JAMES II.

189

earl of Balcarras and viscount Dundee , leaders chap.of the tories, withdrew from Edinburgh; and LXXI -the convention having passed a bold and decisivevote, that king James, by his mal-administration,and his abuse of power, had forfeited, all title tothe crown, they made a tender of the royaldignity to the prince and princess of Orange.

The English convention was assembled; and Jan.it immediately appeared , that the house of com- En s |lshu,n *mons, both from the prevailing humor of the meets,people, and from the influence of present authority,were mostly chosen from among the whig-partv.

After thanks were unanimously given by bothhouses to the prince of Orange for the deliver-ance, which he had brought them, a less decisivevote, than that of the Scottish convention, wasin a few days passed by a great majority of thecommons , and sent up to the peers for theirconcurrence. It was contained in these words:

“ That king James II. having endeavoured to“ subvert the constitution of the kingdom, by" breaking the original contract between king“ and people; and having, by the advice of“ jesuits and other wicked persons, violated the“ fundamental laws, and withdrawn himself out“ of the kingdom , has abdicated the govern-“ ment, and that the throne is thereby vacant. "

This vote, when carried to the upper house,met with great opposition; of which it is herenecessary for us to explain the causes.

The tones and the high-church party, findingthemselves at once menaced with a subversion of