A. C.

This Elaborate Speech had all the effect that 1690. could be defir'd; for the Commons now chiefly confifted of Moderate-Principled Churchmen, agreeable to the Temper and Genius of the Court; and though the Head and Speaking Men of the Difcontented Party, were ftill in that Houfe, yet wanting Voices to make up a prevailing Chorus, fome of them harken'd to the Propofals, that were made them underhand, and were contented to purchase, at least the hopes of Preferment, by their Silence. The first - bufinefs of Importance the Commons enter'd upon was, the fettling the Revenue for the maintainance of the Civil Lifts, upon which occafion Sir Charles Sidley addreft himself to the Speaker in this man

ner.

Mr. Speaker,

Sir Ch. "We have provided for the Army; we have Sidley's provided for the Navy; and now, at laft, a new Speech a "Reckoning is brought us; we must likewife progainst ex-vide for the Lifts. Truly, Mr. Speaker, it's a orbitant "fad Reflection, that fome Men fhould wallow Penfions in Wealth and Places, whilft others pay away in and Sala-Taxes the Fourth part of their Revenue, for the

ries.

66

Support of the fame Government. We are not "upon equal Terms for his Majefties Service: "The Courtiers and great Officers charge, as it were, in Armour; they feel not the Taxes by "Reafon of their Places, whilft the Country Gentlemen are fhot thro' and thro' by them. The "King is pleas'd to lay his Wants before us, and, "I am Confident, expects our Advice upon it: We ought therefore to tell him what Penfions are too great: What Places may be extinguish'd, during "the time of the War and publick Calamity. His Majefty fees nothing but Coaches and Six Horfes, and great Tables, and therefore cannot imagine the Want and Mifery of the rest of his Subjects. He is a Brave and Generous Prince; "but he is a Young King, encompafs'd and hemmed in by a Company of Crafty Old Courtiers, "to fày no more. Some have Places of 3000 Pounds, "fome of 6000 Pounds, and others of 8600 Pound

66

"per

66

66

66

per Annum; and I am told the Commiflioners of A. C the Treafury have 1600 Pound per Annum a piece. 1690Certainly publick Penfions, whatever they have

been formerly, are much too great for the pre"fent Want and Calamity that reigns every where elfe. And it is a Scandal, that a Government fo "Sick at Heart as ours is, fhould look fo well in "the Face. We mult fave the King Money where-ever we can; for I am afraid the War is too great for our Purfes, if things be not Manag'd with all imaginable Thrift. When the People of England fee all things are fav'd, that can "be fav'd; that there are no exorbitant Penfions, nor unneceffary Salaries, and all this applied to "the Ufe to which they are given, We shall Give, "and They fhall Pay, whatever his Majefty can want to fecure the Proteftant Religion, and to keep out the King of France, and King James too; whom, by the way, I have not heard nam'd this "Seffions; whether out Fear, Difcretion, or Re"fpect, I cannot tell. I Conclude, Mr. Speaker, 66 Let us fave the King what we can; and then let "us proceed to give him what we are able.

66

66

ર

The dangerous Drift of this Speech having been The Crown diverted by the well Affected, the Commons grant- Rever ed to their Majefties all the Revenues that King fettled. James enjoy'd the 20th of December 1688, as Rights of the Crown, excepting Chimney-Money. Then they order'd a Bill againit Alienation of the Crown Revenues, upon any Pretence whatever: Thirdly, That their Majefties fhould be put into the Poffeffion of fuch Additional Excifes, as had been granted to Charles II. and James II. and order'd that Revenue to be a Security, for the raifing prefent Money. And further, they agreed to grant him, for Four Years, (to begin from Chriftmals following) the Cuftoms, which Charles II. and James II. had enjoy'd, and upon which their Majefties might take up a Sum of Money as fhould be regulated in Parliament. Encourag'd by thefe Votes, feveral private Perfons advanc'd Money to fupply the King's prefent Occafions. At the opening of this Seilions the Bishop of Oxford took the Oaths, and Subfcrib'd

the

A. C. the Declation; whereupon he was admitted to h 1690. Place in the Houfe of Peers.

Not long after, a Bill was brought into the Lower Houfe requiring all their Majesties Subjects to Abjure the late King James, under Pain of Imprifonment, without Bail or Mainprife; but upon a Second Reading, it was laid afide, both because it might create an unneceffary Disturbance, and becaufe it feem'd to bear too hard on the Liberties of the Subject. However the Commons prepar'd Two Acts, which tended to the fame Purpofe: By the First they declar'd Guilty of High-Treafon, all thofe that were actually in the Service of King James in Ireland, and their Estates Forfeited to their Majefties, unless their Children were Proteftants and by the Second they confirm'd all the Acts of the Convention Parliament, by which King William and Queen Mary were acknowleg'd to be Lawful King and Queen of England.

