A.C. might have been remedied by the appointment of a regency. Such being the case, no means of depriving him of his birthright appeared feasible but bringing the legitimacy of his birth in question, and had such a step been resorted to, it might have forwarded the ambitious views of the prince of Orange. William, however, out of pure regard for his father-in-law, declined pursuing that measure; yet, although such conduct did honour to his feelings as a man, his title to the crown was not rendered the better for such forbearance. All objections, however, disappeared at once, by an appeal to the most imperious of all laws-The safety of the people, from which originated the famous Declaration of Rights, by a most solemn royal assent, confirmed at each coronation, and its invariable execution during upwards of a century, whereby it has become a necessary appendage to, and the strongest bulwark of, the British constitution. That Declaration comprises thirteen articles, the substance of which are as follows:

"That the pretended power of suspending of, or the dispensing with, laws; or their execution by regal authority, without concurrence of parliament, as it had been previously assumed and executed, is illegal; as well as the commission for erecting the court for ecclesiastical causes, and all commissions and courts of a similar nature."

"That levying money by pretence of the royal prerogative, without a parliamentary grant, is illegal."

That it is the right of the subject to petition the king, and that all commitments or prosecutions for so petitioning are illegal."

"That raising or keeping a standing army in time of peace, within the realm, without consent of parliament, is contrary to law."

"That protestant subjects may keep arms for their defence suitable to their condition as tolerated by law."

"That elections for members of parliament shall be free."

"That liberty of speech and the debates in parliamentary proceedings cannot be impeached or called to account in any court out of parliament.'

"That excessive bail cannot be required, nor enormous fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." "That juries shall be duly empannelled and returned, and that jurors, in cases of high treason, must be freehold

ers."

"That all grants and promises of fines and forfeitures be- A.C. fore conviction are illegal and void."

"And that, for the redressing of all grievances, and amending, strengthening, and preserving the laws, parliaments shall be frequently held; and that no declarations, judg ments, or proceedings prejudicial to the people can, in any wise, be afterwards drawn into consequence or example."

Such was the Declaration or Sacred Compact that transferred the English crown to William, prince of Orange; which, no doubt, James the Second would equally have acceded to, but, unfortunately for that prince, his promises could no longer be confided in, as he had rarely been true to them, or even his oath.

The freedom of the press under such a government as that of James the First could not exist, and was, consequently, wholly unknown. By a decree of Queen Elizabeth, it was forbidden to print a book any where else than in London, Oxford, or Cambridge; and by another law, severe penalties were inflicted on the publisher of any book or pamphlet against the meaning of any statute or law, or of any injunction made by her majesty or the privy council. James the First extended those penalties to the importing such books from beyond sea, and would not tolerate the printing any book whatsoever without a license from the archbishops of Canterbury or York, the bishop of London, the vice-chancellor of one of the universities, or some person appointed by them. This shameful despotism might have continued many years, but from the moment James the First undertook to have it solemnly acknowledged and sanctioned by the legislature, it began to decline, and its final abolition under the succeeding reign was speedily followed by the subversion of the throne, and the decapitation of Charles the First-the usual concomitant of all successful attempts on the part of the people to overthrow despotic sway.

On the accession of the house of Stuart, England was entirely free from the expense of a standing army. While King James the First was boasting of the divine vicegerency of his high prerogative, he had not a single regiment of guards to support his extensive claims. The militia, amounting to 160,000 men, constituted the sole defence of the kingdom. Charles the Second had nearly 5000 men, comprising guards and garrisons, in pay, and towards the close of his reign that number was augmented to nearly 8000 men. On the rebellion of Monmouth, King James the Second had on foot

A.C. 15,000 men, and no less than 30,000 regular troops when his kingdom was invaded by the prince of Orange.

During the reign of Charles the Second, the revenues of England hardly amounted to 1,200,000l. a year; the extraordinary sums voted him by parliament amounted to 11,443,4077., which, divided among the 24 years of his reign, made 476,8087. annually. To those sums must be added, 1,200,000. detained from the bankers on shutting up the exchequer in 1672, for which he paid six per cent. during the residue of his reign. The revenue of James the Second was raised to about 1,850,000l., which, added to his income, as duke of York, previously remarked, made a total of 2,000,000l. per annum. The national debt at the Revolu tion amounted to 1,054,9267.

The British navy was deemed formidable under Elizabeth, though consisting only of 33 ships, besides pinnaces. James the First, from 1617 to 1623, built 10 ships, expending 50,000l. a year on the fleet, besides the value of 36,000%. in timber given from the royal forests. In 1678, the fleet was composed of 83 ships, with 30 on the stocks. On Charles's Restoration, he found only 63 vessels of all sizes, and the navy fell to decay during his reign; but James the Second, soon after his succession, restored it to its former power. At the Revolution the fleet consisted of 173 vessels of all dimensions, and required 42,000 seamen to man it. James, when duke of York, was the first inventor of marine signals.

