A. C. 1689. penalty, becaufe deprivation, or the apprehenfion of it, might make them defperate, and excite them to form defigns against the government. This argument had no weight with the commons, who thought it was indifpenfably neceffary to exact the oaths of the clergy, as their example influenced the kingdom in general, and the youth of the nation were formed under their inftructions. After a long and warm debate, all the mitigation that could be obtained, was a claufe to empower the king to indulge any twelve clergymen deprived by virtue of this act, with a third part of their benefices during pleasure. Thus the antient oaths of allegiance and fupremacy were abrogated; the declaration of non-refiftance in the act of uniformity was repealed; the new oath of allegiance was reduced to its primitive fimplicity; and the coronation oath rendered more explicit. The clergy were enjoined to take the new oaths before the first day of Auguft, on pain of being fufpended from their office for fix months; and of intire deprivation, in cafe they should not take them before the expiration of this term. They generally complied, though with fuch refervations and diftinctions as were not much for the honour of their fincerity.

Act for a to

leration.

The king, though baffled in his defign against the facramental teft, refolved to indulge the diffenters with a toleration; and a bill for this purpose being prepared by the earl of Nottingham, was, after fome debate, paffed into a law, under the title of, An act for exempting their majefties proteftant fubjects, diffenting from the church of England, from the penalties of certain laws. It enacted, That none of the penal laws fhould be conftrued to extend to those diffenters who should take the oaths to the prefent government, and fubfcribe the declaration of the thirtieth year in the reign of Charles II. provided, that they should

hold

1

hold no private affemblies or conventicles with the 4.C. 1689, doors fhut; and that nothing fhould be conftrued to exempt them from the payment of tythes or other parochial duties: That, in cafe of being chofen in the offices of conftable, church-warden, overfeer, &c. and of fcrupling to take the oaths annexed to fuch offices, they fhould be allowed to execute the employment by deputy: That the preachers and teachers in congregations of diffenting proteftants, who fhall take the oaths, fubfcribe the declaration, together with all the article's of religion, except the thirty-fourth and the two fucceeding articles, and part of the twentieth, fhould be exempted from the penalties decreed against non conformifts, as well as from ferving upon juries, or acting in parifh-offices; yet all juftices of the peace were impowered to require fuch diffenters to fubfcribe the declaration, and take the oaths; and, in case of refufal, to commit them to prifon, without bail or mainprize. The fame indulgence was extended to anabapifts, and even to quakers, on their folemn promife, before God, to be faithful to the king and queen; and their affenting by profeffion and affeveration to thofe articles which the others ratified upon oath they were likewife required to profess their belief in the Trinity and the Holy Scriptures. Even the papists felt the benign influence of William's moderation in fpiritual matters: he rejected the propofals of fome zealots, who exhorted him to enact fevere laws against popifh recufants. Such a measure, he obferved, would alienate all the papifts of Europe from the interests of England, and might produce a new catholic league, which would render the war a religious quarrel; befides, he could not pretend to fcreen the proteftants of Germany and Hungary, while he himself fhould perfecute the catholics of England. He therefore refolved to treat them N°.77. with

X

A. C. 1689. with lenity; and though they were not comprehended in the act, they enjoyed the benefit of the

toleration.

Violent dif- We have obferved, that in confequence of the putes about motion made by the bishops when they withdrew comprehen- from parliament, a bill was brought into the house

the bill for a

fion.

