berty and the cont tution, was making hafty frides to feize on government

Nothing is fo dreadful to a fubtle and defigning man, who intends to fubvert a state, as an able and an upright minifter. Cardinal Granville was that man. He pene

trated the defigns of Orange, traversed his intrigues and oppofed his intentions in council. This impediment must be removed, or his attempts would prove abortive. William, therefore, by plaufible pretences, feduced the Counts Egmont and Horne, unconsciously, to further his intentions. He knew their pride, love of power, and envy of the Cardinal would induce them to join him, in obtaining his recail. They, therefore, reprefented Granville, in letters to the King, as odious to the people, obstructive of the true interest of Philip in the Netherlands, and the neceffity of his being withdrawn from the council. They fucceeded, and he was recalled.

From these inftances, it is evident, that no object of their complaint remained, respecting foreign foldiers and improper minifters; both were difmiffed by the King. But with them, he dismissed, in fact, the fovereignty of the feven provinces, which were fubfequently called the united; and involved his country in blood and defolation. So fatal it is, in times of turbulence and innovation of the fubjects, to listen to the charges of the defigning, and the clamours of a deluded populace. The refolves of the calvinists daily became more evident. There were no troops in the country, but the militia, and these were in the hands of the lords of the provinces. But, as the civil rights of the people had fuffered no invafion, the Spanish troops had been recalled, and the cardinal difmiffed, they faw the abfurdity of clamouring for the prefervation of civil liberty and the conftitution, and roared only for li berty of confcience in religion. Rebellion never fucceeds, but when government by an ill-timed lenity, is intimidated from fuppreffing it in its infancy, by arms; the fole means which are adequate to fuch occafions. Philip, mistaken or mifled, was unwilling to fend an armament into that country, through dread of calumny and prefbyterian clamour, objects that fhould ever be contemned by a great prince. He acted, as if he had been prompted by the prince of Orange to undo himfelf.

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The cafe was urgent, and fomething must be done. Encreafing the number of Bishops, it was imagined, might create a greater vigilance in ecclefiaftical affairs: and the terrors of an inquifition withhold the calvinistical preachers from being fo audacious, in their revilings of the Pope, Philip himself, and the catholic religion. Admirable aids, to fupprefs the prefbyterian spirit, by the means of exercising it, and affording reafons for their diffention! Was ever man more guilty of mistaken policy! Even the Roman catholics themfelves, who approved the Bishops, faw the introduction of the inquifition with horror. Thus, he, at once excited an univerfal spirit of difcontent, more effectually than if he had sent an army; and rendered himfelf unable to fupprefs the calvinifts, by leaving that force behind, which could alone accomplish it. William, in council, coincided with the propriety of encreafing the number of bishops, and establishing the inquifition. Had they been prevented, the lives of thoufands and ten thoufands had been faved, together with the preclufion of enormous defolation, facrilege and rapine. But fentiments of humanity were not the inmates of the prince of Orange's heart. Had he been the falutary means of fuppreffing Philip's intentions, refpecting the inquifition, that merit would have proved but tranfient, and he had become the affaffin of his own defigns. He was fully convinced, that an oppofition to them after they were established, would render him more conspicuously popular; inflame the calvinists; encrease their numbers; and even abate the ardor of the catholics for their fovereign, on the account of the inquifition. Defpifing the fenfations of human kindness, which stand in oppofition to the luft of power, he prepared to wade through rivers of blood, to obtain the poffeffion of it.

It would be an extreme injuftice, to charge the prefbyterians with being inexpert in the application of all events to promote their purposes. Remorfe of conscience hath never touched their hearts, but when they were defeated in their iniquities. They cannot be flandered with the impolitic fin of being half-rogues. From principle, therefore, they feized on the occafions of applying the bishops and the inquifition to effectuate their ends; and, in the latter of thefe, they had the femblance of be

ing honeft. They, accordingly, by every means incenfed the people against the horrors of the inquifition; and, as the epifcopal revenues were to be taken from the rich convents, although monks and bishops were of equal deteftation to them, they reprefented to thofe Renouncers of the world, the hardship and injuftice of ftripping men devoted to piety and to retirement from temporal enjoyment, in order to fuftain the haughty prelates in pomp and luxury. To the magiftracy of thofe cities, which were to be made epifcopal fees, they held forth, how much their power would be diminished, by the presence and weight of the bishops. To the merchants they preached with great propriety, that, without liberty of confcience, trade could never be fupported. This liberty was adopted, and has been conftantly maintained by the Dutch; who, in Japan, renounce their God, to enrich themselves. In this manner, they artfully applied the matives of temporal welfare, to the establishment of their religion and government. Such are the effects of infinuating effrontery and egregious diffimulation.

