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But the counsellor on whom James most relied was Jefferies. His voice was sure to be given for whatever was most violent and bitter, and he easily persuaded the King to regard the Bishops' petition as a seditious libel, and to prosecute the Primate and his six suffragans before the Court of King's Bench for having published it. He had no doubt that a conviction might be ensured, and that the judges, who now scarcely ever made even a pretence of independence, would pass heavy sentences of fine and imprisonment on them.

CHAPTER V.

The Bishops are committed to the Tower-Birth of the Prince of WalesGeneral disbelief in his genuineness-Trial of the Bishops-Argument of Somers-The Bishops are acquitted-An invitation is sent to the Prince of Orange-Cautious conduct of William-The great difficulties of an invasion--Condition and constitution of the Dutch Republic The state of affairs in other continental countries - James becomes more violent-Prepares to proceed against the ClergyImpolicy of Louis in offending the Pope and the Emperor-William cultivates the English nobles, and conciliates the Roman Catholic Princes-The States of Holland approve of the invasion of EnglandJames receives intelligence of William's design-He tries conciliatory measures.

On the 8th of June, Sancroft and his colleagues were summoned before the Privy Council, where, while Jefferies interrogated and threatened them with his usual insolence, they properly declined to answer; but, when the King himself laid his commands on them to reply to the questions put to them, then, not to be wanting in personal respect to his Majesty, they owned their signatures to the petition, and the fact that they had themselves presented it to the King. Jefferies at once announced to them that they should be prosecuted in the Court of King's Bench, and when, standing on their privilege as peers, they refused to give bail, signed a warrant committing them to the Tower.

The impolicy of such a step became apparent the moment after it had been taken. The excitement in London had been very great ever since it had been known that the

Bishops were before the Council, but, when the intelligence got abroad that they were to be imprisoned, it became unrestrainable and universal. The Thames was still the highway from Westminster to the Tower, and the citizens in thousands flocked to the banks, thronged the streets which led to the river, mounted even to the roofs of the houses to obtain a view of them as they passed, or, taking boats, escorted them down the stream, invoking blessings on their heads; their feelings being shared by the very soldiers on guard at the old fortress; even the rude troopers threw themselves on their knees before the Prelates as they passed through the gates, reverently asked their blessing, and, in spite of the menaces of the Lieutenant of the Tower, the same Sir Edward Hales whose mock trial had been one of the King's earliest blunders, drank their healths in military fashion through the night.

So universal a demonstration of the popular feeling might well have induced the most headstrong despot to pause. It did make the King's councillors waver; and two days afterwards an event occurred which, in the eyes even of those who had been most forward in counselling violent measures, afforded James an opportunity of retracing his steps with dignity and grace.

On the morning of the 10th, the Queen was safely delivered of a son, and it was represented to James that so joyful an occurrence might well be made a pretext for a political amnesty: that it would be a good omen for the infant Prince himself that his birth should be the occasion of releasing such illustrious prisoners. But the heart of James was as callous as his understanding, and, as the one was incapable of taking warning from indications which were plain enough to every one else, so the other was

Birth of the Prince of Wales.

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too hard to be softened by prosperity, even by the fulfilment of his most cherished and anxious desire. He could only answer that his purpose to go on was inflexibly fixed; that his father had been ruined by his concessions, and that he himself had hitherto been too indulgent; and on the 15th the Bishops were brought into Court at Westminster before the judges. An information was exhibited against them by the Attorney-General, and, when they had pleaded "Not Guilty," they received notice that their trial was fixed for the 29th.

Even had James been able to bring his mind to pardon his prisoners, he would have required to be prompt in his decision, for in a day or two all opportunity of doing so gracefully had passed away. As has been already mentioned, when the Queen's pregnancy was first announced, it was received with a very general incredulity; and now, the ill-will of the nation being perhaps sharpened by the severity with which the Bishops were treated, the belief in an imposture having been committed gained ground hourly. The birth had been attended by suspicious circumstances. On former occasions the Queen had proved incorrect in her calculations; and so it happened in this instance that she was confined two or three weeks before she had expected. And with singular wrongheadedness, when her time came, James abstained from summoning as witnesses any of those nobles on whose testimony the people would have been inclined to place confidence, so that at the critical moment scarcely any were present but Roman Catholics; men and women whose evidence to the genuineness of the child was worse than no

1 See Miss Strickland's "Life of Mary of Modena," p. 149. The Queen had miscalculated a fortnight when her fourth child was born; "before the witnesses whose presence was deemed necessary could be summoned."

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evidence at all, since they were the very people who were believed to have planned an imposture, and to have the greatest interest in carrying it out. The King wrote with his own hand to the Prince of Orange to announce the birth to him and William at once despatched an envoy to England with his formal congratulations; but the envoy on reaching London sent back word that scarcely any one believed that the Queen had had a child at all; and a day or two later' the Princess Anne, who a short time before had gone to Bath intending to be back in time, wrote a long letter to the Princess Mary, her sister, in which she gave full expression to her own doubts on the subject, adding that, where one person did not share them a thousand did.

After the Bishops had pleaded, they had been set at liberty on their own recognizances, but the excitement had not been allayed by their temporary release. On the contrary,

it spread to the most distant parts of the kingdom, to Cornwall, in the extreme South-west, for Trelawney, Bishop of Bristol, and one of the seven, was of the oldest and purest blood in that Royal Duchy; in the North, it was felt even beyond the borders, the Presbyterians of Scotland displaying as warm an interest as the Episcopalians in the fate of those whom they now regarded as the champions of their common Protestantism, and of every principle of British freedom.

Meanwhile, both sides prepared for the trial. The ministers were sufficiently confident of the result, for, of the judges who were to try the case, two, Chief Justice Wright, and Judge Holloway, were notorious for their servility, to

1 The date of the Princess's letter is the 18th of June.—See DALRYMPLE, vol. III., p. 303.

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