TOM. 1688. 66 with all his fleet, consisting of aboue fifty men of War, "and at least four hundred sail of fluts, fly-boats, and other transport vessels to carry his men, horses, and artilery, with "all sorts of amunition and warlike stores necessary for such an enterprise. He was accompanyd with several English Lords and people of distinction, who for some time before out of disafection, or fear of descovery, had retir'd to his Court, at the head of which was the Earle of Shurwsbury who had refug'd himself there meerly out of a factious temper, haveing no personal pretence of disgust; the Earle of Macclesfeild, who had likewise quarrell'd with the Court because the reward he receiued for his Seruices in the late rebellion did not equal his vain expectation, thō they infinitely surmounted his merit; My Lord Mordent who haveing been always of a turbulent factious spirit and incapable of doing good, sought where he might do most mischife; Coll: Henry Sidney a chief instrument of the whole intrigue, by his constant correspondence with My Lady Sunderland; Admiral Herbert whose loyalty and gratitude were no longer liued, than his honours and imployments, he had been rais'd by the particular fauour of his Prince to a considerable fortune in the world, the dignity of an Admiral, Master of his robes, and Collonel of a Regiment of foot, and when the King asked him one favour in returne of so many, which was, if he would consent to haue the penal Laws and Test taken off, his answer was, he could not do it in honour nor conscience; at which the King being more moued than ordinary, could not forbear telling him, That as for his honour, he had little but what he ow'd to his bounty, and for his conscience, the puting away his Wife to keep with more liberty other weomen, gaue a true idea of its niceness, and therefore thought fit to dismis him from his imployments; which had this good efect at least, that it made him an open enemy instead of an hidden one, and anticipated a manifestation of that III. 1688. treason, which most other creatures of the King's kept longer TO M. under cover to work him greater mischief; besides those persons, the Marechall Schomberg, and severall men of distinction of his own Country accompanyd the Prince: and to impose a belief as if the Religion and liberties of England had been his only aim in this expedition, he carryd a flag with English colours, and this Motto upon it, THE PROTESTANT RELIGION AND LIBERTIES OF ENGLAND, and underneath IE MAINTIENDRAY. " " وو Mors To. 9. KING JAM. Mors. TOM: 9. pag: 231. At his first setting out he steered his cours northwards, KING JAM: but the next day the wind comeing contrary and blowing pag. 231. very hard it dispers'd severall of his fleet, and forced the rest back to their harbour with the loss of many horses; the " Dutch gazette amplifyd exceedingly the damage sustain'd on this occasion, with intent (as was presumed) to slacken the King's preparations, but that was a dangerous policy, and more likely to haue produced an information of the treasonable practices in England wherein such numbers were concern'd, when, upon such an accident the success of the enterprise might be so reasonably suspected; but what-ever " their aim was in it, the King was glad of the time it gaue him, whereof he lost no part, in makeing due preparations; it gaue leasure to the old Regiments to make up their recruts of ten men for each company, as had been order'd; and some of the new ones being in a good forwardness, the King sent Major General Lanier with Aran's and Hamilton's Regiment of hors, and the Queen's regiment of foot commanded by Coll: Cannon to Ipswitch, to endeavour to preserue Landgard fort, and prevent if possible their landing there, but with directions that if they could not hinder the " Descent, to draw out the garison which was but a hundred men, and make what opposition they could, so as not to expose that small body too much, and therefore two regiments وو وو TOM. III. 1688. pag. 223. pag. 332. 66 " of hors more and one of Dragoons were order'd to Coulchester to second him if needfull; and in case the Prince of Orange "directed his cours northwards, then all these Regiment were "to make the best of their way to Newarke, and if he came to "the river Theams, or Westward, than to return to London: "but his Majesty it seems had made chois of an improper man "for that Seruice, for had the Prince of Orange landed there, "Lanier had agreed with most of the Officers to haue secured My Lord Aran, Coll. Hamilton, and Cannon, and haue "declared for him, as the King was afterwards inform'd by Cap: Powel: His Majesty had given the direction of what troops were about Chattam and Sheerness to Major General 66 66 66 66 66 Kerke, and haveing made this disposition by land, he had "notice the fleet was got togather at the boy of the Nore, and My Lord Dartmouth writ he was under sail, designing to anchor something to the east of the Galoper to be cleer of "the Sands, and so to be able to stretch it one way or the other "as he pleas'd, when the wind should come fair for the enimy " and according to the cours they steer'd; but he stood not * George Legge Lord Dartmouth, had in 1683, after having previously distinguished