III. 1685. TOM. heart, without much premeditation, and that he had it not in writing at all; upon which M' Finch replyd, That what his Majesty had been pleas'd to say, made so deep an impression upon him, that he believed he could repeat the very words, and that in case his Majesty would pleas to permit him, would write them downe, which the King agreeing too, he went to the Clarke's seat and did it accordingly; which being shewn to the King he aproued of it, and it was immediately published to the unspeakable Satisfaction of the Nation. No one can wonder that M. Finch should word the Speech as strong as he could in fauour of the Established religion, nor that the King in such a hurry should pass it over without reflection; for thō his Majesty intended to promis both security to their religion and protection to their persons, he was afterwards conuinced it had been better express'd by assureing them, he never would endeavour to alter the established religion, rather than that he would endeavour to preserue it, and that he would rather support and defend the professors of it, rather than the religion itself; they could not expect he should make a conscience of supporting, what in his conscience he thought erroneous, his engageing not to molest the professors of it, nor to depriue them or their Successors of any spiritual dignity, revenue, or employment, but to suffer the Ecclesiastical affaires to go on in the track they were in, was all they could wish or desire from a Prince of a different perswasion: but haueing once aproued that way of expressing it, which M'Finch had made choise of, he thought it necessary not to vary from it in the declarations or speeches he made afterwards, not doubting but the world would understand it in the meaning he intended, and which alone was agreable to the circumstances he was in; nor could the Kingdom expect more from the most benigne and mercyful Prince upon earth, than that the only revenge he would take for so many former indignities and afronts, should be, to assure them that the sole use he would make of the power which was now put into his hands, should be, to defend and protect them in the peaceable enjoyment of their Laws, liberties, and Religion it self, from which houre those Lords and the rest of the Nation might have counted themselues the happyest people upon earth, had they been as faithfull in the obseruance of their duty to him, as he was kind and sincere in his expressions and intentions to them: Tis true afterwards it was pretended, he kept not up to this engagement, but had they deviated no further from the duty and allegiance which both nature and repeated oathes obliged them too, than he did from his word, they had stil remain'd as happy a people, as they realy were during the short time of his reign in England; for never Prince was better qualifyd to make them such, or Study'd, or endeavour'd it, more than he. * This candid declaration of his Majestys, was not the less agreeable to the people, in that it came wholy from himself, and was not the fruite of previous councel and advice, for it had never enter'd into his heart or imagination, that he should out liue the late King; for thō he was three years and about four months younger, yet he always looked upon him as of " a much stronger constitution, and consequently never had the least fancy he should come to the Crown, til the moment he was Seized with that fit, betwixt which and his death the " great hurry of attending him gaue little leasure for consulting, what should be done after his decease. دو Assoon as his Majesty had dispatch'd what was necessary to be done in Council, he, was impatient to assist at his devotions on so extraordinary an occasion, so went immediately to Mass with the Queen in the little Chappel in St. James's, where * The words in Italics were afterwards interlined by the Son of King James. the second. EDITOR. TOM. III. 1685. KING JAM. LOOS SHEETS pag. 1. 2. III. 1685. TO M. according to his free and generous temper he caus'd the doors to be left open, that all the world might see his present grandure was as uncapable of influenceing him in matters relateing to his duty to God, as his past suffrings had been; and that as he was resolued not to invade other men's Religion, so neither would he conceal his own: it must not therefore be pass'd over as one of the least actions of his life, he was no stranger to the temper of the people, how odious a sight it was to most persons there, how dangerous to suggest new fears and apprehentions to those who were too succeptible of such sort of jealousies; but as plain and open dealing is for the most part the best policy, his Majesty found the effects of it on this occasion, for many who were Shocked with it at first, upon reflection commended his courage and candor, and were the more induced to rely upon the promise he then had made in favour of their religion, when they saw he would not dissemble in reference