344

HISTOKY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XX.

J694.

the offer. The excitement of an interview, he said, would betoo much for both sisters. If a favourable turn took place, HerIloyal Highness should be most welcome to Kensington. A fewhours later all was over. *

The public sorrow was great and general. For Mary’s blame-less life, her large charities and her winning manners had con-quered the hearts of her people. "When the Commons next metthey sate for a time in profound silence. At length it was movedand resolved that an Address of Condolence should be pre-sented to the King; and then the House broke up without pro-ceeding to other business. The Dutch envoy informed the StatesGeneral that many of the members had handkerchiefs at theireyes. ' The number of sad faces in the street struck every ob-server. The mourning was more general than even the mourn-ing for Charles the Second had been. On the Sunday whichfollowed the Queen’s death her virtues were celebrated in al-most every parish church of the Capital, and in almost everygreat meeting of nonconformists.**

The most estimable Jacobites respected the sorrow of Wil-liam and the memory of Mary. But to the fiercer zealots of theparty neither the house of mourning nor the grave was sacred.At Bristol the adherents of Sir John Knight rang the bells as iffor a victory.*** It has often been repeated, and is not at allimprobable, that a nonjuring divine, in the midst of the generallamentation, preached on the text, “Go: see now this cursed

* Burnet, ii. 136. 138.; Narcissus Luttrell’s Diary; Van CittersDec. 2P. ... _ I)cc. 25. Dec 28. , , , , _

--— 16Df: L’Hermitage, ~r - - -— Jan. -i 1 ,.; Vernon to Loru Lex-

Jan. /. a Jan. 4. Jan. i. 11

ington, Dec. 21. 25. 28., Jan. 1.; Tcnison's Funeral Sermon.

** Evelyn’s Diary; Narcissus Luttrell’s Diary; Commons’ Journals,Dec. 28. 1694; Shrewsbury to Lexington, of the same date; Van Citters ofthe same date; L’Hermitage, Jan. 1605. Among the sermons on Mary’sdeath, that of Sherlock, preached in the Temple Church, and those ofHowe and Bates, preached to great Presbyterian congregations, deservenotice.

*** Narcissus Luttrell’s Diary.