42 political progrefs of Britain. MarcTo 14, 



*' was concluded with great advantages to the em- 

 " pire and Holland, but none at all to us *." 



This account does not give us much encourage- 

 ment to send for a second sovereign from Holland. 

 Dutch generosity appears to have proved a very 

 miserable bargain. It is hardlj pofsible, that James, 

 with all his priests and dragoons, could have com- 

 jnittecf one hundredth part of this havock. 



The war of 1701, remains an astonifbing instance 

 of national madnefs. Charles ll. of Spain, became 

 justly exasperated, by what Dr Swift calls " our 

 " infamous treaty of partition." Instead of repeating 

 the trite circumstances of this transaction, I fliall il- 

 lustrate it by an exact and interesting parallel. Let 

 us suppose, that for some years before the death of 

 queen Elizabeth, all Europe had foreseen that flie 

 was to die childlefs, that James vi. of Scotland was 

 to be her succefsor, and that by such an increase 

 of dominion, England was to secure a decisive addi- 

 tion of power and importance. " No," exclaimed 

 the Dutch, the French, and the Austrians, " WE 

 *' cannot, Elizabeth, permit you and your people to 

 ** chuse a sovereign for England. We all know 

 " that Master James f is a fool. He has married a 

 '* daughter of the king of Denmark ; and hence the 

 " Britifh empire would become but a province to 

 " the court of Copenhagen. We have formed a 

 " much better plan, and you must adopt it. Jersey, 

 " Guernsey, and Plymouth, Dover castle, and tlie 



* The Conduct of the Allies. 



I Henry iv. of France used to call him so^ 



