vantage to the new Minifters, and tend more to promote the stability of their power, than if they should go-on to encourage religious animofity, and to excite apprehenfion in the publick mind for the fafety of the Ecclefiaftical establishment. By raifing a cry of No Popery, they might gain the affiftance of a wild and fanatical mob, but would excite the difguft and reprobation of every honeft and fenfible man in the Kingdom. Lord Selkirk proceeded to ftate, that those who, in the present circumstances, do not approve of the avowed principles, or former conduct, of the newly-appointed Minifters, are by no means reduced to the alternative of joining with the determined partifans of the late Ministers in a fyftematick oppofition: that there is an intermediate line of conduct more honourable, more conftitutional, better in every respect,—that of giving an independent, but qualified, fupport to Government, fo long only as their measures are reconcileable with the main and effential objects of national fafety.—In times like the present, a systematick oppofition maintained by fo powerful a party, muft tend to embarrass the operations of Government, and to waste, in the struggle for power, that strength which ought to be directed against the common Enemy. Such proceedings may be fit for those, whose Interefts are involved in the re-eftablishment of any particular Individual at the head of Adminiftration: but those who are fenfible of the imminent danger of our situation, and whose primary object is that national fafety, in which our all is involved, will not be inclined to join the violent partifans of either fide of the Houfe. If a few perfons of acknowledged character would unite in an independent line of conduct, they muft gain the confidence of the peo ple; ple; though their numbers might at first be fmall, every thing they might fay would carry weight, and even a small phalanx of fuch men might be able to reprefs ebullitions of a factious fpirit, whether it fhould appear on the one fide of the Houfe or on the other. A SHORT VIEW OF THE GROUNDS AND PRINCIPLES THE following tract was published in the year 1807, as a Preface to a third edition of the celebrated Debates in the House of Commons in the month of October in the year 1680, on the Bill for excluding James Duke of York, the brother of the then reigning king, Charles the 2d, from the fucceffion to the Crown, upon the ground of his being a Papist, and likely, from the intolerant principles of the Popish religion, and his known zeal for its propagation, to make ufe of his power, when king, to re-establish that religion in England. And the preface fets-forth the conformity of his conduct four years after, when he had fucceeded peaceably to the crown, (and was poffeffed of the full power, and more than the full power, juftly belonging to it), to the apprehenfions entertained of his designs by the eminent Proteftant patriots, Sir Henry Capel, Sir William Jones, and others, who took the lead in those debates; that power having been employed by him throughout his whole reign in the boldest and fiercest attempts to introduce the Popish religion into England, and to deftroy all the civil liberties of the nation. At last, by his violent measures he forced even the moft zealous fupporters of Monarchy in the kingdom, (who had, ever fince the restoration in 1660, been preaching-up the doctrines of paffive obedience and non-refiftance), to fufpend, fufpend, for a time at least, their high principles of loyalty, and to wish to fee some stop put to the career of his tyranny. This general fentiment brought-on an invitation from fome few courageous noblemen and gentlemen to the Prince of Orange, to come-over to England to their affiftance with a small army;-not to conquer England, but to deliver it from arbitrary power, by obliging king James to call a free parliament to revive and confirm the extinguished laws and liberties of the nation, and the tottering Establishment of the Proteftant religion. And the Prince of Orange complied with this invitation, and was received by the greatest part of the nation with great joy and gratitude, and confidered as their Saviour and Deliverer. And, after some time, a meeting of the two houfes of Parliament was obtained; but in an irregular manner and without the concurrence of king James: he being unwilling to authorize their meeting, and to confent to thofe acts of parliament which he knew they would foon propose to him for the preservation of the Protestant religion and the civil rights and liberties of the people. But no thoughts were entertained by either House of Parliament of proceeding against him as a criminal, for his mifgovernment, nor even of depofing him, but only of requiring him to confent to fuch new regulations as fhould be thought neceffary to prevent him from renewing his late attempts to destroy the Religion and Liberties of the Country. But this he would not fubmit to, and rather than do fo, chose to retire into France and put himfelf under the protection of king Lewis the 14th, the notorious Perfecutor of his own Proteftant fubjects, and unjust Invader of Holland and the other states in the neighbourhood of France, and general Disturber of the peace of Europe. This refolution 2H 3 refolution of abandoning England and retiring into France king James attempted twice to execute, and the fecond time with fuccefs. And then the two houses of Parliament, confidering this abandonment of his country at this critical time as a decifive proof that he was determined not to confent to refume the government of the kingdom upon the terms of his coronationoath, or fo as to be bound to govern it according to the Laws and Statutes of the kingdom, (upon which terms alone he had any right to govern it), did, after much deliberation and great debates on the fubje&t, declare that he had thereby abdicated, or relinquifbed, the government, and that the throne was confequently vacant. And then, after further debates, they proceeded to fill that vacant place by electing their great Affiftant and Protector in this arduous bufinefs, William, Prince of Orange, (who was the nephew of king James, and grandfon to king Charles the 1ft, and likewise husband to the Princefs Mary, king James's eldest daughter), and the Princefs Mary his wife, to be jointly King and Queen of England, in his ftead. And from the long debates on these two refolutions, and the fmall majorities of only two or three votes, by which they were carried, it seems next to certain that, if king James had chofen to continue in England and to confent to fuch new regulations as the parliament would have thought fufficient for the fecurity of the Proteftant religion and the civil rights and liberties of the nation against any future attempts of the Crown to overturn them, he would have been permitted to continue on the Throne. It was therefore king James's Obftinacy alone, and not the Ambition of the Prince of Orange, (as his enemies have often pretended), that broughtabout the change of the Sovereign of England on this occafion, |