicitous purfuit of popularity,

MR. WALLER.

7

No exception, I think, can be fairly taken at the methods, by which I purfued it. However, this popularity it was, as you rightly divine, which drew upon me all the mischiefs that followed. For the application of all men, difpofed to the king's fervice, was now made to me. I had an opportunity, by this means, of knowing the characters and views of particular perfons, and of getting an infight into the true ftate of the king's affairs,

C 4

affairs. And these advantages, in the end, drove me on the project, which, on the discovery, came to be called my Plot: an event, which, with all its particulars, you understand too well to need any information from me about it.

DR. MORE.

THE ftory, as it was noifed abroad, I am no ftranger to: but this being one of those occafions, as they say, in which both your policy and virtue were put to the sharpest trial, it would be much to the purpose, you have in view by this recital, to favour me with your own account of it.

MR. WALLER.

To lead you through all particulars, would not fuit with the brevity, you require of me. But fomething I will fay to obviate the misconceptions, you may poffibly have entertained of this bufinefs [7]. For the plot itself, the utmost [See Lord CLARENDON'S History.

of

of my design was only to form fuch a combination among the honeft and wellaffected of all forts, as might have weight enough to incline the houses to a peace, and prevent the miferies, that were too certainly to be apprehended from a civil war. It was never in my thoughts to furprize the parliament or city by force, or engage the army in the fupport and execution of my purpose. But my defign in this affair, though the fury of my enemies and the fatal jealoufy of the time would not fuffer it to be rightly understood, is not that which my friends refented, and which moft men were dif posed to blame in me. It was my behaviour afterwards, and the obliquity of fome means, which I found expedient to my own fafety, that expofed me to fo rude a form of cenfure. It continues, I know, to beat upon me even at this distance. But the injuftice hath arisen from the force of vulgar prejudices, and from the want of entering into thofe enlarged