few days before, December 25th, from the earl of Wharton, a warm member of the whig party, one of the most extraordinary letters that a subject had ever written to his king. It consists of seventeen pages, and is directed against the tories, the ministers, and particularly the earl of Nottingham. It is related as an anonymous letter in Dalrymple's Ap pendix, vol. iii. part ii. p. 95. There are indeed two copies of it among the MSS. of the Harleian Collection in the British Museum, No. 4107 and 4175, Sloane Catalogue; the latter, written on fine small letter paper with gilt leaves, signed T. Wharton, is certainly the original, and is given by Dalrymple as having been found in king William's chest. The following passages will be sufficient to give an idea of it. "I think it my duty to lay before you the des66 perate condition you are brought into by the "flatterers, knaves, and villains you have the mis"fortune to employ. You will forgive my speak ing plainly, since your own state and the nation's "require it; for if you do not without delay "wholly change your conduct, you are inevitably "lost and undone...Your army, your very guards, “last raised, much disaffected, and will help to ❝ ruin you on the first occasion. You have lost "the hearts of a great part of your people.... Your court and your council are filled and guided by "such men as most of all seek your ruin. These "sad truths need no further demonstration, they 66 are visible to the whole world.... Can those "(ministers) who contrived and wrought our "ruin, be fit instruments for our salvation, or with "what honour can you employ those against whom 66 you drew your sword? We are willing to lay "all faults at their door, if your majesty will not protect them and take all upon yourself. This is "a rock we hope you will avoid, for it has been "fatal to several kings of England. Those who "twelve months since would have poured out their "heart's blood to have served you, and sacrificed "their fortunes and all the hopes of their families for your sake, do now grudge every penny that is given for the necessary defence of your government, and repent their too forward zeal for a man "who despises his best and only true friends..... "Good God! sir, what a dishonour is this to your majesty !.... Were not they fit to be entrusted " and employed by you, who had hazarded their "whole for you? or, could you think that those "who had placed the crown upon your head were "not able to keep it there?.... Your trimming be tween parties is beneath you and your cause; 66 your whole people complain and your parliament "is discontented at it. If the parliament had not "seen these men employed, I dare affirm they "would have settled upon your majesty and the 66 ... queen the revenue for life.... They will not "trust while these men are about you.. Open "your heart to your people, tell them that you are "ready to quit whoever they dislike, and that you "will never keep any who are suspected to them. "This will regain you all the hearts you have lost ".... This will make the parliament give you all "the money you want or desire.... The propos"ing of settling a revenue by act of parliament "on the princess Anne, was fortunate for your "majesty, for thereby you saw the number of your "friends. The design was plain, to give the prin"cess a great revenue, and make her independent "upon your majesty, that she might be the head "of a party against you; this was laboured by the "tories and high churchmen, and carried for you "by the honest old whig interest; so that, sir, you "have clear demonstration which is the stronger, and we hope you will no longer delay espousing "the honester part of the nation.... Those who "made you king, and those who keep your power "from being eclipsed, desire you to lay aside the "obnoxious men about you; and, sir, we hope ¢ you will gratify us in a request that is both for 66 your honour and interest." Dryden, alluding to the whig party in his poem of Absalom and Achitophel, has given, in the fol lowing lines, the character of lord Wharton, who wrote this letter: "A man so various that he seem'd to be, With all these qualifications, however, and not. withstanding this letter, king William appointed lord Wharton ambassador to Spain in 1698, as it appears by his majesty's letter to lord Somers, dated August 15th, "Since my lord Wharton cannot at "this time leave England I must think of some "other to send ambassador to Spain." (Tindal, vol. xiv. p, 456.) Ann. 1690. The king, incessantly teased by the application of both parties, daily grew more and more disinclined to give his assent to the bill respecting the corporations. He was afraid, however, to give entirely his confidence to the tories, but at the same time he was resolved not to give any to the whigs; and imagined that the tories would be true to the queen and confide in her, though they would not in him, He therefore resolved to leave the government to the queen, and go to Ireland, to put an end to the 2 war. The parliament being informed of this resolution, an address was prepared in both houses against this voyage. The king, to prevent the address, came to the parliament, January 27th, acquainted then with his determination, and prorogued them to the 2d of April; but, on the 6th of February, it was dissolved by proclamation, and at the same time another was summoned to meet on the 20th of March. The Scottish rebels, who had retired to the island of Mull, renew their excursions, and are assisted by James, who, besides clothes, arms, and ammunition, sends to them two colonels and forty offi cers; but they are surprised and routed in Scotland, and all the places they possessed in the island of Mull are destroyed. There remained, however, many partisans to king James among the highlanders, and their numbers might have rapidly increased had he been more tractable about his prerogative, the least particle of which he firmly insisted not to abandon, as if he had been already re-established on his throne. As the leaders of those Jacobites treated separately with king James, and concealed reciprocally their negociations, they at last distrusted and hated one another with the greatest resentment. The earls of Argyle, Anandale, and Braidalbin, withdrew from their councils, and repaired to England. Montgomery, upon this, looking on the design as broken, gave some hints of the negociation to Melvil, who granted him a passport to go to London, and wrote to the queen in his favour. Anandale being informed that the whole negociation was discovered, cast himself on the queen's mercy, gave her a full and faithful account of the conspiracy, charged principally Montgomery, whom he represented as the most restless man alive, and the worst of all the conspirators, whose names he disclosed. Payne, who had been sent down to Scotland to manage matters among them, was taken there, but would confess nothing, though twice put to the torture. Montgomery lay concealed for some months in London, but when he saw that he could not have his pardon but by making a full confession, he made his escape to the continent. By the discovery of this plot king William had a clear majority in the parliament of Scotland, as many members of the opposition either absented or redeemed themselves by their compliance in all things. All the laws in favour of episcopacy were repealed, and it was declared contrary to the genius and constitution of that church and nation. All other matters were carried as lord Melvil and the presbyterians desired. A test was imposed on all persons in offices, declaring the king and queen to be their rightful and lawful sovereigns, and renouncing any manner of title pretended to be in king James. While the presbyterians thus triumphed in Scotland, the tories obtained the advantage in England, in managing the elections of the new parliament who met on the 20th of March. The king in his speech desired they would make a settlement of the revenue, or establish it for the present as a fund of credit upon which the necessary sums for the service of government might be immediately advanced; he signified his intention of sending to them an act of general indemnity, with a few exceptions; he recommended an union with Scotland, the parliament of which had appointed commissioners for that purpose. He told them that on his going to Ireland he should leave the administration in the hands of the queen, and desired they would prepare an act to confirm her authority. The commons voted a supply of 1,200,000l. of which 200,000l. to be raised by a poll, and a mil, |