Some AccOUNT

OF THE

REVOLUTION.

I

N the Year 1688, there was a wonderful Confternation among fome People, and an eager Expectation in All, what would be the Event of an Army's landing in Eng.

land, under the Command of a Prince fo nearly related, and nearer ally'd to the King. The pretended Cause of his coming was for Redrefs of Grievances; the real one needs not be mentioned, and will be eafily imagined.

THE Nation had been long uneasy, even in fome former Reigns, with Fears of Pope

ry

and arbitrary Power; and of late many of the Court and Council appear'd unfatisfied on that Account. Some were vex'd alfo for two other Reafons; the great Diminution of their Salaries, by the ill-timed Retrenchments of the Treasury, and their finding all the Power and Favour engross'd by a few, and those alfo the foolisheft of the Roman Party.

THIS general Dislike of the King's Management, had, like an Infection, reach'd fome of his Minifters themselves, as the Earls of Mulgrave and Middleton, never the leaft tainted with being either false or factious; yet the first of them, not only in Execution of his Office, affifted openly all the Proteftant Clergy, but abfented himself from all the Councils; and both of them, in their own Juftification, took all Occafions of deriding the ill Advices of the Papifts.

Bur a more dangerous Symptom of the future Change, was a Desertion among the Officers of his Majefty's Army, and, at last, of the Lord Churchill himself, tho' a kind of Favourite.

YET all this was nothing, in comparison of the Princess's withdrawing herself from Court by Night, without any Servants, except the Lady Churchill, and Mrs. Berkeley,

con

conducted by the Bishop of London, whose late Difgrace at Court had help'd him to a reverential fort of Popularity, which he of all the Bishops, would leaft have found otherwise.

AND because this extraordinary Defertion of one Daughter, as well as the other's fitting on a Father's Throne afterwards, muft needs feem wonderful in two fuch Princeffes, both of ftrict Devotion, and many great Virtues, Pofterity perhaps will be glad to have fome farther Account of fuch unprecedented Proceedings in Perfons of fo unblameable and illuftrious a Character.

'Tis very remarkable, that this Prince was so thoroughly unfortunate, as to be undone by his own Children, and the more, by their being bred up moft carefully and religiously, and their being endowed with all virtuous Inclinations. These being first deceived, by the indefatigable Industry of fome People, drew in a great Part of the Nation to be deceived also, by the Goodnefs of their Difpofitions, and the Nearness of their Relation to the Perfon accufed. For who could fufpect fuch Daughters of wronging their Father? It was infused into them severally by the propereft Inftruments that could be found, that their Father was

not

not only refolved to perfecute the Proteftant Religion, but to ftick at nothing in order to it; and therefore, at once to prevent his eldeft Daughter's fucceeding him, and to fecure the Throne after him to one of his own Religion, he had contrived a fuppofitious Son, who was to fucceed, and to settle that which his fuppofed Father might not live long enough to fix fufficiently. And tho' the Juftice of his Mind, and the Tenderness of his Nature, were enough to disperse all fuch Apprehenfions; yet the Zeal of Popish Religion was brought in to overbalance all other Confiderations. All this was joined with the Prince of Orange's conjugal Impositions on the most complying Wife in the World, who was at laft drawn into the difmal Neceffity of giving up either her Husband or a Father, refolved and ready (as she thought) to difinherit her. So that two worthy religious Ladies, even because they were fo, confented to dethrone a moft indulgent Father, and to fucceed him boldly, in their several Turns, before an innocent Brother then a Child.

Tantum Religio, &c.

'Tis no wonder, after this, if the King began to mistrust every body; which made

him

him on a fudden leave his Army at Salif bury, in order to confider his Condition more fecurely at London. And here I muft obferve his ill Fortune, in depending on his Army at first too much, and now at last too little. For 'tis very probable, that his Soldiers, if once blooded, would have gone on with him, and have beaten the Prince of Orange, juft as he had done before the Duke of Monmouth; the Nature of Englishmen being like that of our Game-cocks, which an Irish Footman once thought he might truft safely together, because they were match'd on one Side, but quickly found them picking out one another's Eyes. The Truth is, our Countrymen love no Cause, nor Man, fo well as Fighting, even sometimes without any Caufe at all.

IN quitting his Army thus fuddenly, the King was thought too fufpicious and precipitate: But (as unlucky Betters will lose on both Sides) he had juft before err'd as much by his Dilatoriness, as he did now by his Hafte; for when the Lord Churchill deferted him at Salisbury, he fent Orders immediately to seize all his Papers at Whitehall, before he had fecur'd either his Lady or the Princess, which was only frightening the one, and difobliging the other.

WHEN