felfishness, and contrafting the language and the manners of hypocrify, they fhamefully violated the laws of decency and decorum. Elated at the return of their fovereign, the whole royal party diffolved in thoughtlefs jollity; and even many of the republicans, but efpecially the younger fort, and the women, were glad to be released from the gloomy aufterity of the commonwealth. A general relaxation of manners took place. Pleasure became the universal object, and love, the prevailing taste. But that love was rather an appetite than a paffion; and though the ladies facrificed freely to it, they were never able to infpire their paramours either with fentiment or delicacy. CHAP. IX, INCIDENTS AND CURIOUS PARTICULARS. IN N 1611, baronets were first created in England by In 1626, the barometer was invented by Torricelli, an illuftrious mathematician and philofopher of Italy. About the fame time Drebellius, a celebrated Dutch philofopher, invented tle thermometer and microscope. In 1642, Charles I. impeached five members, who had oppofed his arbitrary measures, which began the civil war in England. In 1662, pendulum clocks were invented by John Fromentel, a Dutchman. During the fame year, fire-engines were invented. In 1668, St. James's park was planted, and made a thorough-fare for public ufe by Charles II. There was a private affair, in the reign of this mo narch, which difgufted the house of commons, and required fome pains to accommodate it. The ufual method of those who oppofed the court in the money bills, was, if they failed in the main vote, as to the extent of the supply, to levy the money upon fuch funds as they expected would be unacceptable, or would prove deficient. It was propofed to lay an impofition upon playhouses. The courtiers objected, that the players were the king's fervants, and a part of his pleasure. Sir John Coventry, a gentleman of the country party, afked," whether the king's pleafure lay among the male or female players?" This ftroke of fatire was aimed at Charles, who, befides his mistreffes of higher quality, entertained at that time two actreffes, Davis, and Nell Gwin. The king received not the raillery with the good humour, which might have been expected. It was faid, that this being the first time, that refpect to majefty had been publicly viola. ted, it was neceffary, by fome fevere chaftisement, to make Coventry an example to all who might incline to tread in his footsteps. Some officers of the guards were to way-lay him, and to fet a mark upon him. He defended himfelf with bravery, and after wounding feveral of the affailants, was difarmed with fome difficulty. They cut his nofe to the bone, in order, as they faid, to teach him what refpect he owed to the king. The commons were inflamed by this indignity offered to one of their members, on account of words fpoken in the houfe. They paffed a law, which made it capital to maim any perfon; and they enacted, that those criminals, who had affaulted Coventry, should be incapable of receiving a pardon from the crown. There was another private affair tranfacted about this time, by which the king was as much expopofed to the imputation of a capricious lenity, as he was here blamed for unneceffary feverity. Blood, a difbanded officer of the protector's had been engaged in the confpiracy for raising an infurrection in Ireland, for which he was attainted, and fome of his accomplices capitally punished. The daring villain meditated revenge upon the duke of Ormond, the lord lieutenant. Having by artifice drawn off the duke's footman, he attacked his coach in the night time, as it drove along St. James's ftreet in London, and made himself mafter of his perfon. He might here have P 3 finifh Blood finished the crime, had he not meditated refinements in his vengeance: he was refolved to hang the duke at Tyburn; and for that purpose bound him, and mounted him on horseback behind one of his companions. They were advanced a good way into the fields, when the duke, making efforts for his liberty, threw himself to the ground, and brought down with him the affaffin to whom he was faftened. They were ftruggling together in the mire, when Ormond's fervants, whom the alarm had reached, came and faved him. was soon after taken in the attempt to fteal the crown. The court had ufe for fo complete a villain, and funk fo low as to apply to his grace for pardon for the offence againft him. The duke granted it with a generous indignation. Blood had a penfion of five hun dred a year, and was conftantly feen in the presencechamber; to fhew, it was fuppofed, to the great uncomplying men of the time, what a ready inftrument the miniftry had to revenge any attempt that might be made against them in the caufe of liberty. BOOK BOOK IX. CHAP. I. MILITARY HISTORY FROM THE REVOLUTION, IN 1688, TO THE PRESENT TIME. * HE prince of Orange had been invited to England by a coalition of parties, united by a common fenfe of danger; but this tie was no fooner broken than they flew afunder, and each resumed its original bias. Their mutual jealoufy, and rancour revived, and king William foon found himself at the head of a faction. As he had been bred a calvinift, and always expreffed an abhorrence of fpiritual perfecution, the prefbyterians, and other proteftant diffenters, confidered him as their peculiar protector, and entered into his interefts with the moft zealous fervour and affiduity. For the fame reafons, the friends of the church became jealous of his proceedings, and employed all their influence in thwarting his meafures. He therefore, refolved to mortify the church, and gra tify his own friends, at the fame time, by removing the obftacles affixed to nonconformity, in order that all proteftant diffenters might be capable of enjoying and exercifing civil employments. Though he was oppofed in this defign, a bill was brought in, and paffed into a law, indulging the diffenters with a toleration, provided they held no private affemblies or conventicles, with the door fhut. Even the papifts felt the benign influence of William's moderation in fpiritual matters. James and his queen had been received with the most cordial hofpitality by the French monarch, who P 4 under 1 undertook to re-establifh them on the throne of England. Succours were accordingly prepared, and a fleet got ready for this purpofe. The French king is faid to have offered James an army of fifteen thousand natives of France; to which he replied, that he would fucceed by his own fubjects, or perifh in the attempt. He contented himself with about twelve hundred British fubjects, and a good number of French officers, with whom he embarked at Breft, in 14 fhips of the line, befides frigates and transports, and landed at Kinfale, in Ireland, on the 12th day of March. Soon after, he made his public entry into Dublin, amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants. pro Having there iffued writs for fummoning a parliament, and made fome other regulations, James, attended by Tyrconnel, the lord lieutenant, marched with his forces, and poffeffed himself of Coleraine. He then laid fiege to Londonderry, a town of no great importance in itfelf, but rendered famous by the perfeverance with which it opposed the attacks of its befegers. Though the place was ill fortified, and the garrifon chiefly confifted of people unacquainted with military difcipline; though they were deftitute of vifions, and befieged by the king in perfon, at the head of a formidable army; they bravely held out till they received relief. During the fiege, the garrifon endured inexpreffible fatigue, and were reduced to the neceffity of feeding on the flesh of horses, dogs, cats, rats, and other loathfome food. In this extremity, two fhips laden with provifions, failed up the river; and having broken a boom which the enemy had laid a crofs it, and likewife fuftained a very hot fire from both fides of the river, they arrived in fafety at the tower, to the inexpreffible joy of the inhabitants. The army of James was fo difpirited by the fuccefs of this enterprise, that they abandoned the fiege in the night, having loft a great number of men before the place. In 1690, king William landed in Ireland with a gallant army, when he fought the memorable battle of the Boyne, in which, though he had the misfortune |