The resolution of the lords appeared to be unanimous. But there were in the assembly those who by no means approved of the decision in which they affected to concur, and who wished to see the king treated with a severity which they did not venture openly to recommend. It is a remarkable fact that the chief of this party was a peer who had been a vehement Tory, and who afterward died a non-juror, Clarendon. The rapidity with which, at this crisis, he went backward and forward from extreme to extreme, might seem incredible to people living in quiet times, but will not surprise those who have had an opportunity of watching the course of revolutions. He knew that the asperity with which he had, in the royal presence, censured the whole system of government, had given mortal offense to his old master. On the other hand, he might, as the uncle of the princesses, hope to be great and rich in the new world which was about to commence. The English colony in Ireland regarded him as a friend and patron; and he felt that on the confidence and attachment of that great interest much of his importance depended. To such considerations as these, the principles which he had, during his whole life, ostentatiously professed, now gave way. He repaired to the prince's closet, and represented the danger of leaving the king at liberty. Protestants of Ireland were in extreme peril. There was only one way to secure their estates and their lives, and that was to keep his majesty close prisoner. It might not be prudent to shut him up in an English castle; but he might be sent across the sea, and confined in the fortress of Breda till the affairs of the British islands were settled. If the prince were in possession of such a hostage, Tyrconnel would probably lay down the sword of state, and the English ascendency would be restored in Ireland without a blow. If, on the other hand, James should escape to France, and make his appearance at Dublin accompanied by a foreign army, the consequences must be digastrous. William owned that there was great weight in these reasons; but it could not be. He knew his wife's The temper, and he knew that she never would consent to such a step. Indeed, it would not be for his own honor to treat his vanquished kinsman so ungraciously. Nor was it quite clear that generosity might not be the best policy. Who could say what effect such severity as Clarendon recommended might produce on the public mind of England? Was it impossible that the loyal enthusiasm, which the king's misconduct had extinguished, might revive as soon as it was known that he was within the walls of a foreign fortress? On these grounds William determined not to subject his father-in-law to personal restraint, and there can be little doubt that the determination was wise.* session of the posts round Whitehall, and exhorted Craven to retire peaceably. Craven swore that he would rather be cut in pieces; but when the king, who was undressing himself, learned what was passing, he forbade the stout old soldier to attempt a resistance which must have been ineffectual. By eleven the Coldstream Guards had withdrawn, and Dutch sentinels were pacing the rounds on every side of the palace. Some of the king's attendants asked whether he would venture to lie down surrounded by enemies. He answered that they could hardly use him worse than his own subjects had done, and with the apathy of a man stupefied by disasters, went to bed and to sleep.* Scarcely was the palace again quiet when it was again roused. A little after midnight the three lords arrived from Windsor. Middleton was called up to receive them. They informed him that they were charged with an errand which did not admit of delay. The king was awakened from his first slumber, and they were ushered into his bed-chamber. They delivered into his hand the letter with which they had been intrusted, and informed him that the prince would be at Westminster in a few hours, and that his majesty would do well to set out for Ham before ten in the morning. James made some difficulties. He did not like Ham. It was a pleasant place in the summer, but cold and comfortless at Christmas, and was, moreover, unfurnished. Halifax answered that furniture should be instantly sent in. The three messengers retired, but were speedily followed by Middleton, who told them that the king would greatly prefer Rochester to Ham. They answered that they had not authority to accede to his majesty's wish, but that they would instantly send off an express to the prince, who was to lodge that night at Sion House. A courier started immediately, and returned before daybreak with William's consent. That consent, Clarke's Life of James, ii., 264, mostly from Orig. Mem.; Mulgrave's Account of the Revolution; Rapin de Thoyras. It must be remembered that in those events Rapin was himself an actor. indeed, was most gladly given; for there could be no doubt that Rochester had been named because it afforded facilities for flight; and that James might fly was the first wish of his nephew.* On the morning of the eighteenth of December, a rainy and stormy morning, the royal barge was early at Whitehall stairs, and round it were eight or ten boats filled with Dutch soldiers. Several noblemen and gentlemen attended the king to the water side. It is said, and may well be believed, that many tears were shed; for even the most zealous friend of liberty could scarcely have seen, unmoved, the sad and ignominious close of a dynasty which might have been so great. Shrewsbury did all in his power to soothe the fallen tyrant. Even the bitter and vehement But it was observed that Halifax, who was generally distinguished by his tenderness to the vanquished, was, on this occasion, less compassionate than his two colleagues. The mock embassy to Hungerford was doubtless rankling in his mind.† While the king's barge was slowly working its way on rough billows down the river, brigade after brigade of the prince's troops came pouring into London from the west. It had been wisely determined that the duty of the capital should be chiefly done by the British soldiers in the service of the States-General. The three English regiments were quartered in and round the Tower, the three Scotch regiments in Southwark. In defiance of the weather, a great multitude assembled between Albemarle House and Saint James's Palace to greet the prince. Every hat, every cane, was adorned with an orange ribbon. The bells were ringing all over London. Candles for an illumination were disposed in the windows. Fagots for bonfires were heaped up in the streets. William, however, who had no taste for * Clarke's Life of James, ii., 265, Orig. Mem.; Mulgrave's Account of the Revolution; Burnet, i., 801; Citters, Dec. 1688. 18 28 t Citters, Dec. 1, 1688; Evelyn's Diary, same date; Clarke's Life of uld be no di afforded fas was the is ember, a r rly at Was ts filled men atta nd may v en the mos redement crowds and shouting, took the road through the park. * Luttrell's Diary; Evelyn's Diary; Clarendon's Diary, Dec. 18, 1688; Rev- " |