298

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.'

IX.

1688 .

Men ofrank hc»gin torepairto tbePrince.

They succeeded in removing most of their furniture before■ any report of their intentions got abroad. But at length thesuspicions of the rabble were excited. The two last cartswere stopped in Holborn, and all that they contained waspublicly burned in the middle of the street. So great was thealarm among the Catholics that all their places of worshipwere closed, except those which belonged to the royal familyand to foreign Ambassadors.*

On the whole, however, things as yet looked not unfavour-ably for James. The invaders had been more than a week onEnglish ground. Yet no man of note had joined them. Norebellion had broken out in the north or the east. No servantof the crown appeared to have betrayed his trust. The royalarmy was assembling fast at Salisbury, and, though inferior indiscipline to that of William, was superior in numbers.

The Prince was undoubtedly surprised and mortified bythe slackness of those who had invited him to England. Bythe common people of Devonshire, indeed, he had been re-ceived with every sign of good will: but no nobleman, nogentleman of high consideration, had yet repaired to hisquarters. The explanation of this singular fact is probably tobe found in the circumstance that he had landed in a part ofthe island where he had not been expected. His friends inthe north had made their arrangements for arising, on thesupposition that he would be among them with an army. Hisfriends in the west had made no arrangements at all, and werenaturally disconcerted at finding themselves suddenly calledupon to take the lead in a movement so important and perilous.They had also fresh in their recollection, and indeed full intheir sight, the disastrous consequences of rebellion, gibbets,heads, mangled quarters, families still in deep mourning forbrave sufferers who had loved their country well but notwisely. After a warning so terrible and so recent, some he-sitation was natural. It was equally natural, however, thatWilliam, who, trusting to promises from England, had put tohazard, not only his own fame and fortunes, but also the

* Luttrell's Diarv; Newsletter in the Mackintosh Collection; Adda,Nov. IS- 1088.