46

HISTORY OP ENGLAND.

CHAP.

xxv.

1700 .

title of Earl of Atlilone, toGinkell, whose skill and valourhad brought the war in Ireland to a triumphant close.Another estate had been given, with the title of Earl ofGalway, to Ruvigny, who, in the crisis of the decisivebattle, at the very moment when Saint Ruth was wavinghis hat, and exclaiming that the English should be beatenback to Dublin, had, at the head of a gallant body ofhorse, struggled through the morass, turned the left wingof the Celtic army, and retrieved the day. But the pre-dominant faction, drunk with insolence and animosity,made no distinction between courtiers who had been en-riched by injudicious partiality and warriors who had beensparingly rewarded for great exploits achieved in defenceof the liberties and the religion of our country. Athlonewas a Dutchman: Galway was a Frenchman; and it didnot become a good Englishman to say a word in favourof either.

Yet this was not the most flagrant injustice of whichthe Commons were guilty. According to the plainest prin-ciples of common law and of common sense, no man canforfeit any rights except those which he has. All the do-nations which William had made he had made subject tothis limitation. But by this limitation the Commons weretoo angry and too rapacious to be bound. They deter-mined to vest in the trustees of the forfeited lands anestate greater than had ever belonged to the forfeitinglandholders. Thus innocent persons were violently de-prived of property which was tlieir’s by descent or by