clearly showed by attending the public celebration of the Mass at his chapel at Whitehall that he meant to cleave to his own religion. A new Parliament was summoned, and was thoroughly loyal. James would have had no difficulty in governing England, if he had been able to convince his subjects that, though he refused to persecute the Catholics, he would do

nothing to place them in authority. It was not long before the loyalty of his subjects was put to the test. Many of the Whigs who had taken part in the schemes formed by their party in the last reign were living in exile in Holland, and they fancied that they had only to return to England to rouse the whole nation against James. Monmouth placed himself at the head of these men, and landed at

Lyme, in Dorsetshire. By the peasants and the shopkeepers he was received with the greatest enthusiasm. But the gentlemen and the clergy were all on the side of the king. For the time, however, they could do nothing against Monmouth. The common people pressed in multitudes to see him, and some of them took arms in his cause. He entered Taunton in triumph, and marched eastward as far as Philip's Norton. By this time the Royal army was hastening towards him, whilst the Tory nobles and squires gave their zealous aid to the king. Monmouth retreated to Bridgewater. He rode out with his troops in the night time in the hope that he might take his enemy by surprise. He was stopped by a deep ditch full of water. After a gallant struggle his men were slain or fled. Monmouth escaped, and wandered about till he was discovered half-starved and hiding in a ditch. was carried to London and executed.

He

2. The Bloody Assizes.-The rebellion was at an end. Large numbers of the rebels were hung at once without form of trial. Then Jeffreys, a wicked and cruel judge, came down to the West to hold what will always be known as the Bloody Assizes. At Winchester he condemned to death an old lady, Alice Lisle, who was guilty of no more than of hiding in her house two poor men who were flying from vengeance. At Dorchester 74 persons were hanged. In Somersetshire no less than 233 were put to death. Jeffreys overwhelmed the prisoners with scornful mockery. One of them pleaded that he was a good Protestant. 'Protestant!' cried

Jeffreys; you mean Presbyterian, I'll hold you a wager of it. I can smell a Presbyterian forty miles.' Some one tried to move his compassion in favour of a person who was miserable enough already. My lord,' he said, this poor creature is on the parish.' 'Do not trouble yourselves' was the only answer which they got, 'I will ease the parish of the burden,'

6

LORD CHIEF JUSTICE TIME OF JAMES II.

and ordered him to be hanged at once. The whole number of those who perished in the Bloody Assizes was 320, whilst 841 were transported to the West India Islands to work hard under a broiling sun till they died. James welcomed Jeffreys on his return, and made him Lord Chancellor as a reward for his deeds.

3. The Test Act violated.-To all that was being done against the rebels Parliament made no objection. But there was one thing which the king did which was called in question in the House of Commons. He had appointed some Catholic officers in the army, and had excused them from taking the test ordered by the Test Act. The Commons saw that if the king could thus dispense with the Test Act in a few cases, he might dispense with it in many. In fact, there would be nothing to prevent him from filling all the offices in the State and in the army with Catholics. They thought that in this way he might do as he liked with his Protestant subjects, just as Cromwell and his Puritan army had done as they liked. The Commons remonstrated, and asked that the king should observe the law in future. James grew very angry, and put an end to the session of Parliament.

4. The Dispensing Power.-James thought that he had a right to dispense with the laws when he saw fit. He resolved to ask the judges whether he had this right or not. But he was resolved to have his question answered in his own way. In those days a king might turn out of office a judge whenever he liked to do it. James turned out four of the judges who would have given an opinion against him, and those whom he appointed in their stead were quite ready to declare in his favour. In this way he got a declaration from the judges that he had a right to dispense with the test as required by law. If this answer was right, he could do whatever he pleased, whether it were lawful or not.

5. The Declaration of Indulgence. James was most anxious to obtain an Act of Parliament putting an end to the Test Act altogether. He knew that he could not live many years, and that as soon as he was dead his daughter Mary would be queen, and would appoint judges to decide in a very different way from that in which his own judges had decided. He therefore sent for the principal members of both Houses, and spoke with them privately in the closet, as it was called, that is to say, in his own private room. These closetings, as they were called, had no effect. Member after member told the king that they would do anything to please His Majesty which their conscience allowed, but that their conscience did not allow them to vote for the repeal of the Test Act. James then resolved to do by his own power what he could not do by Act of Parliament. He issued a Declaration of Indulgence, announcing that all his subjects, Dissenters as well as Catholics, were free to worship as they pleased and to hold offices without taking any kind of test. The king hoped that he would gain the Dissenters to his side. Some of these, indeed, accepted his offer with thankfulness; but the greater part of them did not like even so great a boon coming in such a way. They thought that if the king could announce that certain laws were not to be obeyed, he might announce that all laws were not to be obeyed. They listened to those leaders of the Church of England who assured them. that, whatever happened, they would be safe, and that, the next Parliament which met would pass an Act granting them the toleration which they needed