then Duke of York) 'press'd the King and Lord Treasurer several
times that the letters' (letters forged by Oates) 'might be produced
and read, and the business examined into at the Committee of Foreign
Affairs.'** Mr. Pollock calls the Duke's conduct tactless. Like
Charles I., in the mystery of 'the Incident,' he knew himself
guiltless, and demanded an inquiry.

*Kirkby, Complete Narrative, pp. 2, 3, cited by Mr. Pollock. At the
time, it was believed that Godfrey saw the depositions.
**Clarke's Life of James II. i. p. 518. Cited from the King's
original Memoirs.

On September 28, Oates was to appear before the Council. Earlier on
that day he again visited Godfrey, handed to him a copy of his
deposition, took oath to its truth, and carried another copy to
Whitehall. As we shall see, Oates probably adopted this course by
advice of one of the King's ministers, Danby or another. Oates was
now examined before the King, who detected him in perjury. But he
accused Coleman, the secretary of the Duchess of York, of
treasonable correspondence with La Chaise, the confessor of Louis
XIV.: he also said that, on April 24, he himself was present at the
Jesuit 'consult' in the White Horse Tavern, Strand, where they
decided to murder the King! This was a lie, but they HAD met on
ordinary business of the Society, on April 24, at the palace of the
Duke of York. Had the Jesuits, when tried, proved this, they would
not have saved their lives, and Oates would merely have sworn that
they met AGAIN, at the White Horse.

Godfrey, having Oates's paper before him, now knew that Coleman was
accused. Godfrey was very intimate with many Jesuits, says Warner,