262

HISTOET 03? ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XIII.

1 ( 188 .

The Dal-rjiuples.

best of their power the real sense of the Convention, and to be■ guided by it. They must remember that the first object was tosettle the government. To that object every other object,even the union, must be postponed. A treaty between twoindependent legislatures, distant from each other several days’journey, must necessarily be a work of time; and the thronecould not safely remain vacant while the negotiations werepending. It w’as therefore important that Ilis Majesty’s agentsshould be on their guard against the arts of persons who, underpretence of promoting the union, might really be contrivingonly to prolong the interregnum. If the Convention shouldbe bent on establishing the Presbyterian form of church govern-ment, William desired that his friends would do all in theirpower to prevent the triumphant sect from retaliating what ithad suffered. *

The person by whose advice William appears to have beenat this time chiefly guided as to Scotch politics was a Scotchmanof great abilities and attainments, Sir James Dalrymple of 'Stair, the founder of a family eminently distinguished at thebar, on the bench, in the senate, in diplomacy, inarms, andin letters, but distinguished also by misfortunes and misdeedswhich have furnished poets and novelists with materials for thedarkest and most heartrending tales. Already Sir James hadbeen in mourning for more than one strange and terrible death.One of his sons had died by poison. One of his daughters hadponiarded her bridegroom on the wedding night. One of hisgrandsons had in boyish sport been slain by another. Savagelibellers asserted, and some of the superstitious vulgar be-lieved, that calamities so portentous were the consequences of

* The instructions arc in the Leven and Melville Papers. They beardate Marcli 7. 168|. On the first occasion on which I quote this mostvaluable collection, I cannot refrain from acknowledging the obligationsunder which I, and all who take an interest in the history of our island, lieto the gentleman who has performed so well the duty of an editor.