Courting Her Highness_ The Story of Queen Anne - Jean Plaidy [151]
On it the popish plot to blow up the King and his Parliament had been discovered, and, years later, on the same date, William of Orange had landed in England to rid the English of a popish King. So naturally the day must be celebrated.
“Remember, remember the Fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,”
chanted the people in the streets.
“I see no reason
The Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.”
In St. Paul’s Cathedral a sermon was preached before the Lord Mayor of London by a Dr. Sacheverel. He was an eloquent speaker and his sermon attracted a great deal of attention, for he spoke frankly of the coming of William of Orange to England and of the men who had helped him to his crown. From them he passed on to certain of those men who ruled them at the time and one especially he criticized, giving him the name of Volpone but speaking of him in such a manner that no one had any doubt that he referred to Lord Godolphin.
St. Paul’s was crowded, and although Dr. Sacheverel spoke for three hours no one wanted to leave; and so impressed by the sermon was everyone who heard it, that the suggestion was made that it should be printed and circulated.
Unfortunately for Dr. Sacheverel—and others—this was done, and it was not long before it was brought to the notice of Lord Godolphin who, reading it and recognizing Volpone as himself, fell into a violent rage and swore that he would be revenged on the rash prelate.
Godolphin stood before the Queen. Anne had not seen him so vital for a very long time. It was a pity, she reflected, that it took anger to make him so.
Had her Majesty read the pamphlet? he wanted to know.
She had read it. In fact she had found it very interesting and she was sure that Dr. Sacheverel was a good and right-thinking man. But she did not say this to Lord Godolphin, for she had once been fond of him in the days when she had thought of him as Mr. Montgomery. It was a pity that he had allowed the Marlboroughs to use him, for that, according to Mr. Harley and Masham, was what he had done; and she was sure they were right, for was it not so obvious?
“This man is contemptuous of the revolution and that can only mean that he is contemptuous of Your Majesty,” pointed out Godolphin.
“He speaks kindly of me and with respect and affection.”
“Madam, if he condemns the revolution and the accession of King William and Queen Mary he is condemning you, for it would seem that he is agitating for a return of the Pretender.”
Anne’s eyes clouded. She often thought of her half brother; and sometimes when the gout was very painful and she thought of dear George now lost to her, it occurred to her that she had not many more years to live. Then if her half brother came back it would be like righting the wrong she had done her father.
“Your Majesty,” went on Godolphin. “In the circumstances I believe that Dr. Sacheverel should be put under restraint until he can be brought to trial that it may be decided whether he be guilty of treason.”
“This seems harsh treatment for preaching a sermon.”
“Such a sermon! They are talking of it in the taverns and the coffee houses. As Your Majesty’s chief minister I must ask you to leave this in my hands. If he is judged guiltless then he will be a free man. But this sermon has created a great deal of unrest and I believe that for the safety of the nation we must have Sacheverel in prison.”
Anne said she would like to consider the matter and that was all the satisfaction Godolphin could get; he went away very uneasily and would have been more so had he known that almost immediately after he had left, Abigail was bringing Robert Harley to the Queen.
Robert Harley was excited. He saw in the Sacheverel affair a possibility of overthrowing the Ministry of which Godolphin was the head. He had his ear to the ground. With St. John he frequented the coffee houses