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HISTORY OP ENGLAND.

chap, danger in repairing to William. The King, in calling on thej 6a8 , nation to elect representatives, had, by implication, authorisedall men to repairto the places where they had votes or interest;and many of those places were already occupied by invadersor insurgents. Clarendon eagerly caught at this opportunityof deserting the falling cause. He knew that his speech in theCouncil of Peers had given deadly offence: and he was mor-tified by finding that he was not to be one of the royal Com-missioners. He had estates in Wiltshire. He determined thathis son, the son of whom he had lately spoken with grief andhorror, should be a candidate for that county; and, underpretence of looking after the election, he set out for the West.He was speedily followed by the Earl of Oxford, and byothers who had hitherto disclaimed all connection with thePrince’s enterprise.*

By this time the invaders, steadily though slowly advancing,were within seventy miles of London. Though midwinterwas approaching, the weather was fine; the way was pleasant;and the turf of Salisbury Plain seemed luxuriously smooth tomen who had been toiling through the miry ruts of the Devon-shire and Somersetshire highways. The route of the army layclose by Stonehenge; and regiment after regiment halted toexamine that mysterious ruin, celebrated all over the Conti-nent as the greatest wonder of our island. William enteredSalisbury with the samemilitary pomp which he had displayedat Exeter, and was lodged there in the palace which the KingClarendon ^ a d ocou P' e d a few days before.**

joins the His train was now swelled by the Earls of Clarendon andSaiisiniry. Oxford, and by other men of high rank, who had, till withina few days, been considered as zealous Royalists. Cittersalsomade his appearance at the Dutch head quarters. He hadbeen during some weeks almost a prisoner in his house, nearWhitehall, under the constant observation of relays of spies.Yet, in spite of those spies, or perhaps by their help, he hadsucceeded in obtaining full and accurate intelligence of all thatpassed in the palace; and now, full fraught with valuable in-

* Clarendon’s Diary, Dec. 2, 3, 4, 5. 1688.

** Whittle's Exacl Diary; Eacliard’s History oflhe Revolution.