The prince of Orange advanced to London by slow marches, to show that he was invited to the govern ment, and did not hasten to sieze it. But after he had reached Windsor, the unwelcome intelligence was brought to him of James having been stopt in his flight. The prince sent James a letter, forbidding him to ap proach nearer to London than Rochester ; but the letter missed the king, who returned to London, and was welcomed with shouts by the senseless rabble. The prince of Orange then convened a council at Sion House, to deliberate what measures should be taken. It was resolved to send orders to James to remove from White hall to Ham; but as the terrified monarch preferred Rochester from its vicinity to the sea, and as William saw that he meditated an escape, he granted him his choice of residence. In the mean time, the Dutch troops entered London, and, as some resistance was appre hended from the obstinacy of lord Craven, who com manded the guards, they marched through the park at eleven o'clock at night, with drums beating, matches lighted, and in order of battle. James proceeded to Rochester with only five attendants of distinction ;* and the prince of Orange arrived at St James's the evening of the same day. He received the congratulations of the clergy, the dissenters, the city of London, and the lawyers, and all ranks hastened to pay their respects to him.
The only authoritative body that yet subsisted since the dissolution of James's government, consisted of the peers and bishops, who, to the number of ninety, advised the Prince to summon a convention. But \Villiam, who was determined to obtain a more express declaration of the public consent, invited an assembly of all the mem bers who had sat in any House of Commons of Charles II., (the only parliaments' whose election was regarded as free,) and to then) were added the mayor and alder men of London, and fifty of the common council. By the advice of this body, in addition to that of the lords, the Prince summoned a convention. The conduct of the Prince, with regard to Scotland, was founded on the same prudent and moderate maxims. He called to gether the most eminent Scotsmen in London, about 80 noblemen and gentlemen ; and he accepted a voluntary offer of the administration from that assembly, as from the fairest representation of their country, that could he found in the present place and circumstances. The English convention was assembled on the 22d of January 1689, which, from the influence of the present crisis, was composed chiefly of Whig-s. In the peers, how ever, the Tory party was yet strong, and, after protract ed debates, a conference of the houses was necessary, before the vote of the commons could be adopted, that James had abdicated the throne, and that it was thereby vacant.. While the Tories were endeavouring to avert this decision, and proposals of a regency were strongly urged, the Prince, who had entered into no intrigues, who had retained a magnanimous silence, and had dis dained to bestow caresses on even the leaders of the party which favoured his accession, at length called to gether some of the chief members of parliament, and gave his sentiments on the state of affairs. Ile pretend ed not, he said, to interpose in the decision of parlia ment, to whom the free settlement of the nation belong ed, but he had heard that a regency was proposed by some, and that others were desirous of the crow being settled on the Princess. If either of these schemes
should be adopted, he declared, that he could not accept of so precarious a dignity, and must return to his native country, satisfied with the efforts he had made for Eng land. This declaration produced its desired effect ; the voice of the Whigs prevailed ; and the convention passed a bill, in which they settled the crown on the Prince and Princess of Orange, the sole administration to remain in the Prince : the Princess of Denmark to succeed after the death of the Prince and Princess of Orange ; the posterity of the Princess Anne after those of the Prin cess but before those of the Prince by any other wife. The convention annexed to this settlement of the crown a declaration of rights, by which the powers of royal prerogative were circumscribed, and defined more narrowly and precisely than at any other period of the English government.
The revolution was not in Scotland, as in England, effected by a coalition of Whig and Tory. Balcarras and Dundee, the leaders of the Tories, withdrew in rage and terror from Edinburgh ; and the Scottish convention having voted, by a bold and decisive resolution, that James had forfeited the crown, tendered it to the Prince and Princess of Orange. Of the kings who have de served popularity, none perhaps ever possessed less than William, in proportion to his merit. He had been led, by policy as well as gratitude, to entrust the adminis tration to Whigs. Halifax got the privy seal, Danby was made president of the council, Shrewsbury a secre tary of state. Nottingham was the only Tory admitted into power; and even of that one admission, the Whigs complained. It was not possible to reward all the Whigs; and a few honours and trusts conferred upon the Dutch friends of the king, roused the accustomed fury of the English against foreign favourites. The pecuniary sup plies of William's first parliament were rigid, and below the acknowledged exigencies of government ; nor would they countenance, but, on the contrary, fiercely opposed the noblest object of William's ambition, his wish to relieve his dissenting subjects from the sacramental test. All that he could obtain, was a partial toleration. The levity even of those statesmen, who had acted the high est parts in the late glorious revolution, and who had profited most by the change, was still more strange than the conduct of those who were chagrined by disappoint ment; if we can believe, that Halifax and Danby cabal led with the king's enemies, and declared the impossi bility of keeping James from the throne, if he would con cede certain points to the Protestants. The parliament, however, though divided in every other point, were unanimous in promising to support the king in a war France. The measures of France, William de clared, left now no choice hut that of war on the part of England ; and the empire, Spain, Holland, and the Elec tor of Brandcnburgh, were now united in curbing the ambition of Louis.