ver to the point, my Lord Essex opened the engagement.

"That Mr. Rumbald," he said. "Do you know who he is, Mr. Mallock?"

"Why, he is a maltster, is he not?" I said.

"Well: he married a maltster's widow, who is dead now. But he is an
honest old Cromwellian--loyal enough to His Majesty--" (the gentlemen
all solemnly put hands to their hats)--"yet very greatly distressed at
the course things are taking."

"An old soldier?" I asked.

"Yes: he was a Colonel under Oliver."

Such was the opening; and after that we talked more freely, though not
so freely as, I doubt not, they had talked for an hour before I came. My
Lord Shaftesbury did not say a great deal; he had a quick discontented
look; but I think I satisfied him. He was in a very low condition at
this time--all but desperate--so strongly had the tide set against him
since my Lord Stafford's death and the reaction that followed it; and I
think he would have grasped at anything to further his fortunes: for
that was what he chiefly cared about. My Lord Essex did most of the
talking, and Mr. West; and I could see that they were shewing me off, as
a new capture, and one on whose treachery to them their hopes might
turn.

Now there were three or four matters on which they were very emphatic.
First, that no injury was intended to the King or the Duke of York; but
this they did not disclaim for themselves so much as for the disaffected
persons generally; as regards themselves they said little or nothing:
and from this I deduced that the King's life would certainly be aimed
at; and the more so, as they said what a pity it was that His Majesty's
guards were still doubled.

"It shews a lack of confidence in the people," said my Lord Essex.

(From that, then, I argued that an attempt was contemplated upon
Whitehall.)

The second thing that Mr. West was very emphatic upon was the need of
proceeding, if any reform were to be brought about, in a legal and
Parliamentary manner.

"Why does not His Majesty call another Parliament?" he added, "that at
least we may air our grievances? It is true enough that my Lord
Shaftesbury--" (here he bowed to my Lord who blinked in return)--"that
my Lord Shaftesbury found Parliament against him in the event; but he
does not complain of that. He hath at least been heard."

(From that I argued either that they thought they would be stronger in a
new Parliament, or that they contemplated acting in quite another
manner. I could not tell