harris; but Sir W. Jones had hardly entered upon it, when the Black Rod knocked at the door, and gave notice that the King commanded the attendance of the House immediately in the House of Lords. After a short speech from the Throne, the Lord Chancellor declared the King's pleasure, that the Parliament should be dissolved, without any previous prorogation. Although this step was taken in great apparent haste, and kept secret till the moment of execution, several circumstances serve to show it had been long premeditated. When Sir William Temple offered to stand for Cambridge, the King informed him, that he should have no occasion for his services in this Parliament. And so totally unsupported was the Crown in the House of Commons, that when Secretary Jenkins moved to throw out the Bill of Exclusion, his motion was not seconded. It is also said, that the Duchess of Mazarine spoke of the dissolution in London, some hours before it had taken place at Oxford. * The King set off in great haste for Windsor, and soon afterwards published a declaration, assigning his reasons for dissolving the two last parliaments. To the first, he objected, that they presented remonstrances under the title of addresses; voted eminent persons enemies of the King and kingdom, without proof; arrested many persons under the false pretence of privilege; stopped the payment of tallies and anticipations; and, lastly, assumed to themselves legislative power, by interfering in the regular prosecution by law of Protestant Dissenters, The Parliament assembled at Oxford, he reproached with stirring the Exclusion Bill, to which he had declared he never would consent; and with their vote against the House of Lords, on the subject of Fitzharris. He concluded by warning the people against designing men, who accused him of an intention of laying aside parliaments, and declared he was determined that, after the lapse of a short period, their meetings should be constant and frequent. This declaration of the King was, by an order in council, directed to be read in all churches and chapels. The order was very gene *Just and modest vindication. rally obeyed, and the effect produced corresponded to the wishes of the court and clergy. The part which alluded to the Dissenters raised a cry of Church and King through the whole kingdom. Addresses poured in from all sides, vying with each other in fulsomeness and adulation. One of these, from Norwich, was presented as a libel by the grand jury of Middlesex. An able answer to the Declaration, under the title of "A just and modest Vindication of the two last Parliaments," was published by the Opposition. It was first written by Algernon Sydney, but a new draught was made by Mr. Somers, afterwards Lord Somers, and corrected by Sir W. Jones. In this pamphlet, the proceedings of the Commons were shown to be agreeable to law and precedent; but, though the argument was clear and convincing, and the stile more than usually correct and forcible, this and other writings, in favour of the Parliament, produced little effect. Nothing could more clearly prove the imprudence of the party in refusing the King's offers. There was yet another indiscretion of the Whigs, which contributed to give strength to their enemies. Having united themselves closely with the Presbyterians, they had begun too soon to promote measures in their favour. Hence an alarm was excited that the Presbyterians were the same with the opposers of the Court, and that their object was no other than to gain possession of the government of the church; and as the fear of Popery subsided, that of Presbyterianism rose. In accounting for the events of this and the following reign, religious distinctions must always be kept in view. It will be recollected that Charles lost his object in the first Dutch war by proclaiming a toleration; and it is singular that his adversaries now failed in the same endeavour. It is difficult to decide, if the conduct of the King had been long premeditated, or if it was the offspring of circumstance and temper As he was a profound dissembler, it is almost impossible to judge of his views and motives. His admirers have been warm in their praises of his skill; and it is pretended that, some time before this crisis, he Y entirely changed his usual behaviour, and became thoughtful, prudent, and wary. That he acted with consummate art, when the moment of difficulty arrived, is not to be doubted; but if we were to fix the period of his projects being matured long before the Oxford Parliament, we should probably fall into the common error of attributing too much to design, and too little to accident and impulse. A pilot cannot determine the exact path of the ship he is about to steer, because he cannot foresee the winds which will prevail; and the statesman can almost as little predict the passions which may influence his course. If we may believe Lord Grey, there existed an intention, on the part of the Whig leaders, to resist the dissolution at Oxford, and remain sitting in defiance of the King's authority; but, by his own account, no preparation seems to have been made for supporting by force this act of rebellion; and the whole story seems to be got up for the purpose of justifying the execution of Colledge, which soon afterwards took place. We may more readily trust the same authority, when he tells us, that, after the dissolution, all thoughts of resistance were given up, and every thing remained quiet amongst the party for a long time. July. 1681. It is not well known how far the Prince of Orange was connected with the popular party during the reign of Charles the Second; but the occurrence I am going to relate will show that he was, at this time, on good terms with Lord Russell and the Whigs. He paid a visit to England, for the purpose of doing away a misunderstanding he had had with the King, and with the hope of raising in the court a jealousy against France, and a desire to try once more a reconciliation with Parliaments. * For both these reasons, the Duke of York was much averse to his coming t: but leave having been given before the Duke could prevent it, he arrived in London, where he was waited upon by Lord Russell, and the two sheriffs, who gave him an invitation to dine in the city, which he readily accepted. Lord Halifax, Lord Hide, and Mr. Seymour endeavoured to dissuade him from going; but he answered, that he had been in England twice before, and had dined both times in the city; and, upon their representing to him that the city was now in opposition to the King, which it had not been before, he grew angry, and said he had promised, and he would go. Upon this reply, Mr. Seymour immediately posted to Windsor, and got an order from the King for the Prince of Orange to join him immediately. The Prince obeyed, but did not conceal his trouble at being obliged to break his word. He was unsuccessful in his negociations with the King, but he persuaded the Opposition to offer the King, after his own departure, a parliamentary supply for the relief of Flanders, without the Exclusion Bill, the limitations, or the displacing of any minister. * But the King was now fully resolved not to meet his parliament. † It appears, from the dispatches of Barillon, that during this visit the Prince of Orange was often locked up with Lord Russell and Sir W. Jones, and that he became very popular by his journey. ‡ The death of Fitzharris afforded another occasion for the manifestation of party feeling. This vile wretch hoped, by making a sudden turn against the Opposition, to obtain a pardon from the King; but he was left to die the victim of his own impostures. * James's Life, p. 692. Dal. App. 301. t Dal. App. to Part First, p. 9. + Life of James, 693. 4 CHAP. XIV. -- IN QUO WAR- LETTER OF LADY RUSSELL. PROJECTS OF THE COURT. TRIAL OF COLLEDGE. LORD RUSSELL SENT WHEN the tumult of public affairs was over, and the members of the Whig party, dispersed in every quarter, followed their several occupations and amusements, Lord Russell retired to the tranquillity of his own house, where he confined himself to the society of his family and his relations.* The following letter will show, better than any description I could give, the manner of his life. It is written from Stratton, in Hampshire, a seat which Lady Russell had inherited from her father, and the country residence of Lord Russell from the time of his marriage. "September 30. 1681. "To see any body preparing and taking their way to see what I long to do a thousand times more than they, makes me not endure to suffer their going, without saying something to my best life, though it is a kind of anticipating my joy when we shall meet, to allow myself so much before the time. But I confess I feel a great deal, that, though I left London with great reluctancy, (as 'tis easy to persuade men a woman does,) yet that I am likely to leave Stratton with greater. They will tell you how well I got hither; and how well I found our dear treasure here. Your boy will please you; you will, I think, find him improved, though I tell you so before-hand; they fancy he wanted you; for, as soon as I alighted, he followed, calling Papa: but I suppose 'tis the word he has most command of, so was not disobliged by the little fellow. The girls were in remembrance of the happy 29th September †, and we drank your health, after a red-deer * See Mr. Spencer's evidence on Lord Russell's trial. + Lord Russell's birth-day. |