e
hanged by the neck, cut down alive, your quarters shall be severed, and be
disposed of as the king shall think fit, and your bowels burnt, and so the
Lord have mercy on your soul.'

This sentence was executed five days after.

The next victim was Coleman. The evidence against him was of a twofold
nature; his own letters, and the testimony of Oates and Bedlow. As to the
first, they disclose clearly enough the existence of a Plot, but a Plot in
which Charles himself was the chief conspirator; a Plot not only to
restore popery, but to destroy English liberty. This Plot was of an early
date, and began indeed almost at the restoration of the king. The monarch
of France and the Duke of York were his accomplices. Coleman's part in it
seems to have been merely that of an ambitious, intriguing, bigotted
partizan, pleased with being entrusted with the secrets of the great; and
much disposed to magnify the importance and value of his services. His
letters, that were produced on his trial, related to the years 1674 and
'5. If there was any correspondence of a later date, it was never
discovered. In fine, we may say of these letters that if there was enough
in them to convict Coleman of high treason, the king, the duke, and
several of the most prominent statesmen of that period were equally
guilty.

The testimony of Oates was so strange and improbable, that it never could
have obtained credence for a moment, except at a time when men had 'lost
their reason.' The basis of his whole narration, was his statement
relating to the consult of the Jesuits in April, which we give in his own
words. 'They were ordered to meet by virtue of a brief from Rome, sent by
the father general of the society. They went on to these resolves: That
Pickering and Grove should go on, and continue in attempting to
assassinate the king's person by shooting, or other means. Grove was to
have fifteen hundred pounds. Pickering being a religious man, was to have
thirty thousand masses, which at twelvepence a mass amounted to much that
money. This resolve of the Jesuits was communicated to Mr. Coleman in my
hearing at Wild House. My lord, this was not only so, but in several
letters he did mention it, and in one letter, (I think I was gone a few
miles out of London,) he sent to me by a messenger, and did desire the
duke might be trepaned into this Plot to murder the king.'

But one consult of fifty Jesuits, all eager to carry their diabolical
plans of assassi