■WILLIAM AND MAEY.

261

Stuart, when a Presbyterian was excluded from political powef chap.and from the learned professions, was daily annoyed by in-- )68a ’"formers, by tyrannical magistrates, by licentious dragoons, andwas in danger of being hanged if he heard a sermon in the openair, the population of Scotland was not very unequally dividedbetween Episcopalians and Presbyterians, the rational in-ference is that more than nineteen twentieths of those Scotch-men whose conscience was interested in the matter werePresbyterians, and that not one Scotchman in twenty wasdecidedly and on conviction an Episcopalian. Against suchodds the Bishops had but little chance; and whatever chancethey had they made haste to throw away; some of them becausethey sincerely believed that their allegiance was still due toJames; others probably because they apprehended that Williamwould not have the power, even if he had the will, to servethem, and that nothing hut a counterrevolution in the Statecould avert a revolution in the Church.

As the new King of England could not be at Edinburgh Lctior

• fromWil-

during the sitting of the Scottish Convention, a letter from him ii am i 0to the Estates was prepared with great skill. In this documenthe professed warm attachment to the Protestant religion, but u °“'gave no opinion touching those questions about which Pro-testants were divided. He had observed, he said, with greatsatisfaction that many of the Scottish nobility and gentry withwhom he had conferred in London were inclined to an unionof the two British kingdoms. He was sensible how much suchan union would conduce to the happiness of both; and he woulddo all in his power towards the accomplishing of so good awork.

It was necessary that he should allow a large discretion to william'shis confidential agents at Edinburgh. The private instructions nous 10with which he furnished those persons could not be minute, but jj's'coi - 3were highly judicious. He charged them to ascertain to the 1,n<1,