THERE having been late­ly spread abroad a most scurrilous and scanda­lous Pamphlet, intituled ( Fuller's Plain Proof of the True Mother of the Pretended Prince of Wales; made out to be no Proof:) I think my self much obliged, in Duty to my pre­sent King and Country, to make a short Reply to the base Sugge­stions of that malicious Author [Page 2] who makes bold grosly to reflect on the Government under a false Notion of a Well-wisher to his Country, and a specious Pretence of vindicating Truth (as he terms it) whereas his main Intention is to vindicate the Legitimacy of that horrid Impostor the Pretended Prince of Wales: For were this Gentleman, what he pretends to be, a Friend to Truth and Ho­nesty, or a Well-wisher to the Pro­testant Religion, certain I am, he wou'd not take such Pains to expose his Folly and ill Nature with worse Breeding, by banter­ing Truth with scandalous Re­ports and forged Imaginations of his own inventing; like that most wicked lying Book, intituled, My Life, printed some Years since by A. Ropper, and writ by Elcanah [Page 3] Settle, the latter of which has many times before Witness begg'd my Pardon for it, and own'd that the greatest Part of that Book was the Invention of his and the Printer's Brain to get Money: And this Book is that Life of mine which this late scribling Author takes notice of, saying, I have read his Life too late to be in Love with his manner of Li­ving; and what he next charges me with, of a Design of getting Money from your Lordship for my Dedication, I do humbly as­sure your Lordship is false; the only Ambition I had next to the Publick Service, was the Honour your Lordship's and your Wor­thy Brethren, the Right Wor­shipful, the Aldermen of this City would do me, in favouring [Page 4] me with the Reading of my said Book. And though the present Government has no Occasion at this time to fear any Danger from that Pretended Prince or his high­ly bigoted Party; yet, surely, it cannot be amiss to let the World know from whence that Impo­sture sprung: That this In­formation was no sooner given, is an Inquiry easily enough re­solv'd by asserting the true Cause, which is our present Govern­ment's gracious Disposition and Readiness to pass by the greatest Affronts and Injuries, as our Great and Good King has so bravely done, even to the Admiration of his very Enemies. And in this Case, I am very sure, His Ma­jesty knew the Management of this Suposititious Birth long be­fore I came into his Majesty's Ser­vice, [Page 5] and had both the Letters and Informations of a great ma­ny Persons of Note, plainly dis­covering the same, as witness His Majesty's Declaration, when Prince of Orange, in December, 1688.

But to Crown all, there are great and violent Presumptions, inducing us to believe, that those evil Coun­sellors, in order to the carrying on of their ill Designs, and to the gaining to themselves the more Time for the effecting of them, for the encouraging of their Complices, and for the dis­couraging of all good Subjects, have publish'd, That the Queen hath brought forth a Son; though there have appear'd, both during the Queen's pretended Bigness, and in the Man­ner in which the Birth was managed, [Page 6] so many just and visible Grounds of Suspicion, that not only we our selves, but all the good Subjects of this Kingdom, do vehemently suspect, that the Pretended Prince of Wales was not born by the Queen. And it is notoriously known to all the World, that many both doubted of the Queen's Bigness, and of the Birth of the Child, and yet there was not any one Thing done to satisfie them, or to put an end to their Doubts.

And several Persons have been examined upon the same, as Cap­tain Wright and others, I former­ly mention'd, as is very well known to the▪ Greatest Men at Court; which is so apparent, that no less than the Insolent Assu­rance of a very scandalous No­ble—, or a most infamous [Page 7] Non-juring Parson (one of which we suspect our late Author to be) could so openly dare presume to assert, that there is no Proof but mine; whereas it is evident, that there is a greater Number of Witnesses by far, to prove almost every Particular, which I have set down, than there was to prove the pretended Prince's Birth. And I hope it will not be long e're those Witnesses are call'd, that the World may see how much my Adversaries are in the Wrong: But I shall beg your Lordship's Patience, whilst I further answer briefly his chief Objections against my Testimony, and the Truth of the Letters.