Several of the nobility, whofe dilapidated fortunes had rendered them open to every innovation, and who were fecretly fupported by the Prince of Orange, entered into a covenant, on oath, to oppofe the inquifition and the eftablishment of the bifhops; and that, if any man of them fhould be imprisoned, either on the account of entering into the covenant or of his religion, the others fhould take arms in his caufe. To this intent, they drew up a petition, to be prefented to the Dutchess of Parma, governefs of the country. In prefenting it, they were accompanied with great numbers of the populace, greedy of innovation, always prepared to aflift fuch leaders as intend to pull down religion and the laws; God and juftice being the chief objects of their dread and, in their opinions, these are the forces, which act in oppofition to Dr. Price's moral, civil, and religious liberty, and produce what he calls fervitude.

When they delivered the petition, they entreated the princess to believe that they were honeft men; that they propofed nothing but obedience to the laws, honour to their Jovereign and fafety to their country. To thefe the princefs gave a favourable reception, but an indefinite answer.;

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because the will of Philip was necessary to be known on that head. They were, however, permitted to attend their own religious fervice, unmolefted. But this conceffion was an incentive to fresh demands. To accede to the claims of men who are refolved on rebellion, is to give them fpirit to oppofe the government. The nobility of rank, who attended the princefs, from the known poverty and reduction in fortune of those who presented the petition, named their covenant, the league of the beggars. This nickname, the petitioners of greateft note and all the others, according to their ufual cunning, converted to their intereft. They affumed fuch things, in their drefs and utenfils, as beggars ufe; and that circumftance augmented their number. Not a vagabond, nor thief in all the Netherlands, but was a patriot roaring for liberty, property, and the conflitution.

The moment they left the princefs, they declared and propagated, that the had promifed the abolition of the inquifition and of the edicts of Charles the 5th against heretics; and that they fhould have full liberty of confcience, to ferve God in their own way. For this was now the only subject of their clamour. This policy of their's was founded on a knowledge of Philip's pertinacious difpofition; and, therefore, that no fuch conceffions would be made. In confequence of this, they knew that they might then upbraid the dutchefs with breach of promise, whofe government was not difliked; and which they wifhed to be detefted.

The Prince of Orange was ftill, in face, a zealous catholic, and of the council. He had even interest sufficient to defeat a propofition of the dutchefs, to levy two thoufand troops, to be fent to the affiftance of the king of France, against his rebellious Calvaniftical fubjects. He forefaw that thofe troops, being once raised by the state, for the aid of France, might eafily be applied to the fuppreffion of Calvinifm at home. During this time, the vifible leaders of fedition kept up every mark of loyalty and zeal for their fovereign. Medals were ftruck, with his image on one fide, and two hands united on the other, of which the infcription was, Faithful to the King, Those they wore: and, under the pretence of raifing money wherewith to obtain from him a toleration of their

religion,

religion, they acquired confiderable fums, and applied them to the purchafing of arms, and the maintenance of their forces. This was done without oppofition, the militia being in the hands of the Lords of the Provinces.

Advice being received, that the duke of Alva was coming from Spain, with a great armament, they no longer kept within the difguife of feeking liberty of confcience. They feized on towns and garrifons, and filled them with their troops. But ftill, fufpecting their ftrength, in order to obtain affittance from the Lutherans of the Netherlands, and from thofe princes who had established Lutheranifm in their dominions, they pretended to renounce Calvinism, and to become Lutherans. They then entered into covenant with the merchants, to protect them in the liberty of a trading confcience; and the latter, in return, obliged themfelves to find money to fupport their rebellion. At Antwerp, they erected a confiftory, chofe magiftrates, directed their own affairs, and, in this manner, formed themselves into a republic, different from that of the flate, in which, as it has been already fhewn, liberty was conftitutionally eftablifhed and inviolate. Such was the iffue, of feeking liberty of conscience in religion, refpecting civil government.

I will now explain how perfectly they coincided with their claim of that liberty, which, they pronounced to be the right of all mankind. At St. Omer's, Ypres, Antwerp, and other places, they broke open churches; demolished convents; ftole their plate; erazed the altars; defaced the images; burnt the libraries of the bishops; put the priests to death by torture; hung up their mangled limbs in all parts, and committed all kinds of ravage and violation. Such was the toleration of those Prefbyterians, who founded their rebellion on the right, that all men had, to worship God in their own way y! Such are the natural confequences of indulging men to think for themfelves, and to preach fuch doctrines, as lead to the fubverfion of all religion and government but their own! The prince of Orange was ftill in council, and the fecret caufe of all this barbarity. His fuperior hypocrify and concealment of his practices were fo great, that he was even fent to fupprefs the infurrection at Antwerp. The rabble received him with marks of joy.

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