Mr# Sheridan's Speech after his Examination before the late Houfe of Commons, on Wedne/day the 15th* of December, 1680. TIs, I confefs Sir, a great misfortune to fall under the Difpleafiire of the Honoura¬ ble Houfe of Commons, tit is a Burdfen that no man, tho' never fo great* is able to bear j It cannot then bfe a wonder, if fo inconfiderable a Perfon, and of fo little ftrength as I, (hould ftoop under the weight $ Not that I fear any Danger to my Perfon, but grieve for the wounds it gives my Reputation, which I have always valu'd above my Life, and that it might be preferv'dfpotlefs. I have ever made it my ftudy to keep a good Conference, void of Offence, towards Cod and towards Alan ;3. ad therefore I little expected to be brought as a Criminal to this Bar, or any Tribunal. But I amconvinc d, fnnocence is no fecurity againft the Darts of Envy or Malice, and that he who will hazard his Body or his Soul, may take away the Life and Fame of any one at pleafure * 'tis to men of fuch principles I ©we my prefent Trouble: I do not fay this to reflect upon any Member of this Great and Honourable Affembly. My Evil is from without Doors, and I know the Authors and the Contrivance lb well, that, if it were convenient, I cou'd name them, and trace the whole Chain, Link by Link, to the very firft, hammer'dj by Preju¬ dice, and particular Intereft. I do not wonder that, in the prefent circumftanees, youfhoti'd have an ear open ' to all reports that any way relate to the publick, this is due to your Station, and to your Prudence ; and becaufe Juftice and your Honour require it, I as little doubtyour relerving the other ear for the Pleas and Defences of the Accus'd, or that you will condemn any man unheard: Upon this afluranceit is, that I am bold to beg, with all due refpeft and reverence, that I may have liberty to fpeakfor myfelf without interruption; If you are pleas'd to grant me this fa¬ vour, I will ufe it as fully and briefly as I can, for-your fatisfa&ion and my own vindi¬ cation. - [ I have been reprefented (I hope without offence I may fay, traduc d, fo r fo I can make it appear) for a: perfon of no Fortune,a Papift, a fecoiid Coleman, and what is more ridiculous, tho'not more falfe, a Jefuit,and the Duke's Confeflbr. In clearing my felffrom thtfe Afperfions,! muftbe fore'd to fay fomething, whichnothing but necefTity, that either has none, or breaks all Laws, can excule from vanity. As that I was born a Gentleman, of one of the ant.enteft Families, and related to many Confidcrable, in Ireland, in one County there is a Caftle, and a large Demean, and in another a greater trail of Land for feveral Miles together, yet known by our Name, I need not fay who was the head or chief, 'tis too much that myGrand-father was the laft who enjoy'd the Eftate,and that my Father left anOrphanin the beginning of King James % Reignfoon found himfelf difpolTefs'd and expos'd to the World, that whole County, with five others, being intirely entreated to the Crown My Parents Proteftants,my Mother a Gentlewoman ot England,of good Fortune, zFefter,who for myFathers fake quitted her Country and her Relations,both fam'd for honefty, for their Loyalty and Sufferings in rhe late Rebellion, when my Father fcap'd twice narrowly with his Life, and at laft was fore'd to fly, for relieving and protecting both the Fortunes and Perfons of very many Engltjh. To my Birth 1 had a fuitable Education •, I have fome flender pretence to Letters, am not altogethe. a Stranger to the Civil-law, nor the Laws of England, the means intended for my Livelyhood. * " \ But, without my feeking or knowledge, fome Friends procur'd for me the Colledtorfliip of the Guftoms of Corf, and the management of moft of the Inland-Revenue of that Coun¬ try: This Employment and the Accidents attending it, togetherwirh that of the Eafl-Indta Prizes, and others in the laft War with Holland, put into Kinfale, enabl'd me to bring for my qwn proportion of Advance-money, for the prefent Revenue-Farm of 95-321; as appeai:, upon Record in the Chancery of England; and being by a Brother of mine, then here, wichou. my privity or dtfire, engag'd in this undertaking, and a ftranger to all the Partnerfhip, excepting one, 'funs laft was 3 years 1 fold my Intereft for 4000 I, profit. This Money! employ din Corporation and Chur ch-Leafes, in Mortgages an^ other feeu- ritic , at 1 o I. per Cent, the Intereft of that Kingdom. And after this account', if I have no vifibfe real Eftat:, I hope no ran can