The rest of William's reign was employed in disputes with his parliament, which are not of the highest in tcrest, as they did not relate to the primary points in the constitution. The only warlike enterprize in which the nation embarked from the peace of Ryswick to the king's death, was in aiding Sweden, when the kings of Denmark and Poland, with the elector of Brandenburgh, formed a league to crush the young Charles the XlIth. A fleet of thirty sail of English and Dutch was sent. into the Baltic, under the command of sir George Rooke, who joined the Swedish squadron, and bom barded Copenhagen, to which the Danish fleet had retired.
The repose of Etirope was again disturbed by the disputed succession to the Spanish monarchy. His Catholic majesty having, by his last will, bequeathed his whole monarchy to the second son of the Dauphin of France, the views of William, who had brought Louis himself to accede to the partition treats, was wholly thwarted by the bequest of the Spanish monarch, and by Louis's acceptance of it. After some negotiations at the Hague had succeeded to William's remonstrances with Louis on his acceptance of the Spanish testament, it was evident that England and the States would spee dily be obliged, by force of arms, to maintain the parti tion treaty, or submit to see the Spanish monarchy be come a dependency of France. The emperor of Ger many soon became an ally to the new confederacy against France, and a treaty was concluded between the three powers to secure a satisfaction to the emperor in the Spanish succession, and sufficient security for the com merce and dominions of his allies.
Amidst these negotiations, the late king James died at St Germains ; he was comforted in his last moments by the promises of Louis to protect his son as the law ful monarch of England ; but in the year before, the English parliament, by a resolution of greater effect, had debarred him from all hopes of the throne, by de claring the princess Sophia duchess dowager of Hano ver, and her heirs, the next in succession to the prin cess Anne.
William, who WPC t" °QUI of °very confederacy against France, used to retire to his scat at Loo in Holland, where he had leisure and tranquillity- to ma ture his councils, and draw the plans of his campaign, In the last year of his life, he returned from this retire ment to the troublesome government of England, where, however, he found the parliament amidst abundance of quarrels and complaints, ready to second him in the ac tive measures which he had projected. In the mean
time, his constitution, feeble from his untimely birth, and oppressed by the cares and fatigues of government, sunk under a complication of disorders ; but the imme diate cause of his death was a fall from his horse in one of his excursions from Hampton Court, by which his collar hone was broken. He languished above a fort night under an aguish fever, and expired in the 52d year of his age, of an inflammation in his lungs. His person was of the middle size, ill-shaped, and ungrace ful, except on horse-back : his nose was aquiline ; but the harsh features of his countenance, which was pale and solemn, were enlightened by the piercing lustre of his eve. His manners were silent, cold, and reserved ; unfavourable impressions were sooner made on his mind than c ffaced from it ; but his resentment never descend ed to the meanness of personal revenge. From a ne glected education, he was insensible to the finer arts, and impatient, perhaps, of the minute details of public office ; but his virtues were severe and exalted ; his mind was ever intent on great designs ; he had a sound judgment in weighing events, an invention fertile in resources, calmness in battle and danger,—lo•titude, fidelity, and above all, an attachment to public liberty. If any abatement is to be made from this illustrious cha racter, it is in the government of Scotland that the most exceptionable part of his conduct appears ; but there he was obliged to confide in statesmen, trained up in the abuses of bad government, who betrayed him into ar bitrary exertions of power. And, even in Scotland, amidst the conspiracies of the Jacobites, not a single person perished on the scaffold, nor was there a noble family ruined by forfeitures during his reign.
The importance of William's life was evinced by the joy that diffused itself through France at the news of his death : They could hardly restrain their joy within the bounds of decorum ; and there were public rejoicings in Paris. When it was known in Holland, the States immediately assembled ; for some time the deputies gazed at each other in silent fear and astonishment : They then sighed, wept, and interchanged embraces and vows, that they would act with unanimity, and ex pend their dearest blood in defence of their country.