the custody of the mayor, and the other of the fheriff; but their lands and goods were not feized.

Waller was ftill to immerse himself deeper in ignominy. The earl of Portland and lord Conway denied the charge, and there was no evidence against them but the confeffion of Waller, of which undoubtedly many would be inclined to question the veracity.. With thefe doubts he was fo much terrified, that he endeavoured to perfuade Portland to a declaration like his own, by a letter extant in Fenton's edition.. "But for me," fays he, "you had ne-"ver known any thing of this business, "which was prepared for another; and "therefore I cannot imagine why you: "fhould:

"fhould hide it fo far as to contract

your own ruin by concealing it, and perfifting unreasonably to hide that "truth, which, without you, already is, "and will every day be made more, "manifeft. Can you imagine yourself "bound in honour to keep that secret, "which is already revealed by another; 66 or poffible it should still be a fecret, "which is known to one of the other "fex ?-If you perfift to be cruel to "yourself for their fakes who deferve "it not, it will nevertheless be made

appear, ere long, I fear, to your ruin. "Surely, if I had the happiness to wait " on you, I could move you to com"paffionate both yourself and me, who, "defperate as my cafe is, am defirous

"to

to die with the honour of being "known to have declared the truth. "You have no reafon to contend to "hide what is already revealed-incon"fiderately to throw away yourself, for "the intereft of others, to whom you "are lefs obliged than you are aware * of."

This perfuafion feems to have had little effect. Portland fent (June 29) a letter to the Lords, to tell them, that he “is in custody, as he conceives, with

out any charge; and that, by what "Mr. Waller hath threatened him with

66

.66

fince he was imprifoned, he doth ap

prehend a very cruel, long, and ruinous reftraint:-He therefore prays, "that he may not find the effects of " Mr.

"Mr. Waller's threats, by a long and

clofe imprisonment; but may be

speedily brought to a legal trial, and "then he is confident the vanity and "falfehood of those informations which have been given against him will ap

In confequence of this letter, the Lords ordered Portland and Waller to be confronted; when the one repeated his charge, and the other his denial. The examination of the plot being continued (July 1), Thinn, ufher of the houfe of Lords, depofed, that Mr. Waller having had a conference with the lord Portland in an upper room, lord Portland faid, when he came down, "Do

46

me the favour to tell my lord North

“umberland,

«umberland, that Mr. Waller has ex"tremely preffed me to fave my own "life and his, by throwing the blame

66

upon the lord Conway and the earl "of Northumberland."

Waller, in his letter to Portland, tells him of the reafons, which he could urge with refiflefs efficacy in a perfonal conference; but he over-rated his own oratory: his vehemence, whether of perfuafion or intreaty, was returned with contempt.

One of his arguments with Portland is, that the plot is already known to a This woman was doubtless

woman.

lady Aubigny, who, upon this occafion, was committed to cuftody; but who, in reality,