j-66 HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

CHAP

LXVI.

isrs.

All these warlike measures were so ill secondedby the parliament, where even the French ministerswere suspected, with reason", of carrying on

" Sir John Dalryniple , in his Appendix, has given us,from Barillon’s dispatches in the Secretary's office at Paris ,a more particular detail of these intrigues. 1 hey were car-ried on with lord Ruffel, lord IT,His, lord Berkshire, theduke of Buckingham, Algernon Sydney, Montague, Bul-ftrode, col. Titus, sir Edward barley, sir John Baber, sirRoger Hill, Boscawen, Littleton , Povvle, JIarbord, Hamb-den, sir Thomas Armllrong , Hotham , Herbert, and someothers of less note. Or these, lord Ruffel and lord Hollisalone refused to touch any French money: Adi the othersreceived presents or bribes from Barillon. But we are to re-mark , that the party-views of these men , and their well-founded jealousies of the king and duke, engaged them,independently of the money , into the lame measures thatwere suggested to them by the French ambassador. Theintrigues of France , therefore, with the parliament were amighty small engine in the political machine. Those withthe king, which have always been known , were of infi-nitely greater consequence. The sums distributed to all thesemen, excepting Montague, did not exceed 16,000 poundsin three years ; and therefore could have little weight inthe two houses, especially when opposed to the influenceof the crown. Accordingly we find , in all Barillon’s dis-patches , a great anxiety that the parliament should neverbe aisembled. The conduct of these English patriots wasmore mean than criminal ; and monsieur Courten says,that two hundred thousand livres employed by the Spaniardsand Germans, would have more influence than two mil-lions distributed by France. See Sir J. Dalrymple’s App.p. iii. It is amusing to observe the general, and I maysay national, rage excited by the late discovery of thissecret negotiation; chiefly on account of Algernon Sydney,whom the blind prejudices of party had exalted into a hero.His ingratitude and breach of faith, in applying for the