Stuart dynasty

274 THE STUART DYNASTY.
both. Six or seven monks from Germany had
arrived, some of them likely to be able missionaries.
Conversions, however, were rare, here and there " a
minister coming in, but very few in towns."
The Edinburgh ministers and the University
students the Earl describes as " wild and furious,
talking with confidence in a bad cause, so that the
people take their assertion for full proof of their
veracity." The business of the Duke of Hamilton
seemed to be that of ' ' obstructing the Catholic
interest." The Earl goes on to say, " others we have
here who would feign have us to believe they are our
friends, who really are our more dangerous enemies.
Especially some in the army, the hundredth man in
which is not a Catholic, and we have scarce any
officers of that persuasion ; not that they are not to
be had, but with all the art imaginable the king is
diverted from any such design as might bring the
army to us."
Although partial tumults arose immediately these
facts were known in the capital,f the ultimate out-
come of this conspiracy to change the Presbyterian
form of worship into that of Catholicism was not
seen until December 10, 1688, when the intensely
Protestant populace of Edinburgh arose and de-
stroyed the newly erected images in the house near
Holyrood, sacking at the same time that ancient
Palace.J Thus chasing the Jesuits from their minis-
* Stuart Papers, TCoyal Library, Windsor. (See Appendix I. Paper III.)
t Macaulay's ' History of England,' edition 1849, vol. ii. p. 116.
t Ibid., v. 607.