I

JAM E S II.

Mmediately after the deceafe of Charles, A.C.1684-5 his brother James was proclaimed in LonJames II. don, without the leaft tumult or fhadow of op- fucceeds to pofition. On the contrary, the people feemed the throne. to rejoice at his acceffion. On the first day of his reign, he affembled the council at Whitehall. He disclaimed arbitrary principles: declared he would maintain the religion established by law, and defend the liberties of his people, for which he had already expofed his life upon more than one occafion. His fpeech was printed and read with univerfal applaufe. All thofe who poffeffed employments under the late king were continued in their refpective offices by proclamation: this was another popular step in the new monarch. The fubjects did not feem much diffatisfied even when he went publicly to mafs; but they began to be alarmed at a proclamation which he iffued, for continuing the customs and excife, which had been granted to his brother only for life. He ordered Hudlefton to publish an account of his brother's dying in the Roman catholic faith; and produced the two papers which had been found in his closet. The funeral of that prince was celebrated without any folemnity, and at a very little expence. The earl of Rochester was appointed treasurer; his brother Clarendon keeper of the privy-feal; and Hallifax, now a marquis, was created prefident of the council. The king received congratulatory addreffes from all parts of the kingdom, and fome of them couched in the most fervile terms of adulation. He and his queen were crowned on the twenty third day of April, when the populace obferved that the

N° 75.

royal

A.C.1684-5 royal diadem was too large for his head, and shook from fide to fide; a circumftance from which they

deduced a bad omen.

Servility of On the day of the coronation, the parliament of the Scottish Scotland was affembled by the duke of Queenfparliament. berry, who represented the king's perfon as com

Trial of

Oates for perjury.

miffioner. That nobleman, though a faithful adherent to the royal family, affured the king that he could not ferve him in any thing that fhould contradict the laws of his country. James, in his letter to the Scottish parliament, inveighed against the fanatics, whom he termed murderers and affaffins; and defired the ftates would take proper measures to fecure the kingdom against their machinations. The commiffioner told them, his majefty was refolved to maintain and protect the established church, and the liberties of his fubjects; and exhorted them to exterminate the fanatics. The earl of Perth, chancellor of that kingdom, extolled the king's virtues, and afterwards embraced the catholic religion; by which ftep he ingratiated himself fo much with James, that he was able to fupplant the duke of Queensberry. The parliament prefented an abject addrefs to the king on his acceffion : they confirmed the act of the preceding reign for maintaining the established religion: they annexed the excife to the crown: they enacted a ftatute, decreeing the penalties of treafon and confifcation of goods, not only against those who should be prefent at conventicles, but even against such as should know and yet forbear giving teftimony against traitors and nonconformifts; and, in a vote which they called an offer of duty, they profeffed their abhorrence of all principles and pofitions derogatory to the king's facred, fupreme, fovereign, absolute power.

Before the meeting of the English parliament, which had been convoked for the nineteenth day

of

He

of May, Oates was tried in the court of king's A.C.1684-5 bench, upon two indictments of perjury; and convicted upon the evidence of above fixty reputable witneffes, nine of whom were proteftants. was fentenced to pay a fine of two thousand marks; to be fcourged through the ftreets by the hangman twice in three days; to ftand in the pillory at dif ferent parts of London and Weftminfter; to undergo this infamy once every year, and be imprisoned for life. Jeffries infulted him from the bench, and the executioner performed his office with great feverity. He bore his fate with furprising refolution, protefting his innocence in the most folemn manner; was cherished and fupported by a numerous party, who looked upon him as a martyr to the proteftant religion; and, in the fubfequent reign, he obtained his liberty, with a pension of four hundred pounds. Dangerfield, being alfo convicted of perjury, was fentenced to be fcourged, and to pay a fine of five thousand pounds. After having undergone this corporal punishment, one Francis, a ftudent in the law, reviled him with some acrimonious expreffions; to which he replied with fuch virulence, as provoked the aggreffor to push a small cane into his eye. Dangerfield died in two hours; and Francis, being convicted of the murder, was executed; notwithstanding the most earneft folicitations of fome perfons of great interest.

English par

The parliament having met and chofen their complaispeaker, the king, in his fpeech to both houses, re- fance of the peated the promises he had made to his council, liament. touching the maintenance of the English church, and the liberties of the people. He demanded a fupply for the fupport of the fleet and the occafions of the crown, affuring them that the more liberal they should be, he would always be the better difpofed to meet them often. He gave them to understand, that the earl of Argyle had landed in P 2 Scotland,

A..1684-5 Scotland, with a view to excite a rebellion, for which purpose he had brought arms and officers from Holland, and publifhed two manifeftos, ac cufing the king of tyranny and ufurpation. The parliament were charmed with the king's fpeech; and that fame day presented an addrefs of thanks, in anfwer to which, he affured them they would find him a man of his word. The commons immediately voted, that all the revenues enjoyed by the late king should be granted to his majesty for the term of his life; and the upper house discharged the earl of Danby and the popish lords from their bail. They brought in a bill for reverfing the attainder of lord Stafford, on the fuppofition of his having been falfely accufed; and it paffed by a majority, though not without great oppofition, and a protestation of those lords by whom it was opposed. The commons, however, rejected the bill; for how complaifant foever they might be to the king, they had no intention to encourage the Roman catholic party. Not but that the art of corruption had been exercifed in a fhameful manner, to procure fuch a parliament as would enter into all the king's meafures. The boroughs of England, by the feizure of their charters, were left intirely at the mercy of the court, and the corporation-men obliged to chufe fuch members as were agreeable to the adminiftration. The two houfes voted, that they would affift the king with their whole power against the earl of Argyle and all other traitors. The committee for the affairs of religion prepared a vote for affifting the king in defending the established church; and another, that his majefty fhould be defired, in an addrefs, to execute the laws against nonconformifts: but thefe were rejected by the houfe, on the fuppofition that they would be difpleafing to the king, who was himself a nonconformift. But they unani

4

moufly

moufly paffed the following vote, That the house A.C.1684-5 reposed itself intirely on the king's word and declaration, that he would fupport and defend the Englifh church as by law established, which was dearer to them than their lives. The fame expreffion was ufed in the speaker's speech to the king, when he came to the parliament to pass the bill for his re

venue.

makes a de

Scotland.

The earl of Argyle thinking himself released The earl of from the ties of allegiance by the injuries he had Argyle fuftained, waited at Amfterdam for a favourable feent in opportunity to raise an insurrection of his countrymen against James, who was the author of his misfortunes. He knew the prefbyterians of Scotland were reduced to despair by oppreffion; and he did not doubt but they would join him at his first appearance. He held many conferences with the duke of Monmouth, who was likewife a refugee in Holland, and very well difpofed to act against the king of England; and they formed the scheme of a double infurrection. Argyle perfuaded the duke to try his fortune among the whigs in the weft of England, who loved him almoft to adoration: but they were deftitute of money to forward the undertaking, and Monmouth had received no affurances of being joined at his landing by any perfon of confideration. At length, Argyle, being fupplied with a fum of money by a rich widow in Amfterdam, purchased arms and ammunition for his enterprize, and fet fail for Scotland, after having extorted the duke's promise that he would make a defcent in England, as foon as he fhould hear of Argyle's arrival in the Highlands. This nobleman embarked with fome Scottish officers; and, on the fifth day of May being off the Orkneys, fent his fecretary on fhore to found the inhabitants, by whom he was detained prifoner. The earl, difappointed in this quarter, failed round to DunstaffP 3

nage;