up the river Medway, as far as Chatham, made them-* felves masters of Sheernefs, and burnt feveral men of war, together with a magazine full of flores. Notwithstanding this treacherous affront, Charles concluded a treaty at Breda, by which the colony of New York, in North America, was ceded by the Dutch to the English.

In 1678, the famous Titus Oates, and fome others," opened a plot, charging the papifts with a defign to murder the king, and to introduce popery. Though nothing could be more ridiculous, than fome parts of their narrative, yet it was fupported with the utmost zeal on the part of the parliament, when the aged lord Stafford, Coleman, fecretary to the duke of York, and other papifts, were executed. The duke himself was obliged to leave the country.

The earl of Shaftesbury, who was at the head of the oppofition, pushed on the total exclufion of the duke of York from the throne. He was feconded by the ill-advifed duke of Monmouth, and the bill, after paffing the commons, miscarried in the houfe of peers. All England was again in a flame. Lord Ruffel, who had been remarkable in his oppofition to the popith fucceffion, Algernon Sidney, and feveral other diftin guifhed proteftants were tried, condemned, and fuffered" death. Even the city of London was intimidated into the measures of the court, and the duke of York returned in triumph to Whitehall. It was thought, however, that Charles repented of fome of his arbitrary fteps, and intended to have recalled the duke of Monmouth, as well as to have taken fome meafures for the future quiet of his reign, when he was feized with a' fudden fit of illness, and after languishing a few days," expired in the 55th year of his age, and A. D. 1685. the 25th of his reign. He had married Catharine, infanta of Portugal, by whom he had received a large fortune in ready money, befides the town and fortrefs of Tangier, in Africa; but he left behind him no lawful iffue. The defcendants of his

22

natural fons and daughters are now amongst the mont diftinguished of the British nobility.

On the death of Charles, his brother the duke of York was immediately proclaimed king, under the A. D. 1685, towards him was increated by the early title of James II. The popular affection declaration he made in favour of the church of England, which, during the late reign, had formally pronounced all refiftance to the reigning king to be unlawful. Soon after his acceffion, however, the duke of Monmouth, natural fon of the late king, landed at Lyme, in Dorsetfhire, with only eighty-three followers, and published a declaration, that his fole motive for taking arms, was, to preferve the proteftant religion, and to deliver the nation from the ufurpation of James. He affirmed likewife that his mother was actually married to Charles II. Having thus raised an army in the west of England, he attacked the king's forces at Sedgemoor, near Bridgewater; and had it not been for his own misconduct, and the cowardice of lord Gray, he might have gained a decifive victory. Though Gray and the cavalry fled in the beginning of the action, the undifciplined infantry gallantly maintained the combat for three hours, when 1400 of them were killed in the battle and purfuit, and nearly an equal number made prifoners.

Monmouth fled from the field till his horse funk under him, and was at last found lying in a ditch, covered with fern. When feized by his enemies, he hurft into tears. He wrote the most fubmiffive letters. to the king, and conjured him to fpare the iffue of a brother, who had ever been attached to his intereft. But James was inexorable. This favourite of the people was attended to the fcaffold with a plentiful effufion of tears. He warned the executioner not to fall into the error, which he had committed in beheading lord Ruffel. The precaution: ferved only to difmay the executioner, who ftruck a feeble!blow. The duke raised his head from the block, and looked in his face, as if to reproach him. He then gently laid down his head a fecond time, when the executioner ftruck

him again and again to no purpose. The man now threw afide the axe, and cried out, that he was incapable of finifhing the bloody office. The fheriff obliged him to renew the attempt; and with two blows more the head was fevered from the body. Thus perifhed, in the S6th year of his age, a nobleman, who, in lefs turbulent times, was well qualified to be an ornament to the court, and ferviceable to his country.

