78

EISTOBT OP ENGLAND.

CHAP.

xix.

1692 .

insisted that those prayers should be drawn up in general terms,■ and that no name should be mentioned. It was in vain that theministers of the Houses of Stuart and Bourbon adjured him totake a more decided course. “ God knows,” he exclaimed onone occasion, “that I would gladly shed my blood to restorethe King of England. But what can I do ? If I stir, I am toldthat I am favouring the French, and helping them to set up anuniversal monarchy. I am not like the old Popes. Kings willnot listen to me as they listened to my predecessors. There isno religion now, nothing but wicked, worldly policy. ThePrince of Orange is master. He governs us all. He has gotsuch a hold on the Emperor and on the King of Spain thatneither of them dares to displease him. God help us! Healone can help us.” And, as the old man spoke, he beatthe table with his hand in an agony of impotent grief and in-dignation.*

To keep the German princes steady was no easy task: but itwas accomplished. Money was distributed among them, muchless indeed than they asked, but much more than they had anydecent pretence for asking. With the Elector of Saxony acomposition was made. He had, together with a strong ap-petite for subsidies, a great desire to be a member of the mostselect and illustrious orders of knighthood. It seems that,instead of the four hundred thousand rixdollars which he haddemanded, he consented to accept one hundred thousand andthe Garter.** His prime minister Schcening, the most covetous

* See the Letters from Rome among tho Nairne Papers. Those in1692 are from Lytcott; those in 1693 from Cardinal Howard; those in 1694from Bishop Ellis; those in 1695 from Lord Perth. They all tell the samestory.

** William’s correspondence with Heinsius; London Gazette, Feb. 4.1691. In a pasquinade published in 1693, and entitled “La Foire d’Aus-bourg, Ballet AU^goriquethe Elector of Saxony is introduced saying;

“Moy, je diray naivement,

Qu’une jartibre d’Angleterre