[*] Such was the extravagance of Shaftesbury’s eloquence.
“But consider, Chiffie, the dislikelihood of her pleasing,” said the noble courtier.—“What! old Rowley, with his wit, and love of wit—his wildness, and love of wildness—he form a league with a silly, scrupulous, unidea’d Puritan!—Not if she were Venus.”
“Thou knowest nought of the matter,” answered Chiffinch. “I tell thee, the fine contrast between the seeming saint and falling sinner will give zest to the old gentleman’s inclination. If I do not know him, who does?—Her health, my lord, on your bare knee, as you would live to be of the bedchamber.”
“I pledge you most devoutly,” answered his friend. “But you have not told me how the acquaintance is to be made; for you cannot, I think, carry her to Whitehall.”
“Aha, my dear lord, you would have the whole secret! but that I cannot afford—I can spare a friend a peep at my ends, but no one must look on the means by which they are achieved.”—So saying, he shook his drunken head most wisely.
The villainous design which this discourse implied, and which his heart told him was designed against Alice Bridgenorth, stirred Julian so extremely, that he involuntarily shifted his posture, and laid his hand on his sword hilt.
Chiffinch heard a rustling, and broke off, exclaiming, “Hark!—Zounds, something moved—I trust I have told the tale to no ears but thine.”
“I will cut off any which have drunk in but a syllable of thy words,” said the nobleman; and raising a candle, he took a hasty survey of the apartment. Seeing nothing that could incur his menaced resentment, he replaced the light and continued:—“Well, suppose the Belle Louise de Querouaille[*] shoots from her high station in the firmament, how will you rear up the downfallen Plot again—for without that same Plot, think of it as thou wilt, we have no change of hands—and matters remain as they were, with a Protestant courtezan instead of a Papist—Little Anthony can but little speed without that Plot of his—I believe, in my conscience, he begot it himself.” [+]
[*] Charles’s principal mistress en titre. She was created Duchess
of Portsmouth.
[+] Shaftesbury himself is supposed to have said that he knew not who
was the inventor of the Plot, but that he himself had all the
advantage of the discovery.