A. C. 1672. John De Wit had been affaulted, and left feemingly dead upon the ftreet; his brother Cornelius was befet by ruffians in his own houfe at Dort; and, being fick, was with great difficulty protected by his fervants: the gallant De Ruyter was infulted in the fame manner at Amfterdam. Cornelius De Wit was accused by an infamous barber of a defign against the life of the prince of Orange. Though the charge was improbable and abfurd, the multitude howled for juftice; and his judges, intimidated by their clamour, condemned him to the torture. This he endured with unfhaken fortitude, protesting his innocence; and, between whiles, repeating the beautiful ode of Horace, beginning withJuftum et tenacem propofiti virum." He was, nevertheless, deprived of his offices, and underwent the fentence of banishment. The penfionary refolved to accompany him in his exile, and repaired to the prison where he lay, in order to confole him in his adverfity. The bafe-born multitude affembled in a tumultuous manner, broke down the prifon-doors, dragged out the unfortunate brothers, embrued their favage hands in the blood of thofe virtuous patriots, who had deserved fo well of their country, and treated their dead bodies with the moft barbarous indignity.

The two brothers, John and Cornelius

De Wit, murdered

by the po

pulace.

Fortitude and wife conduct of

holder.

By the unworthy fate of those two fons of liberty, the ftadt- the prince of Orange acquired the whole administration of Holland and Zealand: the young prince, John Cafimer, of Naffau, now under the guardianfhip of his mother, was ftadtholder of Friezland and Groningen; and the other three provinces were in the hands of the enemy. Lewis no fooner understood that the prince of Orange was elevated to the dignity of stadtholder, than he attempted to bribe him over to his intereft, by offering to make him fovereign of Holland; but he rejected the propofal with difdain. The duke of Buckingham, vifiting

vifiting this young prince on his return to England A. C. 1672. from Utrecht, exhorted him to put himself wholly under the protection of his uncle the king of England. When he expreffed a regard for his country, the duke faid, "You fee your country is already "loft." "There is one way (replied the prince), "of avoiding fuch a fight; and that is, to die in "the laft ditch." The ftadtholder was naturally phlegmatic, reserved, and thoughtful, well acquainted with the ftrength and intereft of his country. To the care of John De Wit, the profeffed enemy of his greatnefs, he owed a liberal education: he poffeffed a great share of courage and fortitude, and was extremely tenacious of his purpose. At an extraordinary affembly of the ftates, he, in a fpeech that lafted three hours, represented the pernicious confequences of accepting the terms propofed by the king of France; encouraged them with folid reasons to hope that they should still be able to defend their liberties; demonftrated the poffibility of raising money to defray the enormous expence of fuch a war; and concluded with faying, that religion and liberty could not be purchased at too dear a price. The ftates liftened to him with amazement: they were aftonished at the extent of his knowledge, and the folidity of his arguments: they were animated by the fpirit of their young ftadtholder. That grief and dejection, which had fo long appeared in their countenances now vanished; they recovered the faculty of recollection, which feemed to have been buried under their misfortunes; and began to exert themselves with vigour in defence of their country.

in favour of

Lewis, feeing a stop put to his conquefts by the Divers powinundation of Holland, left the duke of Luxem- ers declare burgh at Utrecht, and marched into Flanders, from the Dutch. whence he haftened to Paris, where he was received with more fulfome adulation than had ever been

A C. 1672 paid to any European prince fince the diffolution of the Roman empire. The paffage of the Rhine, which he had beheld at a wary diftance, and which his troops had performed almoft without oppofition, was celebrated in profe and verfe, as an exploit equal to that of Alexander in paffing the Granicus; and the epithet of "Great" was bestowed upon him by the fervile flattery of his fubjects, though he had not the least ingredient of heroifm in his whole. compofition. He was on this occafion accompanied by the duke of Monmouth, who commanded fix thoufand English auxiliaries, that reinforced Lewis in confequence of the treaty between the two monarchs. All the neutral powers in Europe were alarmed at the rapidity of the French conquefts, well knowing how formidable Lewis would become by the reduction of Holland. The emperor, and fome other princes in Germany, promised to espouse the caufe of the Dutch. Spain fent a body of troops to their affiftance; and the prince of Orange made furprifing efforts to affemble an army capable of looking the enemy in the face. The bishop of Munfter was obliged to abandon the fiege of Groningen with lofs and difhonour. The ftadtholder made an attempt upon Naerden; but Luxemburgh, attacking his intrenchments by furprize, obliged him to defist from the enterprize.

