A. C. 1645. and the demand of a further fupply, after fo much had been given. But the intereft of the court predominated, and feven hundred thousand pounds were voted for the maintenance of the forces. Their complaifance, however, gave way to their fears, when they confidered that article of the speech in which the king frankly told them, he had difpenfed with the laws in favour of popish officers. In this addrefs, they thanked him for having quelled the rebellions; but they represented that the teft-act rendered popish recufants incapable of exercifing any employment under the government. That as his majesty had mentioned the fervices of the Roman catholic officers, they would prepare a bill for exempting them from the penalties they had incurred; but as by continuing them in their employments, he affumed the power of difpenfing with the laws; a power of the utmoft confequence with refpect to the liberties of the people, and the fecurity of religion; they humbly befought his majefty to give orders for quieting intirely the fears of his faithful fubjects. To this address the king replied, That he did not expect fuch a remonftrance from the commons, after he had demonftrated the advantages that would arife from a perfect union between him and his parliament; but he declared that in whatever shape they might abufe the confidence which he had repofed in them, he should still punctually perform the promises he had made. This anfwer ftruck them with fuch a panic, that not a word was spoken for fome time after they returned to their house. At length Cook member for Derby rofe up, faying, "I hope we are "all true-born Englishmen; and that a few hard "words are incapable of deterring us from doing "our duty." The majority were fo intimidated, that they sent him to the Tower for this honeft expreffion.

preffion. They began to deliberate on ways andA.C. 1685. means for railing the feven hundred thoufand pounds which they had granted; and, in order to appeafe the king, they refolved to bring in a bill, impowering him to name a certain number of catholic officers to ferve in the army. But as he could not obtain the extent of his wishes, he in a few days prorogued the parliament: the prorogation was continued from time to time, and at length it was totally diffolved.

lord Dela

The earl of Stamford and lord Delamere had Trial of been committed to the Tower in July, upon a ge- mere. neral accufation of treason, and debarred all intercourse with their friends, by word or writing. They found means, however, to petition the house of lords, who defired the king would be pleased to declare the cause of their imprisonment. He told them thofe two lords were accused of treafon; and that he had given orders for trying lord Delamere in Cheshire, where the crime was faid to have been committed. As he did not fignify his intention with regard to the earl of Stamford, the lords ordered that nobleman to be tried by his peers, with the confent of his majefty. Delamere was likewife tried in the fame manner, contrary to the king's firft refolution. The lords Howard and Grey, Burnet. with another infamous informer, were produced in Rapin. evidence against him. The two firft faid little or nothing to his prejudice: the laft fwore he correfponded with the duke of Monmouth; but no regard was paid to his depofition, and the prifoner was acquitted. The earl of Stamford they admitted to bail, and he afterwards availed himself of a general pardon, which the king granted by proclamation, in the courfe of the fucceeding year. By this time the earl of Arlington was dead, and his place of chamberlain beftowed upon the earl of Mulgrave, who acquired a great share of

N° 75.

the

Ralph.

A. C. 1686. the king's favour. Sunderland was appointed fecretary of ftate, and became, in effect, primeminifter.

king re

edict of

Na itz.

Popery now appeared more dreadful to England than even the profpect of flavery and temporal oppreffion; and what aggravated the terrors of the catholic communion, and the animofity against princes who profeffed that religion, was a late meaThe French fure of Lewis XIV. diametrically oppofite to good vokes the faith, humanity, and the intereft of his kingdom. He revoked the edict of Nantz, by which Henry IV. had fecured his proteftant fubjects in the exercife of their religion. This law, which had been declared irrevocable, he repealed; and perfecuted those unhappy people with fuch feverity and injuftice, that above half a million of his moft induftrious fubjects fled from their native country into other realms, where they could enjoy liberty of confcience. Together with great fums of money, they exported from France thofe arts and manufactures by which that kingdom had been enriched. Fifty thousand of these refugees arrived in England, and were hofpitably received by James, who treated them with great humanity; and affected to exclaim against the perfecuting fpirit of the French monarch. They drew fuch pathetic pictures of the cruel fufferings they had undergone, as inflamed the people against the catholic religion; and the king's conduct in other refpects did not ferve to affuage their refentment.

