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Lord Nithsdale escaped out of the Tower the night

rebel lords and gentlemen taken at Preston, brought through Holborn; was present at their solemn trial in Westminster Hall; heard my Lord Cowper pronounce that charming speech at their condemnation, and, at last, saw Derwentwater and Kenmure beheaded on Tower Hill." See "Monthly Repos." xvi. 195, 196.

Mr. Patten having described "the Earl of Derwentwater" as "a Papist, and a relation of the Pretender's," and as "being personally acquainted with him,” adds:

"The sweetness of his temper and disposition, in which he had few equals, had so secured him the affection of all his tenants, neighbours and dependants, that multitudes would have lived and died with him. The truth is, he was a man formed by nature to be generally beloved; for he was of so universal a beneficence, that he seemed to live for others.

"As he lived among his own people, there he spent his estate, and continually did offices of kindness and good neighbourhood to every body, as opportunity offered. He kept a house of generous hospitality and noble entertainment; and was very charitable to poor and distressed families on all occasions, whether known to him or not, and whether Papist or Protestant. His fate will be sensibly felt by a great many, who had no kindness for the cause he died in."

Such was the life devoted to an object, which had ill merited so costly a sacrifice. Nor can this character be justly suspected of undeserved panegyric, as it was drawn by a near observer, after he had become a renegado, or, as he fairly confesses, had "saved his life, by being an evidence for the crown."

Mr. Patten had, indeed, valued life so much higher than honour, as to accept it, on the degrading condition of betraying the councils and conduct of his associates, whose cause he had not discovered to be unreasonable or unjust, till it had proved to be unsuccessful. It then became a "mad, as well as

wicked

before, in women's clothes.* Colonel Oxburght and Mr. Gascoign‡ were executed a little after.§

An election of a High Steward for Westminster, in the room of the late Duke of Ormond, had been deferred, because Dean Atterbury could not bring over a sufficient number of Prebendaries to join him. At length, reckoning he was able to carry his point, a Chapter was called, and votes given, and a major vote fell on the Earl of Arran, brother to the late

wicked undertaking." See "History of the late Rebellion," pp. 61, 151.-ED.

* A cloak and hood, since called Nithsdales." Patten, i. 138. This escape was effected by the contrivance and heroism of Lady Nithsdale, whose vain attempt to propitiate the King, she thus describes in a letter to her sister :

"I threw myself at his feet, but perceiving he wanted to go off, without receiving my petition, I caught hold of the skirt of his coat. He dragged me upon my knees to the very door of the drawing-room. At last one of the blue ribbons took me round the waist, while another wrested the coat out of my hand. The petition fell down in the scuffle, and I almost fainted away through grief and disappointment." See "Monthly Repos." xii. 466, 467.-ED.

+"An Irish Papist, born to a plentiful estate. He was of a good, mild and merciful disposition, quiet in his conversation, and more of the priest in appearance, than the soldier." Patten, i. 152.-ED.

"An Irish Papist, from a good family. His grandfather was killed in the service of Charles I.; and his father at the siege of Limerick." Ibid. p. 150.-ED.

"May 14 and 15. at Tyburn. Col. Oxburgh's quarters were buried, but his head was set upon Temple-Bar." Chron. Hist. ii. 63.-ED.

Duke of Ormond, in opposition to the Duke of Newcastle, and in defiance of the Government.*

Tuesday night, March 6. There was a strange and surprising appearance observed in the sky. A pale sort of light broke out in the north-west part of our horizon, and darted toward the south-east. There were great corruscations that moved very swiftly, and an exact appearance of the dawn of day. Almost all people about London and Westminster got out to their doors, and into the streets, to make their observations; and the generality were as much affected, as at the great eclipse the April before. It began about eight in the evening, andlasted till after midnight. It is said such things are frequent in the northern parts. The common name of it is aurora borealis. Some fancied they saw in the heavens armies engaged, giants with flaming swords, fiery comets, dragons, and a great many other frightful figures. Others imagined they heard the report of fire-arms, and smelt powder. The dis

