The History of England Volume VI

LXXI

HistEng6_451-500.indd 46 6/17/11 11:24 AM I688. LXXI Conduct of the prince of Orange He forms a league against France - refuses to concur with the king - resolves to oppose the king- Is applied to by the EnglishCoalition ofparties - Prince's preparations Offers of France to the King - rejected Supposed league with France - General discontents The king retracts his measures- Prince's declaration - The prince lands in England General commotion - Desertion of the army - and ofprince George - and of the princess Anne - King's consternation - and flight General confusion - King seized at Feversham Second escape - King's character Convention summoned - Settlement of Scotland English convention meets- Views of the partiesFree conferences between the houses - Commons prevail - Settlement of the crown Manners , arts and sciences ~~~ WHILE EVERY MOTIVE, civil and religious, concurred to alienate from the king every rank and denomination of men, it might be expected, that his throne would, without delay, fall to HistEng6_451-500.indd 47 6/17/11 11:24 AM 497 CHAPTER LXXI pieces by its own weight: But such is the influence of established government; so averse are men from beginning hazardous enterprizes ; that, had not an attack been made from abroad, affairs might long have remained in their present delicate situation, and James might at last have prevailed in his rash, and ill concerted projects. The prince of Orange, ever since his marriage with the lady Mary, had maintained a very prudent conduct; agreeably to the sound understanding, with which he was so eminently endowed. He made it a maxim to concern himselflittle in English affairs, and never by any measure to disgust any of the factions, or give umbrage to the prince, who filled the throne. His natural inclination, as well as his interest, led him to employ himself with assiduous industry in the transactions on the continent, and to oppose the grandeur of the French monarch, against whom he had long, both from personal and political considerations, conceived a violent animosity. By this conduct, he gratified the prejudices of the whole English nation: But as he crossed the inclinations of Charles, who sought peace by compliance with France, he had much declined in the favour and affections of that monarch. James on his accession found it so much his interest to live on good terms with the heir apparent, that he showed the prince some demonstrations of friendship; and the prince, on his part, was not wanting in every instance of duty and regard towards the king. On Monmouth's invasion, he immediately dispatched over six regiments of British troops, which were in the Dutch service; and he offered to take the command of the king's forces against the rebels. How little soever he might approve of James's administration, he always kept a total silence on the subject, and gave no countenance to those discontents, which were propagated with such industry throughout the nation. It was from the application of James himself, that the prince first openly took any part in English affairs. Notwithstanding the lofty ideas, which the king had entertained of his prerogative, he found, that the edicts, emitted from it, still wanted much of the authority of laws, and that the continuance of them might in the issue become dangerous, both to himself and to the catholics, whom he desired to favour. An act of parliament alone could insure the indulgence or toleration, which he had laboured to Conduct of the prince of Orange. HistEng6_451-500.indd 48 6/17/11 11:24 AM He forms a league against France. HISTORY OF ENGLAND establish; and he hoped, that, if the prince would declare in favour of that scheme, the members, who had hitherto resisted all his own applications, would at last be prevailed with to adopt it. The consent , therefore, of the prince to the repeal of the penal statutes and of the test was strongly solicited by the king; and in order to engage him to agree to that measure, hopes were given/ that England would second him in all those enterprizes, which his active and extensive genius had with such success planned on the continent. He was at this time the center of all the negociations of Christendom . The emperor and the king of Spain, as the prince well knew, were enraged by the repeated injuries, which they had suffered from the ambition of Lewis, and still more by the...