The former maintained that he could recover the crown only through
the aid of the Catholic sovereigns, and had no reason to expect such aid
while he professed himself a member of that church which had so long
persecuted the English Catholics.[1] The others represented themselves as
holding the destiny of the king in their hands; they were royalists at
heart, but how could they declare in favour of a prince who had apostatized
from the covenant which he had taken in Scotland, and whose restoration
would probably re-establish the tyranny of the bishops?[2] The king's
advisers repelled these attempts with warmth and indignation. They observed
to him that, to become a Catholic was to arm all his Protestant subjects
against him; to become a Presbyterian, was to alienate all who had been
faithful to his father, both Protestants of the
[Footnote 1: Yet he made application in 1654 to the pope, through Goswin
Nickel, general of the order of Jesuits, for a large sum of money, which
might enable him to contend for his kingdom at the head of an army of Irish
Catholics; promising, in case of success, to grant the free exercise of the
Catholic religion, and every other indulgence which could be reasonably
asked. The reason alleged for this application was that the power of
Cromwell was drawing to a close, and the most tempting offers had been made
to Charles by the Presbyterians: but the Presbyterians were the most cruel
enemies of the Catholics, and he would not owe his restoration to them,
till he had sought and been refused the aid of the Catholic powers.
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