216

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

cnAP.

IX.

1688 .Russellproposesto thePrince oOrange idescenton Eng-land.

Henry

Sidney.

prudence; and prudence itself now urged them to take a bold- course.

In May, before the birth of the Prince of Wales, and whileit was still uncertain whether the Declaration would or wouldf not be read in the churches, Edward Russell had repaired tothe Hague. He had strongly represented to the Prince ofOrange the state of the public mind, and had advised hisHighness to appear in England at the head of a strong body oftroops, and to call the people to arms.

William had seen, at a glance, the whole importance ofthe crisis. “Now or never,” he exclaimed in Latin to Dyk-velt.* To Russell he held more guarded language, admittedthat the distempers of the state were such as required an ex-traordinary remedy, but spoke with earnestness of the chanceof failure, and of the calamities which failure might bring onBritain and on Europe. He knew well that many who talkedin high language about sacrificing their lives and fortunes fortheir country would hesitate when the prospect of anotherBloody Circuit was brought close to them. He wanted there-fore to have, not vague professions of good will, but distinctinvitations and promises of support subscribed by powerfuland eminent men. Russell remarked that it would be dange-rous to entrust the design to a great number of persons. Wil-liam assented, and said that a few signatures would be suffi-cient, if they were the signatures of statesmen who repre-sented great interests.**

With this answer Russell returned to London, where hefound the excitement greatly increased and daily increasing.The imprisonment of the Bishops and the delivery of theQueen made his task easier than he could have anticipated.He lost no time in collecting the voices of the chiefs of the op-position. His principal coadjutor in this work was HenrySidney, brother of Algernon. It is remarkable that bothEdward Russell and Henry Sidney had been in the householdof James, that both had, partly on public and partly onpri-

* “Aut nunc, aut nunquam.”— Wilsen MS. quoted by Wagenaar,book lx.

*' Burnet, i. 763.