700 
ENGLAND, 
trial upon the evidence of a fingle witnefs only. He was, 
however, furnidied with a copy of the indictment, al¬ 
lowed counfel at the bar of the houfe, and the counfel 
for the crown was called upon to open the evidence. 
After much deputation the bill was committed, and fent 
up to the houfe of lords, where fir John Fenwick, was 
found guilty, by a majority only of feven voices. The 
prifoner folicited the mediation of the lords, while his 
friends implored the royal mercy. The lords gave him to 
underdand, that his pardon would depend on the fullnefs 
of his difcoveries. He hefitated fome time between the 
fears of infamy and the terrors of death. At lad he chofe 
death as the moll preferable, and was beheaded on Tower- 
hill. His death certainly proved the infufficiency of the 
ftututes to protect the fubjett, when a majority of the 
powerful fhall think proper to difpenfe with them. 
William, at length tired of oppofing the laws, gave up 
the contelh. He admitted every reflraint upon his prero¬ 
gative in England, upon condition of being fupplied with 
the means of humbling the power of France. War, and 
the balance of piower in Europe, w'ere (till the objects 
which lay neared his heart. Provided the parliament 
would furnifli him with fupplies for thefe purpofes, lie 
permitted them to rule the internal policy at their plea- 
fure. For the profecution of the French war, the funis 
of money granted him were incredible. The nation, not 
content with furnilhing fuch funis as they were capable 
©t railing by the taxes of the current year, mortgaged 
tliofe taxes, and involved themfelves in debts which they 
have never fince been able to dilcharge, and thus laid the 
foundation of an irredeemable national debt. 
The Englifli, however, with the allies, under king 
William, had gained immortal honour in the wars of the 
Netherlands ; and it was in a great meafure owing to 
their invincible courage in leading up to, and mounting 
the breach, in order to dorm the cadle, that Namur was 
taken, in 1695. This was a noble achievement of king 
William, to compel the furrender of Namur, where the 
gallant Bou filers commanded, and in the face of a French 
army under Villeroy, confiding of 100,000 men, which 
Louis had fent to raife the dege. The town capitulated, 
and marched out with the honours of war, on the 5th of 
September. About ten o’clock in the morning, the gar- 
rifon, which from fourteen thoufand was reduced to five 
thoufand five hundred and thirty-eight men, began their 
march. The marfhal de Boufflers’s guard du corps went 
out fird ; then his domedics, and next himfelf, with 
Guifcard, the governor, at the head of the dragoons. 
King William was in a coach, attended by the elector of 
Bavaria, the landgrave of Hefle, and the chief officers 
of the army, on horfeback, to ’fee them pafs within two 
hundred paces of the breach, and were fainted by the 
French marfhal and count with their fwords. This ci¬ 
vility was hardly over, when general Dyckvelt accoded 
Boufflers, with a melfage from the king, which difcom- 
pofed his countenance ; and, as they were riding up to 
the top of the hill, de l’Etang, brigadier-general of the 
brigade, made up boldly to the marfhal, with about 
twelve of the gentlemen of the life-guard, and arreded 
him in king William’s name, by way of reprifal for the 
garrifons of Dixinuyde and Deynfe, which were detained 
and ill treated by the French, contrary to the cartel. 
His confinement was not long : for upon the return of 
the captain of his guard, whom he fent to give the king 
of France an account of what had happened, and the 
marfhal engaging his word of honour that the garrifons 
of Dixmuyde and Deynfe fltould be fent back as foon as 
he himfelf fhould be fet at liberty, the king ordered the 
governor of Maedricht to releafe him, and give Jiim a 
guard to conduit him fafe to Dinant. 
