Note 707 — Chapter XII

See what Temple says of this (p. 460): the king raised 20,000 men in the spring of 1678, and seemed ready to go into the war; but all was spoiled by a vote, on Clarges's motion, that no money should be granted till satisfaction should be made as to religion. This irritated the king so much that he determined to take the money which France offered him; and he afterwards almost compelled the Dutch to sign the treaty; so much against the Prince of Orange's inclinations, that he has often been charged, though unjustly, with having fought the battle of St. Denis after he knew that the peace was concluded. Danby also, in his vindication (published in 1679, and again in 1710; see State Trials, ii. 634), lays the blame of discouraging the king from embarking in the war on this vote of the Commons. And the author of the Life of James II. says very truly, that the Commons "were in reality more jealous of the king's power than of the power of France; for, notwithstanding all their former warm addresses for hindering the growth of the power of France, when the king had no army, now that he had one, they passed a vote to have it immediately disbanded; and the factious party, which was then prevalent among them, made it their only business to be rid of the duke, to pull down the ministers, and to weaken the Crown."—P. 512.

In defence of the Commons it is to be urged that, if they had any strong suspicion of the king's private intrigues with France for some years past, as in all likelihood they had, common prudence would teach them to distrust his pretended desire for war with her; and it is, in fact, most probable, that his real object was to be master of a considerable army.