IO.

zi Orange was embarking his Troops with extraordi. 1688.

nary Diligence, and to justifie his Undertaking to
the whole world, he publish'd a Declaration di-

vided into Six and Twenty Articles, which may Lud: be reduc'd to Three Principal Heads.

“The First contain’d an Enumeration of the Grie- The Prince “ vances of the English Nation, particularly His Maje- of Orange's tties Arrogating to himself a Dispensing Power,

his

Declarati. " advancing Papists to Civil, Ecclefiaftical and Mili-on, O.S.

Sept. 30.
tary Employments, and allowing them to sit in N. S. oct.
“the Privy-Council ; his setting up an illegal Com-
4 million for Ecclefiastical Affairs, (in which there

was one of His Majesties Ministers of State,
who made publick Profeffion of the Popish Re-
ligion, and who at the time of his first Profef.

fing it, declar'd, that for a great while before
" he had believ'd' that to be the only true Religi-

on ;) and by which not only the Bishop of % London was Suspended, but the President and Fel

lows cf Magdalen Colledge arbitrarily turn'd out
6 of their Freeholds, contrary to that express Pro-

vision in Magna Charta, That no Man shall lose
Life or Goods but by the Law of the Land; His al-
lowing Popish Monasteries and Colledges of Jea
Suits to be created ; his turning out of publick

Employments all such as would not concur with
5 His Majesty in the Repeal of the Test and Penal
“ Laws ; his invading the Priviledges, and seizing

on the Charters of moft Corporations, and pla-
cing Popish Magistrates in some of them ; his lub-
jecting the Courts of Judicature to his Arbi-

trary and Despotick Power, and putting the
“ Administration of Juftice into the hands of Pa-

pifts ; his not only Arming the Papists, in con-
tempt of the Laws, but likewise raising them up
to the greatest Military Trust, both by Sea and

Land, Strangers as well as Natives, and Irish as
6 well as English, that he might be in a Capacity

to enslave the Nation ; His putting the whole C Government of Ireland into the Hands of Pa

pifts ; his affuming an Absolute and Arbitrary 6. Power in the Kingdom of Scotland, from which " it was apparent what was to be look'd for in

Sea

« England.

1688. Secondly, His Highness alledg'd, “That those

great and infutterable Oppreilions, and the open “ Contempt of all Law, together with the ap“ prehenfions of the fad Confequences that mult “ certainly follow upon it, had made the Subjects “ to look after fuch Remedies as are allow'd of in 66 all Nations, and in the most Absolute Monar“ chies, all which had been without Effect ; His “ Majelties evil Counsellors having endeavour“ed to make all Men apprehend the loss of their “ Lives, Liberties, Honours and Estates, if they “ should go about to preserve themselves from this

Oppretlion by Petitions and Representations ;

an Inttance of which was the Profecution of the * The Lord" Seven Bishops; That a Peer * of the Realm Lovelace. was treated as a Criminal, only because he said,

That the Subjects were not bound to obey the Orders of a Popith jutice of Peace, tho' it's evident that

they being by Law render'd incapable of all “ such Truits, no regard is due to their Orders ; “ that both he and his Confort the Princess, had

endeavour'd to signifie, with Terins full of Re“ spect to the King, the just and deep Regret,

which all these Proceedings had given them, “ and declar'd what their Thoughts were, touch

ing the Repealing of the Tejts and Penal Laws; 6 but that there evil Counfellors had put such ill “ Constructions on their good Intentions, that 66 they had endeavour'd to alienate the King more " and more from them. That the last and great “ Remedy for all these Evils, was the calling of

a Parliament, which could not yet be compaft, nor could be easily brought about ; for those

Men apprehending, that a lawful Parliament " would bring then to account for all their open “ Violations of Law, and for their Conspiracies

against the Protestant Religion, and the Lives 6 and Liberties of the Subjects', they had en" deavour'd, under the specious pretence of Liberty

of Conscience, first to low Divisions between those " of the Church of England and Diffenters, with

Design to engage Protestants that are equally " concern'd to preserve themselves from Popish

Op

"

Oppression, into mutual Quarrellings, that so by 1688.
these, some Advantages might be given to them
to bring about their Deligns; and that both

in Elections of Members of Parliaments, and af.
“ terwards in the Parliament it felf; That they

had also made such Regulations as they thought " fit and necessary for securing all the Members that

were to be chosen by the Corporations, by which

Means they hop'd to avoid the Punishment they
“ had deservd, tho' it was apparent, that all Acts
“ made by Popish Magistrates were null and void
“ of themselves : So that no Parliament could be

lawful, for which the Elections and Returns
were made by Popish Magistrates, Sheriffs and
Mayors of Towns; and therefore as long as the
Magiftracy was in such Hands, it was not possi-

ble to have a Free Parliament legally callid and
“ chofen. That there were great and violent Pre-

sumptions inducing His Highness to believe, " that those evil Counsellors, in order to the gain

ing the more Time for the effecting of their ill
Deligns, had publish’d, Ihat the Queen bad brought

forth a Son; tho' there had appear'd, both during " the Queen's pretended Bignels, and in the Man

ner wherein the Birth was manag'd, fo many

juft and visible Grounds of Suspicion, that not “ only he himself, but all the good Subjects of this