The French war had continued during the greated part 
of this king’s reign ; but at length the treaty of Ryf- 
wick, A.D. 1697, put an end to thofe contentions, in 
which England had engaged without policy, and came 
s>ff without advantage. In the general pacification, her 
intereds feemed entirely abandoned ; and for all the trea- 
hires (he had lavifhed on the continent, and for all the 
blood (he had fpilt, the only equivalent was an acknow¬ 
ledgment of king William’s title, from the king of France, 
Yet William, from having fo early and fo drongly im¬ 
bibed continental politics, was weak enough to infid on 
keeping up a large danding army, even during the conti¬ 
nuance of a profound peace. But what was his mortific ■- 
tion to find the commons pafs a vote, that all the forces 
in Englifli pay, excepting feven thoufand men, diould be 
forthwith difbanded, and that thofe retained diould be 
the natural-born fubjefts of England. A monarch bred 
up in camps, and who knew no other pleafure but that 
of reviewing troops and dictating to generals, could not. 
think of laying down at once all his power and all his 
amufements. He profeded himfelf, therefore, highly dif- 
pleafed with the vote of the commons; and his indigna¬ 
tion was kindled to fuch a pitch, that he actually con¬ 
ceived a defign of abandoning the government. His mi- 
niders, however, diverted him from this refolution, and 
perfuaded him, at length, to pafs the bill. But thefe 
altercations continued mdre or lefs during the remainder 
of his reign. William conlidered the commons as a 
clafs of men defirous of power themfelves, and confe- 
quently bent upon obdrudbing all liis projects to fee 11 re 
' the liberties of Europe. He feemed but little attached 
to any particular party in the houfe, all of whom he 
found at times either oppofed or deferted him. He there¬ 
fore veered about to wliigs and lories indiferiminately, 
as intered or the immediate exigence urged him. He was 
taught to confider England as a nation of labour, anxie¬ 
ty, and altercation. If he had any time for amufement 
or relaxation, he retired to Loo in Holland, where, among 
a few friends, he gave a loofe to thofe martialfedivities, 
v\ hich alone he was capable of relilhing. It was there lie 
planned the diderent fucceffion of tlie princes of Europe, 
and laboured to undermine' the fchemes and the power of 
Louis XIV. his rival in politics and in fame. 
The opening of anew parliament, A.D. 1 700, promifed 
m re cordiality between the three branches of the con- 
dituted government. The commons adored the king that 
they would co-operate with him in whatever might heft 
conduce to the intered and fafety of England, the pre- 
fervation of the protedant religion, and the general peace 
of Europe. They likewife fettled fuccedion, in cafe the 
princefs Anne diould die without blue, on Sophia of Ha¬ 
nover, grand-daughter of Janies I. and, having thus pro¬ 
vided againd the redoration of the exiled family, they 
turned their thoughts to foreign tranfaftions, demanding, 
that all treaties concluded or renewed within the lad 
three years fhould be laid before parliament. 
On the concludon of the peace of Ryfwick, William 
had entered into a fecret treaty with the court of France, 
for the divifion of the Spanifh dominions, on the death 
of the reigning fovereign. Among the competitors for 
that crown, the dauphin, who had married the king of 
Spain’s daughter, was to be allowed to polfefs the greated 
part of Italy; and other allotments were made, which 
tended to leden the danger of one prince fucceeding to a 
too powerful and extenfive dominion. Though few were 
privy to this agreement, which was called the partition 
treaty, it reached the ears of the king of Spain, who 
made the dronged remondrances againd it by his ambaf- 
fador, and pledged himfelf to expole the indignity that 
was offered him, to the parliament of England. Wil¬ 
liam, who was then at Loo, in Holland, felt this appeal 
fo forcibly, that he ordered the Spanifh ambalfador to 
quit the kingdom, which the court of Madrid retaliated. 
Meanwhile, the king of Spain, in order to frudrate 
the objects of the confederacy, by will nominated the 
duke of Anjou, fecond foil of the dauphin, heir to all 
his dominions ; by which means he detached the French 
monarch from the union that had been formed ; and 
dying foon after, William, vvhofe grand concern was to 
prelerve the barrier of Flanders in the hands of the 
Dutch. 
