་་ Book VIII. 1689. PARTI. of a foldier, he declared his opinion to the chief men of the proteftant party, that Ireland ought to be surrendered, but that he could not do it without that Prince's permiffion who had committed the charge of it to him; and fent Lord Mountjoy, who was looked upon as the head of the proteftant intereft, to James, to fatisfy him, that Ireland was incapable of defence: A ftratagem which both gained time, and freed Tyrconnel from a troublebut prepares fome opponent. Mountjoy had no fooner departed, to defend Ireland. State of than Tyrconnel gave orders for raising twenty new popish regiments, of 1000 men each; and, when Mountjoy arrived in Paris, he was immediately committed to the Baftile. Whilft there were doubts of Tyrconnel's intentions, the proteftants, uncertain of events in England, and difcouraged by the inattention of the Prince of Orange, affumed a fimilar ambiguity of conduct. The northern counties publifhed declarations, that their affociations were only intended in felf-defence against the dangers of a maffacre. The inhabitants of Londonderry* wrote apologies for what had paffed, to be communicated to Tyrconnel, and even to be fent into England. They published a declaration † full of loyalty to King James before they knew he had retired, praying for long dominion to a Prince who had already refigned it. But, when they heard of Lord Mountjoy's fate, saw new popish regiments raifing every where, and underftood that most of the commiffions were given to officers who agreed to afk no pay for their men; a declaration that their fubfiftence was to arife from the miseries of their opponents; the parties of proteftants and papifts declared a-new, and openly, their mutual jealousies: The one expreffed their fufpicions left former cruelties fhould *M'Kenzie, p. 18. † Walker, Pe41. Ibid. be repeated; the other were conscious of merited revenge for late injuries; and both of them gave and received terrors by turns. Many of the rich and of the weaker fex, removed their perfons and their effects to ftrong places, and into Scotland and England. The fight of their own numbers, when they met in thofe places, or on the fhores, increased, by the contagion of sympathy, the fear which each individual had brought along with him. But the minds of those who remained at home were still more agitated: For, in feveral towns, agreements || were made to receive garrifons compofed equally of the forces of each party: A ftate of neutrality full of suspense and of jealousy, and even more dreadful to the garrifons, and to the towns poffeffed by them, than all the sufferings of actual war. PART I Book VIII. 1689. Caufes of neglect of the Princes The Prince's neglect of Ireland was variously accounted for: Those who looked for political views in all his meafures, imputed it to an opinion which Lord Hali- Ireland. fax had fuggefted, that nothing could impel the English fo much to a speedy fettlement of England, as a prospect of the unfettled condition of Ireland §. Those who faw only malignant ends in all his actions, exclaimed, after his advancement to the throne, "That he had "encouraged the Irish to rebel, in order to procure an "opportunity of enriching, by their forfeitures, the "followers of his fortunes." But people who judged with lefs refinement, and therefore probably with more truth, drew apologies for the Prince's conduct, from the credit which he gave to the affurances of Tyrconnel, his own opinion that the provinces of England would eafily follow the fate of the kingdom to which they belonged, the difgrace which an unfuccefsful attempt might bring * Walker, p. 9. M'Kenzie, p. 10. April 20. | M Kenzie, p. 9. t Gazette, March 6, and Judge Keeling's letter in Archbishop King, p. 347- upon Book VIII. 1689. vindicate PARTI. upon his new administration, and perhaps some distrust of feamen and foldiers who had fo lately fhewn fo little steadiness to their own master. Sir William Temple's Mr. Tem- fon, fecretary at war, who had engaged to the Prince tary death to for the success and fidelity of Colonel Hamilton, thought his mafter. it his duty, fome time after, by a voluntary death, to take the blame off the Prince, and throw it upon himself: A young gentleman of the fineft accomplishments, happy in the poffeffion of a woman he loved, and in high prosperity! He left behind him a note to this purpose: "My own imprudence in the Prince's fervice, and the "hurt I have done it, are the causes of my death. I "with him fuccefs in all his undertakings, and a better "fervant than I have proved *." A fate which, amid the great convulfions of ftate, recalled the minds of men to the delicacies of honour in private persons, and to the tender feelings of nature. • Clarendon's Diary, April 19. Rereby, 46. END OF PART FIRST. воок I, STATE of Parties.Of Holland. Of Parlia- PART II. Holland.Of ment. Of the Court.Oppofition in Parliament.--The Whigs attack the Tories.The. King's Arts to remove Oppofition.-Parfimony of Parliament. It hurts Public Credit.- -The King's grand Scheme for compofing Differences difappointed. Caufes of this Difappointment.His Breach with the Church.Declaration of War against France. W Book I. 1689. ties. ILLIAM was fcarcely feated upon the throne State of par when he experienced the truth of the maxim, That crowns are encircled with thorns. The adherents of the late King exclaimed, "That the Prince of "Orange had, under pretence of preferving the con"ftitution, overturned it, broken faith with the na❝tion, and trampled upon the laws of God and of "man." William's fuccefs, fince his arrival in England, had been so rapid, that many of the tories, who had, in the torrent of national sympathy, concurred in placing the crown upon his head, fcarcely recollected [A] till PART II. 1689. till now, that they had, by their own votes, not only dethroned King James, but preferred the two Princeffes, the Prince of Orange, and their iffue, to his fon; and * pretended they had only not opposed, rather than confeffed they had promoted, events which they had not originally foreseen. Most of the church were obliged, from pride, and a regard to consistency of character, to appear difcontented with the elevation of the Prince; feeing there were few clergymen who had not, in the pulpit, or in their writings, or in conversation, inveighed against the right of the subject to infringe the fucceffion to the crown upon any account whatever. The calvinistical tenets, in which the Prince had been educated, the great number of diffenters who attended him into England, the ftill greater numbers which were feen plying at court, and the indiscretion of both in accounting his victories to be their own, added the impulfes of jealousy to those of honour in the minds of the clergy. Of the feven bishops who had been perfecuted by King James, only one, Lloyd of St Afaph, waited on the new King. When Queen Mary fent to ask Sancroft's bleffing, his anfwer was, "That the mult afk her father's, for his "would not otherwise be heard in heaven." Even the ableft men act more from paft impreffions, than from forefight: The Prince had been accustomed, from his youth, to confider the diffenters as the friends of his family and country, and the church to be attached to thofe Princes who were enemies to both: As foon therefore as he difcovered the coldness of the clergy, it excited his refentment, or such a degree of diftruft and referve, as the jealousy of party conftrued * Sir John Reresby and Clarendon's Diary, passim. |