CHAPTER XXXIII JAMES 1i. [Years after Christ, 1685-1688.] mes was in the fifty-third year of his age when he eeded to the throne of England. He had not his bro's talent and brilliancy, but he was a man of much everance and steady application to business. He had by his mother brought up a Papist, and had acquired his religion a harshness and bigotry which does not ear to have belonged naturally to his character. He at to act rightly, and to be, according to his own ideas, od king. But he mistook, or to speak more properly, id not regard the feelings, opinion, or character of the le he had to govern. s he was very young when the civil war broke out, received no regular education. When James was it fourteen years of age, he was secretly removed from charge of the parliament, and conveyed by one of the lists into Holland, and afterwards to Brussels. mes was always glad to be with his brother, but toIs the end of the year 1659, Charles was reduced to utmost distress; and James was on the point of acing an offer made to him by the king of Spain to take command of the Spanish fleet, when his brother's reation placed him at the head of the English navy; a tion that suited him well, for he was a man of great onal courage, and naturally inclined to an enterprising active life. mes, as soon as he came to the throne, professed an tion to maintain the laws of the country both in ch and state; and this declaration served greatly to quilize the minds of the populace, who were well dis. d to rely on it, because James, notwithstanding his vn bigotry, had hitherto preserved a high character mat was the character of James II. ? hat was James's education? no placed the duke of York at the head of the English navy : some other person had, from friendship, suffered in stead, and that they should see him emerge from some cealment. 'he punishment of those who had taken part in Month's rebellion was very severe; and the cruelties petrated in the king's name by judge Jeffreys and nel Kirk, in the west of England, have left a stain on r memories, and on that of James II., that can never wiped away. In the same year, 1685, the duke of yle was executed in Scotland for heading a rebellion hat country. ames, having now, as he supposed, suppressed the distents of the people, thought that he had sufficiently red the way for the restoration of popery. Being led by the vehemence of the queen, and the rash counsels is confessor, father Peters, he introduced Papists into army and navy, suspended the bishop of London, and ed a declaration of indulgence to the Roman Cathoand to the other dissenters. He also committed many oppressive to the Protestants, and favorable to the ists. The measures now taken in favor of the Catholics in ed the primate and six of the bishops to present a restrance. For this presumption they were committed he Tower; but on being brought to trial they were acted, to the great satisfaction of the people at large, ugh to the bitter mortification of the king. One great check on the king's ardent zeal for the restoon of popery, was the knowledge that should his eldest ghter, the wife of the prince of Orange, succeed him on throne, the whole work would be undone, both the cess and her husband being Protestants, and the prince ng universally looked up to as the great support of the -rmed religion in Europe. James, therefore, ardently red a son: and when, on June, 1688, a sor was to him, he thought every thing would prosper .o his hes. Tere Monmouth's adherents punished? d James attempt the restoration of popery? d the English clergy take alarm at these proceedings ? or what did James desire a son? The Scottish Presbyterians had refused to acknowledge the English republic; and, resolving to adhere to the monarchy, had proclaimed prince Charles their king; and sent to invite him to come and take possession of the throne; but on such hard conditions, that those who were his best friends counselled him not to make such sacrifices for the empty title of king. Charles, who entertained, probably, the dishonest intention of breaking through these conditions whenever he should be able, agreed to them, and returned with the commissioners. He was not suffered to set his foot on Scottish ground till he had signed the covenant: and the moment he was on shore, he was beset by the Covenanters. who strove to convert him to their own opinions. He now found himself in a very comfortless situation. The Presbyterians kept the entire administration both of church and state in their own hands, and though they allowed him the name of king, they did not treat him even with the respect due to a superior. They paid so little regard to his feelings, that they obliged him to pass under the gates of Aberdeen, over which was hung one of the limbs of his faithful friend and servant, the marquis cf Montrose, who had a little before been put to death for appearing in arms in his cause. Under these circumstances, Charles secretly rejoiced on finding that Cromwell was on his march to Scotland with a powerful army for the purpose of driving him from his uneasy throne. The Scottish army, commanded by general Leslie, attacked Cromwell near Dunbar, and was completely beaten, with great loss; and Cromwell would soon have been entire master of the kingdom, had he not been attacked with a fit of illness, and been obliged to return to England. A. D. 1651. Cromwell again entered Scotland, and marched so far into the country as to get behind the army of the Covenanters. Charles, who was with the army, which consisted of 14,000 men, seeing the Did the Scots prociaim prince Charles king? Who received Charles in Scotland? How was Charles treated in Scotland? Did Cromwell lead an army against Charles? oad to the English border thus opened to him, formed the old resolution of marching forwards into England, falsely resuming, that all who were discontented with the Com nonwealth would flock to his standard. Charles marched forwards, in hopes at last to gather strength; but he arrived at Worcester with only his 14,000 Scots. Here he halted, and had a few days' rest after his ong and fatiguing march. In the meantime, Cromwell, when he found that the king had slipped by him, left the command of the Scottish war to general Monk, and folowed Charles with all possible expedition. Cromwell raising the militia of the several counties as he passed, so that by the time he reached Worcester he mustered a considerable force. The next day, Sept. 4, 1651, he surrounded the town with his 'oops, and, falling on the royal army, soon destroyed it, the very streets being filled with dead bodies. Charles after making a desperate resistance, was at last obliged to fly with fifty or sixty gentlemen in his company. They rode about twenty-six miles without stopping. It was then thought advisable for them to separate. Charles, by the advice of lord Derby, went to a lone house on the borders of Staffordshire, inhabited by a man of the name of Penderell, who with five brothers, were wood-cut ters in the neighboring wood of Boscobel. Charles committed himself to the care of these men, who showed themselves worthy of the confidence placed in them; for, though a high reward was offered to any one who would deliver up the prince, and it was declared certain death to conceal him, these honest rustics would not betray him. On one occasion, fearing to be discovered by a party of soldiers who were searching the wood, Charles hid himself in a large oak tree; from amongst the branches of which ne could hear the soldiers say, they wondered where he What army adhered to Charles, and what expectations were formed by Charles? Where did Charles halt in his march to England? What was the result of the battle of Worcester ? Where did Charles take refuge in his flight from Worcester ? |