As to the First, He tries to in­vallidate my Assertions, by say­ing, I am a notorious Lyar, and [Page 8] was discredited by the House of Lords and Commons; whereas my Business was never yet in de­bate in the House of Lords: And it is evident, that I never was Sentenc'd by them, nor my Testi­mony refus'd: And as for the Displeasure that I incurr'd from the House of Commons, the Oc­casion is manifestly known to have proceeded from a Stratagem con­triv'd at the Court of St. Germains, to work my Ruine, and was mana­ged by Col. Dalleval and Mr. Hays, Two Agents of that Court, who pretending to serve the present Government, easily prevail'd on the Immaturity of my Judgment, so that I foolishly engag'd to the House of Commons for their Ap­pearance: And I have suffici­ently prov'd they came to Eng­land [Page 9] accordingly, and were in the Lobby of the House of Commons, on Monday the 22d of Febr. 1692. at 9 a Clock in the Morning, and being call'd for a short time after, were not to be found; tho' since it is demonstrated by many Witnesses how they got off to France, and continue there. And this is the true Cause of my lying under the Censure of the House of Com­mons, for which I suffer'd, which has given the Enemies of the Go­vernment occasion basely to mag­nifie the Matter, and to make this Oversight of mine (occasion'd meerly by want of cautionary Ad­vertency) appear as the highest Crime imaginable. But Thanks be to God, there is already land­ed, or hourly expected a Gentle­man from Holland, who serv'd in [Page 10] the Court of St. Germains at that time, and was privy to the whole Matter; and I shall speedily con­vince the World, how far I was from endeavouring to impose any Falsities on the Government; nor did I ever in my Life make Oath against Person or Persons, who was not fairly convicted, and af­terwards of his, or their own ac­cord, did frankly confess all that I alledg'd against them to be truth. And to prove this my Assertion, I do humbly appeal to the King's most Excellent Majesty, to the Lords and others of His Majesty's most honourable Privy-Council, and the Judges of this Land, who sat in the Courts where my Testimony was given. And if what I affirm in my own behalf be not really and substantially [Page 11] true, I desire to be punish'd with the uttermost Severity imagina­ble. Only thus much I do own, that after the Delivery of my own positive Information to the House of Commons, upon my being a third time call'd in, I did deliver a List of Names of several Great Persons, which I took from a pretended Address at St. Germains, as I had it from the late Queen's own Hand; but I never did di­rectly, nor indirectly charge any of those Noble Persons or others with the Knowledge of, or the Signing of the said Address: For I do solemnly declare before God and Man, that I do believe that Address was forged in England by Mr. Ashton, and two or three more of the late King's Friends, and sent into France, in order to [Page 12] impose on the French Court, by endeavouring to make their In­terest in England seem much Greater than it was (as thro' God's great Mercy) Experience has shewn them.

But to return to our unknown Author, he charges me next with Forgery, and would insinuate as if those Letters were of my own Invention; but, to his Confusion be it known, the Originals are yet in the Hands of the Govern­ment, and above 200 more, which will be suddenly exposed also, and the greatest Part of them I never saw until after they had been in the King's and the late Queen's (of ever blessed Memory) Custody some time, nor did I, to my Knowledge, ever know or see the Gentlemen that sent them [Page 13] to their Majesties: And as for their being truly writ by the late King James his Queen and Mi­nisters of State, I dare affirm to all the World, that there is not a more infallible Judge, nor do they better know their own Wri­ting, than his present Majesty does; so that he has no need of Forgery, or any other base Stra­tagems (as used in the late Reign) to mantain his Truth and Glorious Cause, neither is it possible to de­ceive His Majesty's Judgment in such Matters. And as for that Letter of Mr. Carrell's, which our Author takes most Notice of, that is still in being with the rest, and was in the Hands of the Govern­ment some time before the King ever saw my Information, and was sent by Persons of Honour [Page 14] that took it out of the Dutchess of Tyrconnell's Trunk, as is plain­ly proved beyond any Pretence or Question. As for my being guilty of Forgery, I am verily persuaded, that every one that converses with me, and with humble Submission I may say, what several Ministers of State have observ'd, that I could neither alter my Hand-Writing, nor spell tolerable English, such a Blockhead I freely own my self: And for what he suspects, that I put the Letters into the D. of Tyr­connel's Trunk, it must needs be false; for I was at that Time in England, it being not many Days after Mr. Crone's Tryal; that the said Letters were taken out of the Trunk in a Day or two af­ter the Fight of the Boyne. But this Gentleman cannot pretend [Page 15] to disprove me; and as he will say something to oblige his chari­table Benefactors the Jacobites, I can easily forgive his scandalous Aspertions fo far as they extend only to my own Personal Con­cern; for I am as ready to confess and forsake my unhappy Folly in the Immature Management of my private Concerns, as he is to ac­cuse me. And as I have served the Government, which this Au­thor (though saucily) cannot but own, by reason one of the best and worthiest of Men His Grace the Duke of Shrewsbury has certified it, and the most intelligible Part of the Nation knows it; so I will never endeavour, either publick­ly or privately, to impose any Un­truths on any Man; and how­ever he ridicules my Depositions, [Page 16] I am ready to make Oath, that all I have affirm'd in my late Book, intituled ( A Plain Proof of the True Father and Mother of the Pretended Prince of Wales, &c.) to the best of my Knowledge, is Truth; and I declare also, that I will freely of­fer my self to the severest Death that can be invented, provided I prove not the Contents of the said Book to be Truth by many Wit­nesses, whenever the great Wis­dom of the Nation thinks fit to require it, and more sure can­not be desired.

This Author is not only con­tent to invalidate me, but he base­ly reflects on Two Gentlemen in Ireland, of noble Families, and known Honour and Integrity; as also on their Ladies, who are by all esteem'd Ladies of unblemish'd [Page 17] Reputation; on these, I say, he, without any Ground, casts his in­solent Suggestions, by reason they honestly attest what they know concerning that Part of the Ma­nagement of this Imposture, which was manag'd in Ireland. I won­der much he does not (if his Printers dare put it to the Press) invent some new Aspersions a­gainst the King and his Mini­sters, which, if I am not misin­formed, is no new thing either to the said Author, his Printer B—ll, the Bookseller in Fleet­street, and the Publisher.

I humbly beg your Lordship's Pardon for detaining you so long, which I have done to convince the World, that what I have dedica­ted to your Lordship is worthy your taking notice of; and as that [Page 18] scandalous Pamphlet against the Government and my self, is pub­lish'd by Mr. Nutt, and printed by the most famous Jacobite Printer of the City, I wish them no o­ther Punishment but the true Mark of what they are. I am,