Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 4.djvu/21

 A.D. 1689] alarmed as the high church. This wide door of admission to the church, it was feared, would draw away a whole host of their ministers and members; and, as the test act was by no means to be removed, they would thus become additionally unable to contend for its future abolition. The bill, after much discussion and many modifications, fell to the ground.

Mary II.

The next attempt was to modify the oaths of allegiance and supremacy so as to accommodate the consciences of the non-jurors; but it was finally agreed that all persons holding ecclesiastical or academical preferment who did not take the oaths before the 1st of August should be suspended, a pecuniary allowance to the deprived in some cases to be at the option of the king, but not to exceed one-third of the income forfeited. This was followed by the passing a new coronation oath, by which their majesties bound themselves to maintain the protestant religion as established by law, and the coronation took place on the 11th of April. The ceremony went off well. Mary, being a queen regnant, was inaugurated with precisely the same ceremonies as the king; she was lifted into the throne, girt with the sword, and presented with the Bible, the orb, and the spear. Burnet, who had exerted himself most laudably, as bishop of Salisbury, to introduce the proposed relief to the nonconformists, preached the coronation sermon with much eloquence and manly dignity. London was all alive with rockets, bonfires, firing of guns, and general rejoicing; but much offence was given by Dutch guards having been selected to do duty on the occasion. Old Sancroft, the primate, did not condescend to crown the new monarchs; but Compton, bishop of London, officiated in his absence, assisted by the bishops of St. Asaph and Rochester. Honours and promotions were liberally dispensed by the sovereigns after the ceremony. Three vacant garters were conferred on Ormond, Devonshire, and Schomberg; the prince of Denmark was made duke of Cumberland; Danby, marquis of Caermarthen; Churchill, earl of Marlborough; Bentinck, earl of Portland; and Mordaunt, earl of Monmouth—the latter not without much dissatisfaction on the part of the admirers of the late