season of ardor and enterprise was paffed; his reputation was fully established; and after fo many victories as had distinguished his military career, he would not rifque the disgrace of a defeat from an army of Irish rebels. In the mean time, a detachment of the Irish army under colonel Sarffield, accounted their best native officer, feized on the town of Sligo, important both by its strength and fituation. Winter approaching, both armies went into quarters, to the great discontent of the English nation, who had formed very high and probably extravagant expectations from the skill and conduct of the general.

The parliament of England met, after a very short recefs, on the 19th of October, 1689, and the feffion was opened by a very popular and excellent fpeech from the throne, which was remarkable for being the compofition of the king himself, who produced it unexpectedly on the day preceding at the council board, written with his own hand. "He did not," he said, " engage in the war into which they had just entered, out of a vain ambition; but from the neceffity of oppofing the designs that were formed against us. It was well known how far he had expofed himself to rescue this nation from the dangers that threatened not only their liberties, but the proteftant religion in general, of which the church of England was one of the greatest supports; and for the defence whereof he was ready again to venture his life. providing liberal fupplies at the most early period, there being a general meeting appointed at the Hague of all the princes and states confederated against France, in order to concert the measures for the next campaign; and till the determinations of the English parliament were known, their determinations must be neceffarily fufpended. He concluded with recommending in ftrong terms a bill of indemnity, that, the minds of his good fubjects being quieted, they might all unanimoufly concur in promoting the welfare and honor of the kingdom." In return, the house

He urged the neceffity of

of

of commons expreffed their unanimous determination to profecute the war against the French, in conjunction with the allies, with vigor and effect: and a large fupply was immediately voted. A committee was then appointed to examine who were the advisers and profecutors of the murders of Ruffel, Sydney, Armstrong, &c. and who were chiefly concerned in the arbitrary practices touching the writs of quo warranto, and the furrender of charters. This enquiry was levelled at the marquis of Halifax, who had a short time before refigned his office of fpeaker to the house of lords, and now faw the neceflity alfo of relinquishing the privy feal, and withdrawing entirely from court, regretted only by the king. Perceiving himself the object of the detestation of the whig party, he now endeavoured to reconcile himself to the tories, who were glad to avail themselves of his abilities, though they despised his tergiverfations, and placed no confidence in his fincerity. The whigs had on feveral occafions given much offence to the king, particularly by their pertinacious resistance to the bill of indemnity, and their invinciblè reluctance to fettle a permanent revenue on the crown; by means of the first holding the rod over their adverfaries the tories, and by the laft keeping the crown itself in dependency. On the other hand, the tories had paid uniform and affiduous court to the king; and the earl of Nottingham in particular had, as bishop Burnet affirms, furnished the king with a scheme of all the points of the prerogative, and their connection with each other, and which he infinuated the whigs defigned fyftematically to attack. And at this very period, preffing instances were made by the tories to the king to diffolve the prefent parliament-lavishing promises and profeffions of loyalty and attachment, fhould the king transfer the powers of government to them. Thèfe court intrigues coming to the knowledge of the whigs, a bill was introduced by them into the houfe of commons, for reftoring corporations to their rights and privileges. The chief ftrength of the whig in

tereft

tereft lay in the corporation boroughs and commercial companies the gentlemen of large landed property being for the most part tories. In this bill was inferted the following claufe, dictated by the fpirit of party violence—" that every mayor, recorder, &c. of any city or borough, who did confent to or join in the furrender of any charters, or did folicit or contribute to the charge of profecuting any fcire facias or information in the nature of a quo warranto, fhall be adjudged incapable of holding or executing any office of truft in fuch capacity for the space of seven years. This was oppofed by the whole ftrength of the tory party, as a claufe fatal to their intereft. After a fierce contest, the claufe was negatived by a small majority, the influence of the court being powerfully exerted against it. In this ftate the bill was transmitted to the lords, by whom it was paffed, not without much debate and difficulty. The tories, however, had perfuaded the king, that to give his affent to the bill, even in its prefent form, would be a virtual furrender of himfelf to the whigs. Refolved, therefore, to rifk the confequences of a rupture with the latter, he went to the house of peers on the 27th of January, 1690, and, after announcing his intention to repair in person to Ireland, prorogued the parliament to the 2d of April: but on the 6th of February a proclamation was iffued for its diffolution, and a new parliament summoned to meet on the 20th of March, 1690.

