House. The Earl of Northumberland, the Earl of Manchester, Sir William
Waller and others whose political inclinations were in sympathy, joined in
that conference, and Monk took part in it. Even then, amongst men whose
leanings were all in favour of the King, he deemed it necessary to
maintain an attitude of doubt, and refused to consider the possibility of
a Restoration without conditions as stringent as those that had been
pressed in the last stages of the civil war.

The final steps were carried out through the agency of well-tried
adherents of the King, who were connected by old ties of friendship with
Monk. A gentleman of Devonshire--with which county Monk was closely
connected by ties of property--named William Morrice, had there spent a
studious life, but was understood to have leanings towards the Royalist
party, A friend of that unsullied loyalist, Sir Bevil Grenville, Morrice
had been left in charge of his family, now represented by young Sir John
Grenville, the son of Sir Bevil. Monk and Morrice had both been chosen
members of the new Parliament, which was to meet on April 25th, and
Morrice, who was in close touch with Monk, was vexed to find that all
proposals for the restoration of the King were coupled with severe
conditions, and were to be based upon acknowledgment of the binding force
of the Covenant. Monk took note of the dominance of the Royalist party in
that new Parliament, and soon concluded that matters were likely to move
in the direction of a Restoration, whether with his aid or no. Day by day
he became more inclined to be the foremost instrument of that now
inevitable Restoration. Grenville was of too pronounced Royalist
tendencies to be given any active part in what were still unavowed
designs; but he might be a useful instrument in the confidential
negotiations. He had credit enough with Hyde and the counsellors of the
King to be accepted without those written credentials with which it would
have been dangerous to entrust him. Morrice brought him secretly to Monk,