Jacobitism had softened and that his spirit of tolerance and his own personal interests had caused him to look upon Hanoverian Britain in a less intransigent way .
3 . Ambiguity in the Institutions He Adhered to
Even though he had served him faithfully , complying with each of his requests , Ramsay was aware of the difficulties he would encounter so long as Cardinal Fleury remained in power .
Upon his return to Paris in November 1724 , he promptly found a position at the home of Maximilien Henri de Béthune , Duke of Sully . But at the end of 1729 , he took his leave again and , furnished with a passport and several letters of recommendation , he returned to Britain , the homeland he had left 21 years earlier .
He remained there for five months , during which time , he was made a Fellow of the renowned Royal Society , became a member of the Spalding Gentlemen ’ s Society , was “ accepted ” by the Horne Lodge , and was awarded an honorary doctorate at Oxford University .
The welcome he received was thus a particularly warm one , which seems surprising for someone who had been a staunch supporter of the Stuart dynasty , and a Catholic to boot .
Was this due to his attachment to Fénelon , who , in Britain , was associated with the Jansenists , or to services rendered to the British Cabinet , as has been supposed ?
Ramsay and Jacobitism
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The ambiguous relations that Ramsay entertained with the Hanoverians never ceased . He gradually moved away from the Stuarts and turned toward a very distinguished family , the house of Bouillon .
Returning to Paris after his spell in Britain , he made the acquaintance of the Earl of Evreux , the nephew of Cardinal de Bouillon , a prominent member of Fénelon ’ s circle of friends . The Earl took Ramsay into his household and offered him the position of tutor for his young nephew Godefroy-Géraud . He thus entered a high-profile family which counted among its members two illustrious historical figures : Godefroy of Bouillon , who , at the end of the eleventh century , had been one of the leaders of the successful First Crusade and the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem , and the Viscount of Turenne , who , under Louis XIV , distinguished himself as Marshal General of the King ’ s armies . It was through a natural spirit of gratitude toward the Bouillon family that Ramsay wrote the History of Henry de la Tour d ’ Auvergne Viscount of Turenne , Marshal General of the King ’ s armies , published in Paris in 1735 . Here , he also included part of the handwritten , as yet unpublished Memoirs of the Duke of York ( James II ).
Conclusion
It is possible to affirm that up until
1724 , when he was 38 , Ramsay ’ s Jacobitism was real and sincere .
It was from the time of his early return from Rome that his hopes for a