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Letters On The Study and Use Of History / By the late Right Honorable Henry St. John, Lord Viscount Bolingbroke
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Of the Study of History .

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When the revolution of one thoufand fixhundred and eighty-eight happened, few menthen alive, I fuppofe, went farther in their fearchafter the caufes of it, than the extravagant at-tempt of king James againft the religion and li-berty of his people. His former conduct, and thepaffages of king Charles the feconds reign mightrankle Hill at the hearts of fome men, but couldnot be fet to account among the caufes of his de~pofition; fince he had fucceeded, notwithftandingthem, peaceably to the throne: and the nation ingeneral, even many of thofe who would haveexcluded him from it, were defirous , or at leaft,willing, that he fhould continue in it. Now thisexample, thus ftated, affords, no doubt, muchgood inftruCtion to the kings, and people of Bri­ tain . But this inftruCtion is not entire, becaufe theexample thus ftated, and confined to the expe-rience of that age, is imperfect. King James mal-adminiftration rendered a revolution neceffary andpracticable; but his mal-adminiftration, as well asall his preceding conduct, was caufed by his bigot-attachment to popery, and to the principles ofarbitrary government, from which no warningcould divert him. His bigot-attachment to thefewas caufed, by the exile of the royal family, thisexile was caufed by the ufurpation of.CROMWEL:and Cromwels ufurpation was the effeCt of aformer rebellion, begun not without reafon onaccount of liberty, but without any valid pretenceon account is of religion. During this exile, ourprinces caught the taint of popery and foreign