268

HISTORY OP ENGLAND,

■~%w

chap, mously approved even by the King’s ministers. Halifax in

-particular, now a Marquess and Lord Privy Seal, had, from

the very day on which the Tories had by 'his help gained theascendant, begun to turn Whig. As soon as the ExclusionBill had been thrown out, he had pressed the House of Lordsto make provision against the danger to which, in the nextreign, the liberties and religion of the nation might be ex-posed. He now saw with alarm the violence of that reactionwhich was, in no small measure, his own work. He did nottry to conceal the scorn which he felt for the servile doctrinesof the University of Oxford. He detested the French alliance.He disapproved of the long intermission of Parliaments. Heregretted the severity with which the vanquished party wastreated. He who, when the Whigs were predominant, hadventured to pronounce Stafford not guilty, ventured, whenthey were vanquished and helpless, to intercede for Bussell.At one of the last councils which Charles held a remarkablescene took place. The charter of Massachusetts had beenforfeited. A question arose how, for the future, the colonyshould be governed. The general opinion of the board wasthat the whole power, legislative as well as executive, shouldabide in the crown. Halifax took the opposite side, andargued with great energy against absolute monarchy, and infavour of representative government. It was vain, he said,to think that a population, sprung from the English stock,and animated by English feelings, would long bear to be de-prived of English institutions. Life, he exclaimed, wouldnot be worth having in a country where liberty and propertywere at the mercy of one despotic master. The Duke of Yorkwas greatly incensed by this language, and represented tohis brother the danger of retaining in office a man who ap-peared to be infected with all the worst notions of Marvell andSidney.

Some modem writers have blamed Halifax for continuing