Earls of Middleton, Lords of Clermont and of Fettercairn

Charles, Second Earl of Middleton. 337
King William. Lord Clermont and Charles Mid-
dleton took advantage of this favourable juncture
to procure their enlargement. They laid a humble
petition before Queen Anne, representing their bad
state of health, caused by a close imprisonment of
three years.
Anne received their petition graciously, and
ordered the Attorney- General to admit them to bail.
This was done accordingly, June 20th, in the Court of
Queen's Bench; they themselves entering into a re-
cognizance of ,£4000 each, and their bail, the Dukes
of Beaufort, 1 Bolton, 2 and Hamilton, and the Earl of
Wharton, in ^2000 each, for their appearance at the
Queen's Bench bar the first day of next term.
" Though," says the author of the Reign of Queen
Anne, " some persons repined against and made
sinister construction of this act of clemency, yet it is
certain that of the four illustrious persons who bailed
them, two were of the High Church and two of the
Low Church party." 3
Queen Mary Beatrice having imprudently promised
her daughter to take her to the Italian Comedy in
Paris, at a time when small-pox was raging in the
1 Henry, second Duke of Beaufort, succeeded to the title in 1699.
His second wife was Rachel, daughter and co-heir of Baptist Noel,
Earl of Gainsborough. (Burke.)
2 Charles Paulet, fifth Duke of Bolton. (Burke.)
3 History of the Life and Reign of Queen Anne.
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