Though they might love James, and have a due fense of the favours he had conferred upon them,

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they were startled at the thought of rendering him A.D. 1688. abfolute master not only of the liberties, but even of the lives and properties of his fubjects; and yet this, they saw, must be the confequence of fuppreffing the numerous infurrections, and obliging the prince of Orange to quit the kingdom. They therefore determined rather to bear the reproach of infidelity than to run the hazard of becoming the inftruments of defpotifm.

THE example of defertion among the officers was fet by lord Colchester, fon of the earl of Rivers, and by lord Cornbery, fon of the earl of Clarendon. The king had arrived at Salisbury, the head quarters of his army, when he received this alarming intelligence; but as the foldiers in general feemed firm in their allegiance, and the officers in a body, expreffed their abhorrence of fuch treachery, he refolved to advance upon the invaders. Unfortunately, however, for his affairs, the Dutch had already taken poffeffion of Axminster. A fudden bleeding at the nofe, with which he was feized, occafioned a delay of fome days; and farther fymptoms of defection appearing among the officers, he judged it prudent to retire toward London. Lord Churchill, afterward the great duke of Marlborough, and the duke of Grafton, natural fon of Charles II. who had given their opinion for remaining at Salisbury, fled under cover of the night to the prince of Orange. Succeffive misfortunes poured in on the unfortunate monarch. Trelawney, who occupied an advanced poft at Warminster, deferted with all his captains, except one. Prince George of Denmark, the king's fon-in-law, and the young duke of Ormond, left him at Andover. Every day dimi

PART II. nifhed the number of his officers; and to increase L A.D. 1688. his accumulated misfortunes, he found, at his arrival Nov. 26. in London, that his favourite daughter, Anne, princess of Denmark, had fecretly withdrawn herself the night before, in company with lady Churchill's. All his firmness of mind left him: tears started from his eyes; and he broke out into forrowful exclamations, expreffive of his deep fense of his now loft condition. "God help me," cried he, in the agony of his heart, 66 my own children have forfaken me!"

Dec. 10.

HENCEFORTH, the conduct of the infatuated James is fo much marked with folly and pufillanimity, as to diveft his character of all refpect, and almoft his fufferings of compaffion. Having affembled, as a laft refource, a council of the peers then in London, he iffued by their advice, writs for a new parliament, and appointed the marquis of Halifax, the earl of Nottingham, and lord Godolphin, his commissioners to treat with the prince of Orange. Thinking the feafon for negociation paft, William continued to advance with his army, at the fame time that he amufed the commiffioners. Though he knew they were all devoted to his caufe, he long denied them an audience. Meanwhile James, diftracted by his own fears, and alarmed by the real or pretended apprehenfions of others, fent the queen and the prince of Wales privately into France, and embraced the extraordinary refolution of following them in perfon. He accordingly left his palace at midnight, attended only by Sir Edward Hales; and, in order to complete his imprudence and defpair, he commanded the earl of Feverfham to disband the army, recalled the writs for the meeting

55. Burnet, book iv. Duke of Berwick's Mem. vol. i. James II. 1688.

of

of the parliament, and threw the great-feal into the LETTER Thames 56!

IF James had deliberately refolved to place the prince of Orange on the throne of England, he could not have purfued a line of conduct more effectual for that purpose. Befides the odious circumftances of feeking refuge with the heir of the crown in a country diftinguished for popery and arbitrary power, and recalling the writs for a free parliament, the anarchy and diforder which enfued, on the fudden diffolution of government, made all men look up to William as the Saviour of the nation. The populace rose in London, and not only deftroyed all the popish chapels, but even rifled the houfes of the ambaffadors of catholic princes and ftates, where many of the papifts had lodged their most valuable effects. Riot and devaftation every where prevailed. The whole body of the people, released from the restraints of law, felt one general movement; and new violences were ap prehended from the licentious foldiers, whom Feverfham had difbanded, without either difarming or pay-' ing them 57.

In order to remedy thefe evils, and restore public tranquillity, an office which feemed now beyond the power of the civil magiftrate, fuch of the bifhops and peers as were in London affembled in Guildhall; and erecting themselves into a fupreme council, executed all the functions of royalty. They gave directions to the mayor and aldermen for keeping the peace of the city: they iffued their commands, which were readily obeyed, to the fleet, to the neglected

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A. D. 1688.

army

A.D. 1688.

PART II. army of James, and to all the garrifons in England. They ordered the militia to be raised; and they publifhed a declaration, by which they unanimously refolved, to apply to the prince of Orange to fettle the affairs of the nation, deferted by the king, through the influence of evil counfellors.

WILLIAM was not backward in assuming that authority, which the imprudence of James had devolved upon him. He exercifed, in his person, many acts of fovereignty; and, in order to make his prefence more welcome in London, he is faid to have propagated a report, that the difbanded Irifh had taken arms, and begun a general maffacre of the proteftants. Such a rumour at least was spread all over the kingdom, and begot univerfal confternation. The alarm bells were rung, the beacons fired; and men fancied they faw at a distance the smoke of the burning cities, and heard the dying groans of those who were flaughtered by the enemies of their religion ! Nothing lefs than the approach of the prince of Orange and his proteftant army, it was thought, could fave the capital from ruin.

WILLIAM had advanced to Windfor, when he received the unwelcome news, that the king had been feized in difguife, by fome fishermen, near Feverfham in Kent, on fuppofition that he was fome popifh priest, or other delinquent, who wanted to make his escape. This intelligence threw all parties into confufion. The prince of Orange fent orders to James, not to approach nearer to London than Rochefter. But the meffenger miffed him on the way, and he once more

59. Hift. Defert. p. 91. Rapin, vol. ii. fol. edit.

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entered his capital amid the loudeft acclamations of LETTER joy. The people forgot his mifconduct in his miffortunes, and all orders of men feemed to welcome his A. D. 1688. return to.

THIS, however, was only a tranfient gleam before a new storm. Scarce had the king retired to his bedchamber, when he received a meffage from the prince, defiring him to remove to Ham, a house bolonging to the duchefs of Lauderdale; and the following night, as he was going to reft, the Dutch guards, without farther notice, took poffeffion of his palace, and difplaced the English, to the great difguft of the army, and no inconfiderable part of the nation. James set out next morning, by permiffion, for Rochefter, in preference to Ham, under a Dutch guard; and although convinced, that he could not do a more acceptable fervice to his rival, and that he had underrated the loyalty of his fubjects, he ftill refolved to make his escape to France.

THE earls of Arran, Dumbarton, Ailefbury, Litchfield, and Middleton, the gallant lord Dundee, and other officers of diftinction, who had affembled at Rochester, argued ftrenuously against this resolution. They reprefented to the king, that the opinion of mankind began already to change, and that events would daily rife in favour of his authority. "The "queflion, Sir," urged Dundee, with all his generous ardour, "is whether you will stay in England or fly "to France? Whether you fhall truft the returning "zeal of your native fubjects, or rely on a foreign power?-Here you ought to ftand. Keep poffef

60. Burnet, book iv.