religion."

Public agitation steadily rose. Evelyn tells us, "he dare not write
all the strange talk of the town." Distrust of the king, fear of his
brother, hatred of popery and papists, filled men's minds and blinded
their reason with prejudice. That the city had seven years ago been
destroyed by fire, in accordance with a scheme of the wicked Jesuits,
was a belief which once more revived: the story of the gunpowder plot
was again detailed. Fearful suspicions sprang up and held possession
of the vulgar mind, that the prosecutions suffered by protestants under
Queen Mary might be repeated in the reign of the present monarch, or of
his brother. That heaven might defend the country from being overrun
by popery, the House of Commons besought his majesty to order a day
of fasting and humiliation. And by way of adding fury to the gathering
tempest, the bishops, Burnet states, "charged the clergy to preach
against popery, which alarmed the court as well as the city, and the
whole nation."

The king therefore complained to Dr. Sheldon, Archbishop of Canterbury,
that the discourse heard in every pulpit throughout the capital and the
kingdom was "calculated to inflame the people, and alienate them from
him and his government." Upon which Dr. Sheldon called the bishops
together, that he might consult with them as to what answer he had best
make. Whereon these wise men declared "since the king himself professed
the protestant religion, it would be a thing without a precedent that
he should forbid his clergy to preach in defence of a religion, while
he himself said he was of it." The next action which served to inflame
public prejudice against catholicism, was the marriage of the Duke of
York to a princess professing that faith.

Soon after the death of his wife, it was considered wise and well his
royal highness should marry again. Of the four sons and four daughters
the duchess had borne him, three sons and one daughter had died before
their mother, and the surviving son and another daughter quickly
followed her to the tomb; therefore, out of eight children but two
survived, Mary and Anne, at this time respectively aged nine and seven.
It being desirable there should be a male heir-presumptive to the crown,
the king was anxious his brother should take unto himself a second wife.
And that a lady might be found worthy of the exalted station to
which such a union would raise her, the Earl of Peterborough was sent
incognito to re