Will.III. of the Exchequer, to be made a baron. He took the title of 1700. Hallifax, which was funk by the death of that marquis without iffue-male. The lord Godolphin was made firft commiffioner of the treasury; the lord Tankerville lord privyfeal, in the room of the lord Lonfdale, deceased; and Sir Charles Hedges, one of the judges of the admiralty, was appointed one of the principal fecretaries of ftate, in the room of the earl of Jersey. The Tories had continued, from the king's first acceffion to the throne, in a conftant oppofition to his interefts. Many of them were believed to be Jacobites in their hearts, and they were generally much against the toleration, and violent enemies to the Diffenters. They had been backward in every thing, that was necessary for carrying on the former war; they had oppofed taxes as much as they could, and were against all fuch as were eafily levied, and lefs fenfibly felt by the people; and were always for those that were moft grievous to the nation, hoping, that by these heavy burdens, the people would grow weary of the war and of the government. On the contrary, the Whigs by fupporting both, were become lefs acceptable to the nation. In elections their interefts was much funk; every new parliament was a new difcovery, that they were become less popular; and the others, who were always oppofing and complaining, were now cried up as patriots. In the three laft feffions, the Whigs had fhewn fuch a readiness to give the king more force, together with a management to preferve the grants in Ireland, that they were publickly charged as betrayers of their country, and as men, who were for trufting the king with an army. In fhort, they were accused of too ready a compliance with the humours and interefts of courts and favourites, and were therefore generally cenfured and decried. And now, fince they had not fucceeded to the king's mind, fome about him poffeffed him with this, that either they would not, or could not ferve him. In fome of them indeed, their principles lay against thofe things, whereas the Torics principles naturally led them to make the crown great and powerful. It was alfo faid, that the great oppofition made to every thing which the king defired, and the difficulties that had been of late put upon him, flowed chiefly from the hatred borne to thofe who were employed by him, and who had brought in their friends and creatures into the beft pofts. And they were now ftudying to recover their loft popularity, which would make them cold, if not backward, in complying with what the king might defire for the future. The Whigs alfo began to complain of the king's

con

conduct, of his minding affairs fo little, of his being fo much Will. III, out of the kingdom, and of his ill choice of favourites; and 1700. they imputed the late mifcarriages to errors in conduct, which they could neither prevent nor redrefs. The favourites, who thought of nothing but to continue in favour, and to be ftill fafe and fecure in their credit, concurred to prefs the king to take other measures, and to turn to another set of men, who would be no longer his enemies, if they had fome of the best places fhared among them. And, though this method had been almost fatal, when the king had followed it foon after his acceffion to the crown, yet there feemed to be lefs danger in trying it now, than was formerly. The nation was in full peace; and it was commonly faid, that nobody thought any more of king James, and therefore it was fit, for the king's fervice, to encourage all his people to come into his interefts, by letting them fee how foon he could forget all that was paft. These confiderations had so far prevailed with him, that, before he went out of England, he had engaged himself fecretly to them. It is true, the death, firft of the Duke of Gloucefter, and now of the king of Spain, had very much changed the face of affairs, both at home and abroad; yet the king would not break off from his engage

ments.

liament

It might have been expected, that, when fuch an unlooked- A new parę for fcene was opened, the king should have loft no time in fummoned bringing his parliament together as foon as poffible. It was Feb. 6. prorogued to the 20th of November; and the king had fent Burnet. orders from Holland to fignify his refolution for their meeting on that day. But the minifters, whom he was then bringing into his bufinefs, had other views. They thought they were not fure of a majority in parliament for their purposes, and therefore prevailed with the king to diffolve the parliament; and, after a set of sheriffs were appointed, fit for the turn, a new parliament was fummoned to meet on the 6th of February.

The man, on whofe management of the house of commons the new miniftry depended, was Mr. Robert Harley, the heir of a family, which had been hitherto the most eminent of the Prefbyterian party. His education was in that way; but he, not being confidered at the revolution, as he thought he deserved, had fet himself to oppose the court in every thing, and to find fault with the whole administration. He had the chief hand both in the reduction of the army, trufted and in the matter of the Irish grants. The high party him, though he ftill kept up an intereft among the Prefby

terians;

Will.III. terians; and he had fo particular a dexterity, that he made both the High-Church party and the Diffenters depend upon him; fo it was agreed, that he should be fpeaker.

1700.

The king of

feats the czar at Narva... Burnet,

All this while the new minifters talked of nothing but negotiations, and gave it out, that the French king was ready to give all the fecurity that could be defired, for maintaining the peace of Europe. At this time the emperor fent over to England count Wratiflaw, to fet forth his title to the Spanish monarchy, fettled on his houfe by ancient entails, often repeated, and now devolving on him by an undoubted right, fince by the renunciation made by the late queen of Spain (as was ftipulated by the treaty of the Pyrenees, and then made by her in due form) this could not be called in queftion. But the new minifters were scarce civil to the count, and would not enter into any confultations with him. But the Dutch, who were about the king, and all the foreign minifters, fpoke in another ftile. They faid, that nothing but a general union of all the powers in Europe could hinder the conjunction of the two monarchies. So, by what those who talked often with the king gave out, it came to be soon known, that the king faw the neceffity of a new war, but that he kept himself in a great referve, that he might manage his new minifters and their party, and fee if he could engage them to concur with him.

