The Poison Machine by Robert J. Lloyd

Author:Robert J. Lloyd [Lloyd, Robert J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Melville House
Published: 2022-10-25T00:00:00+00:00

BOOK III

Adam, now ope thine eyes, and first behold

Th’ effects which thy original crime hath wrought

In some to spring from thee, who never touch’d

Th’ excepted Tree, nor with the Snake conspir’d,

Nor sinn’d thy sin, yet from that sin derive

Corruption to bring forth more violent deeds.

JOHN MILTON, PARADISE LOST (LONDON, 1667)

LORD DANBY SAT IN HIS OFFICE, eating a luncheon of lamprey pie. He had worked through a bottle of wine. Now he wondered if he should embark upon another. He decided against it. He wanted his wits sharp for this afternoon, ready to question Titus Oates on new allegations against five Jesuits: Thomas Whitbread, William Barrow, John Caldwell, John Gavan, and Anthony Turner. All had attended a Consult of Jesuits at the White Horse tavern in the Strand. So had Titus Oates, who overheard them plotting brazenly to kill the King. William Ireland and John Grove, also there, had already been executed, but evidence was lacking against the others.

Since then, damning letters had been found.

Danby wiped at his moustache with a corner of his napkin. These men should be put to death as soon as possible, to dissuade other Catholics from harming the King’s person. The King, he knew, had little faith in Titus Oates. Israel Tonge, too, he discounted. His Majesty’s insistence on scrutinizing their testimonies too closely threatened his own well-being. The King was distracted by details, such as when Oates and Tonge contradicted themselves on some matter or other. He did not seem cognizant of the danger of the threats against him. He still played the ridiculous game of going out and about London in disguise, as William Jackson!

Luckily, the King had Danby to look after his interests—which, after all, were the interests of them all.

He took another bite of pie.

The thought of a Catholic insurrection horrified him. Not only would they lose their King, and their religion, and their liberties, and be ruled by a Pope—with all the fanatical superstition that would bring—but he himself would lose everything. He had aligned himself with Oates, against the Catholics. They would never forgive him. They would burn him, as was their vicious inclination.

Hundreds of others, too, would be killed. It would be like Mary’s reign, come again.

These were desperate times, needing men of strength to guide the kingdom.

From outside his office, he heard Merritt’s characteristic stride. The ponderance of his man’s walk hid a quick but contradictory mind, one intelligent yet unthinking. Merritt was usefully shallow, with a gratifying willingness to follow his master even on his most exuberant schemes.

Merritt claimed to be a philosophical agnostic: not in the sense of neither believing nor disbelieving in God for philosophical reasons, but in professing himself interested in all the various philosophies, but not accepting any of them. He could discuss if he existed, or if he did not, and bring forth reasons for and against. Or if there existed a world external to himself, or else it was entirely imaginary. He could quote philosophers at length; their arguments one way or another.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.