The History of England, from the Accession of James II Volume I Part 25

[Footnote 18: I am happy to say, that, since this pa.s.sage was written, the territories both of the Rajah of Nagpore and of the King of Oude have been added to the British dominions. (1857.)]

[Footnote 19: The most sensible thing said in the House of Commons, on this subject, came from Sir William Coventry: "Our ancestors never did draw a line to circ.u.mscribe prerogative and liberty."]

[Footnote 20: Halifax was undoubtedly the real author of the Character of a Trimmer, which, for a time, went under the name of his kinsman, Sir William Coventry.]

[Footnote 21: North's Examen, 231, 574.]

[Footnote 22: A peer who was present has described the effect of Halifax's oratory in words which I will quote, because, though they have been long in print, they are probably known to few even of the most curious and diligent readers of history. "Of powerful eloquence and great parts were the Duke's enemies who did a.s.sert the Bill; but a n.o.ble Lord appeared against it who, that day, in all the force of speech, in reason, in arguments of what could concern the public or the private interests of men, in honour, in conscience, in estate, did outdo himself and every other man; and in fine his conduct and his parts were both victorious, and by him all the wit and malice of that party was overthrown." This pa.s.sage is taken from a memoir of Henry Earl of Peterborough, in a volume ent.i.tled "Succinct Genealogies, by Robert Halstead," fol. 1685. The name of Halstead is fict.i.tious. The real authors were the Earl of Peterborough himself and his chaplain. The book is extremely rare. Only twenty-four copies were printed, two of which are now in the British Museum. Of these two one belonged to George the Fourth, and the other to Mr. Grenville.]

[Footnote 23: This is mentioned in the curious work ent.i.tled "Ragguaglio della solenne Comparsa fatta in Roma gli otto di Gennaio, 1687, dall'

ill.u.s.trissimo et eccellentissimo signor Conte di Castlemaine."]

[Footnote 24: North's Examen, 69.]

[Footnote 25: Lord Preston, who was envoy at Paris, wrote thence to Halifax as follows: "I find that your Lordship lies still under the same misfortune of being no favourite to this court; and Monsieur Barillon dare not do you the honor to shine upon you, since his master frowneth.

They know very well your lordship's qualifications which make them fear and consequently hate you; and be a.s.sured, my lord, if all their strength can send you to Rufford, it shall be employed for that end. Two things, I hear, they particularly object against you, your secrecy, and your being incapable of being corrupted. Against these two things I know they have declared." The date of the letter is October 5, N. S. 1683]

[Footnote 26: During the interval which has elapsed since this chapter was written, England has continued to advance rapidly in material prosperity, I have left my text nearly as it originally stood; but I have added a few notes which may enable the reader to form some notion of the progress which has been made during the last nine years; and, in general, I would desire him to remember that there is scarcely a district which is not more populous, or a source of wealth which is not more productive, at present than in 1848. (1857.)]

[Footnote 27: Observations on the Bills of Mortality, by Captain John Graunt (Sir William Petty), chap. xi.]

[Footnote 28:

"She doth comprehend Full fifteen hundred thousand which do spend Their days within."

--Great Britain's Beauty, 1671.]

[Footnote 29: Isaac Vossius, De Magnitudine Urbium Sinarum, 1685.

Vossius, as we learn from Saint Evremond, talked on this subject oftener and longer than fashionable circles cared to listen.]

[Footnote 30: King's Natural and Political Observations, 1696 This valuable treatise, which ought to be read as the author wrote it, and not as garbled by Davenant, will be found in some editions of Chalmers's Estimate.]

[Footnote 31: Dalrymple's Appendix to Part II. Book I, The practice of reckoning the population by sects was long fashionable. Gulliver says of the King of Brobdignag; "He laughed at my odd arithmetic, as he was pleased to call it, in reckoning the numbers of our people by a computation drawn from the several sects among us in religion and politics."]

[Footnote 32: Preface to the Population Returns of 1831.]

[Footnote 33: Statutes 14 Car. II. c. 22.; 18 & 19 Car. II. c. 3., 29 & 30 Car. II. c. 2.]

[Footnote 34: Nicholson and Bourne, Discourse on the Ancient State of the Border, 1777.]

[Footnote 35: Gray's Journal of a Tour in the Lakes, Oct. 3, 1769.]

[Footnote 36: North's Life of Guildford; Hutchinson's History of c.u.mberland, Parish of Brampton.]

[Footnote 37: See Sir Walter Scott's Journal, Oct. 7, 1827, in his Life by Mr. Lockhart.]

[Footnote 38: Dalrymple, Appendix to Part II. Book I. The returns of the hearth money lead to nearly the same conclusion. The hearths in the province of York were not a sixth of the hearths of England.]

