ENGLAND. 
with fame mortification, that the tories were more faith, 
fill than many of the whigs, who had place.d king Wil¬ 
liam on the throne. The duke of Marlborough, lord 
Godolphin, and even the princefs Anne herfelf, were vio¬ 
lently fufpefted of difaffeftion. However, preparations 
were made to refill the impending Itorm with great tran¬ 
quillity and refolufion. Admiral Ruffel was ordered to 
put to fea with all poffible expedition ; and lie foon ap¬ 
peared with ninety-nine (hips of the line, befides frigates 
and fire-fhips ; an immenfe force, Inch as Europe had never 
feen till that time. At the head of this formidable fqua- 
dron he fet fail for the coaft of France, and at 1 aft near 
La Hogue, he came up with the enemy, under admiral 
Tourville, who infiantly prepared to give him battle. 
This memorable engagement, which began early in the 
morning of May 19, 1692, lafled ten hours, and all 
James’s hopes were fruftrated by the event. After a 
moll dreadful conflict, victory declared on the fide of the 
Englilh ; the French fled for Conquet Road, having loft 
four (hips in the firft day’s action. The purfuit continued 
for two days following ; three French fliips of the line 
were defiroyed the next day, and eighteen more burnt by 
fir George Rooke, which had taken refuge in the bay of 
La Hogue. From that time forward France Seemed to 
relinquiftqall claims to the Sovereignty of the ocean. 
James was now reduced to the lowed ebb of defponi- 
ence ; his defigns upon England were fruftrated ; and no 
other confolation could be offered, but that of afiaffinat- 
ing the monarch on the throne. Thefe bafe attempts 
were not entirely difagreeable to the temper of James. It 
is faid he promoted and encouraged them ; but they all 
ended in the deftruftion of the undertakers. From that 
time till his death, about feven years after, he continued 
to refide at St. Germain’s, a peniioner on the bounty of 
the French king. 
The defeat at La Hogue confirmed king William on 
the throne of England. The jacobites were ever fee¬ 
ble, but they were now a difunited faftion ; new parties 
fprung up among thofe who had been friends to the re¬ 
volution ; and the want of a common enemy'produced 
diflenfions among themfelves. William now began to find 
as much oppofition and uneafinefs from his parliament at 
home, as from the enemy in the field. His chief motive for 
accepting the crown 1 was to engage England more deeply 
in the concerns of Europe. 1 1 had ever been the objeft of 
his wifh, and the fcope of his ambition, to humble the 
French, whom he confidered as the molt formidable enemy 
of the liberties of mankind ; and all his politics confided 
in forming alliances againft them; Many of the Englifli, 
on the other hand, had neither the fame animofity againft 
the French, nor tlie fame dread of their increafing power. 
Thefe, therefore, confidered the intereft of the nation as 
facrificed to foreign connections ; and complained that the 
war on the continent fell mod heavily on them, though 
they had the lead intereft in its fupcefs. To thefe mo¬ 
tives of difcontent were added the king’s partiality to his 
own countrymen, in prejudice of his Englifli fubjefts, 
together with his great referve and filllen filence, fo un¬ 
like the behaviour of their former kings. William little 
regarded thefe difcontents, which he knew muft be con- 
fequent on all government ; accuftomed to oppofition, he 
heard them with the mod phlegmatic indifference, and 
employed all his attention only on the balance of power, 
and the interefts of Europe. Thus, while he watched 
over the ambitious ftrides of contending kings and na¬ 
tions, he was unmindful of the cultivation of internal 
policy ; and as he formed alliances abroad, increafed the 
influence of party at home. Patriotifm began to be ridi¬ 
culed as an ideal virtue ; the practice of -bribing a majo¬ 
rity in parliament became univerfal ; the bad example of 
the great was eagerly caught by the vulgar ; principle, 
and even decency, was gradually baniftied ; talents lay 
uncultivated, and the ignorant and profligate were re¬ 
ceived into favour. 
