ENG 
that parliaments fhould be frequently aflembled. Such 
was the bill of rights, calculated to fecure the liberties 
of the people ; but having been drawn up in a ferment, 
' it bears all the marks of hafte, infufficiency, and inat¬ 
tention. 
William was no fooner ele&ed to the throne, than he 
began to experience the difficulty of governing a people 
who were more ready to examine the commands of their 
fuperiors than to obey them. His reign commenced with 
an attempt limilar to that which had been the principal 
caufe of all the late difturbances, and which had ex¬ 
cluded James from the throne. William was a Calvinift, 
and confequently averie to perfecution ; he, therefore, 
began by attempting to repeal thofe laws that enjoined 
uniformity of worfhip ; and though he could not entirely 
fucceed in his defign, a toleration was granted to fuch 
diffienters as ffiould take the oaths of allegiance, and hold 
no private conventicles. The papifts themfelves, who 
had every thing to fear, experienced the lenity of his 
government ; and though the laws againft them were un¬ 
repealed, yet they were feldom put into rigorous execu¬ 
tion. Thus, what was criminal in James became virtuous 
in his fucceffijr ; and while James wanted to introduce 
perfecution, by pretending todifownit, William had no 
other defign but to make religious freedom the tell of ci¬ 
vil fecurity. 
While William was acknowledged king in England, 
Scotland and Ireland remained Hill undecided. The re¬ 
volution in England had been brought about by a coali¬ 
tion of whigs and tories ; but in Scotland' it was effected 
by the whigs alone. They foon came to a refolution, 
that king James had, to ufe their own expreffion, for- 
J'aidted. his right to the crown, a term which, in the 
law-language of that country, excluded not only him, 
but all his pofterity. They, therefore, recognifed the 
authority of king William, A.D. 1689, and took that 
opportunity to abolifh epifcopacy, which had long been 
otfenfive to that nation. Nothing now remained to the 
depofed king, of all his former polfeffions, but Ireland ; 
and he had lbme hopes of maintaining his ground there, 
by the aftiftance of France. Louis XIV. had long been 
at-variance with William, and took every opportunity to 
form confederacies againft him, and to obftruft his go¬ 
vernment. On the prefent occafion he granted the de¬ 
pofed monarch a fleet and fome troops, to affert his pre- 
tenfions in Ireland. In the mean time William was not 
backward in warding off the blow. The parliament, 
though divided in all things elfe, was unanimous in con- 
fpiring with him in this; and war was forthwith declared 
againlt France. 
On the feventh of May, 1689, James embarked at 
Breft, and ori the twenty-fecond arrived at Kinfale ; and 
foon after made his public entry into Dublin, amidft the 
acclamations of the Irilh. He found the appearances of 
things in that country equal to his mod fanguine expec¬ 
tations. Tyrconnel, the lord-lieutenant, was devoted to 
his interefts; and his whole army amounted to near forty 
thoufand men. The proteftants over the greateft part of 
Ireland were difarmed-; the province of Ulfter alone de¬ 
nied his authority ; while the papifts, confident of fuc- 
cefs, received him with fliouts of joy and fuperftitious 
gratulation. 
James, however, continued for fome time irrefolute ; 
but as foon as the ipring opened, he went to lay fiege to 
Londonderry, a place of fmall importance in itfelf, but 
rendered famous by the (land which it made on this occa¬ 
fion. Colonel Lundie had been appointed governor of 
the town by king William, but was fecretly attached to 
James ; and at a council of war, he prevailed upon the 
officers and townfmen to fend meffengers to the befiegers, 
with an offer of capitulation. But the inhabitants, ap- 
priled ot his apoftacy, and crying out that they were be¬ 
trayed, rofe tumultuoufly againlt the governor and coun¬ 
cil, (hot one of the officers whom they fufpe&ed, and 
boldly refolved to defend the town, though deftitute of 
Vo l. VI. No. 384. 
j A N r D„ 697 
leaders. The works of the befiegers were foon brought 
to play upon the town with great fury ; and feveral af- 
faults were made, but always repulfed with refolution. 
