WILLIAM AND MAKY.

103

The cry was that a bold, jolly, freehanded English gentleman, ciiap.of whom the worst that could be said was that he. liked wine ■ I6 , J0 ] -and women, was to be shot in order to gratify the spite of theDutch. What passed at the trial tended to confirm the popu-lace in this notion. Most of the witnesses against the prisonerwere Dutch officers. The Dutch rear admiral, who took onhimself the part of prosecutor, forgot himself so far as to ac-cuse the judges of partiality. When at length, on the eveningof the third day, Torrington was pronounced not guilty, manywho had recently clamoured for his blood seemed to be wellpleased with his acquittal. He returned to London free, andwith his sword by his side. As his yacht went up the Thames,every ship which he passed saluted him. He took his seat inthe House of Lords, and even ventured to present himself atcourt. But most of the peers looked coldly on him: Williamwould not see him, and ordered him to be dismissed from theservice.*

There was another subject about which no vote was passed Ammo-by either of the Houses, but about which there is reason to be- the wingslieve that some acrimonious discussion took place in both. The caermar-Whigs, though much less violent than in the preceding year, e “'could not patiently see Cacrmarthen as nearly prime minister asany English subject could be under a prince of William’s cha-racter. Though no man had taken a more prominent part inthe Revolution than the Lord President, though no man hadmore to fear from a counterrevolution, his old enemies would

„ . Nov. so.

* Burnet, il. 67, 68.; Van Cittcrs to the States General, —

Dec. f.j. 4|j« 1690 'y. An impartial Account of some remarkable Passagesin the Life of Arthur, Earl of Torrington, together with some modestRemarks on the Trial and Acquitment, 1691; Reasons for the Trial of theEarl of Torrington by Impeachment, 1690; The Parable of the Bearbaiting,

1690; The Earl of Torrington’s Speech to the House of Commons, 1710.

That Torrington was coldly received by the peers I learned from an articlein the Noticias Ordiuarias of February 6. 1691, Madrid.