total filence, as if he had been no way concerned in the transaction. At laft perceiving that his own name was little mentioned in thefe difputes, he called together the lords Halifax, Shrewsbury, and Danby, with a few more. He then told them that he had been called over to defend the liberties of the English nation, and that he had happily effected his purpofe; that he had heard of several fchemes propofed for the establishing the govern ment; that if they chofe a regent he thought it incumbent on him to inform them that he would never accept of that office, the execution of which he knew would be attended with infuperable difficulties; that he would not accept of the crown under the princefs his wife, though he was convinced of her merits, that therefore if either of thefe fchemes were adopted, he could give them no affiftance in the fettlement of the nation; but would return home to his own country, fatisfied with his aims to fecure the freedom of theirs. This declaration produced the intended effect. After a long debate in both houfes a new fovereign was preferred to a regent, by a majority of two voices. It was agreed that the prince and princefs of Orange fhould reign jointly as king and queen of England, while the adminiftration of government fhould be placed in the hands of the prince only. The marquis of Halifax, as fpeaker of the house of lords, made a folemn tender of the crown to their highneffes, in the name of the peers and commons of England. The prince accepted the offer in terms of acknowledgment; and that very day William and Mary were proclaimed king and queen of England. CHAP. TH CHAP. XXXVIII. WILLIAM III. HE conftitution, upon the acceffion of William to the crown, took a different form from what it had before. As his right to the crown was wholly from the choice of the people, they chose to load the benefit with whatever stipulations they thought requifite for their own fecurity. His power, therefore, was limited on every fide; and the jealoufy which his new fubjects entertained of foreigners ftill farther obftructed the exercise of his authority. The power of the crown was acknowledged to flow from no other fountain than that of a contract with the people. The reprefentatives of the nation made a regular claim of rights in behalf of their conftituents, which, previous to his coronation, William was obliged to confirm. This declaration of rights maintained, that the fufpending and difpenfing powers, as exercifed by king James, were unconftitutional; that all courts of ecclefiaftical commiffion, the levying money, or maintaining a standing army in times of peace, without confent of parliament; that grants of fines and forfeitures before conviction, and juries of perfons not qualified, or not fairly chofen; and, in trials for treason, who were not freeholders, were all unlawful. It afferted the freedom of election to parliament, the freedom of speech in parliament, and the right of the subject to bear arms, and to petition his fovereign. It provided, that exceffive bail fhould not be required, nor excelfive fines be impofed, nor cruel and unusual punishments be inflicted; and it concluded with an injunction that parliaments fhould be frequently aflembled affembled. Such was the bill of rights calculated to fecure the liberties of the people; but having been drawn up in a ferment, it bears all the marks of hafte, infufficiency, and inattention. William was no fooner elected to the throne, than he began to experience the difficulty of governing a people, who were more ready to examine the commands of their fuperiors, than to obey them. From the peaceful and tractable difpofition of his own countrymen, he expected a fimilar difpofition among the English; he hoped to find them ready and willing to fecond his ambition in humbling France, but he found them more apt to fear for the invafion of their domeftic liberties at home. His reign commenced with an attempt, fimilar to that which had been the principal caufe of all the diflurbances in the preceding reign, and which had excluded the monarch from the throne. William was a Calvinift, and confequently averfe to perfecution; he therefore began by attempting to repeal those laws that enjoined uniformity of worfhip; and though he could not entirely fucceed in his defign, a toleration was granted to fuch diffenters as thould take the oaths of allegiance, and hold no private conventicles. The papifts themfelves, who had every thing to fear, experienced the lenity of his government; and though the laws against them were unrepealed, yet they were feldom put into rigorous execution. Thus what was criminal in James, became virtuous in his fucceffor, as James wanted to introduce perfecution, ` by pretending to difown it; while William had no other defign, but to make religious freedom the teft of civil fecurity. But though William was acknowledged king in England; Scotland and Ireland were ftill undetermined. The revolution in England, had been brought brought about by a coalition of Whigs and Tories; but in Scotland it was effected by the Whigs almoft alone. They foon came to a refolution that king James had, to ufe their own expreffion, forfaulted his right to the crown, a term which, in the lawlanguage of that country, excluded not only him, but all his pofterity. They therefore quickly recognized the authority of Wil1689. liam, and took that opportunity to abolifh epifcopacy, which had long been difagreeable to the nation. A. D. Nothing now remained to the depofed king of all his former poffeffions but Ireland; and he had fome hopes of maintaining his ground there, by the affiftance which he was promised from France. Lewis XIV. had long been at variance with William, and took every opportunity to form confederacies against him, and to obftruct his government. On the prefent occafion, being either touched with compaffion at the fufferings of James, or willing to weaken a rival kingdom, by promoting its internal diffenfions, he granted the depofed monarch a fleet and fome troops, to affert his pretenfions in Ireland, the only part of his dominions that had not openly declared against him. On the other hand William was not backward in warding off the threatened blow. He was pleafed with an opportunity of gratifying his natural hatred againit France; and he hoped to purchafe domeftic quiet to himself, by turning the fpirit of the nation upon the continual object of its averfion and jealoufy. The parliament, though divided in all things elfe, yet was unanimous in confpiring with him in this; a war was declared against France, and meafures were purfued for driving James from Ireland, where he had landed, affifted rather by money than by forces, granted him from the French king. On On the feventh day of May, 1689, that unhappy monarch embarked at Breft, and on the twentyfecond arrived at Kinfale; and foon after made his public entry into Dublin, amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants. He found the appearances of things in that country equal to his most fanguine expectations. Tyrconnel, the lord lieutenant, was devoted to his interefts; his old army was fteady and a new one raised, amounting together to near forty thousand men. The protestants over the greatest part of Ireland were disarmed, the province of Uliter alone denied his authority; while the papifts, confident of fuccefs, received him with fhouts of joy and fuperftitious proceffions, which gave him ftill greater pleasure. In this fituation, the proteftants of Ireland underwent the moft opp effive and cruel indignities. Most of those who were attached to the revolution, were obliged to retire into Scotland and England, or hid themselves, or accepted written protections from their enemies. The braveft of them however, to the number of ten thousand men, gathered round Londonderry, refolved to make their laft ftand at that place, for their religion and liberty. A few alfo rallied themfelves at Ennifkillen; and after the first panic was over, became more numerous by the junction of others. James continued for fome time irrefolute what course to pursue; but as soon as the fpring would permit he went to lay fiege to Londonderry, a town of fmall importance in itself, but rendered famous by the ftand which it made on this occafion. Colonel Lundie had been appointed governor of the town by William, but was fecretly attached to king James; and at a council of war, prevailed upon the officers and townfmen, to fend meffengers to the befiegers with an offer of surrender the day following. But the inhabitants, being apprised of |