Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/298

 260. Readings in European History into office, but especially in Ireland; by causing or allowing popish books to be printed and sold and cried publicly; by publishing some popish papers found in the late king's closet and the declaration of his dying a papist and the manner of it; ... by sending my Lord Castlemain upon a solemn embassy to the pope, and many other such things; which made all men expect that more would follow of a greater concern. 330. Roman December 2Q, 1686. I went to hear the musiq of the Italians Catholic j n ^g New Chapel, now first open'd publickly at Whitehall services 3.t Tames IPs f° r the Popish service. .... The throne where the King court. (From and Queene sit is very glorious, in a closet above, just velyn s opposite to the altar. Here we saw the Bishop in his mitre and rich copes, with 6 or 7 Jesuits and others in rich copes, sumptuously habited, often taking off and putting on the Bishop's mitre, who satte in a chair with arms pontificaly, was ador'd and cens'd by 3 Jesuits in their copes; then he went to the altar and made divers cringes, then censing the images and glorious tabernacle plac'd on the altar, and now and then changing place : the crosier which was of silver was put into his hand with a world of mysterious ceremony, the musiq playing with singing. I could not have believed I should ever have seene such things in the King of Eng- land's Palace, after it had pleas'd God to enlighten this Nation; but owr greate sin has, for the present, eclips'd the blessing, which I hope He will in mercy and his good time restore to its purity. This chapter on the long struggle between the Stuarts and the English nation as represented in the Parliament may appropriately close with some extracts from the celebrated Declaration of Right presented to William and Mary in February, 1689. 1 1 This document is commonly known as " The Bill of Rights," for it was under that title that it was reenacted in December of the same year, 1689, and is included in the statutes of the realm in the form here v given.