Sir Edward Catholic, holding office by royal dispensation. the waterside, on their knees, as the Bishops pass'd and repass'd, to beg their blessing. Bonfires were made that night, and bells rung, which was taken very ill at Court, and an appearance of neere 60 Earls and Lords, &c. on the bench, did not a little comfort them; but indeede they were all along full of comfort and cheerfull. Note, they denied to pay the Lieut of the Tower (Hales, who us'd them very surlily) any fees, alleaging that none were due. The night was solemniz'd with bonfires, and other fireworks, &c. 2 July. The two Judges, Holloway and Powell, were displaced. John Evelyn, Diary and Correspondence (London, 1827), III, 241-246. By JOHN, DUKE OF OUGH (1650- was one of the great est of English generals, his success in 100. A Farewell Letter to the King (1688) Sir, Since Men are seldom suspected of Sincerity, when they act contrary to their Interests; and though my dutiful Behaviour to your Majesty in the worst of Times, (for which I acknowledge my poor Services much over-paid) may not be sufficient to incline You to a charitable Interpretation of my Actions; yet I hope, the great Advantage I enjoy under Your Majesty, which I can never expect in any other change of Government, may reasonably convince Your Majesty, and the World, that I am acted by a higher Principle, when I offer that violence to my Inclination and Interest, as to desert Your Majesty at a time when your Affairs seem to challenge service of the the strictest obedience from all Your Subjects, much more from one who lies under the greatest personal Obligations imaginable to Your Majesty. This Sir, could proceed from war was un broken, but he seemed incapable of loyalty. As a boy he entered the Duke of York, later James II, but he was proach the nothing but the inviolable Dictates of my CONSCIENCE, and enjoyed his unvarying and necessary concern for my RELIGION (which no good favour and Man can oppose) and with which I am instructed nothing confidence, ought to come in Competition; Heaven knows with what one of the partiality my dutiful Opinion of Your Majesty hath hitherto first to aprepresented those unhappy Designs, which inconsiderate and self-interested Men have framed against Your Majesties true Interest and the Protestant Religion. But as I can no longer join with such to give a pretence by Conquest to bring them to effect, so will I always with the hazard of my Life and Fortune (so much Your Majesty's due) endeavour to preserve Your Royal Person and Lawful Rights, with all the tender Concern and dutiful Respect that becomes, SIR, Your Majesty's most dutiful and most obliged Revolution Earl of Marlborough. he was made Subject and Servant, John Churchill. A Collection of Papers Relating to the Present Juncture of 101. A Declaration of Rebellion (1688) We the Nobility, Gentry, and Commonalty of these Northern Counties assembled together at Nottingham, for the defence of the Laws, Religion, and Properties, according to those free-born Liberties and Priviledges, descended to us from our Ancestors, as the undoubted Birth-right of the Subjects of this Kingdom of England, (not doubting but the Infringers and Invaders of our Rights will represent us to the rest of the Nation in the most malicious dress they can put upon us) do here unanimously think it our Duty to declare to the rest of our Protestant Fellow-Subjects the Grounds of our present Undertaking. U We are by innumerable Grievances made sensible, that the very Fundamentals of our Religion, Liberties, and Properties are about to be rooted out by our late Jesuitical Privy-Council, as hath been of late too apparent. 1. By the King's dispensing with all the Establish'd Laws at his pleasure. 2. By displacing all Officers out of all Offices of Trust and Advantage, and placing others in their room that are known Papists, deservedly made incapable by the Establish'd Laws of our Land. 3. By destroying the Charters of most Corporations in the Land. 4. By discouraging all persons that are not Papists, preferring such as turn to Popery. 5. By displacing all honest and conscientious Judges, unless they would, contrary to their Consciences, declare that to be Law which was meerly arbitrary. branding all Men with the name of Rebels that but offered to justify the Laws in a legal Course against the arbitrary proceedings of the King, or any of his corrupt Ministers. 7. By burthening the Nation with an Army, to maintain the violation of the Rights of the Subjects. 8. By discountenancing the Establish'd Reformed Religion. 