point the version of the anonymous person of quality is substantially the same as Bellamont’s. “Above all,” he writes, “Livingstone’s behaviour, who was come to Boston, and very peremptorily demanded from the Earl the delivery of the bond which he had entered into for Kidd’s honest performance of his duty in the expedition (as if that was to be taken for granted) gave the Earl of Bellamont good reason to conclude that no time was to be lost. Therefore he caused Kidd to be seized with divers of his crew.” A lamer set of reasons for throwing a faithful subordinate into gaol it would have been difficult for the most unintelligent official to concoct. The reply of the Lords Justices to Bellamont’s letters was the dispatch of a man-of-war, the _Rochester_, to bring back Kidd and his fellow-prisoners to England. This ship set sail before the end of September; but came back to Plymouth in November for repairs. Her return led the opposition to believe that the sending of her out had been merely a pretence, and it was alleged that a great number of other ships that had gone out in her company had been able to proceed on their voyage and to reach New England safely. The wildest rumours were in circulation. The prevailing popular opinion seems to have been that the four great ministers had sent Kidd out in the _Adventure Galley_ to commit acts of piracy on their behalf; and that they had naturally selected for this purpose a past-master in the art of piracy. Some would have it that Somers, to prevent unpleasant disclosures, had already set the great seal to his pardon. Evelyn, in his diary of the third of December, says: “They” (_i. e._, Parliament) “called some great persons in the highest offices in question for setting the Greate Seale to the pardon of an arch pirate, who had turned pirate again, and brought prizes to the West Indies, expecting to be connived at on sharing the spoil.” Burnet, writing in much the same strain, says, “It was maliciously insinuated that the privateer turned pirate in confidence of the protection of those who employed him, if he had not secret orders for what he did.” It is difficult to say whose reputation suffered more at this juncture--Kidd’s by his association with the four unpopular ministers, or the four unpopular ministers, by their association with Kidd.