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HISTORY OP ENGLAND.

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chap, have discomposed liim more than any other event of hismss. chequered life. The desertion of his army, ot his favourites,of his family, affected him less than the indignities which hesuffered when his hoy was boarded. The remembrance ofthose indignities continued long to rankle in his heart, and onone occasion showed itself in a way which moved all Europe tocontemptuous mirth. In the fourth year of his exile he at-tempted to lure hack his subjects by offering them an amnesty.The amnesty was accompanied by a long list of exceptions;and in this list the poor fishermen who had searched hispockets rudely appeared side by side with Churchill andDanby. From this circumstance we may judge how keenlyhe must have felt the outrage while it was still recent.*

Yet, had he possessed an ordinary measure of good sense,he would have seen that those who had detained him had unin-tentionally done him a great service. The events which hadtaken place during his absence from his capital ought to haveconvinced him that, if he had succeeded in escaping, he neverwould have returned. In his own despite he had been savedfrom ruin. He had another chance, a last chance. Great ashis offences had been, to dethrone him, while he remainedin his kingdom and offered to assent to such conditions as afree Parliament might impose, would have been almost im-possible.

During a short time he seemed disposed to remain. Hesent Feversham from Rochester with a letter to William. Thesubstance of the letter was that His Majesty was on his wayback to Whitehall, that he wished to have a personal con-ference with the Prince, and that Saint James’s Palace shouldbe fitted up for his Highness.**

■William’s William was now at Windsor. He had learned with deeprusmant. mor tification the events which had taken place on the coast ofKent. Just before the news arrived, those who approachedhim observed that his spirits were unusually high. He had,indeed,' reason to rejoice. A vacant throne was before him.All parties, it seemed, would, with one voice, invite him to

* See his proclamation, dated from St. Germains, April 20.1692.

** Clarke’s Life of James, ii. 261. Orig. Mem.