That he was assassinated by the Catholics, seems utterly improbable.

These religionists could not be engaged to commit that crime from policy, in order to deter other magistrates from acting against them.

Godfrey's fate was nowise capable of producing that effect, unless it were publicly known that the Catholics were his murderers; an opinion which, it was easy to foresee, must prove the ruin of their party.

Besides, how many magistrates, during more than a century, had acted in the most violent manner against the Catholics, without its being ever suspected that any one had been cut off by assassination?
Such jealous times as the present were surely ill fitted for beginning these dangerous experiments.

Shall we therefore say, that the Catholics were pushed on, not by policy, but by blind revenge, against Godfrey?
But Godfrey had given them little or no occasion of offence in taking Oates's evidence.