usual time of divine service, in all churches and chapels on certain days named in the order." This new attack upon the principles and doctrines of the established church, was considered by some of its principal divines, as a direct violation of its fundamental interests, and several of the bishops held a conference on the subject, at Lambeth palace, the result of which was a resolution, "That it was better to obey God than man, and their case being such, that they could not obey the king without betraying their own consciences, they ought, without further consideration, to expose themselves to the approaching storm." Dr. Sancroft, archbishop of Canterbury; Dr. Lloyd, bishop of St. Asaph; Dr. Kenn, bishop of Bath and Wells; Dr. Turner, bishop of Ely; Dr. Lake, bishop of Chichester; Dr. White, bishop of Peterborough; and Drelawney, bishop of Bristol, then drew up a petition to the king, wherein, "after professing their tenderness to all dissenters, they prayed to be relieved from the dispensing power which the decla ration professed, and that they could not, in prudence, honour, or conscience, make themselves so far parties to it, as to cause its distribution through the kingdom." This petition was immediately presented by the bishops to the bigotted James, who was so incensed at its unexpected boldness, that he answered with passion," he would be obeyed, and that they should be made to feel what it was to disobey him.' All the reply made by the prelates was, "The will of God be done!" and they directly quitted the royal presence.

So great was James' infatuation, that he determined to accomplish his design by upraising the strong arm of power. By way of setting an example which none could mistake, he resolved to proceed with the utmost rigour against the seven bishops, who were ordered to appear before a privy-council devoted to his will, on the 8th of June. The proceedings were most extraordinary. On their appearance," the king, holding the petition in his hand, asked them whether they had signed that paper? They made a low bow, and said nothing. What,' said the king, 'do you deny your own hands?' Upon which they silently bowed again. Then the king told them, if they would 'own it to be their hands, upon his royal word not a hair of their heads should be touched.' Whereupon the archbishop said, 'Relying upon your majesty's word, I confess it to be my hand,' and so said all the rest. Then being ordered to withdraw, when they were called in again, they found the king vanished, and Jefferies in the chair."+ This stern judge immediately required them to give bond for their appearance in the court of King's Bench, to answer for their high misdemeanour. On their steady refusal to comply, they were all committed to the Tower, and the crown lawyers were directed to prosecute them for a seditious libel.

Bur. Hist. vol. i. p. 739.

+ Tindal, from the information of

the bishop of Durham; Rap. Hist ii. 763, note.

These proceedings," says Burnet," set all the whole city into the highest fermentation that was ever known in the memory of man;" and it not being accounted safe to send the bishops to the Tower by land, they were conveyed thither by water, yet not so privately but that the people, flocking in multitudes to the river side, hailed them as they past with loud acclamations, and on their knees solicited their blessing.*

On the 15th of June, the bishops were discharged from imprisonment on their own recognizance to appear on the 29th at Westminster hall, to take their trial; which they accordingly did, amidst one of the most crowded courts that had ever assembled. On this occasion, the judges were not unanimous in their charge to the jury, and the latter deliberated on their verdict during the whole night; but, on the next morning, they pronounced the prelates Not Guilty!' The acclamations of the crowd, at this decision, were loud and incessant, and the whole metropolis rung with repeated shouts of joy.

The decided tone of the public voice at length convinced James of his error; he discovered, when too late, that the small band of papists which surrounded him, could oppose no effectual barrier against the tide of popular resentment. Alarmed at the dangers of bis situation, in this dilemma he applied to the venerable prelates whom he had so lately persecuted; and requested their advice conjointly with the other bishops, as to the steps which he should pursue in the present emergency. At the same time, he restored the bishop of London to his functions, and ordered the base Jefferies himself to carry back the charter to the city of London, as though he had been willing to revert to true constitutional principles. He dissolved the new ecclesiastical court, and signified his intention to call a free parliament; but it became evident, from his hypocritical conduct, that no terms could be kept with him; the adherents of the prince of Orange therefore effected the revolution, by which the constitution of the realm was restored to all its fundamental principles, whilst James pusillanimously abdicated the throne which he was unworthy to fill. He quitted Whitehall, in disguise, with sir Edward Hales, on the night between the 10th and 11th of December; and having thrown the great seal into the Thames, crossed the river, and proceeded to Faversham, near which, at Shellness, he embarked in a small vessel that had been hired by sir Edward to convey him to France. The weather being tempestuous, they could not immediately sail, and James being discovered he was obliged to write to the lords of the council, in London, who dispatched the ear's of Faversham, Hilsborough, Middleton, and Yarmouth, with a strong guard of horse, to escort him to Whitehall, if he could be prevailed on to return. On his arrival at the palace, he wrote to the prince of Orange, at Windsor, inviting him to St. James's, that "they might

* Bur. Hist. i. 741; and Rap. Eng. ii. 763.

amicably and personally confer together about the means of redressing the public grievances." To this the prince of Orange replied not, but calling a council of the English lords, who were with him, they resolved that it was expedient that James should remove from his palace to Ham, in Surrey; and, on the same night, the Dutch guards took possession of all the posts about Whitehall and St. James's. The king, seeing his power thus circumscribed, requested, and obtained permission to retire to Rochester instead of Ham; and from Rochester, two days afterwards, December the 23rd, he privately withdrew, and was conveyed in a small frigate to Ambleteuse, in France, never more to revisit the kingdom he had so arbitrarily governed.*

When James first quitted the metropolis, a meeting of thirty spiritual and temporal lords assembled at Guildhall, where they sent for the lord mayor and aldermen, to consult with them respecting the state of the realm, and they resolved to depute some of their body to inform the prince of Orange that they had determined to adhere to his protection, and to request him to honour the city with his presence. The possession of the Tower of London had been previously secured and placed in the custody of lord Lucas.

Though all the precautions imaginable were taken to preserve the peace and safety of the city against the evil designs of papists, and dangerous tumults of others, by keeping the militia of London and Westminster continually in arms, till the arrival of the prince of Orange, yet nevertheless a considerable commotion happened: for the populace, regarding the papists as the authors of their late misfortunes and present distractions, assaulted the houses of the Spanish and Tuscan ambassadors, which were the asylums of the principal papists, and wherein they had deposited their best and most valuable effects; both of which they pillaged of every thing of value; and what they could not carry off, they burnt; among which was a very valuable library both of printed and manuscript books. But, by the succeeding parliament, the ambassadors received ample satisfaction for their several losses. From those places they hastened to the king's printing-house, where all the papers, printed and un printed, they committed to the flames.

• Brayley's London i. 475,

GENERAL INDEX.