A.D. 1687. PART 1. country. Though ftill engaged in hoftilities with the Infidels, he had now leisure to turn his eye towards France; nor could he do it with indifference. The fame vain-glorious ambition which had prompted Lewis to tyrannize over the pope, and to perfecute his Proteftant fubjects, That, to ufe the language of his hiftorians, as there was ONE king there might be but ONE religion in the monarchy, and which justly alarmed all Germany and the North, at length awakened the refentment of Leopold. A LEAGUE had been already concluded by the whole empire at Augsburg, in order to reftrain the encroachments of France, and to vindicate the objects of the treaties of Weftphalia, the Pyrenees, and Nimeguen. And an ambitious attempt of Lewis XIV. to get the cardinal de Furftemberg, one of his own creatures, made elector of Cologne, in oppofition to the emperor, at once fhewed the neceflity of fuch an affociation, and lighted anew the flames of war in Germany and the Low Countries. Spain and Holland had become principals in the league; Denmark, Sweden, and Savoy were afterward gained; fo that the acceffion of England feemed only wanting to ren-. der the confederacy complete, and that was at last acquired. But, before I enter into particulars, we must take a view of the unhappy reign of James II. and, the great change in the English conftitution with which it was terminated. LETTER LETTER XVI. GREAT BRITAIN and IRELAND, during the Reign of CH JAMES II. XIV. HARLES II. by his popular character and tem- LETTER porifing policy, had fo generally reconciled the English nation to his arbitrary administration, that A. D. 1685. the obnoxious religion, and even the blind bigotry of his brother, may perhaps be confidered as fortunate circumstances for the British conftitution. For had James II. been a Proteftant, he might quietly have established defpotism in England; or had he, as he formerly promifed, made his religion a private affair between God and his own confcience, he might fill have been able to fubdue the fmall remains of liberty, and to establish that abfolute government which he loved. But the juftice of these reflections will best appear from the facts by which they were fuggefted. THE new king, who was fifty years of age when he afcended the throne, began his reign with a very popular act. He immediately affembled the privy council, and declared, That although he had been represented as a man of arbitrary principles, and though determined not to relinquish the juft rights and prerogatives of the crown, he was refolved to maintain the established government, both in church and ftate, being fenfible that the laws of England were fufficient to make him as great a monarch as he could with'. This declaration gave great fatisfaction to the council, and was received with the warmest ap1. Printed Declaration. A.D. 1685. PART II. plaufe by the nation. As James had hitherto been confidered as a prince of unimpeached honour and fincerity, no one doubted but his intentions were conformable to his profeffions. "We have now," it was commonly faid, "the word of a king; and a word 66 never yet broken!". It was reprefented as a greater fecurity to the conftitution than any that laws could give. Addreffes poured in from all quarters, full not only of expressions of duty, but of the most fervile adulation 3. BUT this popularity was of fhort continuance. The nation was foon convinced, that the king either was not fincere in his promise to preferve the conftitution inviolate, or entertained ideas of that conftitution very different from those of his people, and fuch as could yield no fecurity to their civil or religious liberties. He went openly, and with all the enfigns of his dignity, to mafs, an illegal worship: he was even fo imprudent as to urge others to follow his example: he fent an agent to Rome, in order to make fubmiffions to the pope; and he levied taxes without the authority of parliament 4. JAMES, however, foon found the necessity of affembling a parliament; and, in confequence of the 2. Burnet, book iv. 3. The address from the quakers was, however, distinguished by that plainnefs which has fo long characterised the feet. "We are come," said they, "to teftify our forrow for the death of our good "friend Charles, and our joy for thy being made our governor. We "are told thou art not of the perfuafion of the church of England, any more than we; wherefore, we hope, thou wilt grant us the fame liberty which thou alloweft thyself: which doing, we wish "thee all manner of happiness." 4. Burnet, book iv. Carte's Life of Ormond, vol, iii. influence LETTER XVI. influence which the crown had acquired in the boroughs, by the violation of the corporation-charters, a house of commons was procured as compliant as the A. D. 1685moft arbitrary prince could have wifhed. If they had been otherwise difpofed, the king's fpeech was more calculated to work on their fears than their affections, to inflame oppofition than to conciliate favour, and strongly indicated the violence of his principles. After repeating his promife to govern according to the laws, and to preserve the established religion, he told the commons, that he pofitively expected they would grant him, during his life, the fame revenue which his brother had enjoyed. "I might use many arguments," faid he, " to enforce this demand; the bene "fit of trade, the fupport of the navy, the neceffities "of the crown, and the well-being of the government "itself, which I muft not fuffer to be precarious: but "I am confident that your own consideration, and "your sense of what is just and reasonable, will sug"geft to you whatever might on this occafion be en larged upon. There is indeed one popular argu"ment," added he, "which may be urged against "compliance with my demands. Men may think, "that by feeding me from time to time with such sup"plies as they think convenient, they will better fecure frequent meetings of parliament: but as this is the firft "time I fpeak to you from the throne, I will answer "this argument once for all. I must plainly tell you, That fuch an expedient would be very improper to employ with ME; and that the best way "to engage me to meet you often, is always to use me " wells." 5. Journals, May 19, 1685. PART II. In return to this imperious fpeech, which a spirited A. D. 1685. parliament would have received with indignation, both houses prefented an addrefs of thanks, without fo much as a debate; and the commons unanimously yoted, "That the revenue enjoyed by the late king, at the time of his death, fhall be fettled on his pre"fent majefty, during life." Nor did the generofity of the commons op here. The king having demanded a farther fupply for removing the anticipations on the revenue, and other temporary purposes, they revived certain duties on wines and vinegar, which had been granted to the late king; but which, having expired during the bad humours of his latter parliaments, had not been renewed. To these were added fome impofitions on tobacco and fugar; all which, under the rigid economy of James, rendered the crown, in time of peace, independent of the parlia ment 6. THE Scottish parliament went yet farther than that of England. Both lords and commons declared their abhorrence of all principles and pofitions derogatory to the king's facred, fupreme, sovereign, absolute authority ; of which none, they faid, whether single persons or collective bodies, can participate but in dependence on him and by commiffion from him. They offered, in the name of the nation, to fupport with their lives and fortunes their prefent fovereign and his lawful heirs, in the poffeffion of the crown and its prerogatives, against all mortal men: and they annexed the whole excife, both of inland and foreign commodities, for ever to the crown 7. 6. James II. 1685. 7. Burnet, book iv. Hume, vol. viii. |