irretrievable destruction. He told me, likewise, my Ld Sommers and my Ld Halifax were, out of hatred to him and Lord Marlborough, entering into confidence with Harley, wch intrigue was carried on by the Duke of Newcastle; and therefore, if he should absolutely reject the offers made him by the Tories, he, and those of the House of Commons who had opposed the Junto and turn'd out Harley, should be left to the mercy of a conjunction of the said Harley and the inraged Tories, for such his refusal to treat with them. Tho' it appear'd to me to a demonstration, that these were false and pretended reasons, and that he acted this part upon more dangerous views, yet, to enable me to prevent as much as possible, by my influence in the House of Commons, the steps they should resolve to take towards bringing their dark designs to a head, I seem'd to acquiesce at that time.
And, by the frequent interviews I had after with Graham, I did guess at their real drift in every step they took towards this black work, either in Parliament or any where else. And, particularly by this means, I came to know why my Lord engaged us in the fatal impeachment and tryal of Doctor Sacheverell; and therefore I opposed to the last moment making his preaching for passive obedience and non-resistance one of the articles against him, because I knew that whilst he, my Lord Godolphin, on the one hand, told my Lord Sommers, my Lord Halifax, and my Lord Sunderland (who cram'd this article down our throats), that it was the only way to terrifie the Queen from changing hands (wch he knew she was otherwise determin'd to do), he had, at the same time, agreed with the High Church to dissolve the Parliament before another Session, as the basis of their new scheme, and that this impeachment upon that point of condemning passive obedience and non-resistance, was a certain way not only to fix the Queen in her resolution of changing hands, but to secure a new election, intirely Tory, by the notions it would give the common people, that the principle of the whole Whig party tended to ruin the Monarchy and to destroy the Church.
And how well this cursed delusion answered the designs of the conspirators the late rebellion has shown, and the madness that still remains in the minds of the people does demonstrate. Whilst this treatise was carrying on between my Ld Godolphin and the heads of the High Church party by Graham, and my Ld Sommers and Ld Halifax were in secret measures with Harley, Lord Marlborough, who had constant accounts from me of what Graham and Ld Godolphin thought fit to impart to me, with my own observations thereupon, finding he was at home abandon'd by all sides, resolved to go over to the head of the Army, concluding, when there, he should be able, if not alltogether to baffle the several schemes of his enemies here, yet, at least, to secure himself from receiving any great preju-