The com

of lords, for uniting their majefties proteftant fubjects. This was extremely agreeable to the king, who had the fcheme of comprehenfion very much at heart. In the progrefs of the bill a warm debate arose about the pofture of kneeling at the facrament, which was given up in favour of the diffenters. Another, no lefs violent, enfued upon the subsequent queftion, "Whether there fhould be an ad"dition of laity in the commiffion to be given by the king to the bishops and others of the clergy, for preparing fuch a reformation of ecclefiaftical af"fairs as might be the means of healing divifions, "and correcting whatever might be erroneous or "defective in the conftitution?" A great number of the temporal lords infifted warmly on this addition; and when it was rejected, four peers entered a formal proteft. Bishop Burnet was a warm ftickler for the exclufion of the laity; and, in all probability, manifefted this warmth in hope of ingratiating himself with his brethren, among whom his character was very far from being popular. But the merit of this facrifice was destroyed by the arguments he had ufed for difpenfing with the posture of kneeling at the facrament; and by his propofing in another provifo of the bill, that the fubfcribers, inftead of expreffing affent and confent, fhould only fubmit, with a promise of conformity.

The bill was with difficulty paffed in the house mons addrefs of lords: but the commons treated it with neglect. fummon a By this time a great number of malcontent memconvocation bers, who had retired from parliament, were re

the king to

of the cler

gy.

turned,

turned, with a view to thwart the adminiftration, A. C. 1689. though they could not prevent the fettlement. Inftead of proceeding with the bill, they prefented an addrefs to the king, thanked him for his gracious declaration, and repeated affurances, that he would maintain the church of England as by law established; a church whofe doctrine and practice had evinced its loyalty beyond all contradiction. They likewise humbly befought his majefty to iffue writs for calling a convocation of the clergy, to be confulted in ecclefiaftical matters, according to the antient ufage of parliaments; and they declared they would forthwith take into confideration, proper methods for giving eafe to proteftant diffenters. Though the king was difpleafed at this addrefs, in which the lords alfo had concurred, he returned a civil answer, by the mouth of the earl of Nottingham, profeffing his regard for the church of England, which fhould always be his peculiar care; recommending the diffenters to their protection, and promifing to fummon a convocation as foon as fuch a measure fhould be convenient. This meffage produced no effect in favour of the bill, which lay neglected on the table. Those who moved for it had no other view than that of difplaying their moderation; and now they excited their friends to oppose it with all their intereft. Others were afraid of efpoufing it, left they fhould be ftigmatized as enemies to the church; and a great number of the most eminent prefbyterians were averfe to a fcheme of comprehenfion, which would diminish their strength, and weaken the importance of the party. Being therefore violently oppofed on one hand, and but faintly fupported on the other, no wonder it mifcarried. The king, however, was fo bent upon the execution of his defign, that it was next feffion revived in another form, though with no better fuccefs.

A. C. 1689.

of the re

venue,

The next object that engroffed the attention of Settlement the parliament, was the fettlement of a revenue for the fupport of the government. Hitherto there had been no diftinction of what was allotted for the king's ufe, and what was affigned for the fervice of the public; fo that the fovereign was entirely mafter of the whole fupply. As the revenue in the late reigns had been often embezzled and mifapplied, it was now refolved that a certain fum fhould be fet apart for the maintenance of the king's houfhold, and the fupport of his dignity; and that the reft of the public money fhould be employed under the infpection of parliament. Accordingly, fince this period, the commons have appropriated the yearly fupplies to certain specified fervices; and an account of the application has been conftantly fubmitted to both houses at the next feffion. At this juncture, the prevailing party, or the Whigs, determined that the revenue fhould be granted from year to year, or at leaft for a fmall term of years, that the king might find himfelf dependent upon the parliament, and merit a renewal of the grant by a juft and popular adminiftration. In purfuance of this maxim, when the revenue fell under confideration, they, on pretence of charges and anticipations, which they had not time to examine, granted it by a provifional act for one year only. The civil lift was fettled at fix hundred thousand pounds, chargeable with the appointments of the queen dowager, the prince and princess of Denmark, the judges, and marechal Schomberg, to whom the parliament had already granted one hundred thousand pounds, in confideration of his important fervices to the nation. The commons alfo voted, that a conftant revenue of twelve hundred thousand pounds fhould be eftablished for the fupport of the crown in time of peace.

The