doubt but that I may live independently, tho' befides I happen to b a younger Brother, fo fat from being a prejudice, that it's poffible4to prove my advantage, being deflgn'd the Heir of two cider Brothers, who neither have, nor are like to have any Children The Bills of Exchnge draw and remitted to and from Ireland, by Sir John Frederic Company, Mr. D Arthur and other known Merchants, will Ihew my proper Foad,ai.d no man's Bounty fupported my Expences; and therefore, becaufe I can with great Truth, I do t he more ft eely declare, That I neither have, nor ever had any Rela¬ tion to the Duke or Dutdrefs of York^, as a Servant or Dependent, a Sallary-man or Penfio- ner, and was fofar fron-I ccecding Mr. Coleman, that his Employment never enter'd into my Thoughts taken up with Affausof a far different nature. My journey to Flanders was no way criminal, and in a great meafure the effect of curiofity, having before feen very little of that ' „ 0 . - ■ Country, ■ . \ V ^ , c , 1 . , ' 515825 f 1 1 * . Country, Holland 1 or Germany j and as I went not with the Duke, fo my return in his Train was ' ' . . Vt » . , - -V - f , «r» t »• purely accident. For my Religion, as I was horn of Proteftant Parents, fo I was all.along bred a member of the Church of England,and (by the Grace of God) will live and die in this Profelfionj for it is not fo much owing to .the chance,of Education, as to my choice, being .fatisfid by Rea- fon, by Scripture, and the Laws of my Country, no inconfiderable Argument, that of all, it is the moft purely Chriftian. Since I wasfeventeen years of Agel have gone daly to Church, and feveral times in every . year receiv'd the Sacrament; I did fb twice while in as D>. and Dr. Doughty (the Duke's Chaplains) and others can witnefs; and I have done fo fix times fince my return thence, there are in this Honourable Houfy that can teftifie Ibme part of this Tiuth.Ihave taken the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy eleven times, am ready to.fijbmit to ail further in¬ junctions of Law in matters of Reiigion, haveinDifputes encounter'd, tho'unwillingly, with many of the feveral Orders abroad, remain'd unfhaken in my Principles; This at Ghent, putting a Jefuit (more zealous than the reft) into great paffion, made htrri pronounce rnc obftinate, and declare, He cou'd fooner bring over ten of the moft of England, than hope to make me a Profelyte. Now if all this be not" fufficient to wipe off the imputation of Popery, I confefs 1 am to feek for a defence. ^ * * f, * ' i i Among others 'tis obje&ed, That by my Intereft in his R.H. 1 got my Brother made a Biftiop, in oppofition to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and contrary to Merit. To this I anfwer, That myBrother has been as much,and as Injurioufly,though not fo publicly defam'd as Ijthat he came off with Honour 5 that a peak between two Great Lords of that Kingdom, and one of the greateft of this,did not only prevent his being fooner promoted,but was the occajfiooof his being befpatter'd with many falfhoodsand calumnies; that few in Ireland defer ve it better; that what he enjoys, he obtain d not in oppofition to, tho'without the recommendation of the chief Govemour, nor by the mediation of the Duke, but of a great Minifter, in the prefence of my Lord Bilhop of London,from the King's immediate Grace openly ftiewnin.Council, and with a particular mark of His Royal Favour. I hope 'tis no Crime to honour and revere the Duke as he is a Prince, or if a private man to love and value his innate Worth and Qualities ;or to have faid,as it is reported ( I wifh nothing clfe had been withlefs Truth) That I wou'd hazard my Life and Fortune to do him any lawful and juft Service; If it be a Crime, a$I can no ways apprehend of the Brother of my King, while publickly pray'd for in all the Churches of the three Kingdoms, I confefs my felf guilty ; But I am not fo wedded to his Intereft, as to efpoufe or purfue them,if he can have any fuch, contrary to the Duty I owe, and ever will pay my Sovereign, my Country, my Religion and my God. And l do he*« moft rokmuly proielt, asl hope for Heaven, if I knew him in any inftancea Confpirator or a Traitor, I wou'd not only deteft, but endeavour to bring him to publick Juftice ; and if ever he can be prov'da Criminal of this nature, I will have no more refpeCt nor regard, but lefs, for him, than I wou'd for any common Offender. And therefore, with¬ out the hopes of reward, or the fears of punifhment, I declare