term of years, at the expiration of which they might have claimed their discharge, volunteers would have offered themselves from all parts of the kingdom, even from the desire of learning the use and exercise of arms, the ambition of being concerned in scenes of actual service, and the chagrin of little disappointments, or temporary disgust, which yet could not have impelled them to enlist as soldiers on the common terms of perpetual slavery. In consequence of such a succession, the whole kingdom would soon have been stocked with members of a disciplined militia, equal, if not superior, to any army of professed soldiers. But this scheme would have defeated the purpose of the government, which was more afraid of domestic foes than of foreign enemies; and industriously avoided every plan of this nature, which could contribute to render the malecontents of the nation more formidable.

§ II. Before we proceed to the transactions of parliament in this session, it may not be amiss to sketch the outlines of the ministry, as it stood at this juncture. The king's affection for the earl of Portland had begun to abate, in proportion as his esteem for Sunderland increased, together with his consideration for Mrs. Villiers, who had been distinguished by some particular marks of his majesty's favour. These two favourites are said to have supplanted Portland, whose place in the king's bosom was now filled by Van Keppel, a gentleman of Guelderland, who had first served his majesty as a page, and afterward acted as private secretary. The earl of Portland growing troublesome, from his jealousy of this rival, the king resolved to send him into honourable exile, in quality of an ambassador extraordinary to the court of France; and Trumbal, his friend and creature, was dismissed from the office of secretary, which the king conferred upon Vernon, a plodding man of business, who had acted as under-secretary to the duke of Shrewsbury. This nobleman rivalled the earl of Sun

derland in his credit at the council-board, and was supported by Somers, lord-chancellor of England, by Russel, now earl of Orford, first lord of the admiralty, and Montague, chancellor of the exchequer. Somers was an upright judge, a plausible statesman, a consummate courtier, affable, mild, and insinuating. Orford appears to have been rough, turbulent, factious, and shallow. Montague had distinguished himself early by his poetical genius; but he soon converted his attention to the cultivation of more solid talents. He rendered himself remarkable for his eloquence, discernment, and knowledge of the English constitution. To a delicate taste, he united an eager appetite for political studies. The first catered for the enjoyments of fancy; the other was subservient to his ambition. He, at the same time, was the distinguished encourager of the liberal arts, and the professed patron of projectors. In his private deportment, he was liberal, easy, and entertaining; as a statesman, bold, dogmatical, and aspiring.

§ III. The terrors of a standing army had producedsuch a universal ferment in the nation, that the dependants of the court in the house of commons durst not openly oppose the reduction of the forces: but they shifted the battery, and employed all their address in persuading the house to agree, that a very small number should be retained. When the commons voted, That all the forces raised since the year 1680, should be disbanded, the courtiers desired the vote might be recommitted, on pretence that it restrained the king to the old tory regiments, on whose fidelity he could not rely. This motion, however, was overruled by a considerable majority. Then they proposed an amendment, which was rejected; and afterward moved, That the sum of 500,000l. per annum should be granted for the maintenance of guards and garrisons. This provision would have maintained a very considerable number; but they were again disappointed, and fain to embrace a composi

tion with the other party, by which 350,000l. were allotted for the maintenance of ten thousand men; and they afterward obtained an addition of three thousand marines. The king was extremely mortified at these resolutions of the commons; and even declared to his particular friends, that he would never have intermeddled with the affairs of the nation, had he foreseen they would make such returns of ingratitude and distrust. His displeasure was aggravated by the resentment expressed against Sunderland, who was supposed to have advised the unpopular measure of retaining a standing army. This nobleman, dreading the vengeance of the commons, resolved to avert the fury of the impending storm, by resigning his office, and retiring from court, contrary to the entreaties of his friends, and the earnest desire of his majesty.