[Footnote 39: I do not, of course, pretend to strict accuracy here; but I believe that whoever will take the trouble to compare the last returns of hearth money in the reign of William the Third with the census of 1841, will come to a conclusion not very different from mine.]

[Footnote 40: There are in the Pepysian Library some ballads of that age on the chimney money. I will give a specimen or two:

"The good old dames whenever they the chimney man espied, Unto their nooks they haste away, their pots and pipkins hide.

There is not one old dame in ten, and search the nation through, But, if you talk of chimney men, will spare a curse or two."

Again:

"Like plundering soldiers they'd enter the door, And make a distress on the goods of the poor.

While frighted poor children distractedly cried; This nothing abated their insolent pride."

In the British Museum there are doggrel verses composed on the same subject and in the same spirit:

"Or, if through poverty it be not paid For cruelty to tear away the single bed, On which the poor man rests his weary head, At once deprives him of his rest and bread."

I take this opportunity the first which occurs, of acknowledging most grateful the kind and liberal manner in which the Master and Vicemaster of Magdalei College, Cambridge, gave me access to the valuable collections of Pepys.]

[Footnote 41: My chief authorities for this financial statement will be found in the Commons' Journal, March 1, and March 20, 1688-9.]

[Footnote 42: See, for example, the picture of the mound at Marlborough, in Stukeley's Dinerarium Curiosum.]

[Footnote 43: Chamberlayne's State of England, 1684.]

[Footnote 44: 13 and 14 Car. II. c. 3; 15 Car. II. c. 4. Chamberlayne's State of England, 1684.]

[Footnote 45: Dryden, in his Cymon and Iphigenia, expressed, with his usual keenness and energy, the sentiments which had been fashionable among the sycophants of James the Second:--

"The country rings around with loud alarms, And raw in fields the rude militia swarms; Mouths without hands, maintained at vast expense, Stout once a month they march, a bl.u.s.tering band, And ever, but in time of need at hand.

This was the morn when, issuing on the guard, Drawn up in rank and file, they stood prepared Of seeming arms to make a short essay.

Then hasten to be drunk, the business of the day."]

[Footnote 46: Most of the materials which I have used for this account of the regular army will be found in the Historical Records of Regiments, published by command of King William the Fourth, and under the direction of the Adjutant General. See also Chamberlayne's State of England, 1684; Abridgment of the English Military Discipline, printed by especial command, 1688; Exercise of Foot, by their Majesties' command, 1690.]

[Footnote 47: I refer to a despatch of Bonrepaux to Seignelay, dated Feb. 8/18. 1686. It was transcribed for Mr. Fox from the French archives, during the peace of Amiens, and, with the other materials brought together by that great man, was entrusted to me by the kindness of the late Lady Holland, and of the present Lord Holland. I ought to add that, even in the midst of the troubles which have lately agitated Paris, I found no difficulty in obtaining, from the liberality of the functionaries there, extracts supplying some chasms in Mr. Fox's collection. (1848.)]

[Footnote 48: My information respecting the condition of the navy, at this time, is chiefly derived from Pepys. His report, presented to Charles the Second in May, 1684, has never, I believe, been printed. The ma.n.u.script is at Magdalene College Cambridge. At Magdalene College is also a valuable ma.n.u.script containing a detailed account of the maritime establishments of the country in December 1684. Pepys's "Memoirs relating to the State of the Royal Navy for Ten Years determined December, 1688," and his diary and correspondence during his mission to Tangier, are in print. I have made large use of them. See also Sheffield's Memoirs, Teonge's Diary, Aubrey's Life of Monk, the Life of Sir Cloudesley Shovel, 1708, Commons' Journals, March 1 and March 20.

1688-9.]

[Footnote 49: Chamberlayne's State of England, 1684; Commons' Journals, March 1, and March 20, 1688-9. In 1833, it was determined, after full enquiry, that a hundred and seventy thousand barrels of gunpowder should constantly be kept in store.]

[Footnote 50: It appears from the records of the Admiralty, that Flag officers were allowed half pay in 1668, Captains of first and second rates not till 1674.]

[Footnote 51: Warrant in the War Office Records; dated March 26, 1678.]

[Footnote 52: Evelyn's Diary. Jan. 27, 1682. I have seen a privy seal, dated May 17. 1683, which confirms Evelyn's testimony.]

[Footnote 53: James the Second sent Envoys to Spain, Sweden, and Denmark; yet in his reign the diplomatic expenditure was little more than 30,000. a year. See the Commons' Journals, March 20, 1688-9.

Chamberlayne's State of England, 1684.]

[Footnote 54: Carte's Life of Ormond.]