in the prefence of the Almigh¬ ty, If I knew any part of the Popi/h-Plot, ortheperfons concern'd in't, I wou'd long fince have reveal'd the whole Contrivance. But none in their fenfes can believe, that a known Proteftant cou'd be made privy to fuch a Confpiracy ; to which, if neceffary, mightbeadded, that I was in a Country remote from that, where the Defign is faid to be hatch'd. • I own my felf of foextenfivea Charity, to love the perfons of all honeft Men, notwith- ftanding their differing from me in opinion, about the Modes and Circumftances of Religion, and to be for Liberty of Confcience, when confiftent with the fafety of the ftate, to all quiet and peaeeableDiflenters; But when'tis urg'dand madeufe of toother ends, or as a Cloak for Rebellion or Treachery, I abominate all fuch Indulgence. But lwill no longer dwell on this SubjeCt, than to mind you of Collonei Manfe!s mifthkeor forgetfulnefs, whenhe informs this Honourable Houfe, That in or about July, 1678. I din'd at his Treat for a German Lord, m order to a Defign of his upon a Foreign Command, and that 2 or 3 days after, I Jhou'd advtfe him againft it,telling him the Duke wou'd very foonhave occapon fuch Officers. Firft, I do fay, to have faid fo was no Crime; Butleafily fee through this Arti¬ fice, 'tis to ferve as an argument, that I underftood fomcwhat of the Plot,of which I am as ig¬ norant as any man livi ng,beyond what I have fince learnt from the Prints and public Fame. In thenextplace, I do utterly deny I ever faid the words, becaufcldo not know the Duke had any fuch Defign, and am certain I cannot invent . Befides, by many circumftances, need- lefs here to mention, that Dinner was after the Courts return from Windfor, and confequently after the breaking forth of the Plot. I defire the Gentleman wou'd recollecft himfelf; at that time he was very great and intimate with a Roman Catholick, H. iV. from whom if he heard not the words, as I am not apt to imagine, I am confident he dream'd them. He cannot be ignorant that I knew why he was disbanded in Ireland, &c. and that I always declin'd, not only as having no intereft, but as unwilling for other reafons, to introduce him to the Duke, as he often preffd; and Therefore he made his application to others, but with as ill fuccefs. And now give me leave, I befeech yoq, 'Mr. Speaker , to anfwer an ©bjedion , that I i >. ■ - ' . ' hav* » » '• ' ___ f ^ ^ ^ ^ _ ... ♦ - v have prefcrib'd a way how the King fliou d live without Parliaments: l am fo far from enter-' taining fuch a thought, that I ever efteefh'd the Conftitutions of by King, ' Lords and Commons the happieft kind of Government in the world ; arid if the difcourfe called. The and Power of Parliaments,&c. be mine, of which many will have the the Author , the reading it, wori'ti be of this a fufficient Confutation : In that, Parliaments are rhagnifi'd, their power rather enlarg'd than lelTeri'd, and their frequeat meetings recornrtkrided as moft.convenient., \ In a word, whatever Character my Adverfaries have given of'me, I am not a Proteftantin Mafquerade, I can neither Lie nor Diffemble, I am really what I proofs*,';. and as the word is commonly taken, no lover of Arbitrary Government, in any firigle'of complicated body;-' As to the Letter Subfcrib'd by Fitz- f ames , I do fuicerely proteft I have no Acquaintance with any of the Name, nor ever law the Hand before, nor the intended Mefi'ehger C. who riot finding me, left it with the Maid-fervant : But in this there is n'othing'Criqsihal. As to the Computations, they are a Tranftript from a Paper of Sir Peter Pens, containing the number of Conformifts, Non-Confor mitts and Papifts throughout England, taken by the Bifhops order, in, or about the time of tire General Indulgence and by him prodrie'd preferitly after the Plot,upon the talk that there were fifty thoufand Papifts,able to pear Arfnsjwithin Temple-, Bar and about Weftminfler -, a number near double to what, at the taking this Purvey, they were found men, women and children in the whole Kingdom. For the Copy of my Coufin Wilfons Writing, Iconfefs-it the only thing I endeavour'd to evade, having ingenuoufly, and without referve anfwer'dall other qtieftions. That individual Paper I never faw before the preceding night, when meeting it in the Drawer of my Bed¬ chamber, (always open, whether I am at home or abroad) I laid it upperrhoft with purpofe of Inquiring how became by it, and whether he knew the Author; But not feeing Him till next day in