IV. The house of commons, in order to sweeten the unpalatable cup they had presented to the king, voted the sum of 700,000l. per annum for the support of the civil list, distinct from all other services. Then they passed an act prohibiting the currency of silver hammered coin, including a clause for making out new exchequer bills, in lieu of those which were or might be filled up with endorsements: they framed another to open the correspondence with France, under a variety of provisos: a third for continuing the imprisonment of certain persons who had been concerned in the late conspiracy: a fourth 'granting farther time for administering oaths with respect to tallies and orders in the exchequer and bank of England. These bills having received the royal assent, they resolved to grant a supply, which, together with the funds already settled for that purpose, should be sufficient to answer and cancel all exchequer bills, to the amount of 2,700,000. Another supply was voted for the payment and reduction of the army, including half-pay to such commission-officers as were natural-born subjects of England. They granted 1,400,0007.

to make good deficiencies. They resolved, That the sum of 2,348,1021. was necessary to pay off arrears, subsistence, contingencies, general officers, guards, and garrisons; of which sum 855,5021. remained in the hands of the paymaster. Then they took into consideration the subsidies due to foreign powers, and the sums owing to contractors for bread and forage. Examining farther the debts of the nation, they found the general debt of the navy amounted to 1,392,742/. That of the ordnance was equal to 204,1577. The transport-debt contracted for the reduction of Ireland, and other services, did not fall short of 466,4937.; and they owed 49,9297. for quartering and clothing the army, which had been raised by one act of parliament in the year 1677, and disbanded by another in the year 1679. As this enormous load of debt could not be discharged at once, the commons passed a number of votes for raising sums of money, by which it was considerably lightened; and settled the funds for those purposes by the continuation of the land-tax, and other impositions. With respect to the civil list, it was raised by a new subsidy of tonnage and poundage, the hereditary and temporary excise, a weekly portion from the revenue of the post-office, the first-fruits and tenths of the clergy, the fines in the alienation office, and post-fines, the revenue of the winelicense, money arising by sheriffs, proffers, and compositions in the exchequer, and seizures, the income of the dutchy of Cornwall, the rents of all other crown-lands in England or Wales, and the duty of four and a half per cent. upon specie from Barbadoes and the Leeward islands. The bill imported, That the overplus arising from these funds should be accounted for to parliament. Six hundred thousand pounds of this money was allotted for the purposes of the civil list: the rest was granted for the jointure of 50,000l. per annum, to be paid to queen Mary d'Esté, according to the stipulation at Ryswick; and to maintain a court for the duke

of Gloucester, son of the princess Anne of Denmark, now in the ninth year of his age: but the jointure was never paid; nor would the king allow above 15,000l. per annum for the use of the duke of Gloucester, to whom Burnet, bishop of Salisbury, was appointed preceptor.

§ V. The commons having discussed the ways and means for raising the supplies of the ensuing year, which rose almost to five millions, took cognizance of some fraudulent endorsements of exchequer-bills, a species of forgery which had been practised by a confederacy, consisting of Charles Duncomb, receiver-general of the excise, Bartholomew Burton, who possessed a place in that branch of the revenue, John Knight, treasurer of the customs, and Reginald Marriot, a deputy-teller of the exchequer. This last became evidence, and the proof turning out very strong and full, the house resolved to make examples of the delinquents." Duncomb and Knight, both members of parliament, were expelled, and committed to the Tower: Burton was sent to Newgate; and bills of pains and penalties were ordered to be brought in against them. The first, levelled at Duncomb, passed the lower house, though not without great opposition; but was rejected in the house of lords by the majority of one voice. Duncomb, who was extremely rich, is said to have paid dear for his escape. The other two bills met with the same fate. The peers discharged Duncomb from his confinement: but he was recommitted by the commons, and remained in custody till the end of the session. While the commons were employed on ways and means, some of the members in the opposition proposed, that one-fourth part of the money arising from improper grants of the crown should be appropriated to the service of the public: but this was a very unpalatable expedient, as it affected not only the whigs of king William's reign, but also the tories

z Burnet. Kennet. State Tracts. Burchet. Lives of the Admirals. Tindal. Ralph. Voltaire.