THE SECOND STEP TOWARD CABINET GOVERNMENT
Temple's scheme makes no permanent change in the situation
– Origin of the Whig and Tory parties - Composition
of the Cabinet in the last days of Charles II. - Meetings
of ministers apart from the King— Cabinets of James II.
· First Cabinet of William III. - Dissensions in this
Cabinet-Hostility of Parliament to Cabinet government
- Resignation of Halifax and of Shrewsbury - The
business of government almost at a standstill - Sunder-
land suggests that Parliamentary leaders be chosen as
ministers -And that for the present the ministers be
taken entirely from the Whigs - The government of the
Junto, 1695-1698-The King still the real head of the
administration No Prime Minister - Appointments in
the hands of the King-He transacts business without
the knowledge of the Cabinet-The Partition Treaty-
The Cabinet not a sharply defined body — Unwillingness
of ministers to give advice — Principle of the solidarity of
the Cabinet not yet established - Difficulty of the minis-
ters in serving both King and Parliament - The Junto
do not resign on losing their majority in the Commons-
Better discipline maintained among the Whigs than here-
tofore-A divided ministry succeeds the Junto-William
promises to establish another Whig ministry, but dies
before it is accomplished - Attempts to exclude ministers
from the Commons by means of place bills - Attempt
to revive the Privy Council by a clause in the Act of
Settlement-Contemporary account of the Constitution
under William