It will not be improper to close the relation of this year, Sweden de- with which the century ends, with an account of the king of Sweden's glorious campaign. He made all the hafte he could to relieve Livonia, where not only Riga was for fome months befieged by the king of Poland, but Narva was also attacked by the czar, who hoped, by taking it, to get an entrance into the Baltic the czar came in perfon against it, with an army of one hundred thoufand men: Narva was not provided for a fiege; it had a fmall garrifon, and had very poor magazines; yet the Muscovites attacked it fo feebly, that it held out beyond expectation, till the end of the year. Upon the king of Sweden's landing at Revel, the Saxons drew off from Riga, after a long fiege at a vaft charge: this being done, and Riga both opened and fupplied, that king marched next to Narva; the czar, upon his march towards him, left his army in fuch a manner, as made all people conclude, he had no mind to hazard his perfon; the king marched through ways that were thought fo impracticable, that little care had been taken to fecure them; fo he furprized the Muscovites, and broke into their camp, before they apprehended he was near them; he totally routed their army, took

many

many prifoners, with all their artillery and baggage, and so Will. III. made a glorious entry into Narva. This is the nobleft cam- 1700-1. paign that we find in any hiftory; in which a king, about eighteen years of age, led an army himself against three kings, who had confederated against him, and was fuccefsful in every one of his attempts, giving great marks both of perfonal courage and good conduct in them all.

chofen

On the 6th of February the parliament met, but was pro- Mr. Harley rogued to the 10th, when the commons were directed by Speaker. the king to chuse a speaker. Sir Thomas Littleton had been Cole, p. 303. fent for by the king, who told him, that he thought it would be for his fervice, that he fhould give way at that time to Mr. Harley's being chofen into that office: which Sir Thomas acquiefced in, and accordingly abfented himself from the house on the day of election: when Mr. Harley, being the first perfon proposed for fpeaker, and afterwards Sir Richard Onflow named by others, the former had two hundred and forty-nine votes for him, against one hundred and twenty-five in the negative. The next day, the king made the following fppeech to both houses:

My Lords and Gentlemen,

fifth parlia

ment.

Pr. H. C.

III. 127.

OUR great misfortune, in the lofs of the duke of The king's Gloucefter, has made it abfolutely neceffary, that fpeech to his "there fhould be a further provifion for the fucceflion to the "crown in the Proteftant line, after me, and the princefs. "The happiness of the nation, and the fecurity of our re"ligion, which is our chiefeft concern, seems so much to "depend upon this, that I cannot doubt but it will meet "with a general concurrence; and I earneftly recommend "it to your early and effectual confideration."

"The death of the late king of Spain, with the decla"ration of his fucceffor to that monarchy, has made fo << great an alteration in the affairs abroad, that I must de"fire you very maturely to confider their prefent ftate; and "I make no doubt, but your refolution thereupon will be 'fuch, as fhall be moft conducing to the intereft and safety "of England, the prefervation of the Proteftant religion in "general, and the peace of all Europe.

These things are of fuch weight, that I have thought "them most proper for the confideration of a new parlia"ment, to have the more immediate fenfe of the kingdom "in fo great a conjuncture.

Will. III. "I muft defire of you, Gentlemen of the houfe of com1700-1. mons, fuch fupplies, as you fhall judge neceffary for the "fervice of the current year; and I muft particularly put you "in mind of the deficiencies and public debts, occafioned "by the late war, that are yet unprovided for.

A party for France in the parlia

ment. Burnet.

"I am obliged farther to recommend to you, that you "would inspect the condition of the fleet, and confider what "repairs or augmentations may be requifite for the navy, "which is the great bulwark of the English nation, and "ought, in this conjuncture moft especially, to be put in a "good condition; and that you would alfo confider what is "proper for the better fecurity of thofe places, where the "fhips are laid up in winter.

"The regulation and improvement of our trade is of so "public a concern, that I hope it will ever have your ferious "thoughts; and, if you can find proper means of fetting the "poor at work, you wil ease yourselves of a very great bur"den, and at the fame time add so many useful hands to be "employed in our manufactures, and other public occa"fions.

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"My Lords and Gentlemen,

"I hope there will be fuch an agreement and vigour in "the refolutions you shall take upon the important matters now before you, as may make it appear we are firmly "united among ourfelves; and, in my opinion, nothing "can contribute more to our fafety at home, or for our be"ing confiderable abroad."

As foon as the parliament was opened, it appeared, that the French had a great party in it. It is certain, great fums came over this winter from France; the packet-boat came feldom without ten thousand Louis d'Ors; it often brought more. The nation was filled with them, and in fix months time a million of guineas were coined out of them. The merchants indeed faid, that the balance of trade was then fo much turned to our fide, that, whereas we ufed to carry over a million of our money in fpecie, we then fent no money to France, and had at least half that fum fent over to balance the trade. Yet this did not account for that vaft flood of French gold, that was vifible in the nation. And, upon the departure of monfieur de Tallard, the French ambaffador, whose place was fupplied by monfieur Pouflin, with the character only of fecretary, a very vifible alteration was found in the bills of exchange. For which reafon it was

con