prefence of the Members fent to fearch my Lodgings, I cou'd not ask him, and was fur- priz'dto have folndifcrect and ffefledtive a Paper found units hand, and among mine.'Tis true, thaf about three Weeks before, I found another of the fame Contents, in an Old Crabbed hand, tome unknown; which after I had Read , and concluded it might poflibly be left by fome of my Acquaintance in their Yifits , and being unable to guefs at the perfon , not knowing how longit had layn there, being Dated above a Month before, I immediatly threw it into the fire. Yet in this Paper, which has made fo great anoife, there is neither Felony nor« Treafon; and being the Ad of another, and never by me publifh'd, having neither Sub, nor Superfcriptiori, nor Writ to, nor for from me, nor Copi'd by my Order, cannot, I prefume, be a Libel, nor I hope imputed to me, to whom it came perfectly by Accident: If it were lawful to "p:.ak ores guefles from the Contents, itfhou'd feem to have come from a Learned Gentler fri :n,one of your own Members, then in the Country,SkiU'& in ihiSpanifh Tongue,to which both r Coufin arid I are petfed ftrangcrs; nor was either of us out of In*Aon then , or for fbme- t me before. If I cou'd as well hit upon the perfon, as his Quality, I wou'd give a more Sa- tisfa&ory account of„this matter ; and I hope this Honourable Alfembly will the fooner Credit me, when they re fled, that upon feeing another Paper of my Kinfmans writing, I wou'd not by a lie deny this to be his hand. , , 1 1 As for my Writing to Mr. Gadhttry, I refer my felf to the Letter in Sir IV. Waller's hands : ( have told you tlie accidental occafion; I defir'd from him, (whofe Acquaintance I knew" large, even among the Members of that Parliament ) the moft material of public News; I neither ask'd for Schemes or Figures, lhave ever Laugh'd at the idle and ridiculous Art of Judicial Aftrology, invented, at leaftpradis'd, to Impofe upon, and Pick the Pockets of the Ig¬ norant and the Credulous. ' . And now as to the Caufe of my Commitment: TheftoryDr. D. toldmeas News, of Norris his knowing as much of theP/of as any man in England, his going, or being gone into France to fetch a Prieft to be a Witnefs. I can only fay , as near as I remember, I gave the fame account to Mr. Secretary; not as an Informer, but as News; for not being look'd upon as fuch, 1 was not defir'd to Swear, norcou'd I to a hear-fay: In this I call Heaven to witnefs I had no Sinifter defign, but an Honeft intention of having the full Truth brought to Light: Nor do I know, nor have I any reafon to believe, that Mr. after proceedings fwere from any other principle. Upon my telling him the Name oCNor¬ ris, and his faying he had never before heard it, and commanding me to fend the Doftor to him, or the others Defcripticn ; As foon as I met with the Doftor, which was feveral dayes after this Difcourfe ; and he as not knowing Mr, Secretary refuting to go, 1 defir'd from him the Defcription, which fome time after, he broth ht me; I gave or fent to Mr. Secretary, for I cannot tell whether. But of this I am certain, that all I knew of the Affair, was from the Do&oronly; and that \ never communicated it to any, but Mr. Secretary, and that by what I writ under the Defcription, appears to be near a Month after Norris his departure; and con- fequently cou'd not be defign d to ftop his Journey , or prevent the Priefts coming over, or obftrudt the fuller difcovery of the Plot, which no man living defires more than my felf, be¬ lieving it the Intereft of every honeft Subjeft and Proteftant, ( out of which number 1 cannot be excluded ) to have all in't from the higheft to the loweft punifh'd according to merit; and that tranquility it has fo long difturb'd, re-fettl'd in the Kingdom: And now I hope none of lh£i C C) of the Members of this Honourable Houfe can imagine I cou'd be guilty of fo Horrid a Crime^ as having any knowledge of the Priefts being poifon'd, as is fufpefted, or given out he might be. Iam fo ignorant of this, or any part of the Confpiracy, that I do not fo much defpife, a$ decline, becaufe not needing it, the generous offer of Mr. or other Members Inter- ceffion for my Pardon: I acknowledge, as I ought, the Favour with all fitting refpe&s but I thank God, I am fo Innocent, that I dare, as now I do, challenge the whole world, to make; out one particular, wherein Word or A&ion, in the whole courfe of my life, I have done or fpoken falfly, or un juftly; and yet no man ever fuffer'd more