686 ENGL 
nifter who would not permit his mailer’s licentious plea- 
Aires to pafs without reprehenlion. The great feal was 
given to fir Orlando Bridgman. The duke of York in 
vain exerted his intere.ll in behalf of his father-in-law. 
An impeachment was voted againfl him by the com¬ 
mons, and Clarendon, finding that neither his innocence 
nor his pad fervices were fufficient to protect him, with¬ 
drew to the continent, where he lived fix years after his 
banifhment was decreed ; and there employed his leifure 
in reducing to order the hiltory of the civil war, for 
which he had before colledted materials. This per¬ 
formance will for ever do honour to bis memory. 
A confederacy of great importance, which goes by the 
name of ihe Trip/e Alliance , was formed by Charles, foon 
alter the fall of this great datefman, as if to fhow that he 
could dill fupply his place. It was conducted by fir 
William Temple, one of the great ornaments of Englilh 
literature, who united the philofopher and the datefman, 
and was equally great in both. This alliance was form¬ 
ed between England, Holland, and Sw’eden, to prevent 
the french king, Louis XIV. from completing his con- 
quedsin the’Netherlands, That monarch had already 
Jubdued the greater .part of that delightful country ; 
when he was unexpectedly checked in the inidd of his 
career by this league, in which it was agreed by the con¬ 
tracting powers, that they would conftitute themfelves 
arbiters of the differences between France and Spain, 
and put an end to a conted founded in ambition and in- 
judice, and which had deluged the continent with human 
blood. 
1 o this foreign confederacy fucceeded one of a domedic 
nature, but which did not promife fuch beneficial effects. 
Ihe king had long been fluctuating between his pride 
and his pleafures ; the one urged him to extend his pre¬ 
rogative, the other to enjoy quietly the good things that 
fortune threw in his way. He was excited, by the aftive 
fpiritofhis brother, to rife, above humble felicitations to 
his parliament; but he was befet by fome evil counfel- 
lors, who advifed him to affert his own independence. 
'I he principal of thefe were Clidord, Afhley, Bucking¬ 
ham, Arlington, and Lauderdale, a junto didinguilhed by 
the appellation of the cabal, a word containing the ini¬ 
tial letters of their names. Never was there a more dan¬ 
gerous minidry in England, nor one more fitted to deflroy 
the fabric which liberty had been edablifiiing for ages. 
Sir Thomas Clidord was a man of a daring and impetu¬ 
ous fpirit, rendered more dangerous by eloquence and 
intrigue. Lord Afhley-, foon after made earl of Shaftef- 
bury, was the mod extraordinary man of his age ; he had 
been a member of the long parliament, and had great in¬ 
fluence among the prefbyterians ; he was a favourite of 
Cromwell, and always changed his party as it fuited his 
conve.nience. The duke of Buckingham was gay, capri¬ 
cious, of fome wit, and great vivacity. Arlington was 
a man of fubtle temper, but mean abilities. The duke 
of Lauderdale, who was not defective either in natural 
or acquired talents, was ambitious, obflinate, infolent, 
and fullen. Thefe were the men to whom Charles gave 
up the conduft of his affairs, and who plunged the re¬ 
maining part of his reign into difficulties, which produced 
many dangerous fymptoms. 
An unnatural alliance with France, and a rupture with 
Holland, were the fird confequences of their advice. 
IJte Ehgliflt and French combined fleets, commanded by 
the duke of York, and the marefchal d’Etrees, foon after 
met the Dutch fleet, to the number of ninety fail, com¬ 
manded by admiral De Ruyter; and a furious battle en- 
Tuedo In this engagement, the gallant lord Sandwich, 
who commanded the Englilh van, drove his fliip into the 
midd of the enemy, beat off the admiral that ventured to 
attack him, funk another (hip that attempted to board 
him, and funk three fire-lliips that endeavoured to grap¬ 
ple with him. Though his veflel was torn with fhot, 
and out of a thoufand men there only remained four hun¬ 
dred, he dill continued to thunder in the midd of the en. 
