God's Playthings

Excerpt from God's PlaythingsKnowing that I had been involved in the miserable final adventure of that unhappy Prince, James Scot, Duke of Monmouth, and even been with him in that last Council in Bridgewater, my lord Rochester showed me this letter with a kind of languid malice, and even had the indecency to smile at it and address to me a remark slighting to the unfortunate writer of that desperate appeal. For, said he, had Monmouth a secret to reveal, though ever so base a one, he had disclosed it to save his life - and since he disclosed nothing 'tis proof plain this was but a fool's trick to catch mercy.