this crime they had been discarded. In great
perturbation men began to look round for help; and soon all eyes were
fixed on one whom a rare concurrence both of personal qualities and of
fortuitous circumstances pointed out as the deliverer.

CHAPTER VII

William, Prince of Orange; his Appearance--His early Life and
Education--His Theological Opinions--His Military Qualifications--His
Love of Danger; his bad Health--Coldness of his Manners and Strength
of his Emotions; his Friendship for Bentinck--Mary, Princess of
Orange--Gilbert Burnet--He brings about a good Understanding between the
Prince and Princess--Relations between William and English Parties--His
Feelings towards England--His Feelings towards Holland and France--His
Policy consistent throughout--Treaty of Augsburg--William becomes the
Head of the English Opposition--Mordaunt proposes to William a Descent
on England--William rejects the Advice--Discontent in England after
the Fall of the Hydes--Conversions to Popery; Peterborough;
Salisbury--Wycherley; Tindal; Haines--Dryden--The Hind and
Panther--Change in the Policy of the Court towards the Puritans--Partial
Toleration granted in Scotland--Closeting--It is unsuccessful--Admiral
Herbert--Declaration of Indulgence--Feeling of the Protestant
Dissenters--Feeling of the Church of England--The Court and the
Church--Letter to a Dissenter; Conduct of the Dissenters--Some of the
Dissenters side with the Court; Care; Alsop--Rosewell; Lobb--Venn--The
Majority of the Puritans are against the Court; Baxter;
Howe,--Banyan--Kiffin--The Prince and Princess of Orange hostile to
the Declaration of Indulgence--Their Views respecting the English Roman
Catholics vindicated--Enmity of James to Burnet--Mission of Dykvelt
to England; Negotiations of Dykvelt with English
Statesmen--Danby--Nottingham--Halifax--Devonshire--Edward Russell;
Compton; Herbert--Churchill--Lady Churchill and the Princess
Anne--Dykvelt returns to the Hague with Letters from many eminent
Englishmen--Zulestein's Mission--Growing Enmity between James and
William--Influence of the Dutch Press--Correspondence of Stewart and
Fagel--Castelmaine's embassy to Rome

THE place which William Henry, Prince of Orange Nassau, occupies in the
history of England and of mankind is so great that it may be desirable
to portray with some minuteness the strong lineaments of his character.
[208]

He was now in his thirty-seventh year. But bot