CHAP. I. James II.'s Parlia ment. Invitation The King Turner of Ely, Lloyd of St. Asaph, Trelawney of Bristol, and White of Peterborough. The bishops went to present it to the King, who was furious when he read it, and dismissed the prelates from his presence. It is remarkable that the bishops were strong Tories and High Churchmen. The petition was surreptitiously printed and sold by thousands, and the bishops were arrested and sent to the Tower on a charge of libel. During their incarceration a son was born to James, but the populace discredited the birth of an heir to the crown. The trial of the Seven Bishops in the Court of King's Bench (June 29th-30th) threw the country into a ferment. Great pressure was put upon the jury by the Government, so that the King and the Court party suffered a rude shock when a verdict of Not Guilty was announced, while the people hailed the decision with enthusiasm. The monarch and the nation were now hopelessly estranged from each other, and all eyes were turned towards the Prince of Orange. This Protestant prince was closely allied to England by his marriage with the King's daughter Mary. On the same day upon which the bishops were acquitted (June 30th), an invitation, signed by seven leading Englishmen, was despatched to William at the Hague. The signatories were Henry, brother of Algernon Sidney; Edward, cousin of Lord William Russell; Shrewsbury and Lumley, two newly converted but ardent Protestant peers; Compton, Bishop of London, one of the prime movers in the invitation; Devonshire, a trusted and celebrated Whig ; and Danby, one of the founders of the Tory party and of the union between Charles II.'s government and the aristocracy and Episcopalianism. All ranks and classes of English Protestantism were thus represented in this historical document. From the close of June until the beginning of October temporises. James and his Government pursued an irresolute policy. The King yielded on many points, and writs were even issued for a new Parliament, but these were withdrawn. In a final interview with his Majesty on October 3rd, the bishops formulated their most pressing demands, Parlia ment. which included the issue of new writs for a free and CHAP. I. regular Parliament, the abolition of the Ecclesiastical James II.'s Commission, the immediate filling up of the vacant episcopal sees, the removal of vicars apostolic and of Roman Catholic schoolmasters, and the restoration of the Protestant fellows at Magdalen College, Oxford. The King proceeded at once to abolish the Ecclesiastical Commission and to restore to the city of London its confiscated charters. A commission was issued to organise Magdalen College in accordance with its original Protestant statutes. But James was afraid to call a Parliament which was sure to be Episcopalian, and which might favour the designs of the Prince of Orange. While the King's neglect to summon Parliament Declara. tion of rendered the situation critical, William of Orange was William pushing forward his preparations, and on October 10th of Orange. he issued a declaration, setting forth the wrongs and misgovernment from which the people of England were suffering, and demanding a Parliament for the settlement of the religious difficulties and the removal of grievances. The Prince declared his intention of establishing the Protestant religion and freedom so securely that there should never again be any ground for fearing a restoration of arbitrary government. As James made certain concessions in order to render William's declaration ineffectual, the latter issued a postscript, or second declaration, in which he denied the value of concessions that left untouched the claim to despotic power, and he held that there could be no redress or remedy except that offered by a free assembly of the nation in a lawful Parliament. William landed with his forces at Torbay on November Landing 5th, and although the nation he had come to deliver was Prince. at first apathetic, the most influential men in England eventually joined his banner. There was little fighting, but various attempts at diplomacy; and it was not until December 18th that William arrived at St. James's Palace. On that day, after a previous abortive flight, James went down in a barge to Rochester, and from thence escaped to France. of the CHAP. I. Parlia ment. With this constructive abdication the infatuated monarch James II.'s practically passed out of English history, though he made subsequent efforts to recover his throne. Never was a revolution more completely justified or more peacefully accomplished than that which drove James II. from his throne. James's flight. His character. Misgovernment. A sovereign more utterly out of harmony with English aspirations and sympathies than the second James could not possibly be conceived. As the arbitrary ruler of some European state which was the slave of the Vatican he would have been in his natural place; but as the head of a people devoted to the Protestant religion, and bent upon the preservation of the liberties won by the blood of their fathers, he was an anomaly to the last degree. His inveterate misgovernment rendered the Revolution necessary; and while the deposing of kings is not a matter to be lightly undertaken, it cannot be denied that in his case the step was unavoidable, or that the vast majority of the nation were completely alienated from their sovereign head. The fall of this monarch led to the confirmation and extension of the national liberties, and also to such a settlement of the popular bulwarks against tyranny that they can nevermore be uprooted or overthrown. CHAPTER II. THE CONVENTION. AFTER the first flight of James, about thirty of the Lords spiritual and temporal then in London met at the Guildhall (December 11th), and drew up a declaration to the effect that they would use their utmost endeavours, in conjunction with William of Orange, to obtain a free Parliament with all speed. This assembly was to secure the laws, liberties, and properties of the people, and in particular to preserve the interests of the Church of England with a due liberty to Protestant Dissenters. This was the last public document signed by Archbishop Sancroft. No power was given to the Prince, and the chief initial object of the Lords seems to have been to restore the violated Constitution. Declara tion of the the Asso But an address from the city of London followed, Signing imploring William to repair to London; and some such ciation. step was necessary, for a disorderly night which ensued in the metropolis showed what dangers threatened the public safety. On December 21st the Lords, to the number of above sixty, appeared at St. James's, and assisted the Prince in a great council. It was proposed that the whole assembly should sign the Association formerly subscribed by the nobility and gentry at Exeter, and all agreed except the Duke of Somerset, the Earls 2 VOL. II. CHAP. II. The Con vention. William offered the government. of Pembroke and Nottingham, Lord Wharton, and the bishops. The prelates were better satisfied when the word "punishment" was substituted for that of" revenge," the original word in the Association. On the 23rd the peers, to the number of about ninety, met at Westminster, and desired the Prince to take upon himself the administration of public affairs until the meeting of the proposed Convention on January 22nd. They also requested him to issue writs for the elections. William was in some difficulty respecting the Commons; but passing over the Parliament of James II., he requested all such persons as had seats in the Parliaments of Charles II. to meet him at St. James's on the 26th; and he also invited the Lord Mayor and aldermen, with fifty of the Common Council. On the day appointed some hundred and sixty former members of Parliament, with the other persons specified (except the Lord Mayor, who was ill), assembled at St. James's, and, after being addressed by William, repaired to Westminster, where they formed themselves into a House, with Henry Powle, the Speaker in the "Exclusion Parliament" of 1681, as chairman. A committee, which included the names of Maynard, Hampden, and Capel, was appointed to draw up an address. There was some discussion as to the proper legal course to take, though all were agreed that the Prince's declaration must be substantially carried out. Some objected to sign the form of association laid upon the table, on the ground that the act might be construed as conspiracy; and it was finally agreed that every one should be at liberty to sign it or not. All present then agreed with the Lords in requesting the Prince of Orange to take upon himself the administration of public affairs, both civil and military, and the disposal of the public revenues. They also besought him to take into particular consideration the condition of Ireland, and to prevent by speedy and effectual means the dangers threatening that kingdom. Finally, they desired him to issue the letters required for the election of a Convention. |