The Plot――Satire on the Plot――Decyphering――Proceedings against Atterbury――Debate in the Commons――Debate in the Lords――Condemnation of Plunkett――Kelly’s Trial――Kelly’s Defence――Sentence on Kelly――The King at Kensington――Arrests――Patten in Peril――A Strange Sermon――Treatment of Atterbury――Oglethorpe and Atterbury――In the House of Lords――The Whig Press and the Bishop――Street Incidents――Opening of Letters――Sir Constantine Phipps――The Defence――Special Pleading――Evidence for Atterbury――Pope, as a Witness――Atterbury’s Defence――Rejoinder for the Crown――Wit of Lord Bathurst――Newspaper Comments――Atterbury and Layer――Layer on Holborn Hill――Layer at Tyburn――Lamentation for Layer――Lamentation, continued――Bolingbroke, Atterbury――Atterbury Leaving the Tower――Atterbury on the Thames――Pope and Atterbury――Layer’s Head――The Co- Conspirators――Atterbury serving the Chevalier――Letter from Atterbury 397 [Illustration: Decorative banner] LONDON IN THE JACOBITE TIMES. CHAPTER I. (1714.) [Illustration: Drop_O]n the last morning of Queen Anne’s life, a man, deep in thought, was slowly crossing Smithfield. The eyes of a clergyman passing in a carriage were bent upon him. The carriage stopped, the wayfarer looked up, and the two men knew each other. The one on foot was the dissenting preacher, whom Queen Anne used to call ‘bold Bradbury.’ The other was Bishop Burnet. ‘On what were you so deeply thinking?’ asked the bishop. ‘On the men who died here at the stake,’ replied Bradbury. ‘Evil times, like theirs, are at hand. I am thinking whether I should be as brave as they were, if I were called upon to bear the fire as they bore it.’ [Sidenote: _IN THE CHURCHES._] Burnet gave him hope. A good time, he said, was coming. The queen was mortally ill. Burnet was then, he said, on his way from Clerkenwell to the Court, and he undertook to send a messenger to Bradbury, to let him know how it fared with Anne. If he were in his chapel, a token should tell him that the queen was dead. A few hours later, Bradbury was half-way through his sermon, when he saw a handkerchief drop from the hand of a stranger in the gallery. This is said to have been the sign agreed upon. The preacher went quietly on to the end of his discourse; but, in the prayer which followed, he moved the pulses of his hearers’ hearts, by giving thanks to God for saving the kingdom from the doings of its enemies; and he asked for God’s blessing on the King of England, George I., Elector of Hanover.