CHAP. CI. A. D. 1688. Change of dynasty was not yet talked of, and the cry was for "a free parliament." To meet this, the King resolved to call one in his own name; and the last use which Jeffreys made of the Great Seal was by sealing writs for the election A new parof members of the House of Commons, who were ordered to meet on the 15th of January following.* liament summoned. solves to view with This movement only infused fresh vigour into the Prince James reof Orange, who now resolved to bring matters to a crisis; leave the and James finding himself almost universally deserted,―as kingdom. the most effectual way, in his judgment, of annoying his enemies, very conveniently for them, determined to leave the kingdom. Preparatory to this he had a parting interview His partwith Jeffreys, to whom he did not confide his secret, but he ing interobtained from him all the parliamentary writs which had not been issued to the sheriffs, amounting to a considerable number, and these, with his own hand, he threw into the fire, so that a lawful parliament might not be assembled when he was gone. To increase the confusion, he required Jeffreys to surrender the Great Seal to him, having laid the plan of destroying it, in the belief, that without it the government could not be conducted. Jeffreys. He de mands the Great Seal from Jef. freys. A. D. 1688. flying, throws the James, in Great Seal Thames. All things being prepared, and Father Peter and the Earl of Melfort having been informed of his intentions, which he still concealed from Jeffreys, on the night of the 10th of December, James, disguised, left Whitehall accompanied by into the Sir Edward Hales, whom he afterwards created Earl of river Tenterden. London Bridge (which they durst not cross) being the only one then over the Thames, they drove in a hackney-coach to the Horse Ferry, Westminster, and as they crossed the river with a pair of oars, the King threw the Great Seal into the water, and thought he had sunk with it for ever the fortunes of the Prince of Orange. At Vauxhall they found horses in readiness for them, and they rode swiftly to Feversham, where they embarked for France. * See Diary of second Earl of Clarendon, Nov. 28, 29. 1688. CHAPTER CII. CONCLUSION OF THE LIFE OF LORD CHANCELLOR JEFFREYS. CHAP. Dec. 11. 1688. Consternation of Jeffreys on the King's flight. Attempts to seize Father Peter and the Pope's Nuncio. INSTEAD of narrating the adventures of the monarch, when he was intercepted at Feversham, we must confine ourselves to what befell the unhappy Ex-chancellor. He heard early next morning of the royal flight, and was thrown into a state of the greatest consternation. He was afraid of punishment from the new government which was now to be established, and being asked by a courtier if he had heard "what the heads of the Prince's declaration were?" he answered, "I am sure that my head is one, whatever the rest may be." He dreaded still more the fury of the mob, of which the most alarming accounts were soon brought him. In the existing state of anarchy, almost the whole population of the metropolis crowded into the streets in quest of intelligence; the excitement was unexampled; there was an eager desire to prevent the King's evil Councillors from escaping along with him; and many bad characters, under pretence of a regard for the Protestant religion, took the opportunity to gratify their love of violence and plunder. The first object of vengeance was Father Peter; but it was found that in consequence of the information of the King's intentions conveyed to him and the Earl of Melfort, they had secretly withdrawn the day before, and were now in safety. The Pope's Nuncio was rescued from great peril by the interposition of the Lords of the Council, who had met, and, exercising temporarily the powers of government, were striving to preserve the public tranquillity. * See Hubert's description to King John of the smith swallowing the tailor's news, "With his shoes and measure in his hand, Standing on slippers, which his nimble haste CII. conceals The next victim demanded was Jeffreys, who (no one CHAP. knowing that the Great Seal had been taken from him) still went by the name of "the Chancellor," and who of all pro- . ». 1688. fessing Protestants was the most obnoxious to the multitude. Jeffreys He retired early in the day from his house in Duke Street himself. to the obscure dwelling of a dependant in Westminster, near the river-side, — and here, lying concealed, he caused preparations to be made for his escape from the kingdom. It was arranged that a coal-ship which had delivered her cargo should clear out at the Custom House as for her return to Newcastle, and should land him at Hamburgh. To avoid, as he thought, all chance of being recognised by those who had seen him in ermine or gold-embroidered robes, with a long white band under the chin, his collar of S. S. round his neck, and on his head a full-bottom wig, which had recently become the attribute of judicial dignity, instead of the old-fashioned coif or black-velvet cap, he cut off his bushy eyebrows, which used to inspire such terror, he put on the worn-out dress of a common sailor, and he covered his head with an old tarred hat that seemed to have weathered many a blast. * Thus disguised, as soon as it was dusk he got into a boat; and the state of the tide enabling him to shoot London Bridge without danger, he safely reached the coal-ship lying off Wapping. Here he was introduced to the captain and the mate, on