Monmouth  and  some  others  meet  often  together,

*'  The  duke  of  Monmouth  resolved  to  be  ad«
vised  chiefly  by  lord  Essex. He  would  not  h%
alone  in  that,  but  named  lord  Russel,  against
whom  no  objection  could  lie :  and  next  to  him
he  named  Algemoon  Sidney,  brother  to  the
earl  of  Leicester,  a  man  of  most  extraordinary
courage,  a  steady  man,  even  to  obstinacy,  sin-
cere, but  of  a  rough  and  boisterous  temper
that  could  not  bear  contradiction. He  seemed
to  be  a  Christian,  but  in  a  particular  form  a€
bis  own :  he  thought,  it  was  to  be  like  a  divine
philosophy  in  the  mind :  but  he  was  against
all  public  worship,  and  e^ery  thing  that  looked
like  a  church. He  was  stilf  to  ail  republican
principles ;  and  such  an  ^emy  to  every  thins
that  looked  like  monarchy,  that  he  set  himself
in  a  high  opposition  against  Cromwell  when
he  was  made  Protector. He  had  studied  the
history  of  government  in  all  its  branches  be-
yond any  roan  I  ever  knew. He  was  ambas*
sador  in  Denmark  at  the  time  of  the  Restora-
tiott,  but  did  not  come  back  till  the  yeaa
seventy-eight,  when  the  parliament  was  prea»-
ing  the  kii%  into  a  war. Thecourt  of  France
obtained  lesye  for  him  to  icfciuai. He  did  lOI


493]      STATE  TRIALS^  35  CHAttBS  11. l6SZ.^or  the  Rye^Baitae  PM. [494

and  by  the  confidenoe  be  knew  they  had  all  ia
him,  made  him  turn  his  thoughts  much  io-
wards  that  kingdom  as  the  properest  scene  of
action. He  mid  met  often  with  lord  Argil*
while  he  was  in  London,  and  had  many  con-
ferences with  him  of  the  state  of  that  kingdom,
and  of  what  might  he  done  there:  and  he
thought  the  business  of  Carolina  was  a  very
proper  blind  to  bring  up  some  of  the  Scotch
gentlemen  under  the  appearance  of  treating
about  that. They  upon  this  agreed  to  send
one  Aaron  Smith  to  Scotland,  to  desire  that
some  men  of  absolute  confidence  might  be  sent
up  for  that  end. 