Upon accepting of the British crown, William was re- 
folved to preferve, as much as poffible, that (hare of 
prerogative which was fti 11 left him. He was as yet un¬ 
acquainted with the nature of a limited monarchy, which 
was not at that time thoroughly underftood in any part of 
Europe, except England. He therefore often contro¬ 
verted the views of his parliament, and fuffered himfelf 
to be directed by weak and arbitrary counfels. One of 
the firft inftances of this error was in the oppofition he 
gave to a bill for limiting the duration of parliaments to 
the fpace of three years. This bill had puffed the two 
houfes, and was fent tip to receive the royal aflent ; but 
tire nation was furprifed to find the king refufe his aflent 
to an aft, which was then confidered as beneficial to the 
government.' Both houfes took the alarm; the com¬ 
mons came to a refolution, that whoever advifed the 
king to this meafure, was an enemy to his country ■, and 
the people were taught to echo their refentment. The 
bill thus rejected, lay dormant for another feafon ; but, 
being again brought in, the king found himfelf obliged 
to comply. A Similar oppofition, and a Similar confe- 
quence^ tended a bill for regulating trials in cafes of 
high-treafon, by which the accufed was allowed a copy 
of his indiftment, and a lift of the names of his jury, two 
days before his trial, together with council to plead in 
his defence. It was ftill further enafted, that no perfon 
Should be indifted but upon the oaths of two credible 
witnefles ; a law that gave the fubjeft a perfeft fecurity 
from the terrors of the throne. 
It was in the midft of thefe contentions that the jaco¬ 
bites ftill conceived hopes of reftoring their fallen mo¬ 
narch ; and, being uneafy themfelves, fuppofed the whole 
kingdom (hared their disquietudes. While one party pro¬ 
ceeded againft William, by attempting to excite an infur- 
reftion, another formed a fchem'e of affaflination. Sir 
George Barclay, a native of Scotland, who had ferved 
as an officer in James’s army, a man-of undaunted cou¬ 
rage, undertook the bold taSk of aflallinating the king. 
This design he imparted to Harrifon, Charnock, Porter, 
and fir William Perkins, by whom it was approved ; 
and, after various confultaticns, it was refolved to at¬ 
tack the king on his return from Richmond, where he 
commonly took the diverfion of hunting on Saturdays ; 
and the feene of their ambufeade was a narrow lane be¬ 
tween Brentford and Turnham Green. To fecure fttc- 
cefs, it was agreed that their number fltould be increafed 
to forty horfemen, with a relay of retainers to afiift in this 
fanguinarv enterprife. When their number was complete, 
they waited with impatience for the hour of action ; but 
fome of the retainers, feized with remorfe, refolved to 
prevent t lie murder by a timely difeovery. One Pender- 
gall,- an Irish officer, gave the firft information ; but it 
was- difregarded, until La Rue a Frenchman, and the 
hafty flight of fir George Barclay, confirmed the faft. 
A great number of the confpirators were now appre¬ 
hended, and the whole difeovary was communicated to 
the privy council. Pendergaft became an evidence for 
the crown, and the confpirators were brought to trial. 
Robert Charnock, one of the two fellows of Magdalen- 
college, who, in the reign of James, had renounced the 
proteftant religion, lieutenant King, and Thomas Keys, 
were found guilty of high-treafon, and fuffered at Ty¬ 
burn. Sir John Friend and fir William Perkins, were 
next arraigned ; and although they made a very able de¬ 
fence, before lord chief-juftice Holt, yet they were alfo 
found guilty, and fuffered at Tyburn ; denying the charge 
to.the laft, and testifying their abhorrence of the affafli¬ 
nation. Rookwood, Cranbourne, and Lowic, were flext 
apprehended, and tried by a fpecial commiflion as con¬ 
fpirators ; and, being found guilty, Shared the fate of 
the former. But the cafe of fir John Fenwick excited 
the greateft animadverfion. He was apprehended in his 
way to France, and attainted of high-treafon in the lioul'e 
of commons. There were two witneSfes againft him ; 
but of thefe lady Fenwick contrived to fecrete one, fo 
that, contrary to the late aft, the commons proceeded to 
trial 
