A COMPLETE HISTORY Of the LATE REVOLUTION FROM The first Rise of it to this present Time In Three Parts SHEWING I. The Growth of Popery in England under the Reign of the late King CHARLES By his Connivence French Intrigues c. II. Our Imminent Ruin in his Popish Successor King JAMES his Reign By his Invading of our Laws Religion and Liberties With a Particular and Impartial Narrative of the fictitious Great Belly III. Our Wonderful and Happy Deliverance by the PRINCE of ORANGE Our present King 's famous Expedition over into England With an Account of the late King James's Desertion and Abdication of Their Majesties happy Succession to the Throne of Great Britain and of Their prosperous Reign hitherto by Defeating the Jacobites dark Plots in England by Suppressing their open Rebellion in Scotland and by the Total Reduction of Ireland To Which is Added A Postscript by way of Seasonable Advice to the Jacobite Party LONDON Printed for Samuel Clement at the Lute in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1691. THE HISTORY Of the LATE REVOLUTION PART I. Shewing the Growth of Popery in England under the Reign of the late King Charles TO demonstrate the Growth of Popery in this Kingdom as the first Occasion of all our late Distractions I shall begin at the Head and come up to the Original Cause All the World knows that the Ruin of the Protestants and the Inslaving all Europe have been the two grand Designs of the Reign of Lewis XIV the first influenced by an infused blind Zeal and the last being the product of his own insatiable and boundless Ambition To the first he was prompted by those Spiritual Engineers the Jesuits who ever made it their business to set the World in a Combustion And the last he attempted to please his own Humour and gratifie his excessive Pride The Holy Cabal had resolv'd upon the Extirpation of the Protestant Heresie And such has been the effect of their Inchanting Eloquence and reputed Skill in Politicks that they are in a manner become Companions for Princes and Crowned Heads of the Roman Communion In point of Conscience they are their usual Directors and their Decisions are to them as Laws and Oracles 'T is therefore no wonder that the French King being inspirited by these Men should follow their Directions Whose Confessors being of that Order always indulged him in his Criminal Courses with Assurances of Salvation if he did but apply himself with Zeal and Fervency to so meritorious a Work as the Extinguishing the Protestant Heresie This forsooth would make him the Favourite of Heaven and an Immortal Prince on Earth Infatuated with these Delusions he struck in with the Society subscribed to their Dictates and resolved upon their Project In short he dispos'd all things to purchase Heaven with a Hellish Zeal and to improve his Fame upon Earth with the infamous Character of a Tyrant and Persecutor His Protestant Subjects to whom he owed his Elevation on the Throne he undermined during several years and by degrees weakened their Party till he thought fit at last to pull off the Mask and to fall foul upon them Abroad he had his Agents to inspire other Princes with the same Unchristian Zeal and put them upon the same Methods of Cruelty for promoting of a Religion whose Principles chiefly tend to make the Clergy Great and the Laity Slaves Hungary Bohemia Poland and Piemont not long since have felt the fury of this Spirit of Persecution And England by his means was like but few years ago to feel the same Calamity so near it was to fall a Sacrifice to the ambitious Designs of Popery and with its fall to carry the Ruin of all the Protestant Interest in Europe That the Design was laid in the Reign of King Charles is apparent by the Growth of Popery here whilst he swayed the Scepter And for this we may thank our unhappy Civil Wars in the Reign of King Charles I. when that good King being put to death by a prevailing Party and the Royal Family dispersed thereupon into Popish Countries the Princes of the Royal Blood were easily poysoned with Popish Insinuations that the only Way for their Restauration and to Reign Arbitrarily was to imbrace or at least to favour the Roman Religion Tho' I am not fully satisfyed that King Charles II. was ever actually Reconciled to the Roman Church whatever has been reported to the contrary but rather that he was too clear-sighted to think well of her Principles yet it is plain by the whole Series of his Reign that he made his Government as easy and favourable to the Roman Party as his Circumstances would allow and that he gave 'em all possible Incouragement But as he was a Prince naturally inclined to Clemency and abhorrent from Cruelty so this Proceeding of his was rather look'd upon as an Effect of his good Nature than of any Design upon the Protestant Interest of these Kingdoms If we reflect upon the Course of his Life during his Reign it seems his Aim was to please all Parties that he might injoy himself and Reign in Quietness But still he kept to an outward Profession of the Reformed Religion as by Law established and