PART L 1688. more impatient. When James recalled the fix British regiments in the Dutch fervice, the Prince refufed to part with them *. James ordered the officers to throw up their commiffions; but few obeyed him. Skelton's fon, who was an officer in one of the regiments, and had an office about the Princess, refigned his commiffion, but was willing to continue in his office. The Prince difmiffed him, faying, "Those who will not ferve "the States, shall not serve the Princess t." Skelton, who had quarrelled with the Prince, who had been an officer in the French fervice, and who was known to hate the Dutch, was fent ambaffador to France to mark James's difregard of the Prince 1. He and the Dutch ambaffador at Paris fcarcely visited each other. And, upon a false report that the English ambaffador had renewed the applications to the French court concerning the Prince's interefts in Orange, the Prince complained of James's meddling in his affairs ++. By the accident of Monfieur Rouvigny's fecretary, a French refugee, disclosing to the Prince his master's fecrets of the late reign, the Prince came about this time to know all the injuries which the King and his brother had done, or intended against him or * Gazettes 1687. Books of privy-council, 14th March 1687-8. Skelton's letter to Lord Sunderland, March 24. 1688, in the paper office. Ibid. to ibid. July 9. 1687; July 10. 1689. From a letter 16th July 1687, from Skelton to Lord Sunderland, in the paper-office, it appears that the Dutch ambassador at Paris had complained to Monf. de Croiffy of this. Skelton repeats Croiffy's surprise at the injury done by the report to Skelton," who," said he, "never had "made mention of any thing relating to his Highness, except the interceding for the President of Orange, and the members of that principality; "and that after fuch a manner, that he plainly faw, it was not a thing the King took much to heart." 66 Skelton's letter to Lord Sunderland, 13th Jan. 1687, and others. Book V. 1688. er his country *; a circumftance which increased prefent PART I. differences, by the recollection of ancient ones. But above all, the pregnancy of the Queen, and the birth of the Prince of Wales, gave motion to the ufual phlegm of the Prince's temper. Before that event, he had avoided a rupture, because, in the course of nature, the prospect of the Princess's fucceffion was not distant, and by haftening too much, he might disappoint it altogether: But now he faw that prospect removed to a ftill more remote and more uncertain day. The Prince knew with pleasure, at this time, that the minds of his countrymen were equally hoftile with his own to the Kings of France and of England. Louis XIV. had lately attacked the interests of the two greateft branches of the Dutch manufacture and fishery, by prohibiting the entry of the woven fabrics and the herrings of Holland into France. And when he repealed the edict of Nantes, he refused to permit the Dutch Proteftants in France to retire with their effects to their own country. A great number, however, made their efcape, and were accompanied with a ftill greater of French refugees. As there is a pleasure in relating past fufferings, and hearing them related, both thefe claffes of men spread through Holland accounts of the miferies they had endured in France, for the cause of their religion; and, when the Prince, from political views, received many of them into the troops; and the Dutch, from fentiments of generofity, made provifions for others; thofe who came next from France exaggerated the misfortunes from which they had efcaped, in order to be entitled to the fame bounty. The gazettes were filled, the Vide Blanchard's memorial in Review, chap 1. + D'Avaux. Book V. 1688. PART the pulpits refounded with the cruelties of perfecutions in France; and pictures were every where in the hands of the rich, and engravings in those of the poor, which represented the tortures ufed against those who stood stedfast to the religion of their fathers. Louis XIV. by an ill-timed piece of spleen, united the interefts of the Prince and of religion when he seized the revenues of the principality of Orange, and bestowed them upon one whose fons had taken refuge in Holland on account of their religion. Fagel, the penfionary of Holland, by a well-timed fiction, on the other hand, united the causes of the Kings of France and England, when, in the beginning of the year 1687, he affured his countrymen in their councils, that these two Princes were in a league, with united fleets, foon to attack them *. Touched already in their tendereft parts, their religion and commerce at home, and hearing of the advances to the establishment of Popery in England, the Dutch confidered the Proteftant cause in England to be that of the Protestants in Holland, and already, in imagination, beheld themselves furrounded with enemies and persecutors. The merchants threatened to maffacre those who had fhown themselves averse from the interefts of the Prince: The clergy animated the people in his caufe: All oppofition of party ceased; and all his countrymen looked up to him as the only perfon who could a fecond time preferve his country from ruin +. Even from the dangers which furrounded Holland, the Prince knew he could derive the advantage of preparing armaments, without raifing fufpicion that England was their object. The Dutch were already at war with the Algerines, * D'Avaux, 17th Jan 7th March 1686. et paffim. Sir William Trumbail's letters to Lord Sunderland, July 17-27, 1685-6, in the paper-office. ↑ D'Avaux, Book V. 1688. Algerines, whofe fleets were cruizing on their coafts. PART I They had the profpect of a war with Denmark, and which the Prince of Orange pretended to be more certain than it was. The French had put a fleet to sea, which the Prince gave out was intended to intercept the Spanish plate-fhips coming from the Indies*, and to attack Cadiz, in both of which the Dutch had great riches. Their ambaffadors had been treated by the French court with a haughtinefs, which republicans are of all men the leaft capable of bearing t. The King of England was preparing a great navy, more from his love of naval affairs, than from a view to make any ufe of it; yet he had lately fent fome angry meffages to the States, concerning the old affair of Bantam, and the reception given in Holland to thofe who had been in rebellion against him. These things pointed out to the Dutch the neceffity of an armament at fea. And the measures which France was at this time taking to put the cardinal of Furftenburgh in poffeffion of the electorate of Cologn, convinced them, that there was an equal neceffity of increafing their land-forces. The Prince knew, that at this time, a great part of the British fubjects was diffatisfied with the conduct of their fovereign; and that even the English army and navy, which are commonly the last to defert the support of that authority which commands and maintains them, were unfettled in their allegiance: He considered that he had a veteran army of the best troops in Europe to combat against an army fo affected, new raifed, not difciplined, and unacquainted with war; that in fuch an attempt his whole force would act together, whereas that of the King Ibid. 1686, and Sir William Trumball's correfpondence in the paper-office. Sir William Trumball to Lord Sunderland, 29th June 1706, in the `paper-office. BOOK V. 1688. PARTI King of England must neceffarily be dispersed to make head against different infurrections in different places; that England being open, unprovided with forts, and the feat of its government defencelefs, and within a few days march of the sea, the war could not be protracted to teach war by experience to the English, but must be ended by a fingle battle; and that the very boldness of the enterprife, in one of his ufual caution, would ftrike univerfal terror into an enemy astonished, distracted, suspecting, and who had reafon for fufpicion. The prince's movements Whether the Prince intended by his enterprize only to enquire into the legitimacy of the Prince of Wales, to reconcile the King to his people, and to engage both in a war against France, or to dethrone him, and take the direction of that war to himself, is only known to that God who is the fearcher of hearts. It is probable he refolved to direct himself by events according as they fhould prefent themselves. For, as he had formerly urged on the exclufion, when feconded by one half of the nation, he fell upon the same principles, to accept the crown, if offered by the whole. Among his private papers, there is a letter to him from the Elector of Brandenburg, which makes it not improbable, that his elevation to the throne of England, had been in contemplation, at an interview between these two princes a little time before the revolution *. But, as it was to England herself that the Prince chiefin England. ly trufted for fuccefs, he was extremely folicitous, before he took his final refolution, to know, with certainty, the reception he was to expect in that country. The papers to Vide the Elector of Brandenburg's letter, of date 27th February 1689, in Appendix, to this Book. It is in King William's cabi net. |