distinction of age, sex, or condition. Then he invested Gironne, which in a few days capitulated. Ostalric met with the same fate, and Noailles was created viceroy of Catalonia by the French king. In the beginning of August he distributed his forces into quarters of refreshment, along the river Terdore, resolving to undertake the siege of Barcelona, which was saved by the arrival of admiral Russel. The war languished in Piedmont, on account of a secret negotiation between the king of France and the duke of Savoy; notwithstanding the remonstrances of Rouvigny, earl of Galway, who had succeeded the duke of Schomberg in the command of the British forces in that country. Casal was closely blocked up by the reduction of Fort St. George, and the Vaudois gained the advantage in some skirmishes in the valley of Ragelas; but no design of importance was executed."

§ XLVI. England had continued very quiet under the queen's administration, if we except some little commotions occasioned by the practices, or pretended practices, of the Jacobites. Prosecutions were revived against certain gentlemen of Lancashire and Cheshire, for having been concerned in the conspiracy formed in favour of the late king's projected invasion from Normandy. These steps were owing to the suggestions of infamous informers, whom the ministry countenanced. Colonel Parker, and one Crosby, were imprisoned, and bills of treason found against them; but Parker made his escape from the Tower, and was never retaken, though a reward of 400/. was set upon his head. The king, having settled the affairs of the confederacy at the Hague, embarked for England on the 8th of November, and next day landed at Margate. On the 12th he opened the session of parliament with a speech, in which he observed, that the posture of affairs was improved,

In the course of this year, M. du Casse, governor of St. Domingo, made an unsuccessful attempt upon the island of Jamaica; and M. St. Clair, with four menof-war, formed a design against St. John's, Newfoundland; but he was repulsed with loss, by the valour of the inhabitants.

arms.

both by sea and land, since they last parted; in particular, that a stop was put to the progress of the French He desired they would continue the act of tonnage and poundage, which would expire at Christmas: he reminded them of the debt for the transport ships employed in the reduction of Ireland; and exhorted them to prepare some good bill for the encouragement of seamen. A majority in both houses was already secured; and in all probability he bargained for their condescension, by agreeing to the bill for triennial parliaments. This Mr. Harley brought in, by order of the lower house, immediately after their first adjournment; and it kept pace with the consideration of the supplies. The commons, having examined the estimates and accounts, voted 4,764,7127. for the service of the army and navy. In order to raise this sum, they continued the land-tax; they renewed the subsidy of tonnage and poundage for five years, and imposed new duties on different commodities. The triennial bill enacted, that a parliament should be held once in three years at least: that within three years at farthest, after the dissolution of the parliament then subsisting, and so from time to time, for ever after, legal writs, under the great seal, should be issued, by the direction of the crown, for calling, assembling, and holding another new parliament : that no parliament should continue longer than three years at farthest, to be accounted from the first day of the first session: and that the parliament then subsisting should cease and determine on the 1st day of November next following, unless their majesties should think fit to dissolve it sooner. The duke of Devonshire, the marquis of Halifax, the earls of Weymouth and Aylesbury, protested against this bill, because it tended to the continu

• They imposed certain rates and duties upon marriages, births, and burials, bachelors, and widows. They passed an act for laying additional duties upon coffee, tea, and chocolate, towards paying the debt due for the transport ships; and another, imposing duties on glass-ware, stone, and earthen bottles, coal, and culm.

ance of the present parliament longer than, as they apprehended, was agreeable to the constitution of England.

§ XLVII. While this bill was depending, Dr. John Tillotson, archbishop of Canterbury, was seized with a fit of the dead palsy, in the chapel of Whitehall, and died on the 22d day of November, deeply regretted by the king and queen, who shed tears of sorrow at his decease; and sincerely lamented by the public, as a pattern of elegance, ingenuity, meekness, charity, and mo→ deration. These qualities he must be allowed to have possessed, notwithstanding the invectives of his enemies, who accused him of puritanism, flattery, and ambition; and charged him with having conduced to a dangerous schism in the church, by accepting the archbishopric during the life of the deprived Sancroft. He was succeeded in the metropolitan see by Dr. Tennison, bishop of Lincoln, recommended by the whig party, which now predominated in the cabinet. The queen did not long survive her favourite prelate. In about a month after his decease, she was taken ill of the small-pox, and the symptoms proving dangerous, she prepared herself for death with great composure. She spent some time in exercises of devotion, and private conversation with the new archbishop; she received the sacrament with all the bishops who were in attendance; and expired on the 28th day of December, in the thirty-third year of her age, and in the sixth of her reign, to the inexpressible grief of the king, who, for some weeks after her death, could neither see company, nor attend to the business of state. Mary was in her person tall and well-proportioned, with an oval visage, lively eyes, agreeable features, a mild aspect, and an air of dignity. Her apprehension was clear, her memory tenacious, and her judgment solid. She was a zealous Protestant, scrupulously exact in all the duties of devotion, of an even temper, and of a calm and mild conversation. She was ruffled by no passion, and seems to have been a stranger to the

emotions of natural affection: for she ascended, without compunction, the throne from which her father had been deposed, and treated her sister as an alien to her blood. In a word, Mary seems to have imbibed the cold disposition and apathy of her husband; and to have centred all her ambition in deserving the epithet of a humble and obedient wife.P

