who officiated as chaplain in the prisoner's house, declared upon oath that after the revolution he used to pray for king William, and that he had often heard sir John Friend say, that though he could not comply with the present government, he would live peaceably under it, and never engage in any conspiracy. Mr. Hoadly, father of the present bishop of Winchester, added, that the prisoner was a good protestant, and frequently expressed his detestation of kingkilling principles. Friend himself owned he had been with some of the conspirators at a meeting in Leadenhall street, but heard nothing of raising men, or any design against the government. He likewise affirmed, that a consultation to levy war was not treason; and that his being at a treasonable consult could amount to no more than a misprision of treason. Lord chief justice Holt declared, that although a bare conspiracy, or design to levy war, was not treason within the statute of Edward III. yet if the design or conspiracy be to kill, or depose, or imprison the king, by the means of levying war, then the consultation and conspiracy to levy war becomes high treason, though no war be actually levied. The same inference might have been drawn against the authors and instruments of the revolution. The judge's explanation influenced the jury, who, after some deliberation, found the prisoner guilty. Next day sir William Perkins was brought to the bar, and upon the testimony of Porter, Ewebank, his own groom, and Haywood, a notorious informer, was convicted of having been concerned not only in the invasion, but also in the design against the king's life. The evidence was scanty, and the prisoner having been bred to the law, made an artful and vigorous defence: but the judge acted as counsel for the crown; and the jury decided by the hints they received from the bench. He and sir John Friend underwent the sentence of death, and suffered at Tyburn on the third day of April. Friend protested before God, that he knew of no immediate descent purposed by king James, and therefore had made no preparations; that he was utterly ignorant of the assassination scheme: that he died in the communion of the church of England, and laid down his life cheerfully in the cause for which he suffered. Perkins declared, upon the word of a dying man, that the

tenor of the king's commission, which he saw, was general, directed to all his loving subjects, to raise and levy war against the prince of Orange and his adherents, and to seize all forts, castles, &c. but that he neither saw nor heard of any commission particularly levelled against the person of the prince of Orange. He owned, however, that he was privy to the design: but believed it was known to few or none but the immediate undertakers. These two criminals were in their last moments attended by Collier, Snatt, and Cook, three nonjuring clergymen, who absolved them in the view of the populace with an imposition of hands: a public insult on the government, which did not pass unnoticed. Those three clergymen were presented by the grand jury, for having countenanced the treason by absolving the traitors, and thereby encouraged other persons to disturb the peace of the kingdom, An indictment being preferred against them, Cook and Snatt were committed to Newgate; but Collier absconded, and published a vindication of their conduct, in which he affirmed, that the imposition of hands was the general practice of the primitive church. On the other hand, the two metropolitans and twelve other bishops subscribed a declaration, condemning the administration of absolution without a previous confession made, and abhorrence expressed, by the prisoners, of the heinous crimes for which they suffered.

In the course of the same month, Rookwood, Cranborne, and Lowick, were tried as conspirators, by a special commission, in the king's bench: and convicted on the joint testimony of Porter, Harris, la Rue, Bertram, Fisher, and Pendergrass. Some favourable circumstances appeared in the case of Lowick. The proof of his having been concerned in the design against the king's life was very defective; many persons of reputation declared he was an honest, goodnatured, inoffensive man: and he himself concluded his defence with the most solemh protestation of his own innocence. Great intercession was made for his pardon by some noblemen: but all their interest proved ineffectual. Cranborne died in a transport of indignation, leaving a paper which the government thought proper to suppress. Lowick and Rookwood likewise de

livered declarations to the sheriff, the contents of which, as being less inflammatory, were allowed to be published. Both solemnly denied any knowledge of a commission from king James, to assassinate the prince of Orange; the one affirming, that he was incapable of granting such an order; and the other asserting that he, the best of kings, had often rejected proposals of that nature. Lowick owned that he would have joined the king at his landing; but declared, he had never been concerned in a bloody affair during the whole course of his life. On the contrary, he said, he had endeavoured to prevent bloodshed as much a's lay in his power; and that he would not kill the most miserable creature in the world, even though such an act would save his life, restore his sovereign, and make him one of the greatest men in England. Rookwood alleged, he was engaged by his immediate commander, whom he thought it was his duty to obey, though the service was much against his judgment and inclination. He professed his abhorrence of treachery even to an enemy. He forgave all mankind, even the prince of Orange, who as a soldier, he said, ought to have considered his case before he signed his death warrant: he prayed God would open his eyes, and render him sensible of the blood that was from all parts crying against him, so as he might avert a heavier execution than that which he now ordered to be inflicted. The next person brought to trial, was Mr. Cooke, son of sir Miles Cooke, one of the six clerks in chancery. Porter and Goodman deposed, that he had been present at two meetings at the King's Head tavern in Leadenhall street, with the lords Aylesbury and Montgomery, sir William Perkins, sir John Fenwick, sir John Friend, Charnock, and Porter. The evidence of Goodman was invalidated by the testimony of the landlord and two drawers belonging to the tavern, who swore that Goodman was not there while the noblemen were present. The prisoner himself solemnly protested, that he was ever averse to the introduction of foreign forces; that he did not so much as hear of the intended invasion, until it became the common topic of conversation; and that he had never seen Goodman at the King's Head. He declared his intention of receiving the blessed sacrament, and wished he might perish in the instant;

