King James.  Still more desirable was it to blast the fame and to destroy the influence of Russell and Shrewsbury.  Both were distinguished members of that party which had, under different names, been, during three generations, implacably hostile to the Kings of the House of Stuart.  Both had taken a great part in the Revolution.  The names of both were subscribed to the instrument which had invited the Prince of Orange to England.  One of them was now his Minister for Maritime Affairs; the other his Principal Secretary of State; but neither had been constantly faithful to him.  Both had, soon after his accession, bitterly resented his wise and magnanimous impartiality, which, to their minds, disordered by party spirit, seemed to be unjust and ungrateful partiality for the Tory faction; and both had, in their spleen, listened to agents from Saint Germains.  Russell had vowed by all that was most sacred that he would himself bring back his exiled Sovereign.  But the vow was broken as soon as it had been uttered; and he to whom the royal family had looked as to a second Monk had crushed the hopes of that family at La Hogue.  Shrewsbury had not gone such lengths.  Yet he too, while out of humour with William, had tampered with the agents of James.  With the power and reputation of these two great men was closely connected the power and reputation of the whole Whig party.  That party, after some quarrels, which were in truth quarrels of lovers, was now cordially reconciled to William, and bound to him by the strongest ties.  If those ties could be dissolved, if he could be induced to regard with distrust and aversion the only set of men which was on principle and with enthusiasm devoted to his interests, his enemies would indeed have reason to rejoice.

With such views as these Fenwick delivered to Devonshire a paper so cunningly composed that it would probably have brought some severe calamity on the Prince to whom it was addressed, had not that Prince been a man of singularly clear judgment and singularly lofty spirit.  The paper contained scarcely any thing respecting those Jacobite plots in which the writer had been himself concerned, and of which he intimately knew all the details.  It contained nothing which could be of the smallest prejudice to any person who was really hostile to the existing order of things.  The whole narrative was made up of stories, too true for the most part, yet resting on no better authority than hearsay, about the intrigues of some eminent warriors and statesmen, who, whatever their former conduct might have been, were now at least hearty in support of William.  Godolphin, Fenwick averred, had accepted a seat at the Board of Treasury, with the sanction and for the benefit of King James.  Marlborough had promised to carry over the army, Russell to carry over the fleet.  Shrewsbury, while out of office, had plotted with Middleton against the government and King.  Indeed the Whigs were now the favourites at Saint Germains.  Many old friends of hereditary right were moved to jealousy by the preference which James gave to the new converts.  Nay, he had been heard to express his confident hope that the monarchy would be set up again by the very hands which had pulled it down.