brought in, the king found himself obliged, though reluctantly, to comply.

The fame oppofition, and the fame event, attended a bill for regulating trials, in cafes of high treafon, by which the accused was allowed a copy of his indictment, and a lift of the names of his jury, two days before his trial, together with counfel to plead in his defence. It was ftill farther enacted, that no perfon fhould be indicted by p on the oaths of two faithful witneffes; a lan that gave the fubject, a perfect fecurity from the terJors of the throne.

It was in the midst of these laws, beneficial to the subject, that the Jacobites still conceived hopes of restoring their fallen monarch; and being uneafy themselves, fuppofcd the whole kingdom Thared their difquietudes. While one part proceeded against William in the bolder manner, by attempting to excite an infurrection, another, confifting of the most defperate confpirators, formed a f. heme of affaffination. Sir George Barclay, a native of Scotland, who had ferved as an officer in James's army, a man of undaunted courage, which was ftill more enflamed by his bigotry to the religion of the church of Rome, undertook the bold task of feizing or affaffinating the king. This defign he' imparted to Harrifon, Charnock, Porter, and Sir William Perkins, by whom it was approved ; and after various confultations, it was refolved to attack the king on his return from Richmond, where he commonly hunted on Saturdays; and the fcene of their ambufcade was a lane between Brentford and Turnham-Green. To fecure fuccefs, it was agreed that their number should be encreased to forty horfemen, and each confpirator began to engage. proper perions to affift in this dangerous enterprize. When their number was complete, they waited with impatience for the hour of action; but fome

of

2

of the under actors, feized with fear or remorfe, refolved to prevent the execution by a timely difcovery. One Prendergast, an Irish officer, gave information of the plot, but refused to mention the perfons who were concerned as affociates in the undertaking. His information was at firft difregarded; but it was foon confirmed by one Le Rue, Frenchman, and ftill more by the flight of Sir Georg Barclay, who began to perceive that the whole as difcovered. The night, fubfequent to the intended day of affaffination, a large number of the confpirators were apprehended, and the whole difcovery was communicated to the privycouncil. Prendergaft became an evidence for the crown, and the confpirators were brought to their trial. The firft who fuffered, were Robert Charnock, one of the two fellows of Magdalen college, who, in the reign of James, had renounced the proteftant religion; lieutenant King, and Thomas Keys. They were found guilty of high treafon, and fuffered at Tyburn. Sir John Friend, and Sir William Perkins were next arraigned; and altho' they made a very good, and as it fhould feem a very fufficient defence, yet lord chief juf tice Holt, who was but too well known to act rather as counsel against the prifoners, than as a folicitor in their favour, influenced the jury to find them guilty. They both fuffered at Tyburn with great conftancy, denying the charge, and teftifying their abhorrence of the affaffination. In the course of the month, Rookwood, Cranbourne, and Lowick, were tried by a special commiffion as confpirators, and, being found guilty, shared the fate of the former. But the cafe of Sir John Fenwick was confidered as one of the greatest ftretches of power exhibited during this reign. This gentleman, whose name had been mentioned among the reft of the confpirators, was apprehended in his

way

way to France. There was little evidence against him, except an intercepted letter which he wrote to his wife. It is true, he offered to discover all he knew of a confpiracy against the king; but when he came to enter into the detail, he fo managed his information, that it could affect no individual concerned. King William, therefore, fent over word from Holland, where he then was, that unless the prifoner could make more material discoveries he should be brought to his trial. The only material evidence againit him were one Porter and Goodman, but of thefe Lady Fenwick had the good fortune to fecrete one, fo that only Porter, a fingle witness remained; and his unfupported evidence, by the late law, was infufficient to affect the life of the prifoner. However the house of commons were refolved to inflict that punishment upon him, which the laws were unable to execute. As he had in his difcoveries, made very free with the names of many perfons in that houfe, admiral Ruffel infifted that he might have an opportunity of vindicating his own character in particular. Sir John Fenwick was ordered to the bar of the house, and there exhorted by the speaker to make an ample difcovery. He refufed, and a bill of attainder was preferred against him, which was paffed by a large majority. He was furnished with a copy of the indictment, allowed counsel at the bar of the house, and the counfel of the crown was called upon to open the evidence. After much difputation, where paffion and revenge was rather attended to than reason, the bill was committed, and fent up to the house of lords, where Sir John Fenwick was found guilty, by a majority only of feven voices. The prifoner folicited the mediation of the lords in his behalf, while his friends implored the royal mercy. The lords gave him to understand, that the fuccefs of his fuit would

C 5

would depend on the fulness of his difcoveries. He would have previously ftipulated for pardon, and they infifted on his trufting to their favour. He hesitated fome time, between the fears of infamy and the terrors of death. At laft he chose death as the leaft terrible, and he fuffered beheading on Tower-hill with great compofure. His death proved the infufficiency of any laws to protect the fubject when a majority of the powerful fhall think proper to difpenfe with them!

This ftretch of power in the parliament was in fome measure compenfated by their diligence in reftraining the univerfal corruption that feemed at that time to prevail over the kingdom. They were affiduoufly employed in bringing thofe to justice who had grown wealthy by public plunder, and increafing the number of thofe laws which reftrained the arts of peculation. The number of thefe, while they feemed calculated for the benefit of the nation, were in reality fymptoms of the general depravity; for the more numerous the Jaws the more corrupt the state.

The king however on his part became at length fatigued with oppofing the laws which the parliament every day were laying round his authority, and gave up the contest. He admitted every restraint upon the prerogative in England, upon condition of being properly fupplied with the means of humbling the power of France. War, and the balance of power in Europe, were all he knew, or indeed defired to understand. Provided the parliament furnished him with fupplies for these purposes, he permitted them to rule the internal polity at their pleasure. For the profecution of the war with France, the fums of money granted him were incedible. The nation, not contented with furnishng him fuch fums of money as they were capable of raifing by the taxes of the year, mortgaged

thofe

thofe taxes, and involved themselves in debts, which they have never fince been able to discharge. For all that profufion of wealth granted to maintain the imaginary balance of Europe, England received in return the empty reward of military glory in Flanders, and the confcioufness of having given their allies, particularly the Dutch, frequent opportunities of being ungrateful.

A. D.

The war with France continued during the greatest part of this king's reign; but at length the treaty at Ryfwick put an end 1697. to thofe contentions, in which England had engaged without policy, and came off without advantage. In the general pacification, her interefts feemed entirely deferted; and for all the treafures fhe had fent to the continent, and for all the blood which fhe had thed there, the only equivalent the received was an acknowledgment of king William's title from the king of France.

The king, now freed from a foreign war, laid himself out to ftrengthen his authority at home; but he fhewed that he was but ill acquainted with the difpofition of the people he was to govern. As he could not bear the thoughts of being a king without military command, he conceived hopes of keeping up the forces that were granted him in time of danger, during the continuance of a profound peace. But what was his mortification to find the commons pass a vote, that all the forces in English pay, exceeding feven thousand men, fhould be forthwith difbanded, and that thofe retained should be natural born subjects of England! A monarch bred up in camps as he was, and who knew scarce any other pleature but that of reviewing the troops, and dictating to generals, could not think of laying down at once all his power and all his amufements. He profefled himself therefore, highly difpleafed with the vote of the com

mons;