y laid before her majesty, as
I do now before the rest of the world, the books themselves to plead in
my behalf; representing further, that I was maliciously informed against
by those who were willing to put a construction upon the expressions
different from my true meaning; and therefore, flying to her majesty's
goodness and clemency, I entreated her gracious pardon.

It was not only the native disposition of her majesty to acts of
clemency and goodness that obtained me this pardon; but, as I was
informed, her majesty was pleased to express it in the council, "She saw
nothing but private pique in the first prosecution." And therefore I
think I cannot give a better and clearer vindication of myself; than
what is contained in the preamble to the pardon which her majesty was
pleased to grant me; and I must be allowed to say to those who are still
willing to object, that I think what satisfied her majesty might be
sufficient to satisfy them; and I can assure them that this pardon was
not granted without her majesty's being specially and particularly
acquainted with the things alleged in the petition, the books also being
looked into, to find the expressions quoted in the petition. The
preamble to the patent for a pardon, as far as relates to the matters of
fact, runs thus:--

"Whereas, in the term of the Holy Trinity last past, our
attorney-general did exhibit an information, in our court of
Queen's Bench at Westminster, against Daniel De Foe, late of
London, gent., for writing, printing, and publishing, and causing
to be written, printed, and published, three libels, the one
entituled, Reasons against the Succession of the House of Hanover;
with an Inquiry how far the Abdication of King James, supposing it
to be legal, ought to affect the person of the Pretender. One
other, entituled, And what if the Pretender should come? or, Some
Considerations of the Advantages and real Consequences of the
Pretender's possessing the Crown of Great Britain. And one other,
entituled, An Answer to a Question that nobody thinks of, viz.,
What if the Queen should die?

"And whereas the said Daniel De Foe hath by his humble petition
represented to us, that he, with a sincere design to propagate the
interest of the Hanover succession, and to animate the people
against the designs of the pretender, whom he always looked on as
an enemy to our sacred per