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HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

chap, the Princess as much as it -was possible for man to esteem-jjjjj— woman: but not even from her would he accept a subordinateand a precarious place in the government. lie was so madethat he could not submit to bo tied to the apron strings evenof the best of wives, lie did not desire to take any part inEnglish affairs; but, if he did consent to take a part, therewas one part only which he could usefully or honourably take.If the Estates offered him the crown for life, he would acceptit. If not, he should, without repining, return to his nativecountry. He concluded by saying that he thought it reasonablethat the Lady Anne and her posterity should be preferred inthe succession to any children whom he might have by anyother wife than the Lady Mary.*

The meeting broke up; and what the Prince had said wasin a few hours known all over London. That he must be Kingwas now clear. The only' question was whether he shouldhold the regal dignity alone or conjointly with the Princess.Halifax and a few other politicians, who saw in a strong lightthe danger of dividing the supreme executive authority,thought it desirable that, during William’s life, Mary shouldbe only Queen Consort and a subject. But this arrangement,though much might doubtless be said for it in argument,shocked the general feeling even of those Englishmen whowere most attached to the Prince. His wife had given anunprecedented proof of conjugal submission and affection;and the very least return that could be made to her would beto bestow on her the dignity of Queen Regnant. WilliamHerbert, one of the most zealous of the Prince’s adherents,was so much exasperated that he sprang out of the bed towhich he was confined by gout, and vehemently declared thathe never would have drawn a sword in His Highness’s causeif he had foreseen that so shameful an arrangement wouldbe made. No person took the matter up so eagerly as Burnet.

* Burnet, i. 820. Burnet says that he has not related the events ofthis stirring time in chronological order. I have therefore been forcedto arrange them by guess: but I think that I can scarcely be wrong insupposing that the letter of the Princess of Orange to Danby arrived,and that the Prince’s explanation of his views was given, betweenThursday the 3lst of January, and Wednesday the 6lb of February.