&JG ENG I 
and oppofite France. This was readily granted him,} 
and it was now perceived that the harfh meafures of the 
prince had taken effect, and that James was meditating 
an efcape from the-kingdom. 
The king, while he continued at Rochefter, fiill hoped 
to receive invitations to refurne the crown ; but at length 
finding himfelf entirely negledted by his fubjedts, and 
opprelfed by his fon-in-law, he refolved to feek fafety 
from the king of France, the only friend he had remain¬ 
ing. He fet off, attended by his natural fon, the duke 
of Berwick, to Dover, where he embarked for the conti¬ 
nent. He arrived in fafety at Ambleteufe in Picardy, 
from whence he haftened to the court of France, where 
lie fiill enjoyed the empty title of a king, and the appel¬ 
lation of a faint, which flattered him more. 
Thus ended the reign of James II. a prince who in his 
>early years polfelfed courage and adtivity, and who, had 
he not been the (lave of fuperfiition, might have (hone 
with glory in the annals of this country. In domeftic 
life he was refpectable, if not irreproachable ; and even 
-while he was facrificing every thing to the advancement 
of popery, his frugality of the public money, and his at¬ 
tention to the national honour, were highly commendable. 
But he wanted qualities for which no compenlation could 
be made: he difregarded the efiablifited religion and 
the conftitution of his country ; in principle he was a 
defpot and a bigot, and his abdication of the throne, 
and confequcnt exclufion, have proved the happir.efs of 
Great Britain. 
Thus, with very little effufion of blood, the prince of 
Orange was left without a rival; but a difficult talk fiill 
remained, to obtain for himfelf the crown which had 
fallen from the head of his father-in-law. It would have 
been deftrudtive to the principles of liberty which he 
profeffed to eftablifit, had he claimed it by right of con- 
queft. His good fenfe, therefore, determined him to leave 
the fettlement of this important affair to the guidance 
and diredtion of the nation. All the members who had 
fitten in the houfe of commons dining any part of the 
reign of Charles II. were invited to meet, and to them 
were added the mayor, aldermen, and fifty of the com¬ 
mon-council of London. Thele unanimoufly concurred 
with the lords in fummoning a convention, and the prince, 
thus fupported, ilfued a proclamation to the counties and 
corporations of England. In regard to Scotland, he 
adopted the fame wife and prudent maxims; and the 
convention affembled in that kingdom, by a bold and de- 
cilive vote, declared that James had forfeited all title to 
the crown, and made a tender of the royal dignity to the 
prince and princefs of Orange. 
In the Englilh convention, which affembled A.D. 1689, 
it was evident that the whig party prevailed, and the 
commons lent up a vote to the peers couched in thefe 
words, “That king James II. having endeavoured to 
fubvcrt the conftitution of the kingdom, by breaking the 
original contract between the king and the people ; and 
having, by the advice of jefuits and other wicked per- 
fons, violated the fundamental laws, and withdrawn him¬ 
felf out of the kingdom, has abdicated the govern¬ 
ment, and that the throne is thereby vacant.” 
This vote, however, met with confiderable oppofition 
in the upper houfe, and the whigs and tories canvaffed 
every exprefiion with that logical acumen which fuch a 
weighty fubjedt demanded. At laft the tories prevailed 
fo far as to carry the omiflion of the laft claufe, which 
declared the throne vacant ; but the commons (fill in¬ 
filled on their original vote, and fome peers deferting to 
the whig intereft, it was ultimately eftablilhed by both 
houfes. During thefe debates the prince had maintained 
a refpectful fiknce ; but at laft, finding that forne were 
for appointing a legent, and that others propofed to place 
the crown on the head of Mary alone, he took an oppor¬ 
tunity of declaring, that though he would not interfere 
in their deliberations, it was necelfdry to apprife them 
that he was determined not to be regent, nor would he 
/AND. 
accept a crown which mull depend on the life or will of 
another ; and therefore, if they were inclined to either of 
thefe two plans, it would be wholly out of his power to 
give them any further afliftance. 
