The Diary Of John Evelyn Vol-2

1695-96 JOHN EVELYN

ing given occasion to the levy of ship money was perhaps
the cause of all the after troubles to this day. An earth-
quake in Dorsetshire by Portland, or rather a sinking of
the ground suddenly for a large space, near the quarries
of stone, hindering the conveyance of that material for
the finishing St. Paul's.

23d February, 1696. They now began to coin new
money.

26th February, 1696. There was now a conspiracy of
about thirty knights, gentlemen, captains, many of them
Irish and English Papists, and Nonjurors or Jacobites (so
called), to murder King William on the first opportunity
of his going either from Kensington, or to hunting, or
to the chapel; and upon signal of fire to be given from
Dover Cliff to Calais, an invasion was designed. In
order to it there was a great army in readiness, men-of-
war and transports, to join a general insurrection here,
the Duke of Berwick having secretly come to London to
head them, King James attending at Calais with the
French army. It was discovered by some of their own
party. ^"1,000 reward was offered to whoever could ap-
prehend any of the thirty named. Most of those who
were engaged in it, were taken and secured. The Parlia-
ment, city, and all the nation, congratulate the discov-
ery ; and votes and resolutions were passed that, if King
William should ever be assassinated, it should be revenged
on the Papists and party through the nation; an Act of
Association drawing up to empower the Parliament to
sit on any such accident, till the Crown should be dis-
posed of according to the late settlement at the Revolu-
tion. All Papists, in the meantime, to be banished ten
miles from London. This put the nation into an incred-
ible disturbance and general animosity against the French
King and King James. The militia of the nation was
raised, several regiments were sent for out of Flanders,
and all things put in a posture to encounter a descent.
This was so timed by the enemy, that while we were
already much discontented by the greatness of the taxes,
and corruption of the money, etc., we had like to have
had very few men-of-war near our coasts; but so it
pleased God that Admiral Rooke wanting a wind to pur-
sue his voyage to the Straits, that squadron, with others
at Portsmouth, and other places, were still in the Channely [in St. Martin's]; and setens to in-