The History of England, from the Accession of James the Second - Volume 4 by Thomas Babington Macaulay (well read books txt) 📕

202 The history of these ministerial arrangements I have taken chiefly from the London Gazette of March 3. and March 7. 1691/2 and from Narcissus Luttrell's Diary for that month. Two or three slight touches are from contemporary pamphlets.

FN 203 William to Melville, May 22. 1690.

FN 204 See the preface to the Leven and Melville Papers. I have given what I believe to be a true explanation of Burnet's hostility to Melville. Melville's descendant who has deserved well of all students of history by the diligence and fidelity with which he has performed his editorial duties, thinks that Burnet's judgment was blinded by zeal for Prelacy and hatred of Presbyterianism. This accusation will surprise and amuse English High Churchmen.

FN 205 Life of James, ii. 468, 469.

FN 206 Burnet, ii. 88.; Master of Stair to Breadalbane, Dee. 2. 1691.

FN 207 Burnet, i. 418.

FN 208 Crawford to Melville, July 23. 1689; The Master of Stair to Melville, Aug. 16. 1689; Cardross to Melville, Sept. 9. 1689; Balcarras's Memoirs; Annandale's Confession, Aug. i4. 1690.

FN 209 Breadalbane to Melville, Sept. 17. 1690.

FN 210 The Master of Stair to Hamilton, Aug. 17/27. 1691; Hill to Melville, June 26. 1691; The Master of Stair to Breadalbane, Aug. 24. 1691.

FN 211 "The real truth is, they were a branch of the Macdonalds (who were a brave courageous people always), seated among the Campbells, who (I mean the Glencoe men) are all Papists, if they have any religion, were always counted a people much given to rapine and plunder, or sorners as we call it, and much of a piece with your highwaymen in England. Several governments desired to bring them to justice; but their country was inaccessible to small parties." See An impartial Account of some of the Transactions in Scotland concerning the Earl of Breadalbane, Viscount and Master of Stair, Glenco Men, &c., London, 1695.

FN 212 Report of the Commissioners, signed at Holyrood, June 20. 1695.

FN 213 Gallienus Redivivus; Burnet, ii. 88.; Report of the Commission of 1695.

FN 214 Report of the Glencoe Commission, 1695.

FN 215 Hill to Melville, May 15. 1691.

FN 216 Ibid. June 3. 1691.

FN 217 Burnet, ii. 8, 9.; Report of the Glencoe Commission. The authorities quoted in this part of the Report were the depositions of Hill, of Campbell of Ardkinglass, and of Mac Ian's two sons.

FN 218 Johnson's Tour to the Hebrides.

FN 219 Proclamation of the Privy Council of Scotland, Feb. q. 1589. I give this reference on the authority of Sir Walter Scott. See the preface to the Legend of Montrose.

FN 220 Johnson's Tour to the Hebrides.

FN 221 Lockhart's Memoirs.

FN 222 "What under heaven was the Master's byass in this matter? I can imagine none." Impartial Account, 1695. "Nor can any man of candour and ingenuity imagine that the Earl of Stair, who had neither estate, friendship nor enmity in that country, nor so much as knowledge of these persons, and who was never noted for cruelty in his temper, should have thirsted after the blood of these wretches." Complete History of Europe, 1707.

FN 223 Dalrymple, in his Memoirs, relates this story, without referring to any authority. His authority probably was family tradition. That reports were current in 1692 of horrible crimes committed by the Macdonalds of Glencoe, is certain from the Burnet MS. Marl. 6584. "They had indeed been guilty of many black murthers," were Burnet's words, written in 1693. He afterwards softened down this expression.

FN 224 That the plan originally framed by the Master of Stair was such as I have represented it, is clear from parts of his letters which are quoted in the Report of 1695; and from his letters to Breadalbane of October 27., December 2., and December 3. 1691. Of these letters to Breadalbane the last two are in Dalrymple's Appendix. The first is in the Appendix to the first volume of Mr. Burtons valuable History of Scotland. "It appeared," says Burnet (ii. 157.), "that a black design was laid, not only to cut off the men of Glencoe, but a great many more clans, reckoned to be in all above six thousand persons."

FN 225 This letter is in the Report of 1695.

FN 226 London Gazette, January 14and 18. 1691.

FN 227 "I could have wished the Macdonalds had not divided; and I am sorry that Keppoch and Mackian of Glenco are safe."-Letter of the Master of Stair to Levingstone, Jan. 9. 1691/2 quoted in the Report of 1695.

FN 228 Letter of the Master of Stair to Levingstone, Jan. 11 1692, quoted in the Report of 1695.

FN 229 Burnet, in 1693, wrote thus about William:-"He suffers matters to run till there is a great heap of papers; and then he signs them as much too fast as he was before too slow in despatching them." Burnet MS. Harl. 6584. There is no sign either of procrastination or of undue haste in William's correspondence with Heinsius. The truth is, that the King understood Continental politics thoroughly, and gave his whole mind to them. To English business he attended less, and to Scotch business least of all.

FN 230 Impartial Account, 1695.

FN 231 See his letters quoted in the Report of 1695, and in the Memoirs of the Massacre of Glencoe.

FN 232 Report of 1695.

FN 233 Deposition of Ronald Macdonald in the Report of 1695; Letters from the Mountains, May 17. I773. I quote Mrs. Grant's authority only for what she herself heard and saw. Her account of the massacre was written apparently without the assistance of books, and is grossly incorrect. Indeed she makes a mistake of two years as to the date.