Kingdom, did vehemently suspect, That the pre66 tended Prince of Wales was not born of the Queen ; " And tho' many both doubted of the Queen's Big“ ness, and of the Birth of the Child, yet there

was not any one thing done to satisfie thein, or

put an end to their Doubts. That lince his Cone “ fort the Princess, and likewise he himself, had so

great an Interest in this Matter, and such a Right

as all the World knew, to the Succession of the 46 Crown; fince all the English did in the Year 1672. 66 when Holland was, invaded with a most unjust 46 War, use their utmott Endeavours to put ani csend to that War, and that in Oppofition to 46 thofe who were then in the Government : fince " the English Nation had ever teftified a most par66 ticular Affection and Esteem, boch to His High

1688.

6 ness's deareft Confort, and to himself, he could not “excuse himself from espousing that Interest, in a “ Matter of such high Consequence, and for con“ tributing all that in him lay for the maintaining “both of the Protestant Religim, and of the Laws " and Liberries of these Kingdoms, to the doing o of which, His Highness was most earnestly Sollicited

by a great miny Lords, both Spiritual and Tempo

ral, and by many Gentlemen, and other Subjects “ of all Ranks.

“ Laitly, His Highness declared, That for the 66 foremention'd Reasons he has thought fit to go " over to England, and to carry with him a Force u futficient to defend him from the Violence of " those evil Counsellors; That his Expedition “ was intended for no other Design, but to have “ a free and lawful Parliament allembled, affoon as

it was poilible ; and that in order to this, all " the late Charters, by which the Elections of “ Burgesses were limited contrary to the ancient • Cultom, should be confider'd as Null, and of no

Force; That to this Parliament He would refer the Enquiry into the Birth of the pretended Prince of

Wales, and of all things relating thereto, and to " the Right of Succession; That he would concur in

every thing that might procure the Peace and Happiness of the Nation, under a juft and_legal

Government; That he would keep the Forces “ under his Command under all the Strictness of

Martial Discipline, and promised that he would “send back all thote Foreign Forces .afsoon as the “State of the Nation would admit of it; That

therefore he invited and required all Perfons whatsoever to come and allitt him, in order to the executing his Design, against all_such as should endeavour to oppofe him ; That he

would likewise take Care that a Parliament 6 should be call'd in Scotland, for restoring the an.

cient Conftitution of that Kingdom, and for bringing the Matters of Religion to such a Settlement, that the People might livereafre and happy; That he would also study to bring the Kingdom of Ireland to such a Stare, that the Set

of tlement there might be religiously observ'd, and 1688. “ that the Protestant and Britis Interest there might “ be secur'd; And concludes, That he would en“ deavour by all possible Means to procure such " an Eftablishment throughout all the Three King

doms, that they might all live in a happy Uni

on and Correspondence together; and that the 4. Protestant Religion, and the Peace, Honour and “ Happiness of these Nations, might be establish'd

upon la ating Foundations.

This Declaration was ready to be fent over to England, with another to the fame Purpose for Scotland, when his Highness being inforin'd that King James by granting most of the Bishops Demands, had taken Measures to render it Ineflectual, caus'd the following Addition to be made to it.

"After we had prepar'd and printed our Declara- The Prince tion, we have understood that the Subverters of Orange's “ of the Religion and Laws of these Kingdoms, Addition to

hearing of our Preparations to allift the People his Declaras 4 against them, have begun to retract some of the tion,Octobe

Arbitrary and Despotick Powers that they had “- assumed, and to vacate some of their unjust

Judgments and Decrees. The Sence of their

Guilt, and the Distrust of their Force, have " induc'd them to offer to the City of London 6 some seeming Relief from their great Opprellions,

hoping thereby to quiet the People, and to di

vert them from demanding a Re-establishment “ of their Religion and Laws under the Shelter

of our Arins. They did also give out, that we “ do intend to Conquer and Enllave the Nation ; 66 and therefore it is we have thought fit to add a few Words to our Declartion.

We are Confident that no Persons can have < such hard Thoughts of us, as to imagine we “ have any other Design in this our Undertaking,

than to procure a Settlement of the Religion, 6 and of the Liberties and Properties of the Subs "jects upon so fure a Foundation, that there may

be no Danger of the Nation's relapfing into the " like Miseries at any Time hereafter. And as che Forces we have brought along with us are

P.

utterly

CG