JAMES THE SECOND.

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testant feeling ofEngland, and by stimulating that feeling till c “£ p -it became, fora time, the dominant and almost the exclusive ' 1CS8sentiment of the nation. This would indeed have been a verysimple course, had the end of all his politics been to effect arevolution in our island and to reign there. But he had inview an ulterior end which could be attained only by the helpof princes sincerely attached to the Church of Rome. Hewas desirous to unite the Empire, the Catholic King, and theHoly See, with England and Holland, in a league against theFrench ascendency. It was therefore necessary that, whilestriking the greatest blow ever struck in defence of Pro-testantism, he should yet contrive not to lose the goodwillof governments which regarded Protestantism as a deadlyheresy.

Such were the complicated difficulties of this great under-taking. Continental statesmen saw a part of those difficulties;British statesmen another part. One capacious and powerfulmind alone took them all in at one view, and determined tosurmount them all. It was no easy thing to subvert theEnglish government by means of a foreign army withoutgalling the national pride of Englishmen. It was no easything to obtain from that Batavian faction which regardedFrance with partiality, and the House of Orange with aver-sion, a decision in favour of an expedition which would con-found all the schemes of France, and raise the House ofOrange to the height of greatness. It was no easy thing tolead enthusiastic Protestants on a crusade against Poperywith the good wishes of almost all Popish governments andof the Pope himself. Yet all these things William effected.

All his objects, even those which appeared most incompatiblewith each other, he attained completely and at once. Thewhole history of ancient and of modern times records no othersuch triumph of statesmanship.

The task would indeed have been too arduous even forsuch a statesman as the Prince of Orange, had not his chiefadversaries been at this time smitten with an infatuation suchas by many men not prone to superstition was ascribed to thespecial judgment of God. Not only was the King of Eng-

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