Then he
wrote his book in reply to a sermon by Dr. Hickes, who was in favour of
passive obedience, and compared the future King to the Roman Emperor
surnamed the Apostate. This made a great sensation, which was not lessened
by the report that he had indited a pamphlet entitled _Julian's Arts to
undermine and extirpate Christianity_. Johnson was subsequently condemned
to a fine of one hundred marks, and imprisoned. On his release his efforts
did not flag. He wrote _An Humble and Hearty Address to all the
Protestants in the Present Army_ at the time when the Stuart monarch had
assembled a large number of troops at Hounslow Heath in order to overawe
London. This was the cause of further misfortunes; he was condemned to
stand in the pillory, to pay another five hundred marks, to be degraded
from the ministry, and publicly whipped from Newgate to Tyburn. When the
Revolution came he expected a bishopric as the reward of his sufferings;
but he was scarcely the man for the episcopal bench. He refused the
Deanery of Durham, and had to content himself with a pension and a gift of
L1,000.
All men mourn the fate of Algernon Sidney, who perished on account of his
political opinions; and his _Discourse on the Government_, a manuscript
which was discovered by the authorities at his house, furnished his
enemies with a good pretext. A corrupt jury, presided over by the
notorious Jeffreys, soon condemned poor headstrong Sidney to death.
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