CHAPTER XXII. Throne was vacant Meeting of the Convention Parliament - Declaration that the Not approved by Ken and others.The Crown conferred on William and Mary- The Revolution confidered. HE Hiftory of James II. prefents to us the spectacle of a king, facrificing his inherited crown, and all that life had to offer of power, honour, or happiness, to the vain hope of re-establishing Romanism, which had long been rejected by the nation. Mr. Fox imputes to him the love of arbitrary power, as his mafter paffion we may rather ascribe his acts to a fincere attachment to his religion, and the dictates of confcience. The whole hiftory of the world teems with examples of errors, and even crimes, committed under the fanction of a mistaken confcience. The affaffin of Henri Quatre fincerely thought he was ridding the Chriftian world of a dangerous heretic. The maffacre of St. Bartholomew was perpetrated under the belief that, in promoting the caufe of the Catholic religion, it would tend to the glory of God. Oliver Cromwell's conscience, if we are to believe his own affertions, prompted him to bring Charles to the block. The religious perfecutions of all fects, in all times,—and the alternate yoke of oppreffors, in whatever caufe, have been defended on the same falfe plea. Confcience has a varying ftandard in every individual mind,-true, when she prompts us to the exercife of Chriftian love, but a subtle betrayer, whenever she would justify the acts of a violent or selfish will. James's confcience was in the keeping of Father Petre, and Signor D'Adda, "a fine fhowy fop, making love to the ladies."* Under their guidance he would have impofed a yoke on England, in the confidence that he could interpret the Divine Will, which he was conscientiously refolved to accomplish by his own means,-and fo forfeited the kingdom for himself and his pofterity. It may be well asked what became all this time of the Jefuits, Monks, and Roman Counsellors, who had been the active agents of mischief, and the immediate cause of the King's downfall. They were abfolutely put to the rout: fome efcaped to France, others hid themselves; their chapels were burnt or pillaged by the mob. A letter from Father Con to the Provincial of the Jefuits at Rome gives a lively picture of their confufion, and of their own folly that brought it about. *Father Con's letter. Clarendon's Correspondence and Diary, vol. ii. p. 506. In his after Memoirs the King admits that D'Adda was very ill chofen as Nuncio, "being but a young man, who had appear'd at court for some time in a fecular capacity, and therefore very improper to draw that reverence and refpect which is due to fuch a character, especially from a people of a different religion, and who being apt to turn the most facred things into ridicule, would hardly be perfuaded that, by a man's entering into orders, gravitie, experience, learning, and all other qualifications fit for a Bishop, would be confer'd in an instant, as in the Apostles' time." Clarke's Life of James II., vol. ii. p. 117. "Honour'd Father William, "THERE is now an end of all the pleafing hopes of feeing our holy religion make a progrefs in this country. The King and Queen are fled, their adherents are left to themselves, and a new Prince, with a foreign army, has got poffeffion without the leaft refiftance. It is a thing unfeen, unheard of, unrecorded in history, that a king in peaceful poffeffion of his realm, with an army of 30,000 fighting men, and 40 fhips of war, should quit his kingdom without firing a pistol. The foreigners themselves who have got poffeffion are aftonished at their own fuccefs, and laugh at the English for their cowardice and disloyalty to their Prince. It looks as if heaven and earth had confpired against us. But this is not all; the great evil comes from ourselves; our own imprudence, avarice, and ambition have brought all this upon us. The good king has made use of fools, knaves, and blockheads; and the great minifter that you fent hither has contributed alfo his share. Instead of a moderate, difcreet and fagacious minifter, you fent a mere boy, a fine fhowy fop to make love to the ladies; Egregiam verò laudem, et fpolia ampla tulistis. But enough on this head, my dear friend; the whole affair is over. I am only forry that I made one among so many madmen, who were incapable of either directing or governing. I now return, as I can, with the little family to a land of Chriftians: this unhappy voyage costs me dear: but there is no help for it. * • i. e. the Jefuits. The prospect was fair, if the bufinefs had been in the "A Scotch gentleman named Salton who is arrived here from P. D. O. fends his refpects to you, and Signore Tomafo. The confufion here is great, nor is it known what is likely to be the event, much less what it will be: but for us there is neither faith nor hope left. We are totally put to the rout this time, and the Fathers of our Holy Company have contributed their part towards this deftruction. All the rest Bishops, Confeffors, Friars and monks have acted with little prudence.”* As foon as it was known that the King had gone away the second time, Archbishop Sancroft wrote to Ken, Lloyd, and others, requiring their attendance. "My Lord; the great Revolutions, which have of late been here, and ye perplext estate of affairs, confequent thereupon, have made it not only mine, but the opinion of all our Brethren here, that you fhould make all convenient haft up hither. Wishing you a profperous journey. I remain Y very affect. Brother "Lambh. H. Dec. 18, 1688." W. CANT."† The letter reached Ken within 48 hours of the time. * Lord Clarendon's Correfpondence and Diary, vol. ii. p. 506. † MSS. Dr. Williams's Collection. he was to hold an Ordination in his cathedral. He did not hesitate in deciding which was his paramount duty he proceeded with the appointed work of the Church. Christmas and the following days being holy Festivals, he was not difpofed to mix in political turmoils, and promised to come up as soon as the weather would permit.* The Prince maintained an impenetrable reserve as to his next movements: but his friends and partizans were encouraged to prepare the public mind for his taking poffeffion of the throne: they "marshall'd him the way that he was going," loudly proclaiming his virtues, and the debt of gratitude the nation owed him for their deliverance from tyranny and Popery. The prefs teemed with laudatory tracts, and arguments to prove his title to the crown. "The Prince of Orange, who had more intereft than any in what was to follow, feemed the only person in England unconcerned amidst the univerfal ferment. He went little abroad: he was difficult of accefs. When accefs was obtained, he appeared civil, but not cordial, listened with attention, but answered not; and the few queftions he asked feemed to proceed only from the common curiofity of a ftranger. He even went a hunting, and dined at a private gentleman's house in the country, two days before the Convention was to take the great queftion of the settlement into confideration. In the whole of his behaviour he not only kept, but affected to show that he kept, his inclinations concerning the future measures of the Convention a mystery; either * Tanner MSS. vol. xxviii. p. 299. |