whose secrecy he was told he might rely, but, as they could not sail till next day, when he had examined his berth, he went on board another vessel that lay at a little distance, there to pass the night. If he had not taken this precaution, he would have been almost immediately in the power of his enemies. The mate, without waiting to see what became of him, hurried on shore, and treacherously gave information to some persons who had been in pursuit of him, * Other accounts, varying a little from this, were given of his disguise, as we learn from contemporary ballads : — Plans his Hamburgh by a collier. escape to He disself in a guises himsailor's dress. Goes down the river to Wapping. cealment His conduring the night, and danger of being arrested. CHAP. A. D. 1688 Goes ashore to in the morning, Dec. 13. that he was concealed in the Newcastle collier. They applied to Justices of the peace in the neighbourhood for a warrant to arrest him,-which was refused, on the ground that no specific charge was sworn against him. They then went to the Lords of the Council, whom they found sitting, and who actually gave them a warrant to apprehend him for high treason,―under the belief that the safety of the state required his detention. Armed with this, they returned to the coalship in which he had taken his passage, but he was not there, and the captain, a man of honour, baffled all their inquiries. He slept securely in the vessel in which he had sought an alehouse refuge; and had it not been for the most extraordinary imprudence, leading to the belief that he was fated speedily to expiate his crimes, he might have effected his escape. Probably, with a view of indulging more freely his habit of intemperance, he next morning came ashore, and made his appearance at a little ale-house bearing the sign of "The Red Cow," in Anchor and Hope Alley, near King Edward's Stairs, Wapping, and called for a pot of ale. When he had nearly finished it, — still wearing his sailor's attire, with his hat on his head, he was so rashly confident as to put his head out from an open window to look at the passengers in the street. His illtreatment of a scri he was Lord I must prepare my readers for the scene which followed, by relating, in the words of Roger North, an anecdote of the bevener when haviour of Jeffreys to a suitor in the heyday of his power and arrogance. "There was a scrivener of Wapping brought to Chancellor. hearing for relief against a bummery bond. The contingency of losing all being showed, the bill was going to be dismissed; but one of the plaintiff's council said that the scrivener was a strange fellow, and sometimes went to church, sometimes to conventicles, and none could tell what to make of him ; and it was thought he was a trimmer. At that the Chancellor fired; and 'A trimmer !' said he; I have heard much of To heighten the effect, some relate that the captain of the collier was in the mean time waiting for him, and that he lost the tide and his life by his love of drinking. "Bottomry bond." This contraction shows the etymology of an elegant English word from "bottom," which Dr. Johnson chooses to derive from the Dutch word "bomme." i. e. The principal being put in hazard, the interest was not usurious. Come forth, Mr. Trimmer that monster, but never saw one. CHAP. CII. so long that the poor fellow was ready to drop under him; . £. 1688. but at last the bill was dismissed with costs, and he went his way. In the hall one of his friends asked him how he came off? Came off,' said he: 'I am escaped from the terrors of that man's face, which I would scarce undergo again to save my life, and I shall certainly have the frightful impression of it as long as I live.'” * this scri vener. It happened, by a most extraordinary coincidence, that this He is revery scrivener was then walking through Anchor and Hope cognised in Alley on the opposite side of the way, and immediately look- dress by ing towards "The Red Cow," thought he recollected the features of the sailor who was gazing across towards him. The conviction then flashed upon his mind that this could be no other than the Lord Chancellor who had so frightened him out of his wits before pronouncing a decree in his favour about the "bummery bond." But hardly believing his own senses, he entered the tap-room of the ale-house to examine the countenance more deliberately. Upon his entrance, Jeffreys is Jeffreys must have recognised seized by "the Trimmer;" for he the mob. coughed, turned to the wall, and put the quart-pot before his face. An immense multitude of persons were, in a few minutes, collected round the door by the proclamation of the scrivener, that the pretended sailor was indeed the wicked Lord Chancellor Jeffreys. He was now in the greatest jeopardy, for, unlike the usual character of the English mob, who are by no means given to cruelty, the persons now assembled were disposed at first to tear him limb from limb, and he was only saved by the interposition of some of the more considerate, who suggested that the proper course would be to take him before the Lord Mayor. The cry was now raised, "To the Lord Mayor's!" but be- He is fore he could be secured in a carriage to be carried thither, rescued by they assaulted and pelted him†; and might have proceeded bands. to greater extremities, if a party of the train-bands had not Life of Guilford, ii. 118. † Some accounts say that he died of the wounds he now received, but I do not think that any serious injury was inflicted upon him. the train |