Evil arose during recoining the Mony that is a general loss of Credit which indeed shook the State but this likewise was Cur'd by a most seasonable and wise Remedy which the Parliament apply'd in their second Session So that at last this great undertaking of the highest Difficulty yet of absolute Necessity was happily acomplish'd In this Affair the Parliament shew'd such Wisdom such Care of the Publick such unbroken Courage and Resolution in undertaking and carrying on a Business of this Importance and encomber'd with so many and such great Obstructions that no Patriots ever merited more of their Country none having ever rescu'd it form greater and more apparent Danger By restoring our Coin they restor'd Health and Strength to a Nation under the worst Symptoms in the World They restor'd the Honour of the English confirm'd the Shaking Government and laid the Foundation of that Honourable Peace which after ensued and which we now enjoy And those worthy Gentlemen who made the greatest Figure in this Parliament and had the chief Direction of this particular Affair must be allow'd to have shown a great Capacity and a Mastery Judgment as well as a just regard to the Good of the People and therefore no Votes in their Favour no Praises and Thanks from their Country can be thought too much for those who have so well deserv'd them No part of the Roman History gives a Man a greater Image of that noble People than that which relates the Presence of Mind the unshaken Constancy and the wise Conduct which the Senate show'd after the loss of the Battel of Cannae to be uncapable of desponding even in Extremity of Affairs to wind themselves out of such intricate and pinching Straits and at last to weather Difficulties which seem'd insuperable this can't but create a great Opinion of their Wisdom and Resolution Some of his Majesties implacable Enemys finding themselves disappointed the last Year in Flanders and being impatient to wait the event of another Campaign betook themselves to the most wicked and most dishonourable means of accomplishing their Designs Upon the twenty fourth of February the King came to the House of Lords sent for the Commons and having pass'd what Acts lay ready for the Royal Assent in a gracious Speech he acquainted both Houses that he had receiv'd several concurring Informations of a Design to Assassinate him and that at the same time the Enemy was very forward in his Preparations for an Invasion of this Kingdom That he had given Orders about the Fleet and sent for such a Number of Troops as might secure the Kingdom from any Attempt that some of the Conspirators against his Person were in Custody and that care was taken for apprehending the rest 'T is not necessary to give a long Relation of this Conspiracy a short account is thus Several of the late Kings Adherents not without the Consent Encouragement and Direction of the late King and his Ministers had form'd a hellish Conspiracy against the Life of his Majesty The Conduct and Execution of this horrid Villany was comitted to Sir George Barclay who had formerly been a General Officer and was then in France an Officer in the late King's Guards This Gentleman Ruffian undertakes the barbarous Business and for the accomplishing of it departs from St. Germains about the tenth day of December for England where he arriv'd about the beginning of Ianuary Before him with him or after him about twenty more of the late King's Guards who were Embark'd in the same Bloody Design and who had all Instructions to obey the Orders of Sir George came into England where in a short time they Engag'd about as many more in the Conspiracy Several Consultations were held and several ways were propos'd where and how to Assassinate the King's Person and at last it was agreed that they should Execute their Design on a Saturday as his Majesty return'd from Richmond whither he us'd to go on that day to take the diversion of Hunting The Place agreed on was the Lane between Turnham-Green and Brentford thro' which the King was to pass after his Landing at Que-ferry and to avoid Suspicion they were to go out of Town in small Numbers to the Inns in Turnham-Green there to stay till they had notice that his Majesties Guards appear'd and then they were to Mount and in a Body to march to the Lane where some were to Attack the King's Person and the rest in the mean time were to Engage the Guards The day for Executing this horrid Deed was at hand when Mr. Pendergrass who had been newly made acquainted with the Design and seem'd to consent to it tho' indeed he only comply'd with it till he could gain the fittest Opportunity to discover it went to my Lord Portland and disclos'd to him this important Secret By whose means his Majesty's Life was preserv'd from the violence of the Conspirators and that fatal Stroke most happily prevented which must have been attended with all the terrible Calamitys that Fear it self is able to represent Both Houses of Parliament were greatly alarm'd at the news of this Barbarous Conspiracy and being satisfi'd that the welfare of the Kingdom entirely depended on the Safety of the King's Person they joyn'd in an Address to his