A N D. 
gagement. At lad a fire-fhip, more ftital than the for¬ 
mer, having laid hold of his veflel, her dedruftion was 
inevitable. Sandwich, however, refufed to quit his (hip, 
though warned by fir Edward Haddock his captain; he 
periflied in the flames, while the engagement continued 
to rage all around him. Night parted the combatants ; 
the Dutch retired, and were not followed by the Englifli. 
The lofs fudained by the two maritime powers was nearly 
equal ; but the French fuffered very little, having kept 
aloof during the greater part of the engagement. It was 
even fuppofed that they had private orders to fpare their 
own fliips, while the Dutch and Englilh weakened them¬ 
felves by their obftinate fighting. 
The combined powers were completely fuccefsful 
againd the Dutch by land. Louis conquered all before 
him, eroded the Rhine, took all their frontier towns, and 
threatened the new republic with a final diflolution. 
But the murmurs of the Englifh, at feeing this brave and 
induflrious people, the great fupporters of the protedant 
caufe, totally funk, and on the brink of dedruftion, were 
too loud not to imprefs the king. He was obliged to call 
a parliament, A. D. 1673, to take the fenfe of the nation 
upon this event, as well as to obtain fupplies for carrying 
on the war. 
The king’s late declaration of indulgence to all fefta- 
ries was fird taken into.confideration, and a remondrance 
drawn up againd the exercife of the prerogative. The 
commons perfided in their oppofition to it ; and repre- 
fented thgt fuch a praftice, if admitted, might tend to 
interrupt the free courfe of the laws, and alter the legifla- 
tive power, which had always been acknowledged to re- 
fide in the king and the two houfes. Charles, therefore, 
found himfelf obliged to retraft his declaration; but, 
that he might do it with a better grace, he referred to the 
houfe of peers, who advifed him to comply. The com¬ 
mons expreded the utmod fatisfaftion with this nreafure, 
and the mod entire duty to the king. He, on his part, 
aflured them, that he would willingly pafs any law which 
might tend to give them fatisfaftion in all their juft 
grievances. A law now paffed, entitled the Ted Aft, 
impofing an oath on all who fliould enjoy any public 
office. Befides the taking the oaths of allegiance, and 
the king’s fupremacy, they were obliged to teceive the 
facrament once a year in the edablifhed church, and to 
abjure all belief in the doftrine of tranfubd'antiation. 
As the diflenters had alfo feconded the efforts of the 
commons againd the king’s declaration for indulgence, a 
bill was palled for their eafe and relief, which, however, 
went with fome difficulty through the houfe of peers. 
But dill the great objeft of their meeting remained to 
be inquired into ; for the war againd the Dutch went on 
with great animofity. Several fea-engagements had fuc¬ 
ceeded each other, without any decilive aftion; both 
parties claiming the viftory after every battle. The 
commons, therefore, weary of the war, and didrudful 
even of fuccefs, refolved that the danding army was a 
grievance. They next declared, that they would grant 
no more fupplies to carry on the Dutch war, ttnlefs it 
appeared that the enemy refufed reafonable terms of 
peace. To cut fiiort thefe altercations, the king refolved 
to prorogue the parliament; and, with that intention 
went unexpeftedly to the houfe of peers, and fent the 
uflier of the black rod to fummon the houfe of commons 
to attend. It happened that the fpeaker and the uflter 
met at the door of the houfe ; but the fpeaker being 
within, fome of the members fuddenly (hut the door 
againd the ulher, and cried, “To the chair!” Upon 
which the following motions were indantly made in a 
tumultuous manner: That the alliance with France was 
a grievance ; that the evil counfellors of the king were 
a grievance ; that the duke of Lauderdale was a griev¬ 
ance : and then the houfe rofe in great copfufion. The 
king now faw that he could expeft no fupply from the 
commons for carrying on the war; he refolved, there¬ 
fore, to make a feparate peace with the Dutch, on terms 
which 
