■WILLIAM ALT) MAEY.

71

began to draw close together, intrigued at every petty German ciup.court, and tried to form what William called a Third Party in ^ -Europe. The King of Sweden, who, as Duke of Pomerania,was bound to send three thousand men for the defence of theEmpire , sent, instead of them, his advice that the allies wouldmake peace on the best terms which they could get.* The Kingof Denmark seized a great number of Dutch merchantships, andcollected in Holstein an army which caused no small uneasinessto his neighbours. “I fear,” William wrote, in an hour ofdeep dejection, to TIeinsius, “I fear that the object of thisThird Party is a peace which will bring in its train the slavery ofEurope. The day will come when Sweden and her confederateswill know too late how great an error they have committed.

They are farther, no doubt, than we from the danger; andtherefore it is that they are thus bent on working our ruin andtheir own. That France will now consent to reasonable termsis not to be expected; and it were better to fall sword in handthan to submit to whatever she may dictate.”**

While the King was thus disquieted by the conduct of the ThoPopo.Northern pow'ers, ominous signs began to appear in a verydifferent quarter. It had, from the first, been no easy matterto induce sovereigns who hated, and who, in their own domi-nions, persecuted, the Protestant religion, to countenance therevolution which had saved that religion from a great peril. Buthappily the example and the authority of the Vatican had over-come then - scruples. Innocent the Eleventh and Alexander theEighth had regarded William with ill concealed partiality. Hewas not indeed their friend; but he was their enemy’s enemy;and James had been, and, if restored, must again be, theirenemy’s vassal. To the heretic nephew therefore they gave

* The Swedes came, it is true, but not till the campaign was over.

London Gazette, Sept. 10. 1691.

** William to Heinsius, March 1692.