trinsic
evidences of falsehood, we add that, immediately on its publication,
Lesley wrote an answer to it, denying its main statements as mere lies,
and that his book was never replied to, we will not be in a hurry to
adopt any statement of King's.

But in order to see the force of this last objection to King's
credibility, something must be known of Lesley.

Charles Lesley, son of the bishop of Clogher, is chiefly known for his
very able controversial writings against Deists, Catholics, and
Dissenters. He was a law-student till 1680, when he took orders; and in
1687 became chancellor of Connor. When, in 1688, James appointed a
Roman Catholic sheriff for Monaghan, Mr. Lesley, being then sick with
gout, had himself carried to the courthouse, and induced the
magistrates to commit the sheriff. In fact, it appears from Harris
("Life of William," p. 216, and "Writers of Ireland," pp. 282-6), that
Lesley was notorious for his conversions of Roman Catholics, and his
stern hostility to Tyrconnell's government. Lesley refused to take the
oath of supremacy after the Revolution, and thereby lost all chance of
promotion in the Church. He was looked on as the head of the nonjurors,
and died in March, 1721-2, at Glaslough, universally respected.

Such being Mr. Lesley's character, so able, so upright, so zealously
Protestant, he, in 1692, wrote an answer to King's "State," in which he
accuses King of the basest personal hypocrisy and charges him with
having in his book written gross, abominable, and notorious falsehoods,
and this he _proves_ in several instances, and in many more renders it
highly probable. King died 8th May, 1729, leaving Lesley's book
altogether unreplied to.

Here then was that man--bishop of Derry for eleven years and archbishop
of Dublin for twenty-seven years--remaining silent under a charge of
deliberate and interested falsehood, and that charge made by no
unworthy man, but by one of his own country, neighbourhood, and
creed--by one of acknowledged virtue, high position, and vast
abilities.

Nor is this all; Lesley's book was not only unanswered; it was watched
and attempted to be stopped, and when published, was instantly ordered
to be suppressed, as were all other publications in favour of the Irish
or of King James.

The reader is now in a position to judge of the credibility of any
assertion of King's, when unsupported by other authority.

King's gravest charges are in the following passage:--