XXIII. A.D. 1710. majority of the established clergy. After having dif- LETTER tinguished himself in the country, by fuch declamations, he was called, by the voice of the people, to a church in the borough of Southwark, where he had a more extenfive field for propagating his feditious doctrines; and being appointed to preach in St. Paul's cathedral, on the 5th of November, 1709, the anniversary of the Gun-powder Plot, he delivered a fermon, before the lord, mayor of London and the court of aldermen, into which he poured the whole collected venom of his heart. He not only inveighed, in the most indecent language, against the diffenters, and the moderate part of the church of England, whom he denominated false brethren, but threw out fevere and pointed reflections against the principal perfons in power, and inculcated in strong, and unequivocal terms, the flavish and exploded doctrine of paffive obedience and non-refiftance; animating the people to ftand up in defence of the church, which he declared was in imminent danger, and for which, he faid, he founded the trumpet, defiring them to put on the whole armour of God! The majority of the court of aldermen being attached to the principles of the Revolution, against which these doctrines militated, refufed the ufual compliment to the preacher, of defiring him to print his fermon, and were even fhocked at the violence of the invective. But the lord Mayor, who was a zealous high-churchman, not only encouraged Sacheverell to publish his difcourfe, but accepted a dedication ftill more violent and inflammatory than the performance itself. The merit of both was magnified by the Tories, and 10. Burnet, book vii. See alfo the Sermon itself among Sacheverell's Difcourfes. forty PART II. forty thoufand copies are faid to have been circulated a few weeks". A. D. 1710. in No literary production ever perhaps attracted so much attention as this fcurrilous fermon, which had no kind of excellence to recommend it except what it derived from the fpirit of party. It divided the opinions of the nation: and Sacheverell him felf, extolled by the Tories as the champion of the church, now on the brink of ruin and execrated by the Whigs as an enemy to the Revolution, as an advocate for perfecution and defpotifm, and a devoted friend to the Pretender, was thought of fufficient confequence to be made the object of a parliamentary profecution. That was what he defired above all things, and what the miniftry ought ftudiously to have avoided. But they allowed, on this occafion, their pallion to overcome their prudence. Godolphin being perfonally attacked in the fermon, was highly irritated against the preacher and as the offence was not deemed punishable by common law, it was refolved to proceed by impeachment. Sacheverell was accordingly taken into cuftody, by command of the houfe of commons: articles were exhibited against him at the bar of the houfe of lords, and a day was appointed for his trial, which to complete the folly of this impolitic meafure, was ordered to be in Weftminter-hall, that the whole body of the commons might be prefent *. THE people are often wrong in their judgment, but always just in their compaffion, though that fentiment is fometimes mifplaced. Their compaf 11. Burnet, ubi fup. 12, Burnet, book vii. Lon XXIII. fion was roufed for Sacheverel, whom they confider- LETTER ed as an innocent victim; a meritorious individual, doomed to be crushed by the arm of power, for A. D. 1710. daring to tell the truth. They forgot all his flavish doctrines they remembered only his violent declamations, in regard to the danger of the church and monarchy; and they faw him expofed, as they imagined, to perfecution for his honeft boldness. They now believed more than they formerly feared. Neglecting their private affairs, and all the common avocations of life, their concern was turned wholly toward public welfare. Many, who feldom entered the church, trembled for the fafety of the established religion. They wandered about in filent amazement, anxiously gazing on each other, and looking forward to the trial of Sacheverell, as if the fate of the nation, or of nature had depended upon the awful decifion. WHEN the day arrived, the populace affembled in vaft crowds, and attended the criminal to Weftminfter-hall. During the whole courfe of his trial, which lafted three weeks, they continued the fame attentions; and, in the height of their frantic zeal, they destroyed several diffenting meeting-houses, infulted a number of non-conformifts, fome Whig members of the house of commons, and committed a variety of other outrages. London was a fcene of anarchy and confufion. At laft Sacheverell was found guilty; but the lenity of his fentence, in confequence of the popular tumults, was confidered as a kind of triumph by the Tories. He was only fufpended from preaching for three years, without being precluded from preferment, his fermon being ordered to be burnt by the hands of the common hangman. A.D. 1710. PART II. hangman 13. The famous decree of the University of Oxford, passed in 1683, recognizing the doctrine of paffive obedience and non-refiftance, was also, by a vote of the lords, ordered to be burnt at the fame time 14. THE mildness of Sacheverell's punishment was justly afcribed, by the populace, to the timidity, not to the moderation of the miniftry. Proud of their victory, they every where expressed their joy on the occafion, by bonfires and illuminations; and notwithftanding the vote of the lords, addreffes were fent from all parts of the kingdom afferting the abfolute power of the crown, and condemning the doctrine of refiftance, as the refult of antimonarchical and republican principles '5. Of these principles the Whigs, as a body, were violently accufed by the heads of the Tories, who now wholly engroffed the confidence of their fovereign, and inspired her with jealoufies of her principal fervants. THE queen herself, who had long affected to adopt The 14. Journals of the Lords, March, 1710, an LETTER XXIII. an order to break his ftaff, as lord treafurer of Great Britain: the treasury was put in commiffion; and Harley, as a prelude to higher promotion, was ap- A.D. 1710. pointed chancellor of the exchequer; while his friend, St. John, fucceeded Mr. Boyle as fecretary of state. The duke of Marlborough alone, of the whole party to which he belonged, remained in office: and that mark of diftinction he owed to his own high reputation, not to the favour or forbearance of his enemies. Though his fall was already determined on, they were afraid that the temper of the people was not yet fufficiently prepared for the removal of fo great a commander 16. MARLBOROUGH, whofe character is one of the most complicated in modern history, appears to have been fully fenfible of his own confequence, as well as of the dangerous designs of the new miniftry. At the fame time that he was making profeffions of attachment to the court of St. Germains 17, (though for what purpose it is impoflible to determine,) he wrote, in the following strong terms, to the elector of Hanover; with the interefts of whofe family, he faid, he confidered thofe of his country and of all Europe to be infeparably connected. "I hope," adds he, "the Eng"lish nation will not permit themfelves to be im"pofed upon by the artifice of Harley and his affo"ciates. Their conduct leaves no doubt of their "defign of placing the pretended prince of Wales on "the throne. We feel too much already their bad. "intentions and pernicious views. But I expect to "be able to employ all my attention, all my credit, " and that of my friends, in order to advance the 16. Id. ibid. State of Europe, 1710. 17. Stuart Papers, "intereft |