Minister's) DIRECTION.'**

*Pollock, p. 152.
**L'Estrange, part iii. p. 187.

We must accept all of Mr. Wynell's statement or none; we cannot
accept, like Mr. Pollock, only Godfrey's confession of owning a
dangerous secret, without Godfrey's explanation of the nature of the
danger. Against THAT danger (his knowing and taking no action upon
what Oates had deposed) Godfrey's 'security' was Oates's other
deposition, that his information was already in the Minister's
hands, and that he had come to Godfrey by the Minister's orders.
The invidiousness of knowing and not acting on Oates's 'dangerous
secret,' Godfrey hoped, fell on the Minister rather than on himself.
And it did fall on Danby, who was later accused of treason on this
very ground, among others. Such is Wynell's evidence, true or
false. C'est a prendre ou a laisser in bulk, and in bulk is of no
value to Mr. Pollock's argument.

That Godfrey was in great fear after taking Oates's deposition, and
dealing with Coleman, is abundantly attested. But of what was he
afraid, and of whom? L'Estrange says, of being made actual party to
the plot, and not of 'bare misprision' only, the misprision of not
acting on Oates's information.* It is to prove this point that
L'Estrange cites Wynell as quoted above. Bishop Burnet reports
that, to him, Godfrey said 'that he believed he himself should be
knocked on the head.'** Knocked on the head by whom? By a
frightened Protestant mob, or by Catholic conspirators? To Mr.
Robinson, an old friend, he said, 'I do not fear them if they come
fairly, and I shall not part with my life tamely.' Qu'ils viennent!