CHARLES II.

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The king saw, with regret, the violent dis- chap.contents, which prevailed in the nation, and lxvi.which seemed every dav to augment upon him. I677>Desirous by his natural temper to be easy himself,and to make every body else easy, he soughtexpedients to appease those murmurs, which,as they were very disagreeable for the present,might in their consequences prove extremelydangerous. He knew, that, during the late warwith Holland, the malecontents at home had madeapplications to the prince of Orange; and if hecontinued still to neglect the prince’s interests,and to thwart the inclinations of his own people,he apprehended lest their common complaintsshould cement a lasting union between them.

He saw, that the religion of the duke inspiredthe nation with dismal apprehensions; and thoughhe had obliged his brother to allow the youngprincesses to be educated in the protestant faith,something farther, he thought, was necessary,in order to satisfy the nation. He entertained,therefore, proposals for marrying the prince ofOrange to the lady Mary, the elder princess ,and heir apparent to the crown (for the duke hadno male issue), and he hoped, by so temptingan offer, to engage him entirely in his interests.

A peace he purposed to make; such as wouldsatisfy France, and still preserve his connexionswith that crown : And he intended to sanctifyit by the approbation of the prince, whom hesound to be extremely revered in England, andrespected throughout Europe. All the reasons