a lady of wit, and reputation; who had both the ambition of making her husband confiderable, and the address of fucceeding in it, by using her interest in so friendly an Uncle, whofe defign I believe was only to convert her. Whether this familiarity of theirs was contrived, or only connived at by the Duke of MONMOUTH himself, is hard to determine: But I well remember that after these two Princes had become declared enemies, the Duke of YORK one day told me with fome emotion, as conceiving it a new mark of his nephew's insolence, that he had forbidden his wife to receive any more vifits from him. At which I could not forbear frankly replying, that I who was not used to excufe him, yet could not hold from doing it in that case; wishing his Highness might have no jufter cause to complain of him. Upon which the Duke, furprized to find me excuse his and my own enemy, changed the difcourfe immediately.

THE first step of the Duke of MONMOUTH'S rifing to authority in the army, was his being intrufted with the care, tho' not the command of it; which the Lord ARLINGTON consented to (notwithstanding in France, tis a part of his province, as chief Secre

tary

tary of State) both in friendship to him, and for his own ease, fince it faved him the trouble of fuch affairs, without diminution either to his power or profit; fince all commiffions still paffed through the Secretary's hands, and only orders now through the Duke's. The fecond advance he made, was the King's fending his commands to every Colonel that they fhould obey all directions which came from the Duke of MONMOUTH. This wanted but the formality of a commiffion to make him an abfolute General; and yet even thus far the Duke of YORK affifted him, fo blinded he was by his fondnefs of either husband or wife, or rather I think of both together.

BUT now an odd accident, only worth relating on that account, will let us fee the great uncertainty of court affairs, as well as the ignorance of those who most commonly write of them; very gravely attributing to prudence, or providence, what is often nothing else but humour, love, or jealousy : For, notwithstanding all this intimacy be tween the Duke of YORK, and his Nephew, such a firm one, that even a direct contrary intereft was unable to weaken; yet a little inconftancy in one of their Miftreffes, tho'

in favour of a third person, was the accidental cause of fuch a divifion between them, as never ceas'd till it coft one of them the hazard of his Crown, and the other that of his Life on a Scaffold.

ALL which, in compliance with your commands, fhall be fet down freely and faithfully, tho' not poflible to be recounted without too frequent mention of my self.

A Tour return from Tarmouth, the old Holland regiment was given me, and joined to another I had raised; by which I remain'd in command after the peace, when all our new Colonels were disbanded. This, I fuppofe, made thofe two Dukes think of me foon after for commanding the first regiment of Foot-guards, and defign'd the King fhould buy Colonel RUSSEL out of it for that purpose, having before prevailed with the good Lord CRAVEN to let me come over his head, who commanded the second regiment. But juft while this was settling, the Duke of MONMOUTH, ever ingaged in fome Amour, falls into great Anger against me, for an unlucky discovery that made too much noife in the Court at that time.

VOL. II.

D

HE

He had always great temper, and there fore offered no affront on the place; but wanted not the cunning to revenge himself a better way, by privately obtaining a promife of the King to let him have that command which was defigned for me: foreseeing then his own would become void, and perhaps be given to me, he proposed the Earl of OSSORY for that, against whom there could be no objection; fo ftopping up my way in both places.

THE Duke of YORK having openly made us friends, fufpected no fuch artifice and counterplotting in his Nephew as he found him but too capable of afterwards, in a much greater matter: Accordingly he thought it time to move the King about that alteration in the Guards, not in the least apprehending a repulfe. For the King, tho' of more Wit than most of those who influenced him, had that Foible of his Family to be cafily impofed on; so that it was a conftant method among his Minifters, first to fettle what they agreed to be done, and then offer it to the King; like an Act of Parliament, to which the negative voice is feldom apprehended.

BUT now that way of proceeding was the lofs of our bufinefs, and the defign mifcarried only by the clofenefs of its management: For, the King affured his Brother, that never dreaming of this his proposal he was ingaged already, but yet to another of his great friends; and then naming him, wondred at his being no fooner acquainted with it.

THE Duke was pleased to tell me this prefently with great refentment, not only for my disappointment, but that an alteration fhould be refolved on in the two best commands of the army, without his being first acquainted with it. It was natural for a man who lost his pretenfion, not to leffen this concern in the Duke; and therefore I, who during the Duke of MONMOUTH'S quarrel to me, had often tried in vain to fhake his intereft in that Prince, would not lofe fo fair an occafion to part them for

ever.

I told him therefore of how little importance my own fhare in this bufiness was, which I found amply recompenfed by his being fo much concerned about it. But I confefs'd my felf extreamly troubled at D 2 another