his Majefty's Dominions." The Marquefs de Lamberti tranfmitted this Letter to the Duke of Lorrain, left London towards the End of November, and took a Journey' to Oxford, expecting his Matter's Anfwer, which having receiv'd about the Beginning of December, he communicated the fame to the Lord Viscount Townshend. The faid Anfwer was as follows:

The Duke of Lorrain's Letter to his Minifter Monfieur Lamberti, dated at Nancy the 6th of December, 1714.

I

N. S.

Believe, Sir, you no Ways doubt of my being extremely furpriz'd to hear by the Courier which came from you, that when you apply'd to my Lord Townshend to obtain an Audience, that Minifter made Anfwer, that fince the Chevalier de St. George remain'd ftill in my Dominions, the King thought fit to forbid you the Court. In Cafe his Majefty thould continue in this disagreeable Refolution with Refpect to me, I muft fubmit to his Pleasure, and you have nothing else to do but to return hither as foon as you are able: However, you are first to apply to the Duke of Marlborough, and to the King's Minifters, defiring them to lay before his Majefty the unfortunate Situation I am in, if after having been fo ready to let the King know the Part I take in his Acceffion to the Crown of England, and after having been one of the first to make my Complements, and flew my Zeal on this Occafion, all Europe fhould be acquainted that his Majesty has fome Reafon to be diffatisfy'd with me: That I cannot conceive whence this fhould proceed, fince as to the Chevalier de St. George, the World knows by what Means he came into this Country: That every one is inform'd of the Situation of my Territories, which are furrounded and cut through on all Sides by France: That 'tis known how I had no Share in his coming into my Country; that I neither invited him to come thither, nor could I force him to go away: That lately upon the Death of Queen Anne, I knew nothing of his leaving Bar till twelve Hours after he was gone from thence; and that I knew nothing of his Return to Bar till after he was come back, as a Traveller that goes backwards and forwards in an open Country, and intermixt with other Territories, as mine is: That as to the Manifefto or Declaration dated at Plombieres, which the Chevalier de St. George had got printed, I knew nothing more of it, than that he gave

me

me one, after it had been publifh'd: But that really I am much concern'd to hear from you, that it has been reported, that the fame Manifeftoes have been spread abroad by you, or by thofe of your Retinue. I own to you that I am extremely concern'd at this; and that in fome Sort it feems to be a Defign to make me uneafy, to give out, that either I or my Servants meddled in fuch an Affair.

These are the Reasons which I have to offer, and which I would have you defire thofe Gentlemen to lay before the King; in Hopes they will convince his Majefty of my most respectful Adherence to him, and that his Majefty will be pleas'd to admit you to an Audience.

But if, contrary to my Expectation, the King will not grant you an Audience, you are to come away, having.. defir'd the Minifters to let the King know the Concern I am under, and that I hope his Majefty will please to accept of my good Intentions, and the early Care I took to fhew him the inviolable Zeal I have for him. This is all you will have from me.

I am, &c.

When the Marquefs de Lamberti communicated this Letter to the King's Minifters, he, at the fame Time, exprefs'd his Mafter's deep Concern ar this unlucky Affair, which obftructed the Friendship and good Understanding he had fo early fought with his Britannick Majefty, for whom he ever entertain'd the highest Esteem and Venera tion. And he likewife exprefs'd his own particular Concern; and the great Mortification it was to him, not to be admitted to a Court, he had fo great a Defire to be made known to. C He was answer'd, That it was not out of any Prejudice to his Perfon, nor even to the Perfon of his Mafter, for whom the King had a great Efteem`; but that as Affairs ftood at prefent, tho' his Excufes were ' in fome Measure allowable, yet his Majefty was the best Judge of what was confiftent with his own Honour and Dignity; and as his Majesty was likewife fenfible of the Duke's Readinefs to feek and cultivate a Friendship with his Majefty, fo the King wifh'd, that the Gaufes which obftructed the fame, at prefent, might be fpeedily remov'd." The Marquefs de Lamberti finding by this Answer, that his Majefty infifted on the Removal of the Pretender from the Dominions of Lorrain, before he would admit him to Audience, took his Leave of the Lord Townbend, and foon after fet out from London on his Return Home.

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About

About the Beginning of December, the King fign'd three Proclamations: One for putting the Laws in Execution against Papifts and Nonjurers, which was as follows:

GEORGE R.

Hereas of late feveral Riots, Tumults, and un

W lawful Affemblies, have been in many Parts of

this Realm, to the Disturbance of the publick Peace, and to the endangering of all Order and Government; and there is great Reafon to apprehend, that the fame are very much promoted and encourag'd by Papifts, Nonjurers, and other Perfons difaffected to our Government, Favourers of the Pretender: And whereas the faid Pretender has publifh'd a traiterous Paper, under the Title of his Declaration, of the Date of the Nine and Twentieth Day of August laft, N. S. which hath been difpers'd in many. Parts of our Dominions, and in feveral Parts of Europe, in manifeft Violation of our lawful and rightful Title to the Crown of thefe Realms: And whereas by an Act of Parliament made in the firft Year of the Reign of the late King William and Queen Mary, entitled, An Act for the better fecuring the Government, by difarming Papifts and reputed Papifts, it was enacted, That it fhould and might be lawful for any two, or more Juftices of the Peace, who fhould know, or fufpect any Perfon to be a Papift, or fhould be inform'd that any Perfon was, or was fufpected to be a Papift, to tender, and they were thereby authoriz'd and requir'd forthwith to tender to fuch Perfon, fo known or fufpected to be a Papift, the Declaration fet down and exprefs'd in an Act of Parliament made in the Thirtieth Year of the Reign of the late King Charles the Second, entitled, An Act for the more effectual preferving 'the King's Perfon and Government, by disabling Papifts from fitting in either House of Parliament, to be by him made, repeated, and fubfcrib'd; and if fuch Perfon fo requir'd, fhould refuse to make, repeat, and subscribe the faid Declaration, or refufe, or forbear to appear before the faid Juftices, for the making, repeating, and fubfcribing thereof, on Notice to him given, or left at his usual Place of Abode by any Perfon authoriz'd in that Behalf, by Warrant under the Hands and Seals of the faid two Juftices, he was in and by that Act prohibited to have or keep in his Houfe, or elsewhere, or in the Poffeffion of any other Perfon, to his Ufe, or at his Difpofition, any Arms, Weapons, Gunpowder, or Ammunition, other than