himself, been sent to Tangeer, where he demolished the Fortifications and blew up the Mole. In Dalrymple's Memoirs are some interesting Letters from the noble Admiral to his Sovereign, (Vol: 2. p. 319-331.) which passed whilst Lord Dartmouth lay with the Fleet at the mouth of the Nore. In one dated Oct': 12, 1688, his Lordship says, "Your Majesty cannot be more desirous to have me from among the Sands, than I am impatiently endeavouring to get out. I judge it much more for your service to unite while we have time, than to drop out in parcels with the hazard of being separated, especially knowing myself here in the best place to do my business while these winds continue; and be assured, Sir, I shall be at Sea upon the first alteration." King JAMES replied to this letter, Oct': 14. "I make no doubt but that God will protect me, and prosper my arms both by land and sea. I need say no more to you, being sure you will do what is best for my service, which you that are on the place are the only judge of, and must govern yourself according to the enemies motions, and as wind and weather will permit." Lord Dartmouth died in the Tower as related at page 209, Oct: 25th: 1691. EDITOR. out so far, but anchor'd a brest of the long sands head, when the Easterly wind took him and blew very fresh. put " 1688. The Prince of Orange Setts sail a Second time, and Lands in Torbey. pag: 231. " pag: 232. وو دو رو The Prince of Orange being so well reassured by the intelligence he had from the King's army, was no ways dis- " couraged with his late disaster, nor the loss of so many horses, or the sickness of his men, but waiting only for a wind which comeing fair, on the therd of November he to sea again, sail'd out of the harbour and steer'd away for the Channel; it was sayd he had not resolved which cours to take till he was out at Sea, and finding the wind had too much of the West to reach Burlington bay upon a stretch, determin'd him to go westward; but whether it was that, or the intelligence he had that none of the King's forces were in that part of England is uncertain, the next morning My Lord Dartmouth's Scouts which were a league and a half a head of him to the Eastward, saw some of the enimys shipps, upon which they made their signal, then gaue them chase, and took a flyboat with four companys of English in her; what reason the Lord Dartmouth had, not to do the same, is yet a mistery, and the King who till then had a good opinion of him, would not censure him till he heard " what he could say for his own justification, but never seeing him more, that could not be done, only in general it was pretended, he was not able to get about the long sands head " as the wind and tide stood; on the other side several of the Commanders affirm'd, he might haue done it, which if he " had, and the other Captains been true to him (which then its belieud they would) he might haue ruin'd their formidable fleet, or at least haue hinder'd their landing and broke the " whole enterprize. There was no man in whose fidelity the King had greater confidence than this Lord's, his obligations to his Prince (if that had been any ty in those days) were infinite, and haveing TOM. 1688. KING JAM: Mors. TOM: 9. pag. 219. 66 still forewarn'd him of the Prince of Orange's designe, seem'd a demonstration he would not giue a helping hand to it; the King had likewise suffer'd much by giveing him the command of the fleet preferrable to the Duke of Grafton who expected it, and for vexation at his disapointment, went down to the "fleet before the Prince of Orange set sail, and endeavour'd "to corrupt the Commanders (as he afterwards owned to My "Lord Dover) and that two therds of them had engaged their "words to join the Prince of Orange; and whether out of spight to his Rival, or that he thought My Lord Dartmouth true to the King's intrest, they had layd a designe to invite "him on board Captain Hasting, or Elmore, and there haue "Seiz'd him; Captain George Churchill confirm'd this relation "to My Lord Bulkeley, and that My Lord Berkeley and S John Berry were privy to it: but this not being to be executed till just before the Prince of Orange was expected to land, tis probable they saw reasons before that, not to be so much dissatisfyd with My Lord Dartmouth's conduct; for besides the conflicts which My Lady Dartmouth own'd he had betwixt his Religion and loyalty, the opposition he afterwards gaue to the Prince of Wales' passing from Portsmouth to France, Ibid: pag: 219. " which he made a merite of in a letter he writ to the Prince "of Orange from Portsmouth, and his ernest sollicitation that Ibid. 223. Ibid. he might keep his place of Master of the Ordenance, for "which the Lords Churchill and Godolphin where his inter 66 66 cessors, doe but too manifestly shew, that whether it was "Religion, faction, or intrest, that weighed most with him, tis "certain his loyalty was worsted in that conflict; and that it was the Prince of Orange's contempt of his seruice, rather "than his want of good will to serue him, that hinder'd My "Lord Dartmouth from falling in with the current as others "did at the Revolution, thō afterwards he return'd to his duty, and offer'd his service to the King; of which the Prince |