trary to their expectations and wishes, a formal protest was drawn up and presented by the pretender against this peace, and in fupport of his pretended rights and claim to the crown of Great Britain; in which he expected the French minifter would have concurred: but the French court having then no further occafion for him, that minister gave himself no trouble on the subject; unless to flatter and cajole him, with new promifes of doing fomething for his fervice at a more favourable opportunity.

Certain it is, that he never could be brought to believe, that France, carried on by fuch a current of profperity in this war in Flanders, and having all Holland in a manner open at that time to her arms, or little capable to refift them, would have fo readily made a peace, until he found that the peace was actually concluded. He rather hoped and expected to see Holland brought down by the war, in a campaign or two more; and that the Dutch or Hollanders, three parts of which are already frenchified, being reduced or brought under fome degree of dominion or obedience to the crown of France, fhips, men, and money, might have been always found there, with more facility than elsewhere; in which view he had entertained that England would have fallen a prey to his ambition and vengeance. The conclufion, therefore, of this peace, was to him the greatest mortification and disappointment that could poffibly happen to fuch an adventurer.

Most people imagined, that, after this turn of ill fortune, he would have returned to Rome; which was the advice of VOL. I.

M

his

his most fincere and intimate friends. There he might have contemplated, and at leisure have repented of his fruitless attempts and rafh defigns. But this was in no wife agreeable to his own inclinations; always on the wing in pursuit of what might offer to kindle new troubles, and promote his defigns. For this purpose he remained at Paris, frequently walking with his particular friends in the Thuilleries, frequently at mafs at the Cordeliers, and often at the comedy and opera, contrary to promife, and treaty of friendship and peace.

Notice of this conduct and indulgence to the common disturber being communicated to the court of England, his Britannic majesty's displeasure at this nuifance and breach of faith, was intimated to the French minifters, who made no difficulty in finding excuses, and giving promises to apply a proper remedy, pretending that he had been ordered to withdraw, but was obftinate. A project was, therefore, formed between the minifters and the adventurer, that he should be publickly arrested by the proper officers of diftinction, and a large body of troops, under the command of the marshal Duc de Biron, coming out of the opera-house on a certain evening fixed for that purpose, and that they should carry him prisoner to St. Vincennes, a royal prison, about two fmall miles from Paris; a most delightful walk, with pleafant avenues leading directly to it from the fuburbs of that city; and in which are most noble apartments. Here the young gentleman was lodged; and fome of his partizans, in the fecret, were conducted to the Baftile, having been previously advertised to hold themselves ready to be fent as pri

foners

foners to that place, as foon as the proper officers fhould come to their respective lodgings or habitations, to conduct them thither.

Had the minifters been in earnest in this business, and not determined to amuse the nation with a farce after the opera, he, and all those of his party, who could have been fuppofed obnoxious to the court, on account of their conduct or attachment to his perfon and intereft, or on any other account whatsoever, might have been with less noise and expence, more ease and readiness, taken at their respective places of abode, or in the public gardens, or in the streets, coffee-houses, or taverns, as is common in all fuch cafes, and so carried to prifon, without parade or bustle. But this was not to be the cafe: the French, in all their amusements, are fond of expence, fhew, and parade: it was, therefore, on this extraordinary occafion, neceffary to difplay folemnity and magnificence, to give an air of reality, and remove any fufpicion of infincerity, which the English nation had reason to entertain of them, about that condition, which they never intended to fulfil.

Orders were, therefore, given early in the morning, for the troops to hold themselves in readiness to march at a certain hour in the evening, and inftructions were given to the respective officers, who were to act the principal parts in this political farce. Several of those, who were in the secret, and who were defined for the Baftile, were with the adventurer in the forenoon of the day after dinner he walked in the Thuilleries, with a few particular friends, and

fire-arms in his pockets; from thence he went to the opera; the troops, to the number of ten thousand, according to the Paris account, but which might have been about half the number, marched, according to orders, to their respective destinations; the streets and paffages leading to the operahouse were immediately blocked up or stopt by parties of the guards: moft of the avenues leading to that part of the city, and other places, particularly that leading to St. Vincennes, were likewife fecured in the fame manner, by feveral detachments from the main body. All Paris began to be filled with confternation; nor has any uproar been fince equal to it, unless that which happened on Damien's attempt to affaffinate the king.

No fooner was the opera finished, but the adventurer (coming out from the lodge or box where he fat) was met in the paffage, leading towards the ftreet, by the officers and gentlemen, who were appointed to arrest him, and who waited for him there for that purpose.

They stopped him in this paffage, and instantly acquainted him with their orders, and that he was then arrested by them de la part du roy. This he knew as well as themfelves. However, he made a feint, as if he would make resistance, by first putting his hands to his pocket, to take out his piftols, then to lay hold of his fword; both which were prevented, and the arms were, by perfuafion and politeness, furrendered. A filken cord was then made ufe of. He was conducted, in a coach with fome officers of dif tinction, to St. Vincennes, followed by a large body of horse

and

and foot, and attended by the Marshal Duc de Biron in perfon.

Kelly, Sir Hector Maclean, Gillsbenagh, his maitre d'hôtel, formerly butler to lord Clare, and a few others, were sent to the Baftile; where they lived well, and in no fort of fear or pain of making any great ftay; for, a little time after, they were all difcharged. Sullivan, who was to be of the Baftile party, not much liking the expedition, wrote a letter a day or two before to the minifter, fignifying, that as he was an officer of rank in the French fervice, he defired to be excused, left it might be a prejudice to him hereafter, amongst the French officers in the army, ignorant of the motive: which excufe was admitted by the French ministry; but this drew the adventurer's displeasure upon him for a long time: and Kelly, who hated him in his heart, improved this to his own advantage. Sullivan having one day told Kelly, before the adventurer's face, and in his own apartments, that he was one of the greatest rogues living, was the cause of Kelly's averfion to Sullivan.

Two or three days after this arreft, the adventurer having given his parole (as reported) to retire out of France, he was nobly attended and conducted from St. Vincennes, for a few miles, by officers appointed for that purpose. He then took fuch courfe as he pleased; fuppofed to have gone directly to his uncle's, the duke de Bouillon, at Sedan; from whence his correspondence and vifits at court incog. were as frequent as he liked. It could not be for any complaisance towards the English nation that the French ministers entered

into