afterwards employed in dethroning a Roman Catholic prince, whose establishment on the throne it was the primary object of the Pope to uphold.

*

In the mean time, the people of England appear to have anticipated with an extraordinary degree of apathy the invasion which was almost daily expected; and to have regarded, with equal indifference, the threatened expulsion of their legitimate Prince, the probable horrors of a civil war, the subversion of an odious government, and the advantages which were held out to them in the manifestoes of the invader. In London, indeed, where the King was personally residing, where the news of the day was more quickly circulated, and where the proceedings of the Court were matters of immediate interest, a considerable degree of excitement appears to have prevailed amongst the populace. The citizens are described as neglecting their ordinary occupations; as rising in the middle of the night, and collecting in small parties in the streets, inquiring eagerly the news. At other times they are mentioned as anxiously gazing from their doors and windows at the nearest vane, to ascertain, from the direction of the wind, whether the elements were favourable or not to the approach of the Dutch fleet. One circumstance which

*Letters from Cardinal D'Etrées to Louvois and Louis XIV.-Dalrymple, vol. i. p. 198.

tended greatly to inflame the already feverish state of the public mind, was the fact of the Prince of Orange having positively forbidden the departure of any vessel for England; and as the state of the wind retarded for a considerable period the sailing of the Dutch fleet, the general apprehension which prevailed in the minds of men, at least in the metropolis, was rendered almost intolerable from suspense.

At length, the wind changing suddenly to the north-east, on the 16th of October, 1688, the Prince met the States in council, and bade them a solemn and affectionate farewell. After warmly thanking them for all the kindness they had shown him from his earliest youth," I take God to witness," he said, "that since I have been intrusted with the affairs of this Commonwealth, I have never entertained a wish that has been opposed to its interests. If I have erred, I have erred as a man; my heart at least was not to blame. I trust to Providence for the result of my enterprise. But if anything fatal should happen, to you I bequeath my memory; this, our common country; and the Princess, my wife, who loves that country as she does her own: my last thoughts shall be upon you and upon her." During the delivery of this touching appeal, many of the senators are described as moved even to tears; and while all were variously affected, William alone remained calm and unmoved.

CHAPTER IV.

Embarkation of William and his troops at Helvoetsluys.-Dispersion of the fleet by a storm.-Ships refitted, and William again sets sail for England.-Arrival of the fleet at Torbay. -William lands on the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot. -Anecdote from Burnet.-March of the Dutch troops to Exeter. William enters that city at the head of a magnificent procession. He is coldly received by the people, and is greatly disheartened.—Sir Edward Seymour, the Earl of Abingdon, and other influential personages join his standard.-Movement in favour of William gradually spreads.— He is joined by Lord Cornbury, son of Hyde, Earl of Clarendon. The father's anguish on the occasion.-And subsequent flight to the invader.-Lord Churchill, afterwards the great Duke of Marlborough, joins William.-Anecdote of Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham.-Royal army encamped at Salisbury. James the Second retires with a portion of them to London, and is closely followed by William.—Anecdote of William.-James's secret flight from Whitehall.-Is discovered, and brought back to London. Is conducted by a Dutch guard to Rochester, and ultimately embarks for France.

WILLIAM had already assembled his land and sea forces at Helvoetsluys; the latter consisting of sixty-five ships of war, seventy vessels of burden, and five hundred transports; the former of about eleven thousand infantry, and five thou

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sand cavalry.* Among this force were six British regiments in the Dutch pay, and about three hundred French officers, - exiles on ac

count of their Protestant principles, who remembered the persecution which they had suffered in their own country on account of their religion, and appear to have been as eager to fight against a Roman Catholic Prince, as if they were enlisting for a crusade.

The magnificent scene of embarkation was witnessed by the vast crowds at Helvoetsluys, with overwhelming interest and almost painful enthusiasm,—with anticipations of national glory, mingled with personal anxiety for relatives and friends, such as words would with difficulty describe. At length, the last regiment was safely embarked, and on the night of the 19th of October, this memorable fleet departed on the most important naval service which had been known in modern times. The Prince, who was almost the last individual to go on board, selected as his station the centre of the fleet. Herbert, the English admiral, led the van, and Evertzen, a Dutch admiral, brought up the rear. On

* Such appears to be the true computation of the force with which William invaded England. Hume, however, casually places the total number of the fleet at five hundred vessels, of which, according to his account, about four hundred were transports the army also he reduces to fourteen thousand men.-Hist. of England, vol. viii. p. 281.

the Prince's flag-ship floated the colours of England, bearing the words," I will maintain the Protestant religion and the liberties of England."

The splendid sight displayed the next morning, of upwards of six hundred gallant vessels in full sail, must have been sufficient to instil confidence in the timid, and excite enthusiasm in the brave. The sanguine and agreeable anticipations, however, which filled every breast, were destined to be of brief duration. Shortly after the dawn of day, the wind shifted to the south, bearing with it the whole fleet along the coast of Holland, almost as far north as Scheveling. At night it again changed to the north-east; succeeded, moreover, by a tempest of extraordinary violence. The scene which followed was one of indescribable confusion. Owing to the extreme darkness of the night, and to the crowded state of the fleet, ships were dashed against each other : the cannon, which had been hastily put on board, escaped from their lashings; added to which may be mentioned the unusual quantity of baggage and ammunition; the numerous horses which had been embarked, and the large number of landsmen, who equally dispirited the sailors by their apprehensions, and impeded them by their assistance. Burnet, who was present in the Prince's flag-ship, describes the horrors of the scene. Many," he says, "that have passed for heroes,

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