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to have imbibed arbitrary principles, he knew the laws of England were fufficient to make him as great a monarch as he could wish, and he was determined never to depart from them. Numerous addreffes from all parts of the kingdom were prefented to the new monarch, couched for the most part in terms of the groffeft adulation;, which no doubt greatly contributed to lull him into that fatal fecurity which was the cause and the fore-runner of his ruin. Though the royal declaration was highly extolled by the partifans of the court, and indeed by the generality of the people, who pleased themselves with boafting "that they had now the word of a king to rely upon;" yet they had very early proof how weak and fallacious was this ground of dependence. For, in open defiance of the law agreeably to which the greater part of the duties of custom and excise granted to the king expired at his demife, James iffued a proclamation within a few days fubfequent to this declaration, commanding those duties to be paid as before. And the fecond Sunday after his acceffion he went openly, with all the infignia of royalty, to mafs; to the indignation of most men, and the amazement of all.

One Caryl alfo was dispatched to Rome in the capacity of agent, in order to make fubmiffions to the pope in the king's name, and to pave the way for the re-admiffion of England into the bofom of the catholic church. But thefe expreflions of duty and obedience to the Holy See were not received with much eagerness or fatisfaction. This, however, will not excite our wonder, when we recollect the general state of politics in Europe at this period. The grandeur of Louis XIV. had now attained its highest point of elevation. Since the conclufion of the treaty of Nimeguen, the pride and infolence of that monarch knew no bounds; and the nations of Europe were concerting meaLures to reduce the exorbitant power of France within its proper limits. The acceffion of England to this confederacy was the object of general and eager defire: and as James

was

was believed to be actuated by an higher fenfe of national honor and intereft than the late king, and by that jealoufy of the power of France which was naturally to be expected from a king of England; nothing could be more unfeafonable, or more oppofite to the political views of the principal courts of Europe at this juncture, than a ferious intention in James to re-establish the catholic religion in his dominions; which would inevitably be the means of involving him in domeftic contentions of the most alarming kind; and which would not only effectually preclude every idea of his becoming a party in the grand confederacy now actually forming, but ultimately reduce him, perhaps, to the neceffity of throwing himself into the arms of France, by whose affistance alone these dangerous projects could ever be carried into execution. The reigning pontiff Innocent XI. was, in confequence of a recent quarrel, inflamed with animofity against Louis, and devotedly attached to the interefts of the houfe of Auftria. And being, moreover, a man of sense and temper, he plainly perceived that the king was not only pursuing measures manifeftly incompatible with the political fentiments which he affected to embrace, but which would probably terminate in the ruin of himself and of the religion to which he was fo paffionately devoted. He counselled him, therefore, to regulate his zeal by the rules of prudence and difcretion, and to endeavor, by mildnefs and moderation, infenfibly to effect what force and violence would attempt in vain. Ronquillo, the Spanish' ambaffador in England, also inculcated the fame leffons of wifdom; which were entirely difregarded by James, who was under the abfolute government of the priests by whom he was surrounded, and who were continually urging the neceffity of adopting vigorous and decifive measures, in order to accomplish the great work of national converfion during the lifetime of the king, as their labors would otherwife be rendered wholly ineffectual. The general difpofition of the people, which was at this time patiently, or rather ftupidly,

ftupidly, paffive, encouraged the king to venture upon meafures, which his long experience of the English nation, if he had been a man capable of reflection, must have convinced him would fooner or later aroufe that dormant but unconquerable fpirit of refiftance to regal tyranny, which had for fo many centuries diftinguished the inhabitants of

this island.