Majesty full of Loyalty and the warmest Affection wherein they Congratulated the happy Deliverance of his Royal Person gave him thanks for imparting to them the horrid Design of Assassinating his Majesty by Papists and other disaffected Persons and of the intended Invasion from France Humbly desir'd his Majesty to take more then ordinary Care of his Person at this time assur'd him that they would stand by assist and defend his Majesty with their Lives and Fortunes against all his Enemys and that in case he should come to any violent Death which they beg'd God to prevent they would revenge the same upon all his Majesty's Enemys and their Adherents told his Majesty they would give all possible dispatch to publick Business and desir'd him to seize and secure all Persons Horses and Arms that he might think fit to apprehend On this Occasion the House of Commons for the Security of his Majesty's Person enter'd into an Association in these Words Whereas there has been a horrid and detestable Conspiracy form'd and carry'd on by the Papists and other Wicked and Traiterous Persons for Assassinating his Majesty's Royal Person in order to encourage an Invasion from France to subvert our Religion Laws and Libertys We whose Names are hereunto Subscrib'd do heartily sincerely and solemnly profess testify and declare that his present Majesty King William is Rightful and Lawful King of these Realms and we do mutually promise and engage to stand by and Assist each other to the utmost of our Power in the Support and Defence of his Majestys most scacred Person and Government against the late King James and all his Adherents and in case his Majesty come to a violent or untimely Death which God
his Honour and Interest alike concern'd us'd his utmost Efforts by Arms to re-enthrone him And notwithstanding England had hitherto with great Resolution and Alacrity born the weight of this heavy War to preserve all those Advantages that is whatever is dear to an English Freeman and a Protestant which were procur'd by their late Deliverance yet some of the wisest and clearest-sighted among those who were hearty Friends of the Government grew diffident of the Event They question'd our Ability to support our selves under so Burdensom and Expensive a War while the Enemys of our Settlement were insolently sure of over-turning it 'T is true indeed we had at the head of the Government One from whom we might expect all Things that with Reason could be hoped for from the Courage and Conduct of a Wise Prince and an Accomplish'd General One who to Protect a Nation which with so much Glory he had before delivered freely and frequently expos'd his Life as if it had been the Life of a Common Man to all the Dangers of the Sea and all the Hazards of Battle by Land and who the year before by his Reduction of the important Fortress of Namur in the sight of almost all the Power of France had struck a Damp upon our Enemys abroad and rebuk'd the Confidence of the Malecontents at home But notwithstanding the Nation might with the fullest Assurance rely upon His Majesty for every Thing that could be ask'd or expected from the greatest Prince and most watchful Father of his Country yet the People could not be without their Fears lest he should one day Fall by the hands of Saul and the Kingdom be crush'd by the disproportion'd Power of our Enemys They doubted whether the Nation tho' ever so willing would be able to grant to His Majesty the necessary Supplys for carrying on so necessary a War But besides what we had to apprehend from so formidable a Foe abroad we had a great deal to fear from our treacherous Enemys at home For tho' the Body of the Nation was infinitely pleas'd with the late Revolution and thankfully acknowledg'd the unvaluable Benefits that attended it yet a considerable number were impatient of their Deliverance and rav'd at the restitution of our Libertys and Religion Our Warlike David found his most dangerous Enemys were at home if not of his own Houshold The whole Body of the Papists were his Enemys and the Reasons of their Enmity are too obvious to mention Besides these a great number of moderate Protestants and such as were the Creatures and Dependants of the late Government and had embark'd in or wish'd well to the glorious design of enslaving and ruining their Native Country Men of Arbitrary and Tyrannical Principles fixt and setled in their hatred to the Constitution of our Government and the Libertys of the English Nation these and many others that did not find their Account and particular Interest in the present Settlement became its Enemys and by open or clandestine ways endeavour'd to streighten or subvert it These Men were very Zealous to deliver us from our Laws and Libertys and to restore us to the Privileges of our Egyptian Burdens The ungrateful Murmurers spoke of Stoning the Moses that rescu'd them and unable to bear their happy Deliverance with Threats and Violence demanded their heavy Tasks and their old Oppressors These Men according to their different Posts and Tempers in different ways assisted the Foreign Enemy All Arts and Methods tho' ever so base and unworthy which Wit quicken'd