170

HISXOliY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XIV.

1 ( 33 .

cumstances which had cruelly galled his temper. If rumourcould be trusted, he had fancied that Mary was in love withhim, and had availed himself of an opportunity which offereditself while he was in attendance on her as Vice Chamberlain tomake some advances w'hich had justly moved her indignation.Soon after he was discarded, he was prosecuted for having, ina fit of passion, beaten one of his servants savagely within theverge of the palace. He had pleaded guilty, and had beenpardoned: but from this time he showed, on every occasion,the most rancorous personal hatred of his royal mistress, of herhusband, and of all who were favoured by either. It was knownthat the Queen frequently consulted Burnet; and Ilowe waspossessed with the belief that her severity was to be imputed toBurnet’s influence.* Now was the time to be revenged. In along and elaborate speech the spiteful Whig — for such he stillaffected to be — represented Burnet as a Tory of the worst class.“There should be a law',” he said, “making it penal for theclergy to introduce politics into their discourses. Formerlythey sought to enslave us by crying up the divine and inde-feasible right of the hereditary prince. Now they try to arriveat the same result by telling us that we are a conquered people.”It was moved that the Bishop should be impeached. To thismotion there was an unanswerable objection, which the Speakerpointed out. The Pastoral Letter had been written in 1689, andwas therefore covered by the Act of Grace which had beenpassed in 1690. Yet a member was not ashamed to say, “Nomatter: impeach him; and force him to plead the Act.” Few,however, were disposed to take a course so unworthy of a Houseof Commons. Some w r ag cried out, “Burn it; burn it;” andthis bad pun ran along the benches, and w r as received withshouts of laughter. It wasmoved that thePastoralLetter should

* Oldmixon; Narcissus Luttreli’s Diary, Nov. and Dec. 1692; Burnet,ii. 334.; Bohun’s Autobiography.