WIT.LTAM AND MART.

45

CHAPTER XIY.

Twenty four hours before the war in Scotland was brought chap.to a close by the discomfiture of the Celtic army at Dunkeld, J(i89 ;"the Parliament broke up at Westminster. The Houses had Disputessate ever since January without a recess. The Commons, who Englishwere cooped up in a narrow space, had suffered severely from m ”ent!heat and discomfort; and the health of many members hadgiven way. The fruit however had not been proportioned tothe toil. The last three months of the session had been almostentirely wasted in disputes, which have left no trace in theStatute Book. The progress of salutary laws had been im-peded, sometimes by bickerings between the Whigs and theTories, and sometimes by bickerings between the Lords andthe Commons.

The Revolution had scarcely been accomplished when it ap-peared that the supporters of the Exclusion Bill had not forgot-ten what they had suffered during the ascendency of theirenemies, and were bent on obtaining both reparation andrevenge. Even before the throne was filled, the Lords ap-pointed a committee to examine into the truth of the frightfulstories which had been circulated concerning the death ofEssex. The committee, which consisted of zealous Whigs,continued its inquiries till all reasonable men were convincedthat he had fallen by his own hand, and till his wife, his bro-ther, and his most intimate friends were desirous that the in-vestigation should be carried no further.* Atonement was

* See the Lords’ Journals of Feb. 5. 168^, and of many subsequentdays; Braddon’s pamphlet, entitled the Earl of Essex’s Memory and