lity to you far
from being unalienable. I have said that, at the latter period of his
residence with us, he was an agent of the exiled cause. At the time I
_now_ speak of, he had not entered into the great political scheme which
engrossed him afterwards. He was merely a restless and aspiring priest,
whose whole hope, object, ambition, was the advancement of his order.
He knew that whoever inherited, or whoever shared, my uncle's wealth,
could, under legitimate regulation, promote _any_ end which the heads
of that order might select; and he wished therefore to gain the mastery
over us all. Intrigue was essentially woven with his genius, and by
intrigue only did he ever seek to arrive at _any_ end he had in view.*
He soon obtained a mysterious and pervading power over Gerald and
myself. Your temper at once irritated him, and made him despair of
obtaining an ascendant over one who, though he testified in childhood
none of the talents for which he has since been noted, testified,
nevertheless, a shrewd, penetrating, and sarcastic power of
observation and detection. You, therefore, he resolved to leave to the
irregularities of your own nature, confident that they would yield him
the opportunity of detaching your uncle from you and ultimately securing
to Gerald his estates.

* It will be observed that Aubrey frequently repeats former assertions;
this is one of the most customary traits of insanity.--ED.

The trial at school first altered his intentions. He imagined that
he then saw in you powers which might be rendered availing to him: he
conquered his pride--a great feature in his character--and he resolved
to seek your affection. Your subsequent regularity of habits and success
in study confirmed him in his resolution; and when he learned from my
uncle's own lips that the Devereux estates would devolve on you, he
thought that it would be easier to secure your affection to him than
to divert that affection which my uncle had conceived for you. At this
time, I repeat, he had no particular object in view; none, at least,
beyond that of obtaining for the interest of his order the direction of
great wealth and some political influence. Some time after--I know not
exactly when, but before we returned to take our permanent abode at
Devereux Court--a share in the grand political intrigue which was then
in so many branches carried on throughout England, and even Europe, was
confided to Montreuil.

In this I believe he was the