Translation of a Dispatch from M Barillon

The letter which I have the honour of writing to-day to your majesty, is meiely to give you an account of the most important circumstances which passed at the death of the late king of England. His illness, which began on monday the 12th of February, in the morning, underwent several alterations the following days; sometimes he was thought out of danger, and then something would occur which made it be supposed that the disease would prove fatal. At length on Thursday the fifteenth, about noon, I was informed from good authority, that there remained no hopes; and that the physicians did not think he could survive the night. 1 went immediately to Whitehall. The Duke of York had given orders to the officers in the anti-chamber to admit me at any hour; he was always in the chamber with his brother and went out from time to time to give orders about what was doing in the city. It was reported several times that the king was dead. At first when 1 arrived the Duke said to me, "the physicians think the king in extreme danger; I beg of you. to assure your master that he will always find in me a faithful and grateful servant." I was for five hours in the king's anti chamber, and the Duke several times took me into the chamber to speak to me of what passed abroad, and of the assurances he received from all ranks, that every thing was quiet in the city, and that he would be proclaimed king, tne moment his brother was dead. I went for a while to the apartments of the Dutchess of Portsmouth, whom I found in extreme grief. The physicians had deprived her of all hopes. Instead of talking to me of her ssorrow and the loss she was about to experience, she took me into her closet and said, "Sir i am going to' tell you the greatest secret in the world, it may cost me my life if it is known. The king of England is in his heart a Catholic, but be is surrounded by Protestant Bishops, and nobody tells him the state he is in, or speaks to him of God; 1 cannot with propriety go into his chamber, because the queen is almost constantly there; the duke of York is thinking of his own business, and has too much of it, to pay the necessary attention to the king's conscience; go tell him, I conjure you, to think of what he can do tor the salvation of the king's soul. lie is master in the chamber, be can put out whom he pleases; lose no time, for if it is deferred but little, it will be too late."

We thought of divers expedients. The Duke of York proposed that 1 should, demand leave to speak to the king his brother in private, on your majesy's business, aud of course every one should go out. I offered to do so, but represented that beside making a great confusion, it afforded no excuse for me remaining alone with the king as long as we would require. Then it occurred to the Duke, to make the queen, come as to take a last farwell, and that he also would perform the same ceremony. At length the Duke resolved to speak to the king before every one; but to do it in such a manner that nobody should hear what he said; because this plan would do away all suspicion, as every one would suppose that he was talking of state affairs, and of what the king would wish to have done after his death. Thus, without any farther precaution, the Duke, after ordering that no one should come near, leaned down to the king's ear, was in the chamber, and more than twenty persons at the door, which lay open, but no one heard what the Duke of York said. The king at different intervals repeated aloud,, "yes, with all my heart." he sometimes made the Duke repeat what he said because he did not hear distinctly. This lasted for a quarter of an hour. The Duke then went out as if to go to the queen, and said to me, "the king consents that 1 shall bring a priest, 1 dare not bring any of the Dutchess's, they are too well known; go and look for one quickly." I said I would do so, but feared to lose time; but that 1 had just seen the queen's priests in a closet adjoining her apartments. He replied, "you are right" and pointed out to me the count de Castiomelhor, who warmly accepted the proposal I made him, and undertook to speak to the queen, he returned shortly and said, "though 1 risque my head by this, 1 do it with pleasure; however I am not acquainted with any of the queen's priests who understands or speaks English." He however discovered among them a Scotsman, named Hudleston¹, who saved the king's life after the battle of Worcester, and was. excepted by act of parliament, out of all the laws made against Cathojics and priests. They gave him a wig and cassock to disguise him, and conducted him to a small room which led by a back stair to lthe king's chamber. The Duke of York sent to receive and introduce Father Hudleston, and then said aloud, "the king wishes every one to withdraw except the Earls of Bath and Feversham." The one was first gentleman of the bedchamber, and the other was in waiting that week in his turn. The physicians went into a closet and the door was shut. The Duke presenting Hudleston, said to the king, "here, here is a man who saved your life, ami now comes to save your soul." The king answered "he is welcome." He then confessed with marks of great devotion and repentance. Hudleston had been instructed by a barefooted Portuguese Carmelite what he was to say to the king, as he was no great divine; but the Duke told me that he acquitted himself very well, that he made the king formally promise, to declare himself openly a Catholic, if' he should recover; and that he then received absolution, the holy communion, and even extreme unction; all this lasted near tliree quarters of an hour, all looked at each other in the anti-chamber, brut no one spoke, except with their eyes and in whispers, 'l'he presence of the Lords Bath and Feversham who are Protestants, served a little to encourage the bishops; but the queen's women and the other priests saw so many coming and going, that 1 think the matter cannot be kept king secret.

Note 1. See Hudleston's Brief Account of the Death of Charles II.