found among those of Sir John Fenwick and Mr. Coplestone, who suffered
death for this conspiracy.

There was a patent conferring the title of Marquis of Esmond on my Lord
Castlewood, and the heirs male of his body; his appointment as lord
lieutenant of the county, and major-general.(7)

There were various letters from the nobility and gentry, some ardent and
some doubtful, in the king's service; and (very luckily for him) two
letters concerning Colonel Francis Esmond; one from Father Holt, which
said, "I have been to see this colonel at his house at Walcote near to
Wells, where he resides since the king's departure, and pressed him very
eagerly in Mr. Freeman's cause, showing him the great advantage he would
have by trading with that merchant, offering him large premiums there as
agreed between us. But he says no: he considers Mr. Freeman the head of
the firm, will never trade against him or embark with any other trading
company, but considers his duty was done when Mr. Freeman left England.
This colonel seems to care more for his wife and his beagles than for
affairs. He asked me much about young H. E., 'that bastard,' as he called
him: doubting my lord's intentions respecting him. I reassured him on this
head, stating what I knew of the lad, and our intentions respecting him,
but with regard to Freeman he was inflexible."

And another letter was from Colonel Esmond to his kinsman, to say that one
Captain Holton had been with him offering him large bribes to join, _you
know who_, and saying that the head of the house of Castlewood was deeply
engaged in that quarter. But for his part he had broke his sword when the
K. left the country, and would never again fight in that quarrel. The P.
of O. was a man, at least, of a noble courage, and his duty and, as he
thought, every Englishman's, was to keep the country quiet, and the French
out of it: and, in fine, that he would have nothing to do with the scheme.

Of the existence of these two letters and the contents of the pillow,
Colonel Frank Esmond, who became Viscount Castlewood, told Henry Esmond
afterwards, when the letters were shown to his lordship, who congratulated
himself, as he had good reason, that he had not joined in the scheme which
proved so fatal to many concerned in it. But, naturally, the lad knew
little about these circumstances when they happened under his eyes: only
being aware that his patron and his mistress were in some trouble, which
had caused the