with malice could invent were employ'd to weaken the Reputation of the Government Sometimes they flew openly upon it with bitter Invectives sometimes they secretly stab'd it with malicious Suggestions and sly Insinuations They traduc'd all that were in Publick Employ and expos'd them to Contempt they worried their Names with base and groundless Calumnys attributing many of our Misfortunes not to be foreseen and therefore not to be prevented to the Treachery or Negligence of our most faithful and vigilant Ministers And 't is no wonder these fierce Creatures fasten'd so greedily on the Characters of our greatest Ministers when His Majesty himself who had merited as much as any Prince ever did of his People could not escape their disloyal Reflections They were very fond of propagating any ill Tydings or false Reports that might any way lessen the Credit of our Administration increase the Fears of the People and cool their Affection to the Government what unnatural and salvage Joy did they express when they heard of any Losses that befell the Nation which they cruelly aggravated and with no less Zeal they diminished and slighted the Advantages we at any time obtain'd They could by no means dissemble the secret Pleasures they felt when they had any fresh hopes of seeing their Country speedily undone England as before mention'd being engag'd in a War with France for the Preservation of the late happy Settlement great Supplys were absolutely necessary to enable His Majesty to sustain the Force of a Kingdom which by their own Wise Administration and the Supineness of England in the late inglorious Reigns was grown so Potent that now it requir'd a longer Sword to Resist than heretofore to Conquer it And for this reason without the least Flattery His Majesty has acquir'd more Honour by Controuling the Power of France than any of his great Predecessors did by subduing it The Parliaments therefore resolving to carry on the War with Vigour were oblig'd to lay great Taxes on the People tho' not greater than the necessity of Affairs requir'd and the War continuing so long they could not be insensible of the Burden Of this the Malecontents took the Advantage and represented in all Companys that the Government must of necessity sink under its own Weight and that our heavy Taxes by reducing us to extream Poverty would inevitably prove our Destruction They never ceas'd declaiming on this popular Subject and galling the People in this tender Part hoping to make them weary of a Government which was represented so Burdensome and at last perswade them rather to let in the Deluge than to be at the Expence of maintaining their Banks Besides these Adherents to the late King's Interest there were others who tho' great Asserters of the late Revolution and averse enough to a second yet from I know not what private disgusts personal Quarrels and Disappointments grew sowr and uneasy and to express their Resentments in all Conversation endeavour'd to bring our Administration into Contempt they were for breaking the Confederacy and against raising such large Sums of Mony for carrying on the War they were for distressing and streight'ning the Government but not for overturning it They were willing it should continue but they were for Clogging its Wheels that it might move heavily in short they were against all things that the known Enemys of the Government were against and for all things which they were for unless the overthrowing of the present Settlement
for the King's Dutys they were very well satisfy'd to take them at first indeed at a small discount but not long after at an Equality A great number of these Notes were only for five or ten Pounds which answer'd the necessitys of Commerce among the meaner People for the common Conveniencys of Life And that those who had advanc'd Mony in Loans on any Part of his Majesty's Revenue might not be oblig'd to receive it back in Notes that were under the Value of Mony to strengthen the Reputation of these Bills the Parliament authoriz'd the Lords of the Treasury to Contract with any Corporations or Numbers of Private Men and to allow them a competent Premium provided they oblig'd themselves to exchange these Notes for ready Mony when tender'd to them for that purpose which the Lords of the Treasury did accordingly By this means the Credit of the aforesaid Notes was mightily secur'd and dayly arose nearer to Par till as at this time they exceeded the Value of Mony and whereas the Trustees contracted with to exchange them for Mony were before as a Premium allow'd Ten per Cent. they have been since contented to do it for Four By this means Trade and Commerce were maintain'd and without Silver we had an Artificial Treasure Circulating thro' the Kingdom which so well answer'd the design of the Wise Projectors that by the Confession of those very Men who at first inveigh'd sharply against it it prov'd an effectual tho' a Paper Prop to support the State when its Silver Pillars were for a time remov'd We were Sailing in bad Weather and our main Mast was brought by the Board and 't is very plain that unless this Jury-Masts of Exchequer Notes had been presently made