WILLIAM AND MART.

17

Speaker of the House of Lords.* He had been, foremost instrictly legal opposition to the late Government, and had-spoken and written with great ability against the dispensingpower: but he had refused to know anything about the designof invasion: he had laboured, even when the Dutch were in fullmarch towards London, to effect a reconciliation; and he hadnever deserted James till James had deserted the throne. But,from the moment of that shameful flight, the sagacious Trim-mer, convinced that compromise was thenceforth impossible,had taken a decided part. He had distinguished himself pre-eminently in the Convention: nor was it without a peculiar pro-priety that he had been appointed to the honourable officeof tendering the crown, in the name of all the Estates of Eng-land, to the Prince and Princess of Orange; for our Revolution,as far as it can be said to bear the character of any single mind,assuredly bears the character of the large yet cautious mindof Halifax. The Whigs, however, were not in a temper toaccept a recent service as an atonement for an old offence; andthe offence of Halifax had been grave indeed. He had longbefore been conspicuous in their front rank during a hard fightfor liberty. When they were at length victorious, when itseemed that Whitehall was at their mercy, w-hen they had anear prospect of dominion and revenge, he had changed sides;and fortune had changed sides with him. In the great debateon the Exclusion Bill, his eloquence had struck them dumb,and had put new life into the inert and desponding party of theCourt. It was true that, though he had left them in the dayof their insolent prosperity, he had returned to them in the dayof their distress. But, now that their distress was over, theyforgot that he had returned to them, and remembered only thathe had left them.**

* London Gazette, Feb. 18. 1GSIJ; Lords’ Journals,

** Burnet, ii. 4.

Macaulayj History. IV. 2

CHAP.

XI.