* The votes stood thus; for the Duke of Newcastle, Dr. Bradford, Dr. Lyndford, Dr. Dent, Dr. Gee, Dr. Canon, and Mr. Watson. For the Earl of Arran, Dr. South, Dr. Only, Dr. Kimberley, Mr. Evans, Mr. Sprat, and Dr. Broderick. So the Dean turned the scale, and Lord Arran, who had been chosen, (in his brother's room) Chancellor of the University of Oxford, became also High Steward of Westminster; which was reckoned a proof of the strength of the enemies of the Government.-C. + See supra, pp. 311, 312.-ED.

↑ Gassendus gives us an account of a phenomenon of this kind which he saw in Provence, in France, An. 1621.-C.

§ "It appeared, at first, like a great body of light towards

the

affected party among us, generally, interpreted this appearance to the discredit of the Government and its proceedings. Others suspended their censures; and sights of that nature have since been frequent.

The Parliament proceeded but slowly against the impeached lords; and though (as already intimated) some few of the rebels were executed, yet others were reprieved, though condemned. The common cry of the disaffected party was, that this was because the King durst not meddle with them; which was very provoking.

The great debate in the two Houses was about the continuance of the Parliament for a longer time than had of late been usual. Many speeches were made on one side and the other; but at length an Act passed, that the Parliament should continue seven years from its first sitting down, if his Majesty thought good. This, also, not a little mortified the enemies of the Government.

the north-east. After some time it spread farther and formed several columns, or pillars of light, flashing, continually, upward, as swift as lightning. This continued till near three in the morning, to the great consternation of the people." Chron. Hist. ii. 59. See Whiston's Mem. (1753) p. 240.—ED.

* This Septennial Act commenced in the Lords, April 10, being introduced by the Duke of Devonshire. After debates, much extended for that period, the question "was carried by 69 against 36; but 24 protested." See "Proceedings of the Lords," iii. 27-42.

"It was a singular modesty in the Lords," says Mr. Burgh, "to originate in their House an Act relating to the Commons.

April 26, died John, Lord Somers, Baron of Evesham, in the county of Worcester,* to which honour he was promoted in the 9th of William III. He was many years Lord High Chancellor of England, and some time President of the Council. We had not an abler Minister of State, though in the latter part of his life his parts much declined.†

Therefore Lord Guernsey moved the Commons, to throw it out of the House without reading it." See "Political Disquisitions," (1774) i. 92:

During the debates on this Bill, Mr. Snell, M.P. for Gloucester, said; "If we have a right to continue ourselves one year, one month, or day, beyond our triennial term, it will unavoidably follow, we have it in our power to make ourselves perpetual." See "Use and Abuse of Parliaments," (1744) i. 205.

"But this worthy member pleaded in vain, as did many others. The Bill passed by 264 against 121." Ibid. p. 206. Among these 264, were 186 officers of Government in various departments; besides 9 Bank, 4 South-Sea, and 2 East India Directors. See "An exact and correct List of the Members" annexed to "A Speech, April 24, 1716, by Archibald Hutcheson, Esq. 1722." The royal assent was given May 7. Chron. Hist. ii. 61-63.

Yet "when this self-prolonged Parliament came at last (1722) to be dissolved, the cities of London and Westminster, with bells, bonfires, illuminations, and every other demonstration of joy, celebrated its demise." Ibid. p. 121; Burgh, i. 92, 93. On the construction and duration of Parliaments, see "Diary of Burton," i. 403, 404; ii. 427; iii. 74, 75. 516, 517.-Ed.

"Hist. Reg." 1716, p. 221.-C.

"A friendly stroke of apoplexy destroyed that frame which had lost the mind long before." Noble's " Bíog. Hist." i. 34.

Swift,

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