FN 234 I have taken the account of the Massacre of Glencoe chiefly from the Report of 1695, and from the Gallienus Redivivus. An unlearned, and indeed a learned, reader may be at a loss to guess why the Jacobites should have selected so strange a title for a pamphlet on the massacre of Glencoe. The explanation will be found in a letter of the Emperor Gallienus, preserved by Trebellius Pollio in the Life of Ingenuus. Ingenuus had raised a rebellion in Moesia. He was defeated and killed. Gallienus ordered the whole province to be laid waste, and wrote to one of his lieutenants in language to which that of the Master of Stair bore but too much resemblance. "Non mihi satisfacies si tantum armatos occideris, quos et fors belli interimere potuisset. Perimendus est omnis sexus virilis. Occidendus est quicunque maledixit. Occidendus est quicunque male voluit. Lacera. Occide. Concide."

FN 235 What I have called the Whig version of the story is given, as well as the Jacobite version, in the Paris Gazette of April 7. 1692.

FN 236 I believe that the circumstances which give so peculiar a character of atrocity to the Massacre of Glencoe were first published in print by Charles Leslie in the Appendix to his answer to King. The date of Leslie's answer is 1692. But it must be remembered that the date of 1692 was then used down to what we should call the 25th of March 1693. Leslie's book contains some remarks on a sermon by Tillotson which was not printed till November 1692. The Gallienus Redivivus speedily followed.

FN 237 Gallienus Redivivus.

FN 238 Hickes on Burnet and Tillotson, 1695.

FN 239 Report of 1695.

FN 240 Gallienus Redivivus.

FN 241 Report of 1695.

FN 242 London Gazette, Mar. 7. 1691/2

FN 243 Burnet (ii. 93.) says that the King was not at this time informed of the intentions of the French Government. Ralph contradicts Burnet with great asperity. But that Burnet was in the right is proved beyond dispute, by William's correspondence with Heinsius. So late as April 24/May 4 William wrote thus: "Je ne puis vous dissimuler que je commence a apprehender une descente en Angleterre, quoique je n'aye pu le croire d'abord: mais les avis sont si multiplies de tous les cotes, et accompagnes de tant de particularites, qu'il n'est plus guere possible d'en douter." I quote from the French translation among the Mackintosh MSS.

FN 244 Burnet, ii. 95. and Onslow's note; Memoires de Saint Simon; Memoires de Dangeau.

FN 245 Life of James ii. 411, 412.

FN 246 Memoires de Dangeau; Memoires de Saint Simon. Saint Simon was on the terrace and, young as he was, observed this singular scene with an eye which nothing escaped.

FN 247 Memoires de Saint Simon; Burnet, ii. 95.; Guardian No. 48. See the excellent letter of Lewis to the Archbishop of Rheims, which is quoted by Voltaire in the Siecle de Louis XIV.

FN 248 In the Nairne papers printed by Macpherson are two memorials from James urging Lewis to invade England. Both were written in January 1692.

FN 249 London Gazette, Feb. 15. 1691/2

FN 250 Memoires de Berwick; Burnet, ii. 92.; Life of James, ii. 478. 491.

FN 251 History of the late Conspiracy, 1693.

FN 252 Life of James, ii. 479. 524. Memorials furnished by Ferguson to Holmes in the Nairne Papers.

FN 253 Life of James, ii. 474.

FN 254 See the Monthly Mercuries of the spring of 1692.

FN 255 Narcissus Luttrell's Diary for April and May 1692; London Gazette, May 9. and 12.

FN 256 Sheridan MS.; Life of James, ii. 492.

FN 257 Life of James, ii. 488.

FN 258 James told Sheridan that the Declaration was written by Melfort. Sheridan MS.

FN 259 A Letter to a Friend concerning a French Invasion to restore the late King James to his Throne, and what may be expected from him should he be successful in it, 1692; A second Letter to a Friend concerning a French Invasion, in which the Declaration lately dispersed under the Title of His Majesty's most gracious Declaration to all his loving Subjects, commanding their Assistance against the P. of O. and his Adherents, is entirely and exactly published according to the dispersed Copies, with some short Observations upon it, 1692; The Pretences of the French Invasion examined, 1692; Reflections on the late King James's Declaration, 1692. The two Letters were written, I believe, by Lloyd Bishop of Saint Asaph. Sheridan says, "The King's Declaration pleas'd none, and was turn'd into ridicule burlesque lines in England." I do not believe that a defence of this unfortunate Declaration is to be found in any Jacobite tract. A virulent Jacobite writer, in a reply to Dr. Welwood, printed in 1693, says, "As for the Declaration that was printed last year. . . I assure you that it was as much misliked by many, almost all, of the King's friends, as it can be exposed by his enemies."

FN 260 Narcissus Luttrell's Diary, April 1692.

FN 261 Sheridan MS.; Memoires de Dangeau.

FN 262 London Gazette, May 12. 16. 1692; Gazette de Paris, May 31. 1692.

FN 263 London Gazette, April 28. 1692

FN 264 Ibid. May 2. 5. 12. 16.

FN 265 London Gazette, May 16. 1692; Burchett.

FN 266 Narcissus Luttrell's Diary; London Gazette, May 19. 1692.

FN 267 Russell's Letter to Nottingham, May 20. 1692, in the London Gazette of May 23.; Particulars of Another Letter from the Fleet published by authority; Burchett; Burnet, ii. 93.; Life of James, ii. 493, 494.; Narcissus Luttrell's Diary; Memoires de Berwick. See also the contemporary ballad on the battle one of the best specimens of English street poetry, and the Advice to a Painter, 1692.

FN 268 See Delaval's Letter to Nottingham, dated Cherburg, May 22., in the London Gazette