Calumnies, without any caufe, or the leaftfhadow of Truth, beyond the witty malice of thofe, whofe Eyes are blinded, and Conferences fear'd by Envy and Intereft, who from pretended Friends are become my real Advcrfaries, contrary to Reafon and Juftice. But further, none can believe I cou'd keep any dangerous Correfpondencc, when its well known that for thefe three years and a half all my Letters were no otherwife Directed, than for me at the Royal Befides it appear'd at the Committee by Norris his own Papers, that this Prieft (whofe Name I never heard before) died September laft was twelve Months, eight Months be¬ fore! heard there was fuch a man in the world as , and at a time when I was in another Country. And fince you have thought fit to acquit Dr £>., who was my Author and Princi¬ pal, and who own'd himfelf a RomanCathoUek,; I hope you will not think it equal, that I a known.fincere Proteftant, and but an Accelfary, fhou'd itand Committed, and Committed after fuch a manner, as neither Felon nor Traitor, not only Accus'd, but Convitted, cou'd fuffer a Clofer Confinement. And here, Mr. Speaker, I intreat your leave to ask Pardon, if at the Committee my behavi¬ our has offended any of the Members of this Honourable Houfe, and to fay, whatever heatl exprefs'd, was the efted of Paffion, to which I was mov'd by hearing feveral of them in public, as at L ocketts and other Eating and Coffee-h, had call'd me Papifi, and a fecond Coleman, with other Afperfions I cou'd not bear without refentment: To this was added my being commanded a Meffenger forj Dr. D. an office beneath me , and wherein 1 cou'd not expert to be fuccefsful, not knowing whether he wou'd appear without Compulfion I hope ic will not be accounted an unexpiable Crime for a Gentleman of more Years and Difcretion, thanlcan pretend to, to (hew himfelf difturb'dat a conceiv'd Indignity or Affront-, and in hopes it may not be accounted fo hainous, I do once more withalldue Submiffion beg pardon* There is one thing more I cannot without trouble touch upon, the Refleftions the Written Votes, very different from the Printed, bring upon my Reputation: In thofe 'tis laid, it ap¬ pears that \ have fuccecded Mr. Coleman, than which there never was a more groundless, falfe, or malicious invention: And alfo that I queftion'd your Authority, and fgid your Proceedings look'd Kke the late Rebellion. However: Sir William Roberts came to make the R ->^r t words were 10 Sir JoBh Morton in another Room, and to him I appeal, whether rhey were not thus. Upon his advifing that 1 fhou'd fare the better, if I freely fhew'd my Papers, I told him I wou'd not hid one, nor difputc their power , tho I had heard others did j and that the Seizing Clofets and Writings, was not only Illegal, but look'd upon as one of the Caufes of the laft Rebellion; thereupon he wifh'dl had not fa id the Words I reply d, I meant no harm by thofe Obje&ions, and notwithftanding my mentioning them, they fhou'd find in me a readinefs to obey, and anintire fubmiffion; and added, if they were otfenfive,I unfaid them, and ask'd his pardon, as I now humbly do from the whole Houfe, if I am rhought herein to have offended.- And to do Sir John Juftice, hewaspleas'd to promifc he wou drake no notice of the Difcourfe, unlets commanded ; to whom with the reft of the Committee I refer my felf, whe¬ ther of my own accord I was not going along with them,when 1 met your Meffenger. If I had been guilty of any Crime, I had not only Warning, but Threats and Advices to fly many days, fome weeks before, when I was told by Letters from unknown hands, and by feveral perfons of Honour and Quality, that I was defign'd to be brought into trouble} I need not in this place fay, for what reafon. And here I cannot by the way but take notice of a Re¬ port made by Juftice Warcup at this Bar, and fpre&d atCoffee-boufes ■, that he fhou'd have Search'd Mr .SheridansLodgings,and there found only a Parcel of Popijh Books,whereas he never was in mine, but at Mr.. Brunei ty's Houfe, an Italian Merchant, whofe Books thofe muft have been, and therefore I hope this was fome Clarks, rather than his miftake. And now fince no man can be plac'd beyond the reach of Malice, and the devices of the wicked, and that I happen to be brought hither as a fuppos'd Criminal, I am extreamiy pleas'd, I have the good fortune to meet with fo wife and equal Judges, as compofe this Auguft and Honourable Aflembly } where I am fo far from fears, that I do not doubt, but upon an exa