They were fo clofely inverted, however, and fo deftitute 
of provifions, that they fupported life by eating horfes, 
dogs, and all kinds of vermin, until even this loathfome 
food began to fail them. At length, a fmall fquadron 
from England with provifions and fupplies, arriving juft 
in time to afford them relief, the army of James were fo 
difpirited by the unconquerable obftinacy of the garrifon, 
that they abandoned the fiege in the night, and retired 
with precipitation, after having left above nine thoufand 
men before the place. 
The inhabitants of Tnnilkilling were no lefs remarkable 
for the valour and perfeverance with which they efpoufed 
the caufe of William ; but indeed the cruelty of the pa¬ 
pifts were fufficient to excite the mod determined oppofi- 
tion. The proteftants, by an a£t of the Irifh parliament 
under James, were diverted of thofe lands which they 
had been poffeffed of fince the Irifh rebellion. Three 
thoufand of thofe unfortunate men were found guilty of 
treafon, and attainted. Soldiers were permitted to live 
upon free quarters; the people were plundered ; the 
ftiops and the kitchens of all people were pillaged, to 
fupply a quantity of brafs, which was coined, and or¬ 
dered to pafs, by royal mandate, for above forty times 
its value. Brigadier Sarsfield commanded all proteftants 
of certain diftritts to retire to the diftance of ten miles 
from their habitations, on pain of death ; and many pe¬ 
ri (lied with hunger, or from being forced from their homes 
during thefevereft inclemencies of the feafon. 
But their fufferings were ffiortly to have an end. Wil¬ 
liam at length perceived that his negleft of Ireland had 
been an error that required more than unufual diligence 
to redrefs. He was afraid to fend the old army to fight 
againft James ; and therefore ordered twenty-three new 
regiments to be raifed for that purpofe. Thefe, with 
two Dutch battalions, and four of French refugees, to¬ 
gether with the Innifkilling invincible regiment, were 
appointed for the redudtion of Ireland ; and next to king 
William himfelf, the celebrated Schomberg was ap¬ 
pointed to command. King William landed at Carrick- 
fergus, A.D. 1690, where he found himfelf at the head 
of an army of fix and thirty thoufand effective men, 
which was more than a match for the forces of James, 
although they were faid to amount to near fifty thoufand. 
William having juft received the alarming news, that a 
French fleet had failed for the coaft of England, refolved, 
by meafures of fpeed and vigour, to prevent the impref- 
fion which that circumftance might make upon the minds 
of his foldiers ; and therefore haftened to advance againft: 
James, who had quitted Dublin, and ftationed his army 
at Ardee and Dundalk. 
All the meafures taken by king William appeared to 
be diftated by prudence and valour; while thofe purfued 
by his opponents feemed the refill t of obftinacy and infa¬ 
tuation. They neglected the advantageous opportunity 
of haraffing their enemy in his difficult march from the 
north ; they negledted to oppofe him at the ftrong pafs 
at Newry. As he advanced, they fell back, firft from 
Dundalk, and then from Ardee ; and, at laft, upon the 
29th of June, they fixed their camp in a ftrong ftation, 
on the banks of the Boyne. It was on the oppofite fide 
of this river, that both armies came in fight of each other, 
inflamed with all the animofities arifing from religion, 
oppofite intereft, and revenge. The river Boyne at this 
place was not fo deep but that men might wade over on 
foot; however, the banks were rugged, and rendered 
dangerous by old houles and ditches, which ferved as 
ambufeades for the enemy. Williani had no fooner ar¬ 
rived, than he rode along the fide of the river, in fight 
of both armies, to reconnoitre the face of the country ; 
but, being perceived by the enemy, a cannon was pointed 
againft him with wonderful dexterity. The ftiot killed 
feveral of his followers, and he himfelf was wounded ira 
§ P the 
