•WILLIAM AND MAILT.

119

intrusted to two men, who, tillBentley appeared, held the highestplace among the classical scholars of that age. Spanheim,whose knowledge of the Roman medals was unrivalled, imitated,not unsuccessfully, the noble conciseness of those ancient le-gends which he had assiduously studied; and he was assistedby Grcevius, who then filled a chair at Utrecht, and whose justreputation had drawn to that University multitudes of studentsfrom every part of Protestant Europe.* When the night came,fireworks were exhibited on the great tank which washes thewalls of the Palace of the Federation. That tank was now ashard as marble; and the Dutch boasted that nothing had everbeen seen, even on the terrace of Versailles, more brilliant thanthe effect produced by the innumerable cascades of flame whichwere reflected in the smooth mirror of ice.** The English Lordscongratulated their master on his immense popularity. “Yes,”said he; “but I am not the favourite. The shouting was nothingto what it would have been if Mary had been with me.”

A few hours after the triumphal entry, the King attended asitting of the States General. Iiis last appearance among themhad been on the day on which he embarked for England. liehad then, admist the broken words and loud weeping of thosegrave Senators, thanked them for the kindness with which theyhad watched over his childhood, trained his young mind, andsupported his authority in his riper years; and he had solemnlycommended his beloved wife to their care. He now came back

* The names of these two great scholars are associated in a very in-teresting letter of Bentley to Grievius, dated April 29. 1698. “Sciunt omnesqui me norunt, et si vitam mihi Deus O.M. prorogaverit, scient etiamposteri, ut te et tov ndvv Spanhemium, geminos hujus asvi Dioscuros,lucida Hterarum sidera, semper pnedicaverim, semper veneratus sim."

** Relation de la Voyage de Sa Majestd Britannique on llollande, 1692;London Gazette, Feb. 2. 169J; Le Triomphe Royal ou l’on voit descrits lesArcs de Triomphe, Pyramides, Tableaux et Devises ail Nombre de 65,erigez h, la llaye h rhonneur de Guillaume Trois, 1692; Lo Carnaval do laHaye, 1691. This last work is a savage pasquinade ou William.

CHAP.

XVII.

1691 .