"WILLIAM AND HAET.

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the favours of the Crown. Those Whigs who w’ere capable of chap.learning had learned much from the lesson which William had ' -given them, and had ceased to expect that he would descendfrom the rank of a King to that of a party leader. Both Whigsand Tories had, with few exceptions, been alarmed by theprospect of a French invasion and cheered by the news of thevictory of the Boyne. The Sovereign who had shed his bloodfor their nation and their religion stood at this .moment higherin public estimation than at any time since his accession. Hisspeech from the throne called forth the loud acclamations ofLords and Commons.* Thanks were unanimously voted byboth Houses to the King for his achievements in Ireland, and tothe Queen for the prudence with which she had, during hisabsence, governed England.** Thus commenced a Session dis-tinguished among the Sessions of that reign by harmony andtranquillity. No report of the debates has been preserved, un-less a long forgotten lampoon, in which some of the speechesmade on the first day are burlesqued in doggrel rhymes, maybe called a report.*** The time of the Commons appears tohave been chiefly occupied in discussing questions arising out ofthe elections of the preceding spring. The supplies necessary suppliesfor the w r ar, though large, were granted with alacrity. Thenumber of regular troops for the next year was fixed at seventythousand, of whom twelve thousand were to be horse or dra-goons. The charge of this army, the greatest that Englandhad ever maintained, amounted to about tw r o million three hun-dred thousand pounds; the charge of the navy to about eighteenhundred thousand pounds. The charge of the ordnance wasincluded in these sums, and was roughly estimated at one eighth

* Van Citters to the States General, Oct. p,. 1G90.

** Lords’ Journals, Oct. 6. 1690; Commons’ Journals, Oct. 8.

*** I am not aware that this lampoon has ever been printed. I have seenit only in two contemporary manuscripts, it is entitled The Opening of theSession, 1600.

Macaulay, History . VI.

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