Had this victory been managed with prudence by James, it would have tended much to increase his authority. But by reafon of the cruelty with which it was profecuted, and of the temerity with which it afterwards infpired him, it was the principal caufe of his downfal. The favage colonel Kirk, on his first entry into Bridgewater, without the lealt enquiry into the nature of their guilt, ordered a great number of the prifoners to be executed, while he and his company hould drink the king's health; and obferving their feet to quiver in the agonies of death, he commanded the drums to beat, and the trumpets to found, faying he would give them mufic to their dancing. About 250. of thefe unfortunate people afterwards fell a prey to the no lefs favage difpofition of the cruel judge Jcfferies, who was appointed to try them. James employed the moft offenfive meafures for rendering-popery the established religion of his dominions. He pretended to a power of difpenfing with the known laws. He inftituted an illegal ecclefiaftical court, openly received and admitted into his privy-council the pope's emiffaries, and treated them with uncommon refpect. The imprisonment of feven bishops, who prefented a petition against reading his declaration for liberty of confcience, greatly alarmed his proteftant friends; and his encroachments upon the civil and religious rights of his fubjects were difapproved by e pope himself.

In this extremity, many great men in Englandi Scotland, applied for relief to William, princ Orange, a man of great abilities, and the invet O 3

enemy

enemy of Lewis XIV. who then threatened Europe with chains. Accordingly the prince, who was the nephew, and fon-in-law of James, embarked with a fleet of 500 fail for England, avowing it to be his defign to restore the church and flate to their due rights. Upon his arrival, he was joined not only by the Whigs, but by many whom James had confidered as his belt friends, Even his daughter, the princefs Anne, and her husband, George prince of Denmark left him, and joined the prince of Orange.

Alarmed by fo many proofs of a general. difaffection, and not daring to repele truft in any one, the king embraced the refolution of elcaping into France. He fent off before-hand the queen and the infant prince, under the conduct of the count Lauzun, an old favou rite of the French monarch. He himfelf, foon after, difappeared in the night time, attended only by fir Edward Hales, and made the best of his way to a fhip, which waited for him near the mouth of the Thames. But being feized by the populace at Feverfham, he returned to Rochefter, and from thence to London, where he was received with great acclamations. Urged, however, by his fears, he withdrew again to Rochefter, from whence he privately retired to the fea coaft, and embarking on board a frigate which waited for him, arrived fafely at Ambleteufe, in Picardy. He then haftened to St. Germains, where he was received by Lewis, with the higheft gen rofity, fympathy, and regard.

Thus the courage and abilities of the prince of Orange, feconded by furprifing good fortune, effected the deliverance of this illand, and dethroned a great prince, fupported by a formidable fleet, and a numerous army. The fucceffion of the crown fill remained to be fettled. Some advifed the prince to claim it by right of conqueft. A regent, with kingly power, was propofed by others. But after being agitated with great zeal and ability, by the oppofite parties, in the houfe of peers, the quellion was carried for a king,. by two voices only. The convention, therefore, paffed,

a bill,

a bill, by which the crown was fettled on the princé and princess of Orange, while the fole adminiftration remained in the prince. To this fettlement was annexed a declaration of rights, in which all the difputed points between the king and people, were finally deter. mined. The powers of the royal prerogative were more narrowly circumfcribed, and more exactly defined, than in any former period of the English government.

CHAP. II.

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. A. D. 1603-1688.

THE

HE pacific reign of James I. was a series of theological contefts, in which he fhewed himself more the theologian than the prince. The religious difputes between the church and the puritans induced him to call a conference at Hampton court, on pretence of finding expedients which might reconcile.both parties. It was the character of James's councils, through his whole reign, that they were more wife and equitable in their end, than prudent and political in the means. Though juftly fenfible, that no part of civil adminiftration required greater care or a nicer judg ment than the conduct of religious parties, he had not perceived, that in the fame proportion as this practical knowledge of theology is requifite, the fpeculative refinements in it are mean and even dangerous in a monarch. By entering zealously into frivolous dif putes, James gave them an air of importance and dig nity, which they could not otherwife have acquired; and being himself enlisted in the quarrel, he could no longer have recourfe to contempt and ridicule, the only proper method of appealing it. The puritans had not yet feparated themselves from the church, nor openly renounced epifcopacy. Though the fpirit of the parties was confiderably different, the principal fubjects of difpute were concerning the crofs in baptifm, the ring in marriage, the use of the furplice, and the