if he now spoke untruth. No respect was paid to these asseverations. The solicitor general Hawles, and lord chief justice Treby, treated him with great severity in the prosecution and charge to the jury, by whom he was capitally convicted. After his condemnation the court agents tampered with him to make further discoveries; and after his fate had been protracted by divers short reprieves, he was sent into banishment. From the whole tenor of these discoveries and proceedings, it appears that James had actually meditated an invasion: that his partisans in England had made preparations for joining him on his arrival; that a few desperadoes of that faction had concerted a scheme against the life of king William; that in prosecuting the conspirators, the court had countenanced informers; that the judges had strained the law, wrested circumstances, and even deviated from the function of their office, to convict the prisoners: in a word, that the administration had used the same arbitrary and unfair practices against those unhappy people,' which they themselves had in the late reigns numbered among the grievances of the kingdom.

§ XXXIII. The warmth, however, manifested on this occasion may have been owing to national resentment of the purposed invasion. Certain it is, the two houses of parliament, and the people in general, were animated with extraordinary indignation against France at this juncture. The lords besought his majesty, in a solemn address, to appoint a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God, for having defeated the barbarous purpose of his enemies; and this was observed with uncommon zeal and devotion. Admiral Russel, leaving a squadron for observation on the French coast, returned to the Downs; but sir Cloudesley Shovel, being properly prepared for the expedition, subjected Calais to another bombardment, by which the town. was set on fire in different parts, and the inhabitants were overwhelmed with consternation. The generals of the allied army in Flanders resolved to make some immediate retaliation upon the French for their unmanly design upon the life of king William, as they took it for granted that Lewis was accessary to the scheme of assassination. That monarch, on the supposition that a powerful diversion would be made by the descent on England, had established

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a vast mazagine at Givet, designing, when the allies should be enfeebled by the absence of the British troops, to strike some stroke of importance early in the campaign. On this the confederates now determined to wreak their vengeance. In the beginning of March the earl of Athlone and monsieur de Coehorn, with the concurrence of the duke of Holstein Ploen, who commanded the allies, sent a strong detachment of horse, drafted from Brussels and the neighbouring garrisons, to amuse the enemy on the side of Charleroy; while they assembled forty squadrons, thirty battalions, with fifteen pieces of cannon, and six mor tars, in the territory of Namur. Athlone with part of th body invested Dinant, while Coehorn, with the remainder, advanced to Givet. He forthwith began to batter and bombard the place, which in three hours was on fire, and by four in the afternoon wholly destroyed, with the great magazine it contained. Then the two generals joining their forces, returned to Namur without interruption. Hitherto the republic of Venice had deferred acknowledging king William; but now they sent an extraordinary embassy for that purpose, consisting of seigniors Sorenzo and Venier, who arrived in London, and on the first day of May had a public audience. The king, on this occa sion, knighted Sorenzo as the senior ambassador, and presented him with the sword, according to custom. On that day, too, William declared in council, that he had appointed the same regency which had governed the kingdom during his last absence: and embarking on the seventh at Margate, arrived at Orange Polder in the evening, under convoy of vice-admiral Aylmer. This officer had been ordered to attend with a squadron, as the famous du Bart still continued at Dunkirk, and some attempt of importance was apprehended from his enterprising genius.g

§ XXXIV. The French had taken the field before the allied army could be assembled: but no transaction of consequence distinguished this campaign, either upon the

g Some promotions were made before the king left England. George Hamilton, third son of the duke of that name, was, for his military services in freland and Flanders, created earl of Orkney. Sir John Lowther was ennobled by the title of baron Lowther, and viscount Lonsdale; sir John Thompson made baron of Haversham, and the celebrated John Locke appointed one of the commisgloners of trade and plantation.