TRIUMPH OF TORYISM.

3

dangerous projects, which, at a former period, elevated the mitre above the crown. The injury which it inflicted upon religion, was to secularize the clergy, and divert them from the duties of their profession; to substitute pomp and grandeur for pastoral simplicity; to obscure the virtues of humility, meekness, and self-denial; and to erect a dominion over conscience, as adverse to just views of human nature, as to the spirit of kindness and forbearance which characterized the early messengers of christianity. This perversion of religion from its genuine objects, called for the denunciation pronounced upon a similar corruption by Constantine, and found in the legend of St. Sylvester, "This day a deadly poison is infused into the church."

The queen was proclaimed upon Sunday the eighth of March, 1702, being the day that William died; and her coronation took place the 23d of the following April. In her first speech to the privy-council, she declared her resolution to adhere to the policy pursued by the late king; and the preparations for war continued unremitted. As an earnest of her policy, some of the bitterest enemies of William were now taken into favour; and "the dearer any one had been to the late king, so much the more violently was he attacked with various calumnies."* The Lords Somers and Halifax, who had been distinguished by his confidence, and not less by the eminency of their services, were early discarded from the privy-council; and within two months the whole of the Whigs were displaced, to make room for their opponents. (A) "Amongst all the queen's counsellors, the Earl of Marlborough was certainly the first in eminence as well as favour, next to the Prince of Den

Cunningham's Great Britain, i. 259.

(A) The Prince of Denmark was declared Generalissimo of all her Majesty's forces; the Privy seal was given to the Marquis of Normanby; the Earl of Nottingham and Sir Charles Hodges were appointed Secretaries of State; Lord Godolphin, Lord Treasurer; the Earl of Jersey, Lord Chamberlain; Sir Edward Seymour, Comptroller of the Household; Mr.

4

INTEMPERANCE OF CHURCHMEN.

mark, her husband; for no man could equal him at that time for reputation in war; and as the earl excelled the rest of the courtiers in good breeding, prudence, military glory, and great experience in business, so his lady, who was a woman of great beauty, high spirit, and indefatigable application to her own interest, held the first place in the queen's favour and authority. For, both of them had passed their whole life at court with so much magnificence, and been supported with such powerful interest, that no envy could now eclipse the splendour of their name and favour with the queen but I cannot deny that both of them were earnestly solicitous to make their private fortunes, as to serve the public; for they both had a greater desire of gain, than ambition of power."*

as

At the time of these political movements, various changes were made in the lieutenancy; and even the most subaltern offices were regulated according to the politics of the new court. The expectations of bigots from this new order of things, are strikingly pictured by De Foe in the following anecdote. "I knew a person of the same principles with the high-church, who, discoursing with me upon the altering the lieutenancy throughout the kingdom, was pleased to say, Now, Sir, we have an opportunity, and don't distrust our improving it a little time, and pains shall compel all to be of one religion. How can that be, added I, don't you find the Dissenters are the most numerous and the richest persons in the kingdom? "Tis no matter for that, cried he, laughing, it will not be long before all Dissenters will be out of office, and the magistracy in our hands; when that d-d liberty of conscience, added he, biting his lips, shall be snatched away, and they compelled to conform. I fancy,

Howe, Paymaster to the Guards and Garrisons; and Sir George Rooke, Admiral of the Fleet. The other departments were also filled by persons who had been active in their opposition to King William.

* Cunningham, i. 262,

DE FOE'S ACCOUNT OF THE OPENING OF THE REIGN. 5

said I, these things will not happen in my time, nor in this reign, whatever they may in the next. Assure yourself that they will, added he, and as for those who are obstinate, I hope queen Mary's bonfires will blaze again in Smithfield, that they may be all extirpated, and not a soul left. This," adds De Foe, "is a principle of a red-hot nature, yet the author of it says he's a churchman. I believe it, but 'tis that of Rome, whose doctrines are damnable and bloody."* That this pious churchman was not singular in his opinions, our subsequent pages will bear authentic evidence.

