1685. haste at their first setting out. So it was resolved not to put them on too hastily in their first session to judge of any election, but to keep that matter entire for some time, till they should break into parties. The king was crown ed. The coronation was set for St. George's day. Turner was ordered to preach the sermon: and both king and queen resolved to have all done in the protestant form, and to assist in all the prayers: only the king would not receive the sacrament, which is always a part of the ceremony. In this certainly his priests dispensed with him, and he had such senses given him of the oath, that he either took it as a sin with a resolution not to keep it, or he had a reserved meaning in his own mind. The crown was not well fitted for the king's head: it came down too far, and covered the upper part of his face. The canopy carried over him did also break. Some other smaller things happened that were looked on as ill omens: and his son by Mrs. Sidley died that day. The queen with the peeresses made a more graceful figure. The best thing in Turner's sermon was, that he set forth that part of Constantius Chlorus's history very handsomely, in which he tried who would be true to their religion, At the coronation of the present king, (George the second,) and the queen, the dean of Westminster, (bishop Bradford,) who was then old and very feeble, in bringing the crown from the communion table, tottered with it in coming down the steps, and had much ado to save it from falling; upon which I saw the queen, who discerned it, change countenance and turn pale. I was then in an upper gallery of the church, just over the place where this part of the ceremonial was performed. The author should not have taken notice of these superstitious observations upon accidents that may happen alike to all. O. and reckoned that those would be faithfullest to 1685. himself who were truest to their God. of England. I must now say somewhat concerning my self. I went out At this time I went out of England. Upon king Charles's death, I had desired leave to come and pay my duty to the king by the marquis of Halifax. The king would not see me. So, since I was at that time in no sort of employment, not so much as allowed to preach any where, I resolved to go abroad. I saw we were like to fall into great confusion; and were either to be rescued, in a way that I could not approve of, by the duke of Monmouth's means, or to be delivered up by a meeting that had the face and name of a parliament. I thought the best thing for me was to go out of the way. The king approved of this, and consented to my going but still refused to see me. So I was to go beyond sea, as to a voluntary exile. This gave me great credit with all the malecontents: and I 629 made the best use of it I could. I spoke very earnestly to the lord de la Meer, to Mrs. Hambden ", and such others as I could meet with, who I feared might be drawn in by the agents of the duke of Monmouth. The king had not yet done that which would justify extreme counsels. Araw rebellion would be soon crushed, and give a colour for keeping up a standing army, or for bringing over a force from France. I perceived, many thought the constitution was so broken into by the elections of the house of commons, that they were disposed to put all to hazard. Yet most people thought the crisis was not so near, as it proved to be. m (Mr. Hambden.) 1685. signed to invade Scotland. The deliberations in Holland, among the English Argile de- and Scotch that fled thither, came to ripen faster than was expected. Lord Argile had been quiet ever since the disappointment in the year eightythree. He had lived for most part in Frizeland, but came oft to Amsterdam, and met with the rest of his countrymen that lay concealed there: the chief of whom were the lord Melvill, sir Patrick Hume, and sir John Cochran. [The first of these, (Melvill,) was a fearful and mean-spirited man, a zealous presbyterian, but more zealous in preserving his person and estate. Hume was a hot and eager man, full of passion and resentment, and instead of minding the business then in hand, he was always forming schemes about the modelling of matters, when they should prevail; in which he was so earnest, that he fell into perpetual disputes and quarrels about it: Cochran was more tractable.] With these lord Argile communicated all the advices that were sent him. He went on still with his first project. He said, he wanted only a sum of money to buy arms, and reckoned, that as soon as he was furnished with these, he might venture on Scotland. He resolved to go to his own country, where he hoped he could bring five thousand men together. And he reckoned that the western and southern counties were under such apprehensions, that without laying of matters, or having correspondence among them, they would all at once come about him, when he had gathered a good force together in his own country. There was a rich widow in Amsterdam, who was full of zeal: so she, hearing at what his designs stuck, sent to him, and furnished him with ten thousand pounds. With this money he bought a stock of arms and ammunition, which 1685. was very dexterously managed by one that traded to Venice, as intended for the service of that republic. All was performed with great secrecy, and put on board". They had sharp debates among them about the course they were to hold. He was for sailing round Scotland to his own country. Hume was for the shorter passage: the other was a long navigation, and subject to great accidents. Argile said, the fastnesses of his own country made that to be the safer place to gather men together. He presumed so far on his own power, and on his management hitherto, that he took much upon him: so 630 that the rest were often on the point of breaking with him. of Mon an ill-timed The duke of Monmouth came secretly to them, The duke and made up all their quarrels. He would will-mouth ingly have gone with them himself: but Argile did forced on not offer him the command: on the contrary he invasion. pressed him to make an impression on England at the same time. This was not possible: for the duke of Monmouth had yet made no preparations. So he was hurried into a fatal undertaking, before things were in any sort ready for it. He had been indeed much pressed to the same thing by Wade, Ferguson, and some others about him, but chiefly by the lord Grey, and the lady Wentworth, who followed him to Brussells desperately in love with him. And both he and she came to fancy, that he being married to his duchess while he was indeed of n It is said, in lord Grey's papers before mentioned, that the famous Mr. Lock, then in Holland, advanced a thousand pounds on this occasion: See 1685. the age of consent, but not capable of a free one, the marriage was null: so they lived together: and she had heated both herself and him with such enthusiastical conceits, that they fancied what they did was approved of God. With this small council he took his measures. Fletcher, a Scotch gentleman of great parts, and many virtues, but a most violent republican, and extravagantly passionate, did not like Argile's scheme: so he resolved to run fortunes with the duke of Monmouth. He told me, that all the English among them were still pressing the duke of Monmouth to venture. They said, all the west of England would come about him, as soon as he appeared, as they had done five or six years ago. They reckoned there would be no fighting, but that the guards, and others who adhered to the king, would melt to nothing before him. They fancied, the city of London would be in such a disposition to revolt, that if he should land in the west the king would be in great perplexity. He could not have two armies: and his fear of tumults near his person would oblige him to keep such a force about him, that he would not be able to send any against him. So they reckoned he would have time to form an army, and in a little while be in a condition to seek out the king, and fight him on equal terms. This appeared a mad and desperate undertaking • He of Salton, so well known afterwards in Scotland and England. O. He was very brave, and a man of great integrity, but had strange chimerical notions of government, which were so unsettled, that he would be very angry next day for any body's being of an opinion that he was of himself the night before, but very constant in his dislikes of bishop Burnet, whom he always spoke of with the utmost contempt. D. |