from time to time soothed up his Parliaments with solemn Protestations of his faithfulness to their Religion and Liberties Such was the Posture of Affairs in his Reign that tho' he would not himself bring in Popery downright yet he made the way smooth for it For whilst he minded his Amours more than the Government the Thieves stole in and grew upon us Who being countenanced by his Brother the Duke of York a Prince more daring and gone over to the Roman Church began now to build all their Hopes upon him The King having no Issue by the Queen and in process of time no hopes of any by her the Duke remained the Heir apparent and was consequently lookt upon as the Rising Sun On whom His Majesty too much given to Ease and Pleasure disburdened himself of the active and troublesom part of the Government which he left in a great measure to his Care Thus his R. H. had a fair Opportunity to gratifie the Roman Party and improve their Interest here whilst the King connived at iâ— And tho' â—e did not openly profess himself a Papist his forsaking at last the Church of England wherein he was bred and born and espousing so much as he did the Popish Interest sufficiently evidenced his being of that Communion The King being a Prince bigotted to no Religion but linked to the French Interest gave him a great Latitude And this was so far improv'd by the French King that in the Interview which happened at Dover Anno 1670 between our King his Brother and their Sister the Dutchess of Orleans a Treaty was there managed by the Dutchess between both Kings whereby the French King did promise King Charles to Subject his Parliament to him and to Establish the Roman Religion in his Kingdom In
the King Daclared That he did not mean by these Words that he was under any Obligation to become a Persecutor To which the Commissioners Authorized thereto by the Estates of Scotland made Answer That neither the Meaning of the Oath nor the Law of Scotland did impâ—â—â— it Then the King replied That he took the Oath in that sense and called for Witnesses the Commssioners and others present And then both Their Majesties signed the said Coâ—onation Oath After which the Commissioners and several of the Scottish Nobility kissed Their Majesties Hands Thus WILLIAM and MARY Prince and Princess of Orange were by the Grace and Providence of God for the good of these Kingdoms made King and Queen of Great Britain in Opposition to all Malecontents A Race of Men content in no Condition who in a State of Slavery are eager for Liberty and when set at Liberty are again for Slavery These are the Tools hitherto made use of by King Lewis to distract these Kingdoms under the specious Pretence of Restoring the late King James to the Throne by their dark Plotting here against the Government and their open Rebellion in Scotland Where the Duke of Gourdon Governour of Edenburg Castle held it out for King James till the 13th of June and the Lord of Dundee at the Head of an Army of Rebels was killed in a Field-fight on the 1st of August From which time the Rebels there never thrived but were glad at last to imbrace Their Majesties most Gracious Pardon The greatest Difficulty was to Reduce Ireland then in the hands of Papists fortifyed with a great Army assisted by the French King and influenced by the late King James Who look'd upon ireland as a Back-door for him to return into England with a Crucifix in one hand and a Sword in the other Ireland that had been so often Conquered by the English was now to Conquer England and the Irish did not by their Shouls consider whether it was for King James or King Lewis They were pleased with the Notion of an Infallible Conquest and before they had drawn the Sword they fell forsooth dividing the Spoil amongst themselves Incouraged by King James's Presence now come from France to Dublin about the beginning of the Year 89 nothing was to stand before them London-Derry in the North of Ireland was the only place of Note that stood out for Their Majesties The French and Irish being resolved to reduce it by Fire Sword and Famine sat before it and brought it to that extremity that good part of the Town was by French Bombs reduced into Ashes and above 5000 of the Inhabitants died for want of Provisions Yet under these dismal Circumstances the Town held out under the Conduct of that Martial Clergy-Man the Reverend Dr. Walker till it was Relieved by Major General Kirk July 31. 