s least, at that time, against
France, whose great statesman, Mazarin, had made terms with the
Republic, and retained the friendship of the restored king. A trivial
dispute on the Guinea Coast was fanned into a quarrel by the Duke of
York, who was a sailor, and who hoped to strengthen his position at
home by his professional skill, in which he only partially
succeeded. This is the war that terminated in the memorable change of
front of the Triple Alliance, uniting the Dutch, the English, and the
Swedes against France. It was a popular but totally ineffective
measure; and in 1669 England abandoned her allies and went over to
France. Lewis XIV accomplished this important diplomatic success by
the Treaty of Dover, the first in the process of events that overthrew
the Stuart monarchy, and brought in the modern type of Constitution.

Soon after his return to England, Charles opened negotiations with
Rome, which were carried on through one of his sons, born before
Monmouth, who became a Jesuit; and he vainly endeavoured to obtain
supplies from Alexander VII. Later on, he sought them in France. It
was impossible, he said, to restore the royal authority unless it was
done through the restoration of Catholicism. That could be secured, if
Lewis would make him independent of the House of Commons. The scheme
was prepared in January 1669, Arlington consenting, for a bribe of
L12,000. It was decided to restore the Catholic Church in England by
such a display of force as should be sufficient to raise the crown
above the restraints of parliament. In execution of the design Lewis
advanced L80,000, and undertook, in case of resistance, to furnish a
force of 6000 men, to be a French garrison in England, for the
repression of Protestants. The sum was much less than Charles
demanded, for the object of the French king was not to strengthen, but
to weaken him. The second point in the Treaty was that England engaged
to support France in any claims she might have upon Spain. Lastly,
England was to help her ally against Holland, in return for further
payments and the annexation of Walcheren. But it was agreed to
postpone the Dutch war until the year 1672. That is the solid
substance of the phantom which is called the Popish Plot.

It was, in reality, a plot, under cover of Catholicism, to introduce
absolute monarchy, and to make England a dependency of France, not
only by the acceptance of French money, but by submission to a Fren