94 HISTORY OF HARTING. 



part. In his confession made afterwards to James II.,* 

 Ford, Lord Grey, says, that the scheme was that 

 10,000 should be lent to My Lord Argyll with all 

 speed, that, if possible, the Scotch rising might begin 

 before the end of June (1683), and that a messenger 

 should come from Scotland, as soon as ever they were 

 in arms, to London, where one should be ready to 

 carry the news " to the Duke of Monmouth at my house 

 in Sussex, where he was to be privately a week before 

 the rising, that he might not be secured (i.e. arrested) 

 if there were any suspicion of it, and they would be 

 ready on the first notice to ride away to Taunton," 

 the rendezvous. 



The charge against Lord Grey before the Council, 

 was that four-score guns were found in his London 

 house (Soho). He pleaded that they were only bought 

 with intent to furnish his three houses in Essex, Sussex 

 and Northumberland. When the plot was discovered 

 Grey was sent to the Tower, but succeeded in making 

 his keepers drunk, f Burnett records, " An ordef 

 was sent to bring up the Lord Grey, which met him 

 coming up (i.e. from Sussex, where he was in May) ; 

 he was brought before the Council, and he behaved 

 himself with great presence of mind. He was sent to 

 the Tower. But the gates were shut ; so he staid in 

 the messenger's hands all night, whom he furnished so 

 liberally with wine that he was dead drunk. Next 

 morning he went with him to the Tower Gate, the 

 messenger being again fast asleep. He himself called 

 at the Tower Gate to bring the Lieutenant of the 

 Tower to receive a prisoner. But he (Ford Grey) 

 began to think he might be in danger. He found 

 Rumsey was one witness, and if another should come 

 in he was gone, so he called for a pair of oars and went 

 away, leaving the drunken messenger fast asleep." % 



Grey's Secret Confession of the Rye House Plot, p. 58. 

 British Museum. 



t Macaulay. $ Burnet, Vol. I., 549. 