and set up in this stress of Affairs we must unavoidably have sunk and perish'd These Bills past in Payments as so many Counters which the People were satisfy'd to receive because they knew the Exchequer would receive them again as so much ready Mony These State-Counters so well supply'd the place of Mony till new Coin was issued from the Mint that Trade was preserv'd and mutual Payments well enough made to answer the Necessitys of the Goverment and the People and by this means the Parliament had the Honour to Accomplish another Work that was judg'd impossible The Parliament likewise this Session to the great satisfaction of the People took care to Remedy a Publick Grievance of long standing Several Places in and about the City of London which in Times of the Romish Superstition were allow'd as Sanctuarys to Criminals and Debtors had ever since the Reformation pretended a Privilege to protect the last and one of these was a notorious Nest of broken and desperate Men in the very heart of his Majesty's Capitol City whither they resorted in great Numbers and to the dishonour of the Government and grievance of the People defended themselves with Force and Violence against the Law and Publick Authority The Parliament took care to redress this inveterate Mischief and what was long expected from others was effected by this in an Act intituled For the more Effectual Relief of Creditors in cases of Escapes and for preventing Abuses in Prisons and pretended Privileged Places Wherein such effectual Provision was made to reduce these Garisons of Out-Laws that immediately after the Act was publish'd they abandon'd their Posts and deserted in such Numbers that their old Haunts became a Desolation and lay open to receive better Inhabitants The Summer after this Session of Parliament His Majesty being at the Head of his Army in Flanders his Enemys even after they had open'd the Campaign with the taking of Aeth thought fit to enter upon a Negotiation of Peace which was begun and carry'd on at Ryswick by the Plenipotentiarys of all the Princes and States concern'd and thro' the good Disposition of the principal Partys to so great a Work the Treaty was concluded and a Peace ratify'd the Autumn following to the accomplishing of which his Majesty's Presence in Flanders mightily contributed The management of this famous Negotiation and the favourable Terms on which it were concluded were no less to the Peoples Satisfaction than to His Majesty's Glory For the Malecontents never believ'd that it was possible for the King to make Peace upon any much less upon Terms so very Honourable and therefore they look'd on this Transaction at Ryswick as a pure Amusement either to break the Confederacy or to cover some notable Design which was not yet ripe for Execution And when at last they saw the Treaty far advanc'd they began indeed to believe that a Peace might be concluded with the rest of the Allys but they were certain England would never be included For they judg'd this so incredible a Story that they scarcely believ'd it when the Peace was publickly and solemnly Proclaim'd This important Work being thus happily effected His Majesty return'd to England where the People every where receiv'd him as they had the greatest Reason in the World to do with all the Applause and Demonstration of Joy that can be imagin'd He met his Parliament the third day of December The War being ended the House of Commons for the Ease of the People Voted the Army to be Disbanded and resolv'd to raise a Supply sufficient to pay off the Troops But at the same time when they took off so great a part of the Burden from the Country out of a due regard to our future Safety they pass'd a Vote to enable His Majesty to keep such a number of Troops on Foot and to maintain such Naval Force as in their Opinion the Security of the Government and the publick Tranquility requir'd When the House had Voted a Supply for the Disbanding the greatest part of the Army they took into Consideration the Services of the Officers and Common Men who had amidst so many Hardships Dangers and Disappointments in Nine successive Campaigns shewn so much Bravery and Fidelity in the Defence of their Country as recover'd the declining Reputation of the English Valour and preserv'd the Kingdom from the terrible Assaults of the most Potent Empire that perhaps was ever Erected in the World It was thought hard that such gallant Men to whom the Kingdom ow'd so much should be discharg'd without any Provision made for them the House of Commons therefore pass'd a Vote in their Favour That the Officers should be continued in half Pay till they should otherwise be provided for and that the Common Centinels should have a Donative at their Disbanding and for their further encouragement should be free to set up and exercise their Trades in any Town or Corporation throughout the Country This being done the Parliament took into Consideration two great Branches of our Foreign Trade which had long wanted a due Regulation and they enter'd first upon that of the Company Trading to Africa and in consideration of the necessity of keeping up Forts and Castles for the Defence of our