THE WHOLE OF WHICH HAS BEEN FUDGED OUT OF THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND, AND
WILL THEREFORE BE QUITE NEW TO THE MAJORITY OF OUR READERS.
Were we in want of materials for this eventful history, we have now a
good opportunity for spinning out our volumes; but, so far from this
being the case, we hardly know how to find space for what it is now
absolutely necessary that the reader should be acquainted with. Our
friends may probably recollect, when we remind them of the fact, that
there was a certain king, James the Second, who sat upon our throne, and
who was a very good Catholic--that he married his daughter, Mary, to one
William of Orange, who, in return for James's kindness in giving him his
daughter, took away from him his kingdom, on the plea, that if he was a
bad son-in-law, at all events, he was a sound Protestant. They may also
recollect, that the exiled king was received most hospitably by the
grand monarque, Louis XIV, who gave him palaces, money, and all that he
required, and, moreover, gave him a fine army and fleet to go to Ireland
and recover his kingdom, bidding him farewell with this equivocal
sentence, "That the best thing he, Louis, could wish to him was, never
to see his face again." They may further recollect, that King James and
King William met at the battle of the Boyne, in which the former was
defeated, and then went back to St. Germains, and spent the rest of his
life in acts of devotion, and plotting against the life of King William.
Now, among other plots real and pretended, there was one laid in 1695,
to assassinate King William on his way to Richmond. This plot was
revealed, any of the conspirators were tried and executed, but the
person who was at the head of it, a Scotchman, of the name of Sir George
Barclay, escaped. In the year 1696, a bill was passed, by which Sir
George Barclay and nine others who had escaped from justice, were
attainted of high treason, if they did not choose to surrender
themselves on or before the 26th day of March ensuing. Strange to say,
these parties did not think it advisable to surrender themselves;
perhaps it was because they knew that they were certain to be hung; but
it is impossible to account for the actions of men: we can only lay the
facts before our readers.
Sir George Barclay was by birth a Scotchman, of high family, and well
connected, he had been an officer in the army of King James, to whom he
was strongly attached. Moreover, he was a very bigoted Catholic.
Whether he ever received a commission from King James, authorising him
to assassinate King William, has never been proved; but, as King James
is well known to have been admitted into the order of the Jesuits, it is
not at all unlikely. Certain it is, that the baronet went over to St.
Germains, landed again in England, and would have made the attempt, had
not the plot been discovered through some of the inferior accomplices;
and it is equally sure that he escaped, although many others were hung:
and few people knew what had become of him. The fact was, that when
Barclay had fled to the sea-side, he was assisted over the water by a
band of smugglers, who first concealed him in the cave we have
described, which was their retreat. This led to a communication and
arrangement with them. Sir George Barclay, who, although foiled in his
attempt at assassination, never abandoned the cause, immediately
perceived what advantages might be derived in keeping up a communication
by means of these outlaws. For some time the smugglers were employed in
carrying secret despatches to the friends of James in England and
Scotland; and, as the importance of the correspondence increased, and it
became necessary to have personal interviews instead of written
communications, Sir George frequently passed over to the cave as a
rendezvous, at which he might meet the adherents of the exiled king. In
the course of time he saw the prudence of having the entire control of
the band, and found little difficulty in being appointed their leader.
From the means he obtained from St. Germains, the smuggling was now
carried on to a great and very profitable extent; and, by the
regulations which he enacted, the chance of discovery was diminished.
Only one point more was requisite for safety and secrecy, which was, a
person to whom he could confide the charge of the cave. Lady Barclay,
who was equally warm in the cause, offered her services, and they were
accepted; and at the latter end of the year 1696, about one year after
the plot had failed, Lady Barclay, with her only child, took up her
abode in this isolated domicile: Sir George then first making the
arrangement that the men should always remain on the other side of the
water, which would be an additional cause of security. For upwards of
four years, Lady Barclay had remained an inmate, attending to the
instruction of her little Lilly, and carrying on all the correspondence,
and making all the necessary arrangements with vigour and address,
satisfied with serving the good cause, and proving her devoted
allegiance to her sovereign. Unfortunate and unwise as were the Stuart
family, there must have been some charm about them, for they had
instances of attachment and fidelity shown to them, of which no other
line of kings could boast.
Shortly after the tragical event recorded in the last chapter, the
Jesuit came out of the cave and went up to Sir George, who coolly
observed, "We have just been sending a traitor to his account, good
father."
"So may they all perish," replied the priest. "We start this evening?"
"Certainly. What news have you for St. Germains?"
"Much that is important. Discontent prevails throughout the country.
The affair of Bishop Watson hath brought much odium on the usurper. He
himself writhes under the tyrannical commands of the Commons, and is at
issue with them."
"And in Scotland father?"
"All is there ripe and ready--and an army once landed, would be joined
by thousands. The injustice of the usurper in wishing to sacrifice the
Scotch Settlement, has worked deep upon the minds of those who advanced
their money upon that speculation; in the total, a larger sum than ever
yet was raised in Scotland. Our emissaries have fanned the flame up to
the highest pitch."
"To my thoughts, good father, there needed not further discontent. Have
we not our king dethroned, and our holy religion persecuted?"
"True, my son--true; but still we must lose no means by which we may
increase the number of our adherents. Some are swayed by one feeling,
and some by another. We have contrived to throw no small odium upon the
usurper and betrayer of his wife's father, by exposing and magnifying,
indeed, the sums of money which he has lavished upon his courtesan,
Mistress Villiers, now, by his heretic and unsanctified breath, raised
into the peerage by the title of Countess of Orkney. All these items
added together form a vast sum of discontent; and could we his Catholic
majesty to rouse himself to assert once more his rights by force of
arms, I should not fear for the result."
"Had I not been betrayed," observed Sir George, musing, "before this the
king would have had his own again."
"And thrice blessed would have been the arm that had laid the usurper
low," rejoined the Jesuit; "but more of this hereafter. Your lady hath
had much converse with me. She thinks that the character of the man who
commands that cutter is such as to warrant his services for gold--and
wishes to essay him."
"The woman Corbett is of that opinion, and she is subtle. At all
events, it can be tried; for he would be of much utility, and there
would be no suspicion. The whole had better be left to her arrangement.
We may employ, and pay, yet not trust him."
"That is exactly what Lady Alice had proposed," replied the Jesuit.
Here Lilly came out to tell her father that the morning meal was ready,
and they all returned to the cave.
That evening the boat was launched, and the Jesuit went over with Sir
George, and landed at Cherbourg, from whence they both proceeded with
all expedition to the court of King James.
We have entered into this short detail, that the reader may just know
the why and the wherefore these parties in the cave were introduced, and
now we shall continue our most faithful and veracious history.