The commerce of England had never increased so much as from the Restoration to the Revolution, in consequence of two Dutch wars, which, having disturbed the trade of that republic, promoted the interests of Britain. The recovery of New York and Jersey Islands was a considerable accession to the strength and security of the English Colonies, as the settlement of Pennsylvania and Carolina had also extended the British empire in America. Sir Joseph Child states, "that in 1688, there were more men on 'Change worth 10,000l. than there were in 1650 worth 1000l., and that in the former period, gentlewomen thought they were well clad in a serge gown, with which a chamber-maid, in 1688, would have been ashamed to appear; that besides such increase of rich cloathes, plate, jewels, and household furniture, coaches were at that time increased an hundred fold."

A.C.

SIXTH ERA.

February 12th.-The princess of Orange arrived at White- 1689 hall from Holland, when both houses waited upon the prince and princess, with a declaration asserting the rights of the subject, and resolving that they should be king and queen of England, France, and Ireland, &c. William, however, refused the crown, unless the power equally with the title was conferred upon him, insisting that the princess should have no share in the government, and in case of refusal, that he would return to Holland, and leave the country to the mercy of the exasperated James the Second, which threat silenced all opposition.

William Henry and Mary, prince and princess of Orange, were proclaimed king and queen, and were crowned with all due solemnity at Westminster, by the bishop of London, on the 11th April following, which finally cemented THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION. William was twenty-eighth monarch of England from the Norman conquest. King William, at his inauguration, pronounced the new-framed Coronation Oath, whereby he swore and promised-" To govern the people of England, &c., according to the statutes in parliament agreed on, and the laws and customs of the same; to cause law and justice in mercy to be executed in all his judgments; to maintain to the utmost of his power the laws of God, the true profession of the Gospel, and the Protestant Reformed Religion, as by law established; and to preserve unto the bishops, and the clergy, and to the churches committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain unto them or any of them." On the accession of King William to the English throne, the party that showed itself averse to his government were distinguished by the appellation of Non Jurors, who, rejecting the distinction of a king De Jure, and a king De Facto, were the authors of all those conspiracies that were hatched against the new settlement, and to compass the restoration of James the Second.

March 1st. The archbishop of Canterbury, with the bishops of Gloucester, Ely, Norwich, Bath and Wells, and Peterborough, refused to take the oaths to King William. The temporal peers who equally refused were the duke of

On

A.C. Newcastle, the earls of Clarendon, Lichfield, Exeter, Yarmouth, and Stafford, with Lords Griffin and Stawell. the 5th, the king acquainted parliament that James had sailed from Brest with a French force to land in Ireland, when both houses agreed to support William with their lives and fortunes. Dr. Gilbert Burnet was, on the 8th, consecrated bishop of Sarum. King James, on the 12th, landed at Kinsale, in Ireland, with 5000 men, and proceeded from thence to Dublin; the earl of Tyrconnel had also collected a force of 30,000 foot and 8000 horse, to join James on his arrival.

April 27th.-The civil list was settled by parliament at 600,000. 29th, many Protestants shut themselves up in Londonderry, whither James marched with 20,000 men, and besieged that place, committing many acts of cruelty, until they were relieved by Major-General Kirk with 9000 men. The town, &c., was preserved by the vigilance of Mr. Walker, a clergyman, who was afterwards received with honour by their majesties at London.

On the 7th May, war was declared by England against France. Iniskilling held out against James, and 6000 Irish were defeated at Newton Butler, when 3000 were killed. On the 11th, deputies from Scotland made a formal offer of the crown of that realm to William and Mary, at the Banqueting House. On the 12th, was signed the grand alliance between the emperor, King William, and the States-General, which was concluded at Vienna. On the 24th, assent was given to the famous Toleration Act, for indemnifying Protestant Dissenters from certain pains and penalties.31st, a bill was brought in, reversing the sentence of Titus Oates, and allowing him a pension of 300l. a year.

June 13th. The duke of Gordon surrendered Edinburgh castle to King William's troops, which had been previously held for James, whose partisans were headed by Earl Bal carras and Viscount Graham, who assembled the Highlanders; they were, however, defeated by William's troops at Killicranky.

July 20th.-The Irish Parliament passed an act of attainder against all Protestants who had armed against James, and by another act, Ireland declared its Parliament independent of that of England. The 22d, an act for abolishing episcopacy in Scotland received the royal assent.31st, the French and Irish raised the siege of Londonderry.

August 2d.-Pope Innocent the Second died, having been styled the Protestant Pope, in consequence of his adhering to