The political changes above described, had but an indifferent aspect upon the fortunes of De Foe, who regarded them, nevertheless, with as kindly a feeling as circumstances would allow. It may be remarked here, in his vindication against the scurrilous libels of the day, that in all his attacks upon the Tories and high-flyers, he carefully separates them from the crown, which he uniformly treats with deference and respect. The following passage in reference to the commencement of the queen's reign, will fully justify this remark.

"When her majesty first came to the crown, the administration of affairs was committed to a new set of men, as to the interest of parties, I mean, for some of the same persons were left in the ministry. Her majesty, like a wise princess, declared in terms as explicit as possible, her resolution of governing the kingdom with a steady and unbiassed justice, but with a strict regard to all parties as to property, and as to liberty both civil and ecclesiastical. "Tis true, her majesty expressed in her first speech a true zeal and affection for the Church of England, and in the most passionate and obliging terms, told them that they should be the men of her favour; that she would screen the Dissenters, and take them into her protection, they behaving themselves dutifully and peace

* Christianity of the high-church. Ded.

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THE QUEEN'S ZEAL FOR THE CHURCH.

ably to the government; but that the most zealous members of the Church of England should be the most trusted, honoured, and employed by her, and the like. I confess, it is very surprising, and would move any man to an unusual degree, to reflect what use some gentlemen made of words so honestly designed, so candidly spoken, and so directly pursued; and on their mistake I must be allowed to ground a great many of the unhappy methods some gentlemen took to raise new divisions, and widen old breaches in the nation: whose success in the wicked endeavour brought us to the brink of an unseen snare, and left the nation in a most dangerous crisis; which, had it not been taken in time, would have endangered the whole government, and have bid fair for a re-revolution, into Popish and French slavery.' In this passage, De Foe alludes to the precipitancy of the new ministers, who, says he, " ran themselves out of breath, till, Phaton like, they forced our English Jupiter to overturn them, to save the world from being set on fire by their headstrong fury and impolitic precipitation." In drawing the inference, that the queen meant to give up the Dissenters to the fury of the high-church party, De Foe says, "They committed one of the greatest absurdities imaginable, in that they must suppose her majesty what I have more manners than to mention; when at the same time, the Dissenters had the royal promise for protection, which they resolved not to forfeit by any undutiful behaviour whatsoever.”

In this feverish state of the public mind, the most harmless expressions would be perverted by furious men to the furtherance of their own designs. But they relied less upon any ambiguous words of the queen, than upon her known zeal for the church, and the preference she avowed for the zealots of their party. Royal zeal is always of an infectious nature, and generally productive of bad consequences in the

Review, iii. 155.

+ Ibid.

+ Ibid.

THE QUEEN'S ZEAL FOR THE CHURCH.

7

hands of those who cannot distinguish between the use and abuse of it. That the common people were misled is not at all surprising, when so many persons of education, who should have known better, were carried away by the delusion.

The sentiments of the queen in favour of the high-church party, were more distinctly avowed in her speech at the close of the parliament; in which she says, " I shall always wish that no difference of opinion among those that are equally affected to my service, may be the occasion of heats and animosities among themselves. I shall be very careful to preserve and maintain the Act of Toleration, and to set the minds of all my people at quiet. My own principles must always keep me entirely firm to the interests and religion of the Church of England, and will incline me to countenance those who have the truest zeal to support it." The meaning of these words could not be mistaken; but they were not dictated by a spirit of wisdom. Although, as an individual, the queen had an undoubted right to profess and practise the religion of her education; yet, as the supreme magistrate of a free nation, it was both impolitic and unjust, thus freely to declare herself in favour of any set of men, to the exclusion of others who were under no legal incapacity.

That the effect was not the quiet she anticipated, but rather a signal for calling into play the base passions of bigots and fanatics, we are thus instructed by De Foe. "The clergy, especially, taking hold of it, would neither give leave or time for any body, no not for the queen herself, to make any other explications than such as they, for the ends which afterwards appeared, thought fit to make. But making the queen's words speak their meaning, they began to open, and raised a most unaccountable hurricane in the nation, letting the Dissenters know that their day was come; that their reign was at an end; that now they had a Church of England queen; and the Church would re-assume her