parliament: this power had been too far stretched 1688. of late but the stretching of a power that was in the crown could not be a just ground of war: the king had a right to bring any man to a trial: the bishops had a fair trial, and were acquitted, and discharged upon it: in all which there was nothing done contrary to law. All this seemed mysterious, when a known republican was become an advocate for prerogative. His design in this was deep and spiteful. He saw that, as the declaration was drawn, the church party would come in, and be well received by the prince: so he, who designed to separate the prince and them at the greatest distance from one another, studied to make the prince declare against those grievances, in which many of them were concerned, and which some among them had promoted. The earl of Macclesfield, with the lord Mordaunt, and many others, joined with him in this *. But the earl of Shrewsbury, together with Sidney, Russel, and some others, were as positive in their opinion, that the prince ought not to look so far back as into king Charles's reign: this would disgust many of the nobility and gentry, and almost all the clergy: so they thought the declaration was to be so conceived, as to draw in the body of the whole nation: they were all alarmed with the dispensing power: and it would seem very strange to see an invasion, in which this was not set out as the main ground of it: every man could distinguish be * (Ralph remarks on this passage, that he had been assured, that in the margin of bishop Burnet's History, now remaining in the Peterborough family, there are several direct contra- 781 1688. tween the dispensing with a special act in a particular case, and a total dispensing with laws to secure the nation and the religion: the ill designs of the court, as well as the affections of the nation, had appeared so evidently in the bishops' trial, that if no notice was taken of it, it would be made use of to possess all people with an opinion of the prince's ill will to them. Russel said, that any reflections made on king Charles's reign would not only carry over all the high church party, but all the army, entirely to the king. Wildman's declaration was much objected to. The prince could not enter into a discussion of the law and government of England : that was to be left to the parliament: the prince could only set forth the present and public grievances, as they were transmitted to him by those upon whose invitation he was going over. This was not without some difficulty overcome, by altering some few expressions in the first draught, and leaving out some circumstances. So the declaration was printed over again, with some amendments. The army was ship In the beginning of October the troops marched ped. from Nimeguen were put on board in the Zuyder sea, where they lay above ten days before they could get out of the Texel. Never was so great a design executed in so short a time. A transport fleet of five hundred vessels was hired in three days' time. All things, as soon as they were ordered, were got to be so quickly ready, that we were amazed at the despatch. It is true, some things were wanting, and some things had been forgot. But when the greatness of the equipage was considered, together with the secrecy with which it was to be conducted till the whole design was to be avowed, it seemed much more strange that so little was wanting, or that so few things had been forgot. Benthink, Dykvelt, Herbert, and Van Hulst, were for two months constantly at the Hague giving all necessary orders, with so little noise that nothing broke out all that while. Even in lesser matters favourable circumstances concurred to cover the design. Benthink used to be constantly with the prince, being the person that was most entirely trusted and constantly employed by him: so that his absence from him, being so extraordinary a thing, might have given some umbrage. But all the summer his lady was so very ill, that she was looked on every day as one that could not live three days to an end: so that this was a very just excuse for his attendance at the Hague. 1688. cess's sense I waited on the princess a few days before we The prinleft the Hague. She seemed to have a great load of things. on her spirits, but to have no scruple as to the lawfulness of the design. After much other discourse, I said, that if we got safe to England, I made no great doubt of our success in all other things. I only begged her pardon to tell her, that if there should hap-782 pen to be at any time any disjointing between the prince and her, that would ruin all. She answered me, that I needed fear no such thing: if any person should attempt that, she would treat them so, as to discourage all others from venturing on it for the future. She was very solemn and serious, and prayed God earnestly to bless and direct us. took leave States, On the sixteenth of October, O. S. the wind that The prince had stood so long in the west, came into the east. of the So orders were sent to all to haste to Helvoet-Sluys. That morning the prince went into the assembly of 1688. the states general, to take leave of them. He said to them, he was extreme sensible of the kindness they had all shewed him upon many occasions: he took God to witness, he had served them faithfully, ever since they had trusted him with the government, and that he had never any end before his eyes but the good of the country: he had pursued it always and if at any time he erred in his judgment, yet his heart was ever set on procuring their safety and prosperity. He took God to witness, he went to England with no other intentions, but those he had set out in his declaration': he did not know how God might dispose of him: to his providence he committed himself: whatsoever might become of him, he committed to them the care of their country, and recommended the princess to them in a most particular manner: he assured them, she loved their country perfectly, and equally with her own: he hoped, that whatever might happen to him, they would still protect her, and use her as she well deserved and so he took leave. It was a sad, but a kind parting. Some of every province offered at an answer to what the prince had said: but they all melted into tears and passion: so that their speeches were much broken, very short, and extreme tender. Only the prince himself continued firm in his usual y Then he was perjured; for he designed to get the crown, which he denied in the declaration. S. (Not expressly, if implicitly; nay, see a note at p. 631. Indeed according to the instructions sent by the states of the United Provinces to their ministers at the several courts of Europe, "the prince of "Orange had protested to them, "that he had not the least in"tention to invade or subdue 66 England, or remove the king "from his throne," &c. See Ralph's Hist. p. 1024. In his letter also to the emperor, inserted by Dalrymple in his Appendix, ii. p. 254, the prince disavows any design on the crown.) gravity and phlegm. When he came to Helvoet- 1688. Sluys, the transport fleet had consumed so much of their provisions, that three days of the good wind were lost, before all were supplied anew. out of the But were forced back. At last, on the nineteenth of October, the prince we sailed went aboard, and the whole fleet sailed out that Maes. night. But the next day the wind turned into the north, and settled in the north-west. At night a great storm rose. We wrought against it all that night, and the next day. But it was in vain to struggle any longer. And so vast a fleet run no small hazard, being obliged to keep together, and yet not to come too near one another. On the twentyfirst in the afternoon the signal was given to go in again and on the twenty-second the far greater part got safe into port. Many ships were at first wanting, and were believed to be lost. But after a few 783 days all came in. There was not one ship lost; nor so much as any one man, except one that was blown from the shrouds into the sea. Some ships were so shattered, that as soon as they came in, and all was taken out of them, they immediately sunk down. Only five hundred horses died for want of air. Men are upon such occasions apt to flatter themselves upon the points of Providence. In France and England, as it was believed that our loss was much greater than it proved to be, so they triumphed not a little, as if God had fought against us, and defeated the whole design. We on our part, who found our selves delivered out of so great a storm and so vast a danger, looked on it as a mark of God's great care of us, who, though he had not changed the course of the winds and seas in our |