Page:Diary of the times of Charles II Vol. I.djvu/282

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
166
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE OF

was with Monsiear Rounswinckle; he tells me that the only thing that can save these Low Countries is to have an Alliance between England, the States, and the Elector of Brandenburgh, which will depend upon our agreement at home. In the evening, I gave my letter to the Prince and to Monsieur Zulestein.

14th.Mr. Carr told me how the Duke of Monmouth was twice at church, that he was feasted by the fanatics at dinner. Mr. Serjeant came to me with a resolution of going into England; but, having

    lawful to murder Kings, but had always detested it, had, at his last being in Flanders, said to a very devout person, from whom Leylant had it, that he thought the Queen might lawfully take away the King's life, for the injuries he had done her, but much more because he was a heretic. Upon that, Sergeant ran out into many particulars, to shew how little credit was due to the protestations of the Jesuits, made even at their death. This gave some credit to the tenderest part of Oates's evidence with relation to the Queen. It shewed that the trying to do it by her means had been thought of by them. All this was only evidence from second hand, so it signified little. Sergeant was much blamed for it by all his own side. He had the reputation of a sincere and good but of an indiscreet man."—Burnet's Hist. ii. 219. He was an eminent controversial writer amongst the Romanists, an opponent of Hammond, Bramhall,[I 1] and Tillotson.

  1. Amongst Archbishop Bramhall's works will be found two which were answers to Sergeant, who appears to have written under the signature S. W.—Note to Burnet's Hist.}}