ther than promise to punish
such as should do her any injury, the prisoner himself had the humanity
to waive her testimony.

So far the informers had proceeded with success: their accusation was
hitherto equivalent to a sentence of death. The first check which they
received was on the trial of Sir George Wakeman, the queen's physician,
whom they accused of an intention to poison the king. It was a strong
circumstance in favor of Wakeman, that Oates, in his first information
before the council, had accused him only upon hearsay; and when asked by
the chancellor, whether he had any thing further to charge him with, he
added, "God forbid I should say any thing against Sir George; for I know
nothing more against him." On the trial he gave positive evidence of
the prisoner's guilt. There were many other circumstances which
favored Wakeman: but what chiefly contributed to his acquittal, was the
connection of his cause with that of the queen, whom no one, even during
the highest prejudices of the times, could sincerely believe guilty. The
great importance of the trial made men recollect themselves, and recall
that good sense and humanity which seemed, during some time, to have
abandoned the nation. The chief justice himself, who had hitherto
favored the witnesses, exaggerated the plot, and railed against the
prisoners, was observed to be considerably mollified, and to give a
favorable charge to the jury. Oates and Bedloe had the assurance to
attack him to his face, and even to accuse him of partiality before the
council. The whole party, who had formerly much extolled his conduct,
now made him the object of their resentment. Wakeman's acquittal was
indeed a sensible mortification to the furious prosecutors of the plot,
and fixed an indelible stain upon the witnesses. But Wakeman, after
he recovered his liberty, finding himself exposed to such inveterate
enmity, and being threatened with further prosecutions, thought it
prudent to retire beyond sea; and his flight was interpreted as a proof
of guilt, by those who were still resolved to persist in the belief of
the conspiracy.

The great discontents in England, and the refractory disposition of the
parliament, drew the attention of the Scottish Covenanters, and gave
them a prospect of some time putting an end to those oppressions under
which they had so long labored. It was suspected to have been the
policy of Lauderdale and his associates to push these unhappy men to
extremit