9. By forbiding the Subjects the benefit of Petitioning, and construing them Libellers; so rendring the Laws a Nose of Wax, to serve their arbitrary Ends. And many more such like, too long here to enumerate. 6. By We being thus made sadly sensible of the Arbitrary and Tyrannical Government that is by the Influence of Jesuitical Counsels coming upon us, do unanimously declare, That not being willing to deliver our Posterity over to such a condition of Popery and Slavery, as the aforesaid Oppressions inevitably threaten; we will, to the utmost of our Power, oppose the same, by joining with the Prince of Orange (whom we hope God Almighty hath sent to rescue us from the Oppressions aforesaid) will use our utmost Endeavours for the recovery of our almost ruin'd Laws, Liberties, and Religion; and herein we hope all good Protestant Subjects will with their Lives and Fortunes be assistant to us, and not be bugbear'd with the opprobrious Terms of Rebels, by which they would fright us, to become perfect Slaves to their tyrannical Insolencies and Usurpations; for we assure ourselves, that no rational and unbyassed Person will judg it Rebellion to defend our Laws and Religion, which all our Princes have sworn at their Coronations: Which Oath, how well it hath been observed of late, we desire a Free Parliament may have the consideration of. We own it Rebellion to resist a King that governs by Law, but he was always accounted a Tyrant that made his Will the Law; and to resist such an one, we justly esteem no Rebellion, but a necessary Defence; and in this Consideration we doubt not of all honest Mens Assistance and humbly hope for, and implore the great God's Protection, that turneth the hearts of his People as pleaseth him best; it having been observed, That People can never be of one mind without his Inspiration, which hath in all Ages confirmed that Observation, Vox Populi est Vox Dei. The present restoring of Charters, and reversing the oppressing and unjust Judgment given on Magdalen Colledge Fellows, is plain, are but to still the people, like Plums to Children, by deceiving them for a while; but if they shall by this Stratagem be fooled, till this present storm that threatens the Papists, be past, assoon as they shall be resetled, the former Oppression will be put on with greater vigour: but we hope in vain is the Net spread in the sight of the Birds; For (1.) The Papists old Rule is, That Faith is not to be kept with Hereticks, as they term Protestants, tho' the Popish Religion is the greatest Heresy. And (2.) Queen Mary's so ill observing her promises to the Suffolk-men that help'd her to her throne. And above all, (3) The Popes dispensing with the breach of Oaths, Treaties, or Promises at his pleasure, when it makes for the service of Holy Church, as they term it. These, we say, are such convincing Reasons to hinder us from giving Credit to the aforesaid Mock-Shews of Redress, that we think our selves bound in Conscience to rest on no Security that shall not be approved by a freely elected Parliament, to whom under God, we refer our Cause. A Declaration of the Nobility, Gentry, and Commonalty at the Rendezvous at Nottingham, Nov. 22, 1688, A Second Collection of Papers relating to the Present Juncture of Affairs in England (London, 1688), No. 5. ANONYMOUS. At the time of the Revolution the Highland clans were generally supporters of the Stuart cause, but gradually they were forced to make terms 102. The Massacre of Glencoe (1692) Edinburgh, April. 20th. 1692. Sir, The Account you desir'd of that strange and surprizing Massacre of Glenco take as follows: Mac-jan Mac-donald, Laird of Glenco, a Branch of the Mackdonalds, one of the greatest Clans (or Tribes) in the North of Scotland, came with the most considerable Men of his Clan to Coll. Hill, Governour of Fort William at Inverlochy, some few days before the Expiring of the time for receiving the Indemnity appointed by Proclamation, which as I take it, was the First of January last, entreating he would administer unto him the Oaths which the foresaid Proclamation requir'd to be taken; that so submitting himbe accepted. self to the Government, he might have its Protection. The with the gov- last day on iam would Mac Ian Glencoe, head of a took pride in Colonel receiv'd him with all Expressions of Kindness; nevertheless shifted the administring the Oaths to him, alledging that by the Proclamation it did not belong to him, but to the Sheriffs, Bailyffs of Regalities, and Magistrates of Burghs, to administer them. Mac-jan Complaining that by this Disappointment he might be wrong'd, the Time being. |