XLVIII. The princess Anne being informed of the queen's dangerous indisposition, sent a lady of her bedchamber, to desire she might be admitted to her majesty; but this request was not granted. She was thanked for her expression of concern; and given to understand that the physicians had directed that the queen should be kept as quiet as possible. Before her death, however, she sent a forgiving message to her sister; and, after her decease, the earl of Sunderland effected a reconciliation between the king and the princess, who visited him at Kensington, where she was received with uncommon civility. He appointed the palace of St. James's for her residence, and presented her with the greater part of the queen's jewels. But a mutual jealousy and disgust subsisted under these exteriors of friendship and esteem. The two houses of parliament waited on the king at Kensington, with consolatory addresses on the death of his consort: their example was followed by the regency of Scotland, the city and clergy of London, the dissenting ministers, and almost all the great corporations in England."

P Her obsequies were performed with great magnificence. The body was attended from Whitehall to Westminster-abbey by all the judges, serjeants-at-law, the lord-mayor and aldermen of the city of London, and both houses of parliament; and the funeral sermon was preached by Dr. Tennison, archbishop of Canterbury: Dr. Kenn, the deprived bishop of Bath and Wells, reproached him in a letter, for not having called upon her majesty, on her death-bed, to repent of the share she had in the Revolution. This was answered by another pamphlet. One of the Jacobite clergy insulted the queen's memory, by preaching on the following text: "Go now, see this cursed woman, and bury her, for she is a king's daughter." On the other hand, the lord-mayor, aldermen, and common-council of London, came to a resolution to erect her statue, with that of the king, in the Royal Exchange.

a The earls of Rochester and Nottingham are said to have started a doubt, whether the parliament was not dissolved by the queen's death; but this dangerous

motion met with no countenance.

CHAP. V.

WILLIAM.

§ I. Account of the Lancashire plot-§ II. The commons inquire into the abuses which had crept into the army-§ III. They expel and prosecute some of their own members for corruption in the affair of the East India company-§ IV. Examination of Cooke, Acton, and others-§ V. The commons impeach the duke of Leeds-§ VI. The parliament is prorogued—§ VII. Session of the Scottish parliament-§ VIII. They inquire into the massacre of Glencoe--§ IX. They pass an act for erecting a trading company to Africa and the Indies-§ X. Proceedings in the parliament of Ireland—§ XI. Disposition of the armies in Flanders—§ XII. King William undertakes the siege of Namur-§ XIII. Famous retreat of prince Vaudemont. Brussels is bombarded by Villeroy -§ XIV. Progress of the siege of Namur-§ XV. Villeroy attempts to relieve it. The besiegers make a desperate assault—§ XVI. The place capitulates. Boufflers is arrested by order of king William-§ XVII. Campaign on the Rhine and in Hungary- XVIII. The duke of Savoy takes Casal-§ XIX. Transactions in Catalonia—§ XX. The English fleet bombards St. Maloes, and other places on the coast of France-§ XXI. Wilmot's expedition to the West Indies-§ XXII. A new parliament—§ XXIII. They pass the bill for regulating trials in cases of high-treason-§ XXIV. Resolutions with respect to a new coinage—§ XXV. The commons address the king, to recall a grant he had made to the earl of Portland-§ XXVI. Another against the new Scottish company-§ XXVII. Intrigues of the Jacobites- § XXVIII. Conspiracy against the life of William -§ XXIX. Design of an invasion defeated-§ XXX. The two houses engage in an association for the defence of his majesty— § XXXI. Establishment of a land-bank-§ XXXII. Trial of the conspirators-§ XXXIII. The allies burn the magazines at Givet -§ XXXIV. Lewis XIV. makes advances towards a peace with Holland-§ XXXV. He detaches the duke of Savoy from the confederacy-§ XXXVI. Naval transactions--§ XXXVII. Proceedings in the parliaments of Scotland and Ireland-§ XXXVIII. Zeal of the English commons in their affection to the king-§ XXXIX. Resolutions touching the coin, and the support of public credit-§ XL. Enormous impositions-§ XLI. Sir John Fenwick is apprehended-§ XLII. A bill of attainder being brought into the house against him, produces violent debates§ XLIII. His defence-§ XLIV. The bill passes—§ XLV. Sir

VOL. IX.