fuch

fuch necessary Weapons as fhould be allow'd to him by Order of the Justices of the Peace at their General Quarter Seflions, for the Defence of his Houfe or Perfon; and that any two or more Juftices of the Peace, by Warrant under their Hands and Seals, by Virtue of that Act, might authorize and impower any Perfon or Perfons, in the Day-time, with the Affiftance of the Conftable, or his Deputy, or the Tythingman, or Headborough, where the Search should be, to fearch for all Arms, Weapons, Gunpowder, or Ammunion, which fhould be in the Houfe, Cuftody, or Poffeffion of any fuch Papift, or reputed Papift, and feize the fame for our Ufe: And farther, That no Papift, or reputed Papift, fo refufing, or making Dfault, fhould or might have, or keep in his own Poffeffion, or in the Poffeffion of any other Perfon to his Ufe, or ac his Difpofition, any Horfe, or Horfes, which should be above the Value of five Pounds, to be fold; and that any two, or more Juftices of the Peace, by Warrant under their Hands and Seals, might, and thould authorize any Perfon or Perfons, with fuch Affiftance as aforefaid, where the Search fhould be, to fearch for, and feize for our Ufe, all fuch Horfe and Horfes, which fhould be above the Value of five Pounds, to be fold: And whereas by another Act made in the faid first Year of the Reign of their faid late Majefties King William and Queen Mary, entitled, An Act for the Abrogating of the Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance, and appointing other Oaths, all Perfons who fhould retufe to take the Oaths therein directed to be taken, after the Tenders thereby directed to be made, and fhould refufe to make and fubfcribe the faid Declaration, in the faid Act of the Thirtieth Year of the faid late King Charles the Second, fhould fuffer all Pains, Penalties, Forfeitures, and Difabilities, as a Popish Recufant Convict, and be taken and deem'd Popish Recufants Convict to all Intents and Purposes whatsoever: And whereas in and by one other Act made in the Parliament of Great Britain, in the fixth Year of the Reign of the late Queen Anne, our dear Sifter, entitled, An Act for the better Security of her Majefty's Perfon and Government, it was enacted, That it fhould and might be lawful for any two Justices of the Peace, whereof one of them to be of the Quorum, within any of the Counties, Ridings, Divifions, Stewarties, Cities, or Boroughs, within our Kingdom of Great Britain, or any other Perfon or Perfons, who fhall be by us, for that Purpose, fpecially appointed by Order in our Privy Council, or by Commiffion under our Great Seal,

at any Time or Times, to fummon and convene before them all fuch Perfons within the Limits of their refpe&tive Jurifdictions, Powers and Authorities, as they should or might fufpect to be dangerous, or difaffected to us, or our Government, and should and might tender to every such Person and Perfons, the Oath in that Act mention'd, commonly call'd, The Abjuration Oath, and fhould at the next Quarter Seflions of the Peace, to be held for the County or Place in which the faid Oath fhould be tender'd, certify the Chriftian Name and Sirnames, and Places of Abode, of all Perfons refufing to take the faid Oath, to be there recorded, and fhall be from thence certify'd by the Clerk of the Peace of fuch County, Riding, Liberty, Borough, Town Corporate, or Place within England, into the Court of Chancery, or King'sBench at Westminster, and by the Clerk of the Peace of every Shire, Stewarty, Borough, or Place, in Scotland, into the Court of Seffion there, to be recorded in the Regifter, or Rolls of the faid refpective Courts; and if the Perfon fo refufing and certify'd, fhall not within the next Term, or Seflion, after fuch Refufal, appear in the Court of Chancery, King's Bench, or Seffion, where fuch Certificate shall be return'd, and in open Court audibly and folemnly take and subscribe the Oath aforefaid, and endorse, or enter, his fo doing upon the Certificate fo return'd, shall be from the Time of fuch his Neglect or Refufal, taken, esteem'd, and adjudg'd a Popish Recufant Convict, and as fuch, fhall forfeit and undergo fuch Penalties as a Popish Recufant Convict ought to do, by the Laws then in Force within England: And by an Act made in the Five and Thirtieth Year of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, every Popish Recufant Convict is to repair to the Place of his ufual Dwelling, or Abode, and not at any Time to remove above fiye Miles from thence, unless thereunto licens'd according to the Direction of that Act, or of a fubfequent Act, made in the third Year of the Reign of the late King James the First: Now for the Prefervation of the publick Peace, and for preventing the like traiterous Practices for the future, we have thought fit, by and with the Advice of our Privy Council, to iffue this our Royal Proclamation, hereby commanding and requiring all our Juftices of the Peace, and all others whom it may concern, that they do, with the utmost Diligence and Application, put the faid Laws ftrictly in Execution against Papifts and Nonjurors, and that they tender to them the faid Oaths and Declaration, and take

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