JAMES THE SECOND.

23

of contempt the dauntless Stadtholder replied by a freshdefiance. William took his title, a title -which the events -of the preceding century had made one of the most illustriousin Europe, from a city which lies on the banks of the Rhonenot far from Avignon, and which, like Avignon, thoughinclosed on every side by the French territory, was properlya fief not of the French but of the Imperial Crown. Lewis,with that ostentatious contempt of public law which wascharacteristic of him, occupied Orange, dismantled the for-tifications, and confiscated the revenues. William declaredaloud at his table before many persons that he would make themost Christian King repent the outrage, and, when questionedabout these words by the Count of Avaux, positively refusedeither to retract them or to explain them away. The quarrelwas carried so far that the French minister could not ventureto present himself at the drawing room of the Princess for fearof receiving some affront. *

The feeling with which William regarded France explainsthe whole of his policy towards England. His public spiritwas an European public spirit. The chief object of his carewas not our island, not even his native Holland, but the greatcommunity of nations threatened with subjugation by one toopowerful member. Those who commit the error of consider-ing him as an English statesman must necessarily see hiswhole life in a false light, and will be unable to discover anyprinciple, good or bad, Whig or Tory, to which his mostimportant acts can be referred. But, when we consider himas a man whose especial task was to join a crowd of feeble,divided and dispirited states in firm and energetic unionagainst a common enemy, when we consider him as a man inwhose eyes England was important chiefly because, withouther, the great coalition which he projected must be incom-plete, we shall be forced to admit that no long career recordedin history has been more uniform from the beginning to theclose than that of this great Prince.**

* Avaux Negotiations, Aug. IJ. Sept ; Dec, ■$,. 1682.

** I cannot deny myselt the pleasure of quoting Massillon’s un-friendly, yet discriminating and noble, character of William. “Un

CHAP.

VII.

1687 .