"
Furthermore, the House sent a message to the Peers, desiring
their concurrence in this request; but the Lords made answer,
before doing so they would examine the witnesses against her
majesty. This resolution was loudly and indecently protested
against by Lord Shaftesbury and two of his friends.
The king had discredited the story of the plot from the first;
but remembering the unhappy consequences which had resulted upon
the disagreement of the monarch and his parliament in the
previous reign, he weakly resolved to let himself be carried away
by the storm, other than offer it resistance. On the
condemnation of the Jesuits, he had appeared unhappy and
dissatisfied; "but," says Lord Romney, "after he had had a little
advice he kept his displeasure to himself." The Duke of York
states, in the Stuart Papers, that "the seeming necessity of his
affairs made his majesty think he could not be safe but by
consenting every day to the execution of those he knew in his
heart to be most innocent." Now, however, when foul charges were
made against the queen, calculated not merely to ruin her honour
but destroy her life, he resolved to interfere. He therefore
requested she would return to Whitehall, where she should be safe
under his protection; and feeling assured Oates had received
instructions from others more villainous than their tool, he
ordered a strict guard to be kept upon him. This he was,
however, obliged to remove next day at request of the Commons.
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