to the throne."
"Such was the purpose, was it?" replied his companion.
"Assassination is a pitiful help, and has never yet been called in to
aid a great or good cause."
"Ay, my lord," replied his informant; "but in this instance it is a
base adjunct affixed to the general scheme of insurrection by a few
bloody-minded men, without the knowledge of thousands who would have
joined the rising, and without the knowledge, I am sure, of King
James himself."
"I really do not see," said the other, "what should have caused such
hatred against the person they aim at--the post of King of England is
no bed of roses; and a thousand, a thousand-fold happier was he, as
Stadtholder of Holland, governing a willing people and fighting the
battles of freedom throughout the world, than monarch of this great
kingdom, left without a moment's peace, by divisions and factions in
the mass of the nation, which called him to the throne, and seeing
union nowhere but in that small minority of the people who oppose his
authority, and even attempt his life. His is no happy fate."
"Sir, there are some men," replied the other, "in whom certain
humours and desires are so strong, that the gratification thereof is
worth the whole of the rest of a life's happiness, and gratified
ambition may be sufficient in this case to compensate for the
sacrifice of peace. I mean not to speak one word against the master
that you serve. He has, as you say, fought the battles of liberty for
many years: he is a brave and gallant soldier, too, as ever lived: I
doubt not he is a kind friend and a good master"
"Stay, stay," replied the other, holding up his hand "before you go
farther, let me tell you that you are under a mistake. I am the
personage of whom you speak--I am the King. When I prevented the
soldiers from killing you, Bentinek was near me. He is taller than I
am: the Dutch guards saw him before me, and shouted his name, which
led to your error."
The effect of these words upon the other can hardly be imagined. He
turned pale--he turned red; but he yielded to the first impulse both
of gratitude and respect, and without taking time to think or
hesitate, he bent his knee and kissed the King's hand.
"Rise, rise!" said William--"I ask nothing of you, sir, but to speak
to me as you would have done if I had really been Lord Portland. I
could not let you go on without explanation, for you had said all
that could be pleasant to a king's ears to hear; and you seemed about
to say those things which you m