In the month of May, 1685, the parliament was convened; and fo low was the credit of the whigs and exclufionists now fallen, and fuch the fuccefs of the measures employed by the court to influence or intimidate the electors throughout the kingdom, that the king declared, upon infpecting the returns, that there were not above forty mem→ bers chofen but fuch as he himself wished for. It is fuperfluous to add, that the religion and liberties of the nation were never exposed to more imminent danger, than under the government of fuch a king, and the guardian care of fuch a parliament. By not only fettling upon James for life the revenue which determined at the decease of the late monarch, but by new grants, which raifed the entire receipt of the exchequer to the annual fum of two millions, they virtually paffed a law rendering parliament in future wholly useless. For this revenue, with prudence and economy, was fully equal to the ordinary exigencies of government; and James was now at liberty to profecute his fchemes free from the apprehenfion of parliamentary check or control. The speaker of the houfe of cominons, however, on prefenting the money bills, ventured to inform the king, "that on giving his majesty this fignal proof of their loyalty and affection, they fhewed how entirely they relied upon his majefty's royal word and repeated declarations to fupport the protestant religion as profeffed by the church of England, which was dearer to them than their lives."—A manifest and decifive proof of that national abhorrence of popery arifing almoft to phrenfy, which could influence this affembly, in other refpects fo obfequious and

abject,

abject, to express their feelings in language fo bold and energetic. The king received this compliment in rude and ungracious filence. To compenfate for a freedom fo unwelcome, a bill was introduced into the house of commons, by which any thing faid to disparage the king's person and government was made treafon. This dangerous bill was very ably and ftrongly oppofed by ferjeant Maynard, one of the few whigs fitting in this parliament, who displayed in ftriking colors the fatal confequences which would refult from any deviation from the famous statute of Edward III. by which an overt act was made the neceffary and indispenfable proof of treasonable intentions. "If words alone could by any construction of the law be converted into treafon, he affirmed that no man's life, or liberty, or property, could be fecure. Words were fo liable to be misunderstood and misrepresented, and, by a very small variation, might be made to convey a fense so contrary to what was intended, that a law like this, which feemed exprefsly calculated for an inftrument of tyranny, would be a virtual furrender of. all our privileges into the hands of the fovereign." These arguments could not but make fome impreffion upon the houfe, callous as it feemed to the feelings of honor, and regardless of the national interest or fafety; and great debates enfued, which were fuddenly interrupted by the in-. telligence of the duke of Monmouth's arrival in the Weft, with an hoftile armament from Holland. The commons instantly voted an addrefs, affuring the king of their refolution to adhere to him. with their lives and fortunes; and after paffing a bill of attainder against the duke, and granting a fupply of 400,000l. for the fuppreffion of this rebellion, they determined upon an adjournment,

Immediately on the king's acceffion, the prince of Orange, knowing the inveterate animofity of James against the duke, who had for fome time paft refided at the Hague, thought it expedient to give him his difmiffion. The duke retired to Bruffels; but being purfued thither alfo by the un

relenting

relenting jealousy of James, he adopted a fudden and rafh refolution to attempt an invafion of England, at a season in every respect unpropitious to fuch an enterprise. At his first landing at Lyme, in Dorsetshire, he counted fcarcely a hundred followers; but fo great was his popularity, that in a few weeks he affembled with ease an army of feveral thoufand men, and found himself in a condition to give battle to the king's forces, encamped under the command of the earl of Feversham at the village of Sedgemoor, near Bridgewater. Though his raw and undifciplined troops difplayed furprising valor and intrepidity in the attack, they were at laft overpowered by the fuperiority of numbers and of military fkill. Monmouth himfelf was taken in the purfuit; and though he implored the king's mercy-that mercy which he could never hope to obtain-with an earnestnes and importunity by no means correfponding with the spirit and gallantry by which he had been formerly distinguished, he fuffered death on the fcaffold with calm resolution and conftancy, profeffing to confider himself as a martyr for the people.

The fate of this amiable and accomplished nobleman cannot be contemplated without emotions of grief and compaffion. Educated in the bofom of a corrupt and diffipated court, and poffeffed of every exterior and perfonal advantage, he had imbibed just and noble fentiments respecting the nature and ends of government. His capacity, which was rather below than above the common level, did not qualify him for taking the lead in the oppofition to the court during the latter years of the reign of Charles II. but he zealously concurred in all the measures adopted by the patriots at that period, and in the obftinate and reiterated efforts to carry into effect the famous Bill of Exclufion: after which, as there is reafon to believe, he flattered himfelf with the hope of obtaining an act of legitimation, which would pave his way to the crown. The king however constantly denied that any contract of marriage had taken

place

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