CHAP. diency of many and great alterations in both the XXIX. civil and military departments, and of his refolution to appoint lord Rochefter chief governor. This chief governor was to be totally excluded from the military department, the entire command of which was to be committed to a lieutenant-general, Richard Talbot, the known partizan of the Romanists. While Rochester delayed to take poffeffion of his unenviable office, the king feemed again disposed to change his measures and counfellors, and all arrangements feemed for a time fufpended, when fuddenly, by the death of Charles, on the fixth of February 1685, a turn moft decided was given to affairs, attended for fome time with lamentable, and afterwards with happy and important confequences. CHAP. CHAP. XXX. English affairs-New administration in Ireland-Vio- Attempt against the acts of fettlement-Rejoicings of XXX. English affairs. CHARLES the fecond had ascended the throne CHAR with a cordial affection of his fubjects almost univerfal; yet mutual jealoufies began foon to operate; and the English commons appear to have been fomewhat too frugal in the granting of fupplies to the king's neceffities in the beginning of his reign. In their bill of non-importation of Irish cattle, the injustice and impolicy of which his good fenfe would have prevented, they made an offenfive and imprudent display of their power, by forcing his affent contrary to his declared refolution. Perhaps the moft blameless conduct on their fide might not have prevented a scheme for the establishment of popery and XXX. CHAP and defpotic monarchy, formed by the duke of York who was a most bigoted and zealous Romanist, and the king who was privately, but lefs violently, attached to the fame religion. For the attainment of this end, for which the cabal made ftrenuous, and even premature exertions, the affiftance of Lewis the fourteenth, the most powerful monarch in Europe, was engaged by a fecret treaty. A preparatory step, judged neceffary by the two confederate monarchs, was the deftruction of the Dutch commonwealth, from which alone, in cafe of civil war, the proteftants of England could expect affiftance against the forces of their own prince and his French auxiliars. So prodigious were the exertions of the Dutch, who were affailed by the united powers of England and France in 1672, that the kings were fruftrated in this part of their plan, and Charles was neceffitated to conclude a peace. Before this pacification, the king, when affairs had come to a dangerous crifis between him and the commons, had prudently receded from another preparatory measure, an act of prerogative, by which he suspended the laws in religious matters. Concluding, from this want of refolution in Charles, that the scheme of defpotifm would prove abortive, and dreading impeachments from the commons when their power should prevail, the earl of Shaftesbury, the chief member of the cabal, refolved immediately to change fides, and to atone for all his violences in favour of monarchy by like violences in oppofition to it. Again the duke of York, who was the next heir to the crown, as Charles had no legitimate children, children, this earl and his party pushed matters to ex- The uncontroled power of the crown was exercifed in the last years of Charles's reign with atrocious iniquity, under the forms of law, particularly in Scotland, where the examples of oppreffion were fo various and fo enormous, that a writer would be totally at a lofs to reduce them to any clafs, or to make a felection, Unhappy, notwithstanding his enjoyment of unreftrained prerogative, he formed at length the design of changing his measures, and regaining the affections of his fubjects, a defign which caused the fufpenfion in the bufinefs of Ireland mentioned at the end of the foregoing chapter; but at the critical moment he unfortunately died. This prince, adorned with uncommon brilliancy of wit and CHAP. XXX. CHAP. and gracefulness of manners, deftitute of any one XXX. ingredient of principle or virtue, but fortunately not obstinately persevering in pernicious plans, was fucceeded by his brother the duke of York, under the name of James the fecond, a bigoted, obftinate, and intolerant papift, whofe ultimate object was defpotic power, and the exclufive eftablishment of his own mode of worship throughout his dominions. By a papist I mean one devoted without referve to the papal authority, while the term Roman catholic may be understood in a lefs confined fignification, as poffibly doubting, or not admitting, in fome points, the fovereign pontiff's jurisdiction. James had soon an opportunity of gratifying his inhuman spirit, and taking preliminary steps for the accomplishment of his main defign. James, duke of Monmouth, his illegitimate nephew, finding himfelf perfecuted abroad by the influence of the new king, fought fafety by a defperate attempt at home, where he was greatly beloved by the people; and, landing in the weft of England with a few followers, was joined by fome thoufands, and claimed the crown as next heir to his father, the late king, He was defeated, taken prifoner, and executed, Numerous and horrid cruelties were, after the fuppreffion of this fhort-lived infurrection, committed through the country, firft by military outrage, and afterwards under the forms of law; and the king was furnished early with an excufe to fill his armies with catholic officers and foldiers. He proceeded with fuch violence and precipitation in the forwarding of his plan, that the tory party of England,hitherto the |