What his sincerity was we know on the best evidence.

Scarcely had he called on heaven to witness the truth of his professions, when he directed Melfort to send a copy of the Declaration to Rome with such explanations as might satisfy the Pope.

Melfort's letter ends thus: "After all, the object of this Declaration is only to get us back to England.

We shall fight the battle of the Catholics with much greater advantage at Whitehall than at Saint Germains." [433] Meanwhile the document from which so much was expected had been despatched to London.

There it was printed at a secret press in the house of a Quaker; for there was among the Quakers a party, small in number, but zealous and active, which had imbibed the politics of William Penn.