almoft in the fame ftate. The King declares always his intentions to affemble a parliament, although matters do not seem disposed for it; they believe that it will be about the time of the Queen's being brought to bed... The Roman Catholics incline abfolutely that it fhould be "a fon; and befides, the army at Hounflow will be in the neighbourhood. These are only conjectures, and your Highnefs cannot want lights much more authentic, than those which I am capable of giving. But it is certain, that we expect great extremities. All our hopes are founded upon the fecurity of your perfon, and that of the Princess, both of whom may God preferve from all plots and attacks. Nobody wishes it with more ardour and paffion, than does, my Lord, the moft obfequious and the most humble of all your fervants."

13th March, Old Stile.

Lord Halifax to the Prince of Orange.-The King gains nothing on the nation.-Advifes to cautious meafures.

Avoid giving your Highnefs unneceffary trouble, and though, this hath a good conveyance, yet it may, perhaps, be fo long in its way to you, that it will not be pertinent to repeat what you will have had from other hands. There hath been little that is new this great while, fince either the old methods have continued, or elfe what appeareth to be new, is at leaft not ftrange, being produced by a natural confequence, and therefore to be reasonably expected and foreseen. In fome particulars, to men at a diftance, the engine feemeth to move faft, but by looking nearer, one may fee it doth not ftir upon the whole matter, fo that here is a rapid motion without advancing a step, which is the only miracle that church hath yet fhewed to us. Every attempt turneth back upon them. They change the magistracy in the corporations, and still for the worfe, as to their defigns. The irregu

lar

lar methods have fpent themfelves without effect; they have run fo faft that they begin to be out of breath, and the exercife of extraordinary powers, both ecclefiaftical and civil, is fo far from fixing the right of them, that men are more united in objecting to them. The world is ftill where it was, with this only difference, that it groweth every day more averfe to that which is endeavoured to be imposed upon them. The very Papifts who have eftates, act like preffed men, and have fuch an eye to what may happen in a revolution, that their prefent advantages hardly make amends for their fears; upon the whole, they are fo divided between the fear of lofing their opportunity by delay, or spoiling it with too much hate, that their steps are wavering and uncertain, and diftrusting the very inftruments they ufe, they are under great mortifications, notwithstanding the appearance of carrying every thing without oppofition. Being thus difcouraged by their ill fuccefs in their attempts, fome fay they are altering their fcheme, and not finding their expectations anfwered by the Diffenters, they have thoughts of returning to their old friends, the High Church Men; but the truth is, the Papifts have of late been fo hard and fierce upon them, that the very fpecies of those formerly mistaken men is deftroyed; they have so broken that loom in pieces, that they cannot now fet it up again to work upon it: In the mean time the men at the helm are certainly divided amongst themselves, which will produce great effects, if men will let it work, and not prevent the advantages that may be expected, by being too unquiet, or doing things out of feafon; the great thing to be done now, is to do nothing, but wait for the good confequences of their divifions and mistakes. Unfeasonable stirrings, or any thing that looketh like the Proteftants being the aggreffors, will tend to unite them, and by that means will be a disappointment to thofe hopes, which otherwife can hardly

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fail:

fail: Nothing, therefore, in the present conjuncture can be more dangerous than unfkilful agitators, warm men, who would be active at a wrong time, and want patience to keep their zeal from running away with them. It is faid by fome, that there is an intention of making a new attempt to beget a better understanding with your Highness; that in order to it, the prefent Envoy, as less acceptable, is to be removed, and another fent, who, if he fhould be lefs known, may, perhaps, for that very reafon, be the more dangerous: If this fhould be true, and that fofter proposals fhould be made from hence, it will deferve all your caution to receive them fo as neither to give advantage by rejecting them too roughly on one fide, or on the other, by giving any colour for them to pretend there is a confent given to any thing that may be inconvenient. After the reports raised here, without any manner of ground, firft of your Highness being a Papift, then of your being defirous to have the Teft repealed, there is nothing of that kind which may not be thought poffible; fo that if there fhould now be any nearer treaty, it might, perhaps, be made ufe of with more advantage by them, to mislead men at a diftance into a wrong belief. In lower inftances, it hath not been unufual, in such cases, to fet proposals on foot, of which no other effect is expected, than to bring men under doubts and fufpicions from their own friends. The inftruments that fhall be made ufe of, their interefts and dependencies being well confidered and examined, will give a great deal of light, if any thing of this kind fhould be attempted; and it happeneth well, that they will have to do with one who knoweth fo well how to judge of men and things, as not to be within the danger of being easily furprised, neither by any upon this occafion, nor by any other of our countrymen who fpeak what is dictated to them by men of feveral interefts, or endeavour to value VOL. II. themselves

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themselves upon their correfpondencies and influences here, which, I doubt, have feldom foundation enough for your Highness to build upon. There can be nothing better recommended to you, than the continuance of the method which you practise; neither comply in any thing that is unfit, nor to provoke further anger by any act that is unneceffary. This will not, perhaps, be sufficient to prevent ill-will, but it will, in a great measure, fecure you from the ill effects of it. Your Highness must allow me to applaud my good fortune in not having hitherto made a wrong conjecture about the fitting of the parliament: Notwithstanding the difcourfes that have been made by the great men, with the greateft affurance, that it would meet one time after another, I ever thought it impracticable, confidering the measures that are taken, and I am now as much an unbeliever for October, as I was for April, which was the time prefixed for the meeting; with all this your Highness must expect, that it will still be given out, there will be one; it is not, perhaps, thought convenient, neither indeed would it be fo, that all foreign Princes and States fhould conclude, there never will be a parliament in England in this King's reign; a great deal would depend upon fuch an opinion received, which would have an influence upon their manner of treating with us; but according to the most rational conjecture, how extraordinary foever things may appear which have been done, the letting a parlia- ment meet as matters now ftand, would fo undo them all, that it is hardly to be fuppofed poffible. The other great point which at prefent maketh the difcourfe is, whether England will have a war with the States; in this, the more thinking sort of men are of opinion there will be none. There is difpofition enough for it, for reasons which need not be explained; but there are fo many discouraging circumstances, and the prejudice from

ill fuccefs would be fo much greater than the utmost which can be hoped in cafe of profpering, that the men in power must go against all the common methods of arguing, if they venture upon an experiment which may be fo deftructive to them. I have tired your Highness fo long, that it is time for me to close with my wifhes for your own and the Princefs's health, which are of that confequence to the world, that nothing can be desperate whilft you are well and fafe. For myself, I muft ever be unalterably devoted to you."

London, April 12, 1688.

Some of the preceding letters mention the vain attempts of the King to gain over individuals to agree to the abolition of the Tefts. The following papers are authentic evidences of this.

King James to the Duke of Hamilton.-Defires a pofitive anfwer whether he will agree to the abolition of the Tefts. In the Duke of Hamilton's poffeffion.

Whitehall, Feb. 11, 1688.

"BEFORE this gets to you, you will have had

time to difcourfe with fome one of the law, as well as of the gofpel, concerning the Teft and Penal laws, fo that you may as well now, as at any time, give an account if you can comply with what I defire, and join with those of my loyal subjects who are for the repeal of these laws and Teft, and for fettling an entire liberty of confcience, which you know is what I drive at, and make no doubts of bringing about in all my dominions. You fee the condefcenfion I had for you, in not expecting an answer from you before you left this place, and that now I do not let this question be asked