While the parliament was yet fitting, the famous general Ludlow, a member of the high court of justice which paffed a juftly-merited fentence, though by a very questionable authority, on king Charles I. unexpectedly made his appearance in England, with a view of being employed in Ireland, where he had formerly ferved with great reputation. Being excepted in the act of indemnity passed at the restoration, he had retired to Vevay in Switzerland, where he had refided many years under the generous protection of the lords. of the council of Berne. His paternal feat and estate at

Maiden

Maiden Bradley, in Wilts, was held under a grant of the crown by fir Edward Seymour, a member of the house of commons, and a diftinguished leader of the tory party, who took the first opportunity of reprefenting to the house "how highly it reflected on the honor of the nation, that one of the regicides of that bleffed fovereign, whofe death was regarded by the church of England as a martyrdom, fhould not only be suffered to live unmolested in this country, but alfo entertained with hopes of preferment." Upon this the commons voted an addrefs to the king, to iffue his royal proclamation for the apprehending general Ludlow; which the king complied with, but not till Ludlow was fafely arrived in Holland, whence he returned to his former refidence at Vevay; where he wrote his celebrated Memoirs, which no unprejudiced person can read without being impreffed with an high idea of his courage, conftancy, patriotism and probity.

The diffolution of the Convention parliament was a fevere blow to the whigs, who had given mortal offence by the late corporation bill to great numbers of individuals, who, though moderate in principle, had been more or less involved in the proceedings of the late reigns. On the return of the writs, it appeared that a great majority of tories were elected. The king's difpleasure at the whigs appeared by the difmiffion of the lords Monmouth and Delamere from the treasury, of which fir John Lowther was appointed first commiffioner, under whom Mr. Hampden acted as chancellor of the exchequer; and the complexion of the new parliament immediately appeared by their choice of fir John Trevor as fpeaker, who had occupied the fame office in the only parliament held in the late reign. In his fpeech, the king, after repeating the former declaration of his intention to profecute the war in Ireland in perfon, urged upon them the fettlement of the revenue, and informed them, that having often unavailingly recommended a general indemnity to the last parliament, he now propofed fending them

an

an Act of Grace, with fuch exceptions only as might be . fufficient to shew his great diflike of their crimes. He made mention of an union between England and Scotland, as an event which would be productive of great benefit to both nations; and the parliament of Scotland having nominated commiffioners for that purpose, he wished that commiffioners might be nominated by the English parliament to treat with them.

Though the tory intereft predominated in the new parliament, the whigs retained fufficient influence to prevent the revenue being fettled for life: but a fort of compromise took place between the parties, and it was agreed that the hereditary excise should be granted for life, and the customs for four years from Christmas, 1690; with which the king appeared tolerably well fatisfied. The first great trial of ftrength between the two parties was occafioned by a bill introduced by the whigs into the house of lords, recognizing their majesties as the rightful and lawful fovereigns of these realms, and declaring all the acts of the last parliament to be good and valid. This reduced the tories to an unpleasant dilemma. The words " rightful and lawful" were strongly objected against, and by the too eafy confent of the house dropped as fuperfluous.* It would perhaps have been wife not to have added to the causes of irritation by offering these obnoxious words: but the rejection of them when offered

* Nevertheless bishop Burnet, with his usual and characteristic inaccuracy, affirms “ that these words paffed with little contradiction." His Hiftory, as he styles it, is in fact a fort of loose and confused diary, written apparently from vague memorandums and imperfect recollection. Sir John Rerefby informs us, "that the earl of Danby declared to him, that as to the terms rightful and lawful,' they were mere nonfenfe-for that, had the prince of Wales been made king, he could never have been deemed our lawful fovereign while his father lived. His lordship condemned, nevertheless, the bishops for their fqueamishness about taking the oaths, expreffing his concurrence with lord Nottingham, that as his bigbnefs was here, and we must owe our protection to him as king de facto, he thought it just and legal to fwear allegiance to him." Such were the heads of the prefent administration.