As paffed On the 20th of May the King gave his Royal Af May 20. fent to an Act for putting the Administration of the Government into the Queen's Hands, not only during the King's being Ireland, but whenever his Affairs fhould call him out of the Kingdom; and that nothing might happen to the Prejudice of the Government, whilft his Majefty was abfent, the Deputy Lieutenants of the Counties were authoriZed to raife the Militia in Cafe of Neceffity; and all Papifts order'd to repair to their Places of Abode, and not ftir above Five Miles from thence, without Leave. On the fame Day, another Act was paft for Reverting the Judgment in a Quo Warranto, against the City of London, and for Reftoring that great Metropolis of this Kingdom to its ancient Rights and Privileges; And the Act of Oblivion, fo long defir'd by the King, after many Difficulties remov'd, was at laft agreed to in both Houfes, and confirm'd by the King on the 23d, not above Thirty Five Perfons being excepted out of it. Thus Matters being brought to a happy Conclufion Hist Majelty return'd both Houfes Thanks for the Aurances of their Affection to him, and particularly for

General

Pardon

past, May

2.

the

the Supplies they had given him, and then Adjourn'd A. C. them to the 7th of July. 169c.

On the Seventeenth of the foregoing Month the King created the Lord Viscount Lumley Earl of Parlia Scarborough; the Lord Delamere, Earl of VVarrington; ment Adand the Lord Grey, Viscount de Longueville, in ac-journ'd, knowledgement of their Conftant and Faithful Ad- Ditto. herence to his Service. About the fame time His Titles con Majefty nam'd Admiral Torrington; Sir Ralph De-ferr'd on laval Vice-Admiral, and Mr. Rook Rear-Admiral, to fome Lords, Command the Red Squadron of his Fleet; and ap- April 17. pointed Mr. Ruffel Admiral of the Blue, with Sir John Afbby, Vice-Admiral, and Sir Cloudley Shovel, Rear Admiral under him. On the 3d of June His Majefty conftituted Sir John Trevor, Speaker of the Houfe of Commons, Sir William Rawlinson, and Sir George Hutchins Commiffioners of the Great Seal of England; and the next Day fet out for Ireland ; having Four Days before publifh'd his Proclamation, for the apprehending of feveral diffaffected Perfons, whom His Majefty was inform'd had confpired together to raife a Rebellion, and, for that purpose, had made Provifion of Arms, and had Lifted themfelves in feveral Regiments.

To proceed with Method, let us furvey the Con- Affairs of dition of Ireland before King William's Arrival there. Ireland. Dundalk Camp was not the only Place that proved fatal to the Englife Army, for both Officers and Soldiers died apace in their Winter Quarters; fo that about the beginning of the New Year, feve ral Regiments were broke into others, and the Officers continu'd at half Pay, till Provifion could be made for them in other Regiments, whilst others went over into England to raife Recruits. However Sickness by degrees abating, the Duke of Schom- The Army berg, who took a Fatherly Care of fuch as furviv'd, begins to found them very much refrefh'd by the good Provifions he had procured for them, and rather inclin'd boldly to encounter Death in the Field, than fneakingly to fubmit to her in a Chimney-corner. About the beginning of February that General being inform'd that the Enemy were drawing down fome Forces towards Dundalk, and that they had

Na

pro

Irifa

Belturbat.

A. C. provided Magazines with a Defign to disturb his 1690. Frontier Garrifons, fent a confiderable Body of Horfe and Foot that way, and march'd himself on the 11th towards Drummore, to obferve the Enemies Motion. But the Defigns of the Irish lay, at this time, another way; for while the Duke was upon this Expedition, Colonel Woolfey was informed that they intended to fall upon Belturbat, a Town which that Colonel had taken from them not lot g before. Thereupon Woolfey march'd with great diligence from Belturbat with Seven Hundred Foot. and Three Hundred Horfe and Dragoons, towards the Enemy; but being acquainted with their Numbers, and they having had notice of his Approach, instead of furprizing them, he was furpriz'd himfelf, finding them Nine Thoufand ftrong, and in a Pofture to receive him. However, there being now no way to retreat either with Honour or Safety, he made Touted at his Men fenfible of their common Danger, and fo animated them by his own Example, that having engag'd the Irish, he defeated them with confiderable lofs; purfued them as far as Cavan, where they had a little Fort; fet that Town on Fire; and in his return to Belturbat, took the Caftle of Killifhandra with a great Booty of Cattel. About the fame time Sir John Lanier, with a Party of a Thoufand Horfe, Foot and Dragoons, made an attempt upon Dundalk, took Bedloe Caftle and about 1500 Cows and Oxen; and Sir Cloudfley Shouel, on Good-Friday, took the only Frigat the late King had in his Pof feffion, in that Monarch's own fight in Dublin-Bay, notwithstanding all the Oppofition that could be made against him by Sea and Land. But what af flicted King James more fenfibly was the Lofs of the Caftle of Charlemont, a ftrong Place, chiefly by Nature, as being feated upon a piece of Ground in the middle of a Bay, and only accesible by two Ways, which the Irish had partly broke down. This Poft being of great Importance, the Duke of Schomberg refolv'd to make himself Mafter of it, and fucceeded in his Attempt, partly by a Stratagem. The Garrifon of that Place, which for fome time. had been block'd up by the French Regiments of

LA