In Scotland the parliament was affembled by the earl of Moray, who in complaifance to the king had changed his religion. He delivered to them a letter from his majefty, recommanding to their care and humanity his poor catholic fubjects, who had always been faithful to the crown, that they might enjoy the protection of the laws, without taking oaths that were repugnant to their con

fciences

Tyrconnel

in Ireland.

fciences and religion. This letter produced warm A. C. 1686. debates. At length a bill was brought in for indulging catholics with the private exercise of their worship; but it was violently oppofed and deferred to further confideration. Then the king ordered the commiffioner to prorogue the parliament; and, by virtue of his own prerogative, established liberty of confcience through the whole kingdom. His power in Ireland was no lefs abfolute. Tyrconnel opprefles the had difmiffed almoft the whole number of protes proteftants tants that were in the army; and encroached fo much on the civil government, that Clarendon was left abfolutely deftitute of authority. At laft this nobleman was recalled, and Tyrconnel appointed lord-lieutenant. This was a ferocious bigot, who exercised fuch acts of oppreffion, and encouraged the catholics to fuch a pitch of infolence and power, that the difarmed proteftants expected another maffacre. Many thousands relinquished their lands and effects, and came over to England, where they could be sheltered from the barbarity of fuch a tyrant; and the merchants of England who traded to that kingdom, withdrawing their effects, the country was reduced to unfpeakable diftrefs.

difpenfing

In England, the king profecuted his defign more The king gradually. He difmiffed four judges, who refufed exercifes a to affert his difpenfing power, and filled their places power. with fuch as promised to be more ductile. He refolved to put their obedience to immediate proof. The coachman of Sir Edward Hales, a new profelyte, was directed to inform againft him as a popifh recufant employed in quality of colonel in the fervice. He was profecuted for the fum of five hundred pounds, and pleaded the king's difpenfing power. The plea was argued with great learning and vivacity before the judges, who gave it as their opinion, that the difpenfing power was a preroga tive infeparable from the kings of England. Thus

Q 2

all

the catho

lics.

A.C. 1686. all the fences to the conftitution were at once thrown He favours down. The king now admitted four popish lords into his council, namely, the lords Arundel of Wardour, Bellafis, Dover, and the earl of Tyrconnel. The catholic worship was publicly performed, and the jefuits erected colleges in different parts of the kingdom. Four catholic bishops, confecrated in the king's chapel, were fent through the kingdom, to exercise their epifcopal functions, under the title of apoftolic vicars. Their paftoral letters were printed by the king's printer, and diftributed thro' all the different counties. The monks appeared at court in the habits of their orders; and a great number of priefts and friars arrived in England. The whole adminiftration was managed by catholics. The king fent a circular letter to the bishops, ordering them to prohibit their inferior clergy from preaching on points of controverfy; a practice which ferved only to foment animofities. But this injunction was very little regarded by the proteftant divines, who feeing their religion in fuch eminent danger, expofed the errors, abfurdities, and cruelty of the catholic communion, with fuch learning, energy, and candour, as operated powerfully on the conviction of the public; and redounded to the immortal honour of those virtuous champions, the chief of whom were Tillotfon, Stillingfleet, Tenifon, Patrick, and Sherlock.

Eftablishes

a new ec

clefiaftical ceurt,

The king and his council were fo difpleafed with those endeavours, fo exprefly contrary to the royal mandate, that they were refolved to eftablifh a new ecclefiaftical commiffion-court that fhould enforce obedience. This was accordingly inftituted, and composed of fecular as well as ecclefiaftical members, among whom were fome catholics. The prelates were the archbishop of Canterbury, and the bishops of Durham and Rochefter; but the metropolitan never took his place. Jeffries, now created a peer

5