The Embassy of Everaard van Weede 49 



I can't end my letter without telling you, that Roger's wife [Lady Sunderland] 

 plays the hypocrite more than ever; for she goes to St. Martin's morning and 

 afternoon (because there are not people enough to see her at Whitehall chapel), 

 and is half an hour before other people come, and half an hour after everybody is 

 gone, at her private devotions. She runs from church to church after the famousest 

 preachers, and keeps such a clatter with her devotions, that it really turns one's 

 stomach. Sure there never was a couple so well matched, as she and her good 

 husband; for as she is throughout in all her actions the greatest jade that ever was, 

 so is he the subtillest workingest villain, that is on the face of the earth. 



It would be quite consistent with the character of Lord Sunder- 

 land to dictate such a letter. While it has never been determined 

 exactly to what degree James's chief minister was responsible for 

 the revolutionary enterprise, even the most kindly-disposed his- 

 torians give to him a character that is entirely self-seeking and 

 unscrupulous. 215 At the time of Dykvelt's embassy, Sunderland 

 was in the pay of France 216 and was a very close friend of Barillon, 

 the French ambassador. 217 Yet, in July Bonrepaux wrote to 

 the French court that Sunderland was already working in secret 

 in the interests of the Prince of Orange. 218 Avaux, who was con- 

 tinually on the qui vive at the Hague, stated repeatedly after Dyk- 

 velt's departure that the Prince of Orange was privy to all the 

 secret councils of James's cabinet. 219 It is very likely that Sunder- 

 land saw already in March, 1687, 220 that a great change would 

 take place in the face of affairs before long. Consequently, he 

 may well have written the letter to indicate to the Prince where he 

 stood. 221 



215 Hallam, p. 62 ff. 

 Mazure, vol. ii, p. 156. 



See also Klopp, Macaulay, Ranke, and especially Lingard in his appendix to 

 Volume x. 



216 Appendix to Lingard's History of England, Vol. x, p. 207, Note KKKK. 

 Lingard states here that the payments and acquittances are still preserved. 



217 Bonrepaux, June 4, 1687, in Lingard's appendix to Volume 10, supra, note 

 216. 



218 Letter of Bonrepaux to Seignelay, in Lingard's appendix to Volume x, 

 July 11-21, 1687. 



219 Avaux, May 20, 1688, p. 152. 



220 Klopp, Der Fall des Houses Stuart, vol. v, p. 331. 



221 In the spring of 1689 Sunderland published a vindication of himself. Lingard, 

 in a careful and convincing manner, discredits Sunderland's statements. See 

 Appendix to Lingard's History of England, vol. x, Note KKKK. 



133 



