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HISTOliY OF ENGLAND.

chap, oncegavein his own adhesion to the conspiracy. Hethenexert-1688i ■ ■ edhimself to obtain the concurrence of Compton, the suspendedBishop Bishop of London, and succeeded without difficulty. No pre-Compton. late had been so insolently and unjustly treated by the govern-ment as Compton; nor had any prelate so much to expect froma revolution: for lie had directed the education of the Princessof Orange, and was supposed to possess a large share of herconfidence, hie had, like his brethren, strongly maintained, aslong as he was not oppressed, that it was a crime to resistoppression; but, since he had stood before the High Commis-sion, a new light had broken in upon his mind.*

Noicing- Both Danby and Compton were desirous to secure theh ‘ lm ' assistance of Nottingham. The whole plan was opened tohim; and he approved of it. But in a few days he began tobe unquiet. His mind was not sufficiently powerful to eman-cipate itself from the prejudices of education. He went aboutfrom divine to divine proposing in general terms hypotheticalcases of tyranny, and inquiring whether in such cases resistancewould be lawful. The answers which he obtained increasedhis distress. He at length told his accomplices that he couldgo no further with them. If they thought him capable of be-traying them, they might stab him; and he should hardly blamethem; for, by drawing back after going so far, he had giventhem a kind of right over his life. They had, however, he as-sured them, nothing to fear from him: he would keep their se-cret; he could not help wishing them success, but his consciencewould not suffer him to take an active part in a rebellion.They heard his confession with suspicion and disdain. Sidney,whose notions of a conscientious scruplewere extremelyvaguc,informed the Prince that Nottingham had taken fright. It isdue to Nottingham, however, to say that the general tenor of hislife justifies us in believing his conducton this occasion to havebeen perfectly honest, though most unwise and irresolute.**Lum'ey The agents of the Prince had more complete success with" ‘ ‘ Lord Lumley, who knew himself to be, in spite of the eminent

* See Danby’s Introduction to the papers which he published in1710; Ilurnct, i. 764.

** Uurnet, i. 764.; Sidney to the Prince of Orange, June 30. 1688 , inDalrymple.