Matthew Smith was a 17th century spy

SPY

SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...

 and the author of "Memoirs of Secret Service", which was published in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 in 1699. "Memoirs of Secret Service" is seen as the prototype of the literary genre of spy autobiographies and there is some controversy as to whether Smith wrote the book or whether his school friend and author Tom Brown

Tom Brown

Tom Brown may refer to:In sports:*Tom Brown , 19th-century baseball player and manager*Tom Brown , former NFL player and MLB outfielder/first baseman...

 did. Smith was educated at Adams Grammar School at the same time as the Jacobite

Jacobitism

Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...

 conspirator Robert Charnock

Robert Charnock

Robert Charnock was an English academic and Jacobite conspirator.-Life:He belonged to a Warwickshire family, and was educated at Adams' Grammar School and Magdalen College, Oxford, becoming a fellow of his college and a Roman Catholic priest.When in 1687 the dispute arose between James II of...

. He was the nephew of Sir William Perkins who first employed him as spy. He later worked in the service of the Earl of Monmouth

Earl of Monmouth

Earl of Monmouth was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of England. The title was first created for English courtier Robert Carey, 1st Baron Carey in 1626. He had already been created Baron Carey, of Leppington, in 1622, also in the Peerage of England. The titles became extinct upon the...

 during the reign of William III

William III of England

William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...

 and implicated the Duke of Shrewsbury in a letter to Monmouth. The allegation in the letter being that Duke of Shrewsbury, one of William III's minister had been aware of a Jacobite plot to assassinate the King. The Earl of Monmouth used this information in an attempt to ruin the Duke of Shrewsbury, this however backfired and caused the Earl of Monmouth to spend a short while in the Tower of London

Tower of London

Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...

. As a result of these allegations, Smith was taken from his lodgings in London and interviewed at the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

.