316 HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

c H A V. changing the religion, and subverting the con-r,xvi. stitution , of England, and that the king and the

1674 ,

Wardour, whom no historian mentions as having had anyhand in these transactions. The purport of it was, that Lewiswas to give Charles 200,000 pounds a year in quarterly pay.ments, in order to enable him to settle the catholic religion inEngland; and he was also to supply him with an army of 6000men in case of any insurrection? When that work was finished,England was to join with France in making war upon Hol-lapd. In cafe of success, Lewis was to have the inlandprovinces, the prince of Orange Holland in sovereignty, andCharles, Sluis , the Brille, Walcheren, with the rest ofthe sea ports as far as Maafiand Sluis. The king’s projectwas first to effect the change of religion in England ; butthe dutchefs of Orleans, in the interview at Dover, persuadedhim Cb begin with the Dutch war, contrary to the remon-strances of the duke of York, who insisted that Lewis, after-serving his own purposes, would no longer trouble himselfabout England. The duke makes no mention of any designto render the king absolute ; but that was, no doubt,implied in the other project, which was to be effectedentirely by royal authority. The king was so zealous apapist, that he wept for jay when he saw the prospect ofxe-uniting his kingdom to the catholic church.

Sir John Dalrymple has since published some othep.curious particulars with regard to this treaty. We find, thatit was concerted and signed with the privity alone of fourpopish counsellors of the king’s , Arlington , Arundel, Clif-ford and Sir Kichard Healing. The secret was kept fromBuckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale. In order to engagethem to take part in it, a very refined and a very meanartifice was fallen upon by the king. After the secretconclusion and signature of the treaty, the king pretendedto these three ministers that he wished to have a treatyand alliance with France for mum al support, and for aDutch war j and when various pretended obstacles and dif-