1689. What happened since all the World knows The famous Battle at the River Boyne fought the next Year after is an eternal Monument of King William's incomparable Valour and Conduct and of God's wonderful Providence over his Royal Person By this Battle wherein he was blessed with a glorious Victory he drove King James with full speed out of Ireland he got possession of the Capital City of Dublin besides Drogheda Wexford Waterford and other places of less note so that two parts in three of Ireland were in a manner Reduced in one Campaign Afterwards Cork and Kingsale were happily Recovered by the Earl of Marlborough And this Years Expedition under the Chief Conduct of that Valiant Fortunate Wise and Skilful General the Baron de Gâ—â—okle will be eternally famous for Compleating so Successfully the Reduction of that Kingdom by the Surrender of Ballymore the Taking of Athlone by Storm the great Victory at Aghâ—im the surrender of Galloway and Slâ—gâ— and at last that of Limerick a Place lookt upon as almâ—st Impregnable So that we see now a Kingdom which besides its own Strength has been power-fully Assisted by the French and Countenanced by the late King James intirely Reduced to their Majesties Obedience at the end of two Campaigns Which I hope may convince the most Obstinate especially after a long Chain of unaccountable and unlookt for Providences that this great Revolution is not only by the Will or Permission of Almighty God but that it is his own Work who is free to dispose of Crowns and Kingdoms to shew Mercy and Judgment upon whom he pleases And if it be so I cannot imagine how Intailed Kings good or bad can be more de Jâ—â—e Divino than our Great King William Thus we see King James II. an Unfortunate Prince who might have been a most glorious Monarch fal'n with the Loss of three Crowns a Sacrifice to Priests and Jesuits and fain to creep under the Shelter of a King who is not like to hold out long himself if he must give an Account to God and Men of the abominable Transactions of his Reign Thus is the Curse of King James I. come upon King James II which he solemnly pronounced upon any of his Posterity that should forsake the Church of England to imbrace that of Rome And yet had it been possible for him to keep within some reasonable Bounds and his Religion to himself without trampling as he did upon the Laws he might have hitherto sat upon the Throne and 't is like the Nation upon his account would have been very Indulgent to the Roman Catholick Party But he would never be advised to Moderation and no Counsellors were welcome to him but such as prompted him to Violence The Issue whereof proved accordingly All Covet all Lose And 't is observable that as great as King James was with King Lewis yet the Court of France was allowed openly to declare his Errors to the World and passed this Verdict upon him That his whole Conduct had been very little Judicious The Emperor on the other side could not forbear in his Letter to him dated April 9. 1689. amongst his tender condoling Expressions to remind him of some of his false Politicks I am heartily sorry for his Fate but it is better so than to see three Kingdoms perish I remember one of his Expressions at his first coming to the Crown that he would carry the Glory of England beyond all his Predecessors which he has made good in some sense For by his Iâ—legal and Arbitrary Methods he has given us an Opportunity after some Years of tiresom Passive Obedience of shâ—wing to the World how loth we are to part with our Laws Religion and Liberties and impatient of that uneasy double Yoak which other Nations groan under Therefore far from deserving the Censure of Mankind we are applauded for it all the World over by all disinterested sensible and rational Men. And after two weak esseminate and inglorious Reigns which had sunk the Reâ—â—tation and Honour of this Nation and made us all over Europe an Object of Scorn and Contempt we have by this way of Reprisal recovered our Credit and
all that is in my power to advance the Welfare of the Glory of the Nation Whereupon the Prince and Princess of Orange were that very Day being the 13th of February 1688 9. Proclaimed at White-Hall and in the City King and Queen of England France and Ireland by the Name of WILLIAM and MARY each Proclamation being Ecchoed with Universal Acclamations of Joy by the Multitudes of People which crowded the Streets Windows and Balconies and the Streets lined all the Way from Temple-Bar to the Royal-Exchange with four Regiments of the City Militia The Night was concluded with Bonfires Ringing of Bells and all other Expressions of Duty and Affection to Their Majesties KING WILLIAM and QVEEN MARY with hearty Wishes for Their long and happy Reign April 11th Being appointed for their Coronation Their Majesties were accordingly Crowned that Day at Westminster with great Pomp and Solemnity by the Lord Bishop of London and the Day kept with great Ceremony in most of the chief Towns of England The Coronation Oath was tendred by the Bishop to the King and Queen in these several Articles Their Majesties giving a distinct Answer to each of them Bishop Will you solemnly Premise and Swear to Govern the People of this Kingdom of England and the Dominions thereto belonging according to the Statutes agreed on in Parliament and the Laws and Customs of the same King and Queen I solemnly promise so to do Bishop Will you to your power cause Law and Justice in Mercy to be executed in all Your Judgments King and Queen I will Bishop Will You to the utmost of your power Maintain the Laws of God the true Profession of the Gospel and the Protestant Reformed Religion established by Law And will you Preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of this Realm and to the Churches committed to their Charge all such Rights and Priviledges as by Law do or shall appertain unto them or any of them King and Queen All this I promise to do After this the King and Queen laying his and her Hand upon the Holy Gospels said The Things which I have here before Promised I will Perform and Keep So help me God Then the King and Queen kissed the Book In Scotland the same Course was taken for Settling the Government there by a Convention which met at Edenburg upon the 14th of March according to the Direction of the Prince of Orange now King and the Advice of several Lords and Gentlemen of Stotland then at London Which Convention voted also King James by his Misgovernment to have forfeited the Right to the Crown and the Throne to be Vacant For the filling up whereof they conferred the Crown upon WILLIAM and MARY King and Queen of England c. and fetled the Succession in the same manner as our Convention had done with a new Oath of Allegiance to Their Majesties Accordingly on the 11th of April 1689. being their Coronation-day at Westminster Their Majesties were proclaimed at Edenburg King and Queen of Scotland The 1â—th of May next ensuing being the Day appointed for the publick Reception of the Commissioners sent up by the Estates of Scotland viz. the Earl of Argyle Sir James Montgomery and Sir John Dalrymple to Offer the Crown of that Kingdom to their Majesties and tender unto Them the Scottish Coronation Oath they accordingly met at the Council Chamber at Three a Clock in the Afternoon and were from thence conducted by Sir Charles Cotterel Master of the Ceremonies to the Banqueting-House being attended by most of the Nobility and Gentry of that Kingdom then residing here The King and Queen went thither attended by many Persons of Quality the Sword being carried before them by the Lord Cardrosse And Their Majesties being placed on the Throne under a rich Canopy the Commissioners first presented a Letter from the Estates to the King then the Instrument of Government after that a Paper containing the Grievances to be Redressed and lastly an Address to his Majesty for turning the Meeting of the said Estates into a Parliament All which being Signed by his Grace the Duke of Hamilton as President of the Meeting and Read to Their Majesties the King returned to the Commissioners the following Answer When I Ingaged in this Vndertaking I had particular Regard and Consideration for Scotland and therefore I did omit a Declaration in relation to That as well as to This Kingdom which I intend to make good and effectual to them I take it very kindly that Scotland has expressed so much Confidence in and Affection to Me. They shall find Me willing to assist Them in every Thing that concerns the Weal and Interest of that Kingdom by making what Laws shall be necessary for the Security of their Religion Property and Liberty and to ease them of what may be justly Grievous to them This done the Coronation Oath was tendered to Their Majesties which the Earl of Argile spoke word by word distinctly and the King and Queen repeated it after him holding their right Hands up after the manner of taking Oaths in Scotland The Oath was thus We William and Mary King and Queen of Scotland faithfully Promise and Swear by this our solemn Oath in presence of the Eternal God That during the whole Course of our Life we will serve the same Eternal God to the uttermost of our Power according as he has requited in his most Holy Word revealed and contained in the New and Old Testament and according to the same Word shall Maintain the true Religion of Christ Jesus the Preaching of his Holy Word and the due and right Ministration of the Sacraments now Received and Preached within the Realm of Scotland and shall Abolish and Gainstand all false Religion contrary to the same and shall Rule the People committed to our Charge according to the Will und Command of God revealed in his aforesaid Word and according to the laudable Laws and Constitutions received in this Realm no ways repâ—gnant to the said Word of the Eternal God and shall procure to the utmost of our Power to the Kirk of God and whole Christian People true and perfect Peace in all time coming That we shall preserve and keep inviolated the Rights and Rents with all â—â—â—st Priviledges of the Crown of Scotland neither shall We Transfer nor Alienate the same That We shall forbid and repress in all Estates and Degrees Reis Oppression and alâ— kind of iâ—â—rong and We shall command and procure that Justice and Equity in all Judgments be keeped to all Persons without exception as the Lord and Father of Mercies shall be merciful to us That We shall be careful to Root out all Hereticks and Enemies to the true Worship of God that shall be Convilled by the true Kirk of God of the aforesaid Crimes out of Our Lands and Empire of Scotland And We saithfully Affirm the Things above-written by Our Solemn Oath But at the Repeating that Clause in thâ— Oath which relates to the Rooting out of Hereticks