Proceedings

lifh parlia

ment,

The chief hope of the Dutch centered in the Engof the English parliament, which they believed would open its eyes to the real intereft of the kingdom, and take measures for putting an end to a war fo oppofite to the advantage of their country; but, in this hope, they were disappointed by another prorogation. Charles, refolving to make new levies, thought proper to keep the exchequer ftill fhut; though the time was elapfed, at the expiration of which he had faithfully promifed it fhould be opened. He excufed himself, however, in a proclamation, ob

Turnet,

Temple.
Rapin

ferving,

ferving, that the war ftill continued, though he had A. C. 1671 done all that lay in his power to promote a pacification. Sir Henry Coventry was now appointed fecretary of state; lord Clifford rewarded with the treasurer's ftaff, and the dignity of duke conferred upon Lauderdale; fo that the cabal feemed to triumph in their councils, and fecurely enjoyed their penfions from France, the infamous wages of treachery and corruption. At length the parliament A. C. 1673. reaffembled in the beginning of February; and, at the recommendation of the court, chofe Sir John Charleton their speaker, Turner, who hitherto pof sessed the chair, having been created a baron of the exchequer. The king, in his speech, having mentioned the war, and referred them to the declaration for the caufes and neceffity of that measure, obferved that his indulgence in favour of the non. conformifts had produced a very good effect, in fecuring the peace of the kingdom. He faid, the favour granted to catholicks was as little as he could fhew, confidering their fervices and fidelity to him and his father: he told them plainly, that he fhould take all forts of contradiction in evil part; and was determined to fupport his declaration on that fubject. He took notice of a fufpicion he had incurred, of having levied land-forces to controul the laws and invade the property of the subjects: he declared there was a neceffity for having a greater number for the next campaign; therefore he hoped they would take that circumftance into confideration. He concluded with an affurance that he would maintain the true proteftant religion as eftablished in the church of England; and that the liberty and property of his fubjects fhould be preferved inviolate. The earl of Shaftsbury, as lord chancellor, enlarged upon the fame fubjects, in a long fpeech replete with the most impudent falfhoods, the moft palpable abfurdity, and the groffeft

G4

adulation.

A. C. 1673. adulation. He afferted that this was the parlia

ment's war, undertaken by their advice against an infolent people, who aimed at univerfal empire; a nation whofe exiftence was incompatible with the intereft of Great-Britain; " they must be exterminated (faid he) Delenda eft Carthago. If you fuffer them to rife again, remember that the "ftates of Holland are the perpetual enemies of England, both from intereft and inclination.' He extolled the king as the best prince that ever fat upon the throne; as the reftorer of liberty and the English church, for which his father had fuffered; in which he himself had been born and educated . and to which he had adhered in his greatest distress with the moft fcrupulous attachment, notwithstanding the great offers by which he was tempted to renounce his religion. He recommended a supply to their ferious confideration, defiring that it might be fpeedy and effectual. He concluded with thefe words, "Let us blefs God and the king, that our "religion is fafe; that the church is committed to "the care of a prince, from whom we have no"thing to fear for our parliaments, liberties, and

property. What more can a good Englishman afk, except that God will be pleafed to grant his ma"jefty a long and happy reign; and that the triple alliance between king, parliament, and people,

may never be broken or impaired." The commons, instead of complying with the measures of the king, began the feffion by vindicating their own privileges. The chancellor had iffued writs for filling the vacant feats in parliament, and new members had been elected; but now the house voted those writs and elections illegal, and the new members were expelled. The commons were extremely diffatisfied with the king's conduct: they difapproved of the war, and refolved to demand that the grievances of the nation fhould be redreffed: but

that