to his own. One of the first things which required his Majesty's attention was the funeral obsequies of the late King, which could not be perform'd with so great sollemnity as some persons expected, because his late Majesty dying in, and his present Majesty professing a different religion from that of his people, it had been a difficult matter to reconcile the greater cerimonys, which must haue been preformed according to the rites of the Church of England, with the obligation of not communicateing with it in spiritual things; to avoid therefore either disputes on one hand or scandal on the other, it was thought more prudent to doe it in a more private manner, thō at the Same time there was no circomstance of State and pomp omitted, which possebly could be allow'd of: for (besides, that while the body lay in state the illuminations and mourning was very solemn) all the privy Council, all the houshould, and all the Lords about Town attended at the Funeral, so that no essential point of III. cerimony was omitted, and what was retrench'd rendered it TOM. the more agreeable to Christian humilitié, from which Princes themselves are not exempt, and of which his Majesty as much as his dignity would allow of, was always a strict and rigorous observer. It is not to be express'd with what Zeal and earnestness all partes of England congratuled his Accession to the Throne; Scotland likewise endeavour'd to distinguish it self on this occasion, and none more expressiue of their duty and affection than the Bishops of that Kingdom; Ireland loaded the Duke of Ormonde with most loyall addresses too, who haveing deliver'd up the sword to the Archbishop of Armagh and Earle of Grenade in qualitie of Lords Justices, came in person, notwithstanding his age and infirmities, to make his own compliments; forreign Princes contended in like manner who should do it first and with greatest splendor, Prince Circlas of Tilly who came from the Marques of Grana Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, got the start as being nearest, after him came the Mareschall de Lorge from his Most Christian Majesty, and Mons'. D'Estamps from the Duke of Orleans, Mons'. Ebrenchel from Denmark, the States of Holland and other Princes were not behind hand in their congratulations; so that no testimony was wanting either at home or abroad to publish the universal joy, that so long and undeserued a suffring was crown'd at last with the peacefull possession of the Throne of his ancestors. Things being thus settled at least to the Seeming Satisfaction of all parties, the King immediately fell to work to put the Government upon such a foot as would most conduce (he thought) to the publick good, as the repairing the Navy, the improuement of trade, the paying by degrees the debts of the Crown, and by it to endeavour the recovering the credit of the Exchequer which had been so shaken in وو دو 1685. KING JAM. LOOS SHEETS P. I. TOM. 1685. "the Earle of Shaftsbury's time, and to take care that the Ciuil "and Military lists as well as the Houshould might be punctually paid; and when he came to the regulation of his family, and disposition of the great offices of the Crown, his Majesty was too just to forget those in his prosperitie, who had served him with most fidelitie dureing his troubles, but took care however to temper his Kindness so to his friends, as not to exasperate such as had been his enemies, and was so far from retaining any rancor or spleen for past disservices, that several of those too, had their share in this distribution (thō very undeservedly in respect of some) as apeared afterwards: > No one haveing served his Majesty with more fidelitie and affection than the Earle of Rochester, he made him Lord High Treasurer of England, and his Brother the Earle of Clarendon Lord Privie Seal, My Lord Halifax President of the Council, the Lord Godolplin Lord Chamberlin to the Queen, the Earles of Sunderland and Middleton were continued Secretaries of State, and indeed he continued the generalitie of imployments throughout the three Kingdoms, in the same hands they were in at the late King's death: for there had been so great an union betwixt them, both in opinion and inclination, that it reconcil'd his present Majesty to any one his Brother had thought fit to trust; thō his generosity and good nature in that, carry'd him beyond the rules of prudence, otherwise he would never haue put such confidence in My Lord Sunderland and Godolphin, who had once so treacherously betrayd him, and were by this means made capable of doing it more efectually a second time. The King Some few days after the late King's death, his Majesty King's papers looking into the papers he had left behind him found two relateing to Controversie, one in the strong box, the other in the Closet, both writ in his own hand, they were short but sollid, and shew'd, that thō his Conversion was not perfected til a few to the Archbishop of Canterbury. ΤΟ |