The moderation of the princefs feconded the views of 
her hulband, and the princefs Anne agreeing to be poft- 
poned in the fucceflion till after the death of both, faci¬ 
litated the public fettlement. The principal parties con¬ 
cerned being thus agreed, the convention palfed a bill, fet¬ 
tling the crown on the prince and princefs of Orange, the 
foie adminiftration to remain in the former, and that the 
princefs Anne and her iffue, in cafe they fhould have none, 
Ihould fucceed in order, after the demife of both. To 
this fettlement the convention annexed a declaration of 
rights, in which the powers of royal prerogative were 
more narrowly circumicribed, and more exadtly defined, 
than at any former period, and which may be juftly re¬ 
garded as the charter of Englilh liberty, and forms a re¬ 
markable epoch in its political hiftory. 
James II. died in France in 1710, aged fixty-eight. He 
wrote Memoirs of his own life and campaigns to the re. 
ftoration ; the original of which was preserved in the 
Scotch college at Paris. This piece is printed at the end 
of Ramfay’s life of Marflial Turenne. 2. Memoirs of 
the Englilh Affairs, chiefly naval, from the year 1660 to 
1673. 3. The Royal Sufferer, King James II. confiding 
of meditations, foliloquies, vows, &c. faid to be com- 
pofed by his majefty at St. Germain’s. 4. Three Let¬ 
ters ; publifhed by Fuller, in 1702, with other papers re¬ 
lating to the court of St. Germain’s, and are faid in the 
title pa,ge to be printed by command. James II. left 
ifl’ue by Anne Hyde, daughter of the earl of Clarendon, 
eight children, of whom only two furvived : Mary, who 
with William III. fucceeded him on the throne ; Anne, 
who fucceeded as queen of England on the death of Wil¬ 
liam. Anne Hyde died March 31, 1671 ; and James, in 
1673, married Mary of Modena, by whom he had a 
daughter, Louifa, born in France in 1692, who died in 171 2. 
He had four natural children : James Fitz-James, com¬ 
monly called the duke of Berwick ; he became a grandee 
of Spain and marlhal of France; Henry Fitz-James, com¬ 
monly called the grand prior, born in 1673, became lieu¬ 
tenant-general and admiral of the French galleys, and 
died in France, Dec. 7, 1702; Henrietta, who married 
lord Waldegrave : and Catharine Darnley, who became 
duchefs of Buckingham. 
From the ACCESSION of the HOUSE of NAS¬ 
SAU to the DEATH of QUEEN ANNE. 
William III. fon of William, prince of Orange, of the 
illuftrious houfe of Naflau, mentioned by Caefar in his 
Commentaries, afcended the throne of England, Febru¬ 
ary 13, 1689. As his fucceflion to the crown originated 
from the choice of the people, they of courfe made what¬ 
ever ftipulations they thought requifite for their fecurity. 
His power was limited on every fide; and thejealoufy 
which his new fubjedts entertained of foreigners, further 
obftrudted the full exercife of his authority. The re- 
prefentatives of the nation made a formal claim of rights 
in behalf of tlleir conftituents, which, previous to his co¬ 
ronation, William was obliged to confirm. This declara¬ 
tion of rights maintained that the fufpending and dif- 
penfifig powers, as exercifed by king James, were uncon- 
ftitutional ; that all courts of eccleliaftical commiflion, 
the levying money, or maintaining a (landing army in 
times of peace, w ithout confent of parliament; that 
grants of fines and forfeitures before convidtion, and ju¬ 
ries of perfons not qualified, or not fairly chofen, and in 
trials for treafon, who were not freeholders, were all un¬ 
lawful. It afferted the freedom of eledtion to parliament, 
the freedom of fpeech in parliament, and the right of the 
fubjedt to bear arms, and to petition his fovereign. It 
provided, that exceflive bails Ihould not be required, nor 
excefiive fines be intpofed, nor cruel and unufual punifh- 
ments be inflidted ; and it concluded with an injundtion 
that 
