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HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

VI.

1685 .

Meetingof Par-liament:speechof thoKing.

of the Galilean clergy, addressed at this time to Lewis theFourteenth. The pious Sovereign of England, the oratorsaid, looked to the most Christian King for support againsta heretical nation. It was remarked that the members of theHouse of Commons showed particular anxiety to procurecopies of this harangue, and that it was read by all Englishmenwith indignation and alarm. * James was desirous to coun-teract the impression which these things had made, and wasalso at that moment by no means unwilling to let all Europesee that he was not the slave ofFrance. He therefore declaredpublicly that he disapproved of the manner in which the Hu-guenots had been treated, granted to the exiles some relieffrom his privy purse, and, by letters under his great seal,invited his subjects to imitate his liberality. In a very fewmonths it became clear that all this compassion was feignedfor the purpose of cajoling his Parliameht, that he regardedthe refugees with mortal hatred, and that he regretted no-thing so much as his own inability to do what Lewis had done.

On the ninth of November the Houses met. The Commonswere summoned to the bar of the Lords; and the King spokefrom the throne. His speech had been composed by himself.He congratulated his loving subjects on the suppression of therebellion in the West: but he added that the speed with whichthat rebellion had risen to a formidable height, and the lengthof time during which it had continued to rage, must convinceall men how little dependence could be placed on the militia.He had, therefore, made additions to the regular army. Thecharge of that army would henceforth be more than double ofwhat it had been; and he trusted that the Commons wouldgrant him the means of defraying the increased expense. Hethen informed his hearers that he had employed some officers

* “Mi dicono che lutti questi parlamentarii ne hanno voluto copia,il che assolulamenle avra causate pessirae impression!.*' — Adda, Nov.■fg. 1685. See Evelyn’s Diary, Nov. 3.