the Lords. The papers were produced. Lady Mary declared that she
had received them from the Duchess. The Duchess declared that she had
received them from Monmouth. Elizabeth Lawson confirmed the evidence of
her two friends. All the bitter things which the petulant Earl had said
about William were repeated. The rage of both the great factions
broke forth with ungovernable violence. The Whigs were exasperated by
discovering that Monmouth had been secretly labouring to bring to shame
and ruin two eminent men with whose reputation the reputation of
the whole party was bound up. The Tories accused him of dealing
treacherously and cruelly by the prisoner and the prisoner's wife. Both
among the Whigs and among the Tories Monmouth had, by his sneers and
invectives, made numerous personal enemies, whom fear of his wit and
of his sword had hitherto kept in awe. [773] All these enemies were now
openmouthed against him. There was great curiosity to know what he would
be able to say in his defence. His eloquence, the correspondent of the
States General wrote, had often annoyed others. He would now want it
all to protect himself. [774] That eloquence indeed was of a kind much
better suited to attack than to defence. Monmouth spoke near three hours
in a confused and rambling manner, boasted extravagantly of his services
and sacrifices, told the House that he had borne a great part in the
Revolution, that he had made four voyages to Holland in the evil times,
that he had since refused great places, that he had always held lucre
in contempt. "I," he said, turning significantly to Nottingham, "have
bought no great estate; I have built no palace; I am twenty thousand
pounds poorer than when I entered public life. My old hereditary mansion
is ready to fall about my ears. Who that remembers what I have done and
suffered for His Majesty will believe that I would speak disrespectfully
of him?" He solemnly declared,--and this was the most serious of the
many serious faults of his long and unquiet life,--that he had nothing
to do with the papers which had caused so much scandal. The Papists,
he said, hated him; they had laid a scheme to ruin him; his ungrateful
kinswoman had consented to be their implement, and had requited the
strenuous efforts which he had made in defence of her honour by trying
to blast his. When he concluded there was a long silence. He asked
whether their Lordships wished him to withdraw. Then Leeds, to whom he
had once pro