icion that the child who
was called Prince of Wales was not really born of the Queen. For these
reasons the Prince, mindful of his near relation to the royal house, and
grateful for the affection which the English people had ever shown to
his beloved wife and to himself, had resolved, in compliance with the
request of many Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and of many other persons
of all ranks, to go over at the head of a force sufficient to repel
violence. He abjured all thought of conquest. He protested that,
while his troops remained in the island, they should be kept under the
strictest restraints of discipline, and that, as soon as the nation had
been delivered from tyranny, they should be sent back. His single object
was to have a free and legal Parliament assembled: and to the decision
of such a Parliament he solemnly pledged himself to leave all questions
both public and private.

As soon as copies of this Declaration were banded about the Hague, signs
of dissension began to appear among the English. Wildman, indefatigable
in mischief, prevailed on some of his countrymen, and, among others,
on the headstrong and volatile Mordaunt, to declare that they would
not take up arms on such grounds. The paper had been drawn up merely to
please the Cavaliers and the parsons. The injuries of the Church and the
trial of the Bishops had been put too prominently forward; and nothing
had been said of the tyrannical manner in which the Tories, before their
rupture with the court, had treated the Whigs. Wildman then brought
forward a counterproject, prepared by himself, which, if it had been
adopted, would have disgusted all the Anglican clergy and four fifths of
the landed aristocracy. The leading Whigs strongly opposed him: Russell
in particular declared that, if such an insane course were taken, there
would be an end of the coalition from which alone the nation could
expect deliverance. The dispute was at length settled by the authority
of William, who, with his usual good sense, determined that the
manifesto should stand nearly as Fagel and Burnet had framed it. [479]

While these things were passing in Holland, James had at length become
sensible of his danger. Intelligence which could not be disregarded came
pouring in from various quarters. At length a despatch from Albeville
removed all doubts. It is said that, when the King had read it, the
blood left his cheeks, and he remained some time speechless. [480] He
might, indee