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CHAPTER VI.

A. D. 1677-8.

Influence of Shaftesbury with the popular Party. He obtains an Address for a War with France from the Commons. - It is lost in the Lords.-The Popish Plot. — Lord Shaftesbury's conduct in this affair.-Remarks on Bishop Burnet's account. - Sir W. Jones's opinion upon the Evidence.- Exclusion Bill projected.-Parliament dissolved. Lord Shaftesbury's Speech at the assembling of the new Parliament.-Scheme for a new Council. - Shaftesbury made President.-Remarks upon Sir W. Jones's observations respecting Shaftesbury. LORD SHAFTESBURY's long imprisonment on so trifling an occasion, the injustice of it in the beginning, and the severity of it afterwards, con- joy on Lord vinced the nation of the enmity of the court bury's retowards him. His conduct gained for him a great accession of popularity; the visits which he received from the nobility and gentry, and the general joy that appeared on his enlargement, showed the esteem in which he was held by the public.

The progress of popery was now more clearly discerned than it had formerly been; the jealousy which the people had of the court was increased;

General

Shaftes

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ments con

peace with France.

and, therefore, their eyes and their attention were naturally turned upon Lord Shaftesbury, who had been the spirit of the opposition, and by that means had become the terror of the French and popish party. All the leaders of the country interest resolved, on his obtaining his liberty, to consult with and to take their measures again His senti- from him. He had before declared, in parliacerning, a ment, his apprehensions that a peace, which would be favourable to the views and interest of France, might be formed at that juncture; and these apprehensions were confirmed by the measures which had been taken during his confinement. An army had been raised, and forces were sending into Flanders, under the command of the Duke of Monmouth, for the preservation, as was pretended, of that country; but Lord Shaftesbury knew that the English court could not be sincere in this measure. He foresaw that these forces would raise a jealousy in the States, of their not being designed to protect them against the French, but to support the Prince of Orange in his claim to the stadtholdership, the increase of whose power was greatly dreaded by the principal persons in the republic; nor was their fear of him a little

strengthened by the alliance into which he had lately entered with King Charles.

Lord Shaftesbury was justly afraid that the States General, to secure themselves against the prince, would be prevailed upon to make a separate peace almost upon any terms; and he well knew that such a separate peace must produce a general one, by which the alliance would be dissolved, France remain in possession of her conquests, and the English court be at greater liberty to pursue its schemes in favour of popery and arbitrary power. He thought, however, that a vigorous disposition in the English parliament might confirm the Dutch, and defeat the measures which were now designed; and therefore he procured, by his friends in the house of commons, an address to the king, desiring him to declare war against France.

The design of this address was to disengage the king from the part he was acting as a mediator of the treaty carrying on at Nimeguen, and to prevail upon him to enter seriously into a war; with the real view of reducing the French monarch to such a condition as might prevent his being any longer formidable to Europe, or capable of disturbing its tranquillity.

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1677-8.

The coman address

mons vote

for a war

with

France.

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1677-8.

Debated in the house of lords.

Vindication
of Lord
Shaftes-
bury's
opposition
to the
court.

The address was carried up by Lord Russell to the lords for their concurrence; and was debated, for two days, in a committee of the whole house; during which debate Lord Shaftesbury exerted himself with his usual eloquence. The ministry exerted their whole strength to get that part of the address, which was indeed the foundation of it, omitted, and obtained a majority in their favour; so that, after some conferences between the houses, the address was lost.

Though the king had demanded, in all his speeches, supplies for a war with France, he was, in fact, extremely averse to it; and was endeavouring to procure, by his mediation, a separate peace between France and Holland, on the French king's own terms; and such a peace was afterwards effected.

It may not here be improper to make a few remarks with regard to some aspersions which have been thrown on Lord Shaftesbury's conduct. It has been said that he was of a restless and factious disposition; that he magnified too. much the errors of government, and kept the people in a continual alarm. But when it is considered that regal power hath almost universally aimed at being independent of the people; that,

when corruption has gained an influence in the senate, the liberties of a state must be in the greatest danger; and that the rescuing of a country from slavery often depends on a particular crisis; we cannot be insensible that a real patriot ought to be always upon his guard; that he should watch every step which is taken towards introducing an arbitrary government, and endeavour to stop every avenue by which it may be admitted.

Lord Shaftesbury was too well versed in the history of former ages, too well acquainted with the nature of mankind, to be ignorant of these truths, and of their peculiar application to the situation of things in England; and there were recent instances before him of other nations having been subjected to absolute authority. He was sensible that his country was in danger, in consequence of the tyrannic views of the court, the servile and degenerate temper of many of the nobility and gentry, the slavish principles of the clergy, the luxury spreading among the people, and the numbers who were daily corrupted by the church of Rome; and he well knew that it was only by rendering the danger conspicuous and glaring, that he could rouse up such a public spirit as would save the constitution from destruc

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