Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 3.djvu/518

504 But Halifax saw with alarm the advancing influence of the duke, and trembled for his own hold of office, for the duke, he knew, hated him mortality. He, therefore, as a certain resource against this advancing power, advised Charles to call a parliament, but that Charles had resolved never to do. He still received a considerable sum from Louis, though not so large in amount, nor so regularly paid as when his services were more needful, and to decrease his expenditure, he had, during the last year, sent a squadron under lord Dartmouth to destroy the fortification of Tangier, which he had received as part of the dowry of the queen. Had that settlement been well managed, it would have given England great advantages in the Mediterranean; but nothing of that kind was well managed by this impatriotic king. To spare the expenditure necessary for its maintenance, he thus destroyed the defences, and left the place to the Moors, to the great indignation of Portugal, which thought rightly, that if he did not value it, he might have returned it.

Defeated in that quarter, Halifax next endeavoured to stop the growing advancement of lord Rochester. This was the second son of the late lord chancellor Clarendon, and the especial favourite and protégé of the duke. He had lately not only been created earl of Rochester, but made first commissioner of the treasury. Halifax beheld in his rise an ominous competitor, especially as the duke was the main-spring of his prosperity. He therefore accused Rochester of negligence or embezzlement in his office, and succeeded in removing him, but only from the treasury-board to the presidency of the council. This Halifax called kicking a man upstairs. Nor did Rochester's promotion end here. He was soon after appointed to the government of Ireland, the old and veteran colleague of Rochester's father, and the stanch champion of Charles in the days of his adversity, being removed to make way for him. The great object, however, was not simply Rochester's promotion, but the organisation of a powerful catholic army in Ireland, for which it was deemed Ormond was not active enough, this army having reference to James's views on England, which afterwards proved his ruin.

By this appointment Rochester was removed from immediate rivalry with Halifax; but sufficient elements of danger still surrounded that minister. Halifax and his colleagues had succeeded in strengthening the protestant succession, by the marriage of the second daughter of the duke, Anne, to a protestant prince; but even in that event the influence of Louis had been active. Through the medium of Sunderland, who continued in office, and maintained a close intimacy with the French mistress, the duchess of Portland, Louis took care, that though the nation would not tolerate any but a protestant prince for her husband, it should be one of no great importance. George, prince of Hanover, afterwards George I., had been selected, and made a visit to London, but returned without the princess. The fortune, it has been suggested, was not enough for the penurious German, his father recalled him to marry the princess of Zell, a circumstance which Anne never forgot or forgave. In the midst of the agitation of the Rye House plot, and but two days before the execution of lord Russell, another wooer appeared in George, brother of the king of Denmark- This young man also had the approbation of Louis, and the match took place in a week after his arrival.

Still Halifax felt a growing insecurity in the royal favour. The whole influence of the duke of York was exerted to ruin him, and he therefore determined once more to attempt to re-establish Monmouth in the king's favour. This popular but weak young man was living in great honour at the court of the prince of Orange. Many remonstrances had been made by the duke of York to his daughter and son-in-law, against their encouragement of a son who had taken so determined a part both against his own father, the king, and himself, their father. But the prince and princess were well aware of Charles's affection for his undutiful son, and therefore did not fear seriously offending him. Under the management of Halifax, Van Citters, the Dutch ambassador in London, went over to the Hague on pretence of negotiating some measure of importance betwixt the two countries. The prince of Orange affected to comply with the wishes of Charles for the removal of Monmouth. But that nobleman, instead of taking up his residence at Brussels, as was given out, suddenly returned to London privately, had an interview with his father, and as suddenly returned to the Hague, saying that in three months he should be publicly admitted at court, and the duke of York be banished afresh. Charles, meantime, had proposed to James to go and hold a parliament in Scotland, as if conferring a mark of particular honour and confidence on him. But the private visit of Monmouth had not escaped James, nor the correspondence of Halifax with him, and this caused a fresh energy of opposition to that minister to be infused into the duke's creatures at court. Halifax had recommended a most enlightened measure to the king as it regarded the American colonies, which, had it been adopted, might have prevented their loss at a later period. He represented that the grant of local representative legislatures to them would be the best means of developing their resources, and governing them in peace; but on this admirable suggestion the duke's partisans seized as something especially anti-monarchical and injurious to the power of the king. The duke, the duchess of Portland, the earl of Sunderland, re-echoed these opinions, and drew from Charles a promise that unless Halifax retired of himself, he should be dismissed on the first plausible occasion. The influence of the French king was also at work to effect the overthrow of Halifax. It was in vain that Louis had endeavoured to buy him as he had done the king, the duke, and the other ministers; and as he could not be bought, the only alternative was to drive him from office. He was feebly supported by the lord-keeper North, he was actively and zealously undermined by his colleagues, Sunderland and Godolphin; but still Charles hesitated. He enjoyed the wit and brilliant conversation of Halifax; he knew well his ability, and, still more, he was in a most indolent and undecided tone of mind. Macaulay has well described him at this moment:—"The event depended wholly on the will of Charles, and Charles could not come to a decision. In his perplexity he promised everything to everybody. He would stand by France, he would break with France; he would never meet another parliament; he would order writs for a parliament without delay. He assured the duke of York that Halifax should be