登陆注册
5295200000012

第12章 Letter IV(2)

Ter si resurgat murus aheneus,--Ter pereat!

The second revival of these principles,for enough hath been said of the first,happened soon after the dissolution of the long Parliament;and there,I think,we must place the birth of Whig and Tory,though these parties did not grow up into full maturity,nor receive their names till about two years afterwards.The dissolution of this Parliament was desired by men of very different complexions;by some,with factious views;by others,on this honest and true maxim,that a standing Parliament,or the same Parliament long continued,changes the very nature of the constitution,in the fundamental article on which the preservation of our whole liberty depends.But whatever motives others might have to desire this dissolution,the motives which prevailed on the King,were probably those.This Parliament not only grew more reserved in their grants of money,and stiff and inflexible in other matters,but seemed to have lost that personal regard which they had hitherto preserved for him.They brought their attacks home to his family;nay,to himself,in the heats which the discovery and prosecution of the Popish Plot occasioned.

That on the Queen provoked him.That on his brother embarrassed him.But that which provoked and embarrassed him both,was the prosecution of the Earl of Danby,in the manner in which it was carried on.I will not descend into the particulars of an affair,at this time so well understood.This minister was turned out,and might have been punished in another manner,and much more severely than I presume any one,who knows the anecdotes of that age,thinks that he deserved to be.But the intention of this attack,according to Rapin,was to show that the King,as well as his brother,was at the head of a conspiracy to destroy the government,and the Protestant religion.This is a very bold assertion,and such a one as I do not pretend to warrant.But thus much is certain;that if the Earl of Danby's impeachment had been tried,he must have justified himself,by showing what every one knew to be true,that the secret negotiations with France,and particularly that for money,were the King's negotiations,not his.

Now,whether the King hoped,by dissolving the Parliament,to stop this prosecution;or to soften that of the Popish Plot;or to defeat the project of excluding the Duke of York;his hopes were all disappointed.The following Parliaments trod in the steps of this.How,indeed,could they do otherwise in those days,when the temper of the people determined the character of the Parliament;when an influence on elections by prerogative,was long since over,and private,indirect means of gaining another more illegal influence were not yet found,or the necessary supports of such means were not yet acquired;when any man,who had desired people,who knew neither his fortune,his character,nor even his person,to choose him their representative in Parliament,that is,to appoint him their trustee,would have been looked upon and treated as a madman;in short,when a Parliament,acting against the declared sense of the nation,would have appeared as surprising a phenomenon in the moral world,as a retrograde motion of the sun,or any other signal deviation of things from their ordinary course in the natural world.

There was indeed one point,which this Parliament had taken extremely to heart,and which was no longer open to the Parliaments that followed;I mean the conduct of the King in foreign affairs,during the war between France,and Holland and her allies,which ended by the Treaty of Nijmegen.

This war was not made in remote countries.It was made at our door.The motives to it,on the part of the aggressor,were neither injuries received,nor rights invaded;but a spirit of conquest,and barefaced usurpation.The interest we had in it was not such as depended on a long chain of contingencies,and required much subtlety to find out,but plain and immediate.The security,and at one time,the very existence of the Dutch commonwealth depended on the event of it.No wonder then,if the conduct of the King,who joined openly with France at first,and served her privately to better purpose at last,furnished ample matter to the public discontent,and helped to increase the ill humour of succeeding Parliaments on two other points,which were still open,and continued to draw their whole attention,as long as King Charles suffered any to sit,during the rest of his reign.

同类推荐
  • 摄大乘论本

    摄大乘论本

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 建立曼荼罗及拣择地法

    建立曼荼罗及拣择地法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 琴声十六法

    琴声十六法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • A Dissertation Upon Parties

    A Dissertation Upon Parties

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 石隐园藏稿

    石隐园藏稿

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 婚宠:嫁值千金

    婚宠:嫁值千金

    【他一掷千金,只为换她为妻】一场错误的婚礼,一场雨中的相遇,靳子琦碰上了自己命中的劫数。婚礼现场她的竹马为了真爱让她沦为整个名流圈的笑柄,她不过一笑置之。“名门千金想要勾引卑贱贫穷的农民,嗯?”★☆★四年后,为了家族利益,她以千金价值嫁给宋家流落在外的第一继承人宋其衍,亦是在婚礼上舍弃她的男人的亲舅舅。传闻,一个在商界翻云覆雨,财富排名在亚洲富豪榜前十的男人。她要做的事很简单:和丈夫相敬如宾、举案齐眉,努力维系好这段光鲜亮丽的婚姻,换取两大家族长远意义上的利益合作。然而婚后的相处却让她瞠目结舌!这个称之为她丈夫的男人,收入无上限,人品亦无下限!论脸皮厚,他胜;论嘴巴毒,他胜;论脾气大,他胜;论耍流氓,他胜!她步步为营想要守住自己的心,却在不知不觉中沦陷在他为俘获她而设计的圈套中。殊不知,他亦是当年的那个“他”,早在四年前他们就开始了彼此的纠缠……★☆★【婚姻保卫战】★☆★【卑鄙是卑鄙者的通行证】她深吸口气,威胁利诱:“宋其衍,你再不让开今晚就别想回屋睡!”男人揣着枕头躺在门口,横眼轻哧一声:“你想去见那个拉二胡的?”“是小提琴。那你到底让不让开?!”她忍无可忍。他也怒,一手摔远手里的枕头:“姓靳的,你要敢踏出这个门,我明天就把你四年前强取豪夺老子第一次的真相插播到湖南卫视的广告里去!”她咬牙切齿,手指颤颤地指着他:“姓宋的,你简直坏到姥姥家了!”他不以为然,顺势握住她的纤指,拉到嘴边细细啄吻:“老婆,你真香……”【真正的勇士要敢于面对各类情敌!】她的初恋寄来一束百合和一张卡片,仅几个字:“负你十年,还你一生。”他直接将邮递员拦截在门外:“靳子琦不在家,我替她代签吧!”目送着邮递员远去,他不动声色地把花丢进垃圾桶,卡片撕成碎片不够还用打火机烧成灰烬。……她的竹马发现心中真爱,千里迢迢赶往澳大利亚寻她,下飞机还没出关就被警方拘捕。“是苏珩风先生吗?我们接到举报,怀疑你私藏毒品,请跟我们回去一趟。”苏珩风满脸错愕,却不得不坐上了前往警局的车子。与此同时,机场外的豪华轿车内,一双深邃的黑眸闪过冷笑:“想泡你舅妈,也不问问我答不答应!”【上阵父子兵】靳某某:“粑粑,我打伤了东东,他麻麻要我赔三百块医药费!”某男:“怎么回事?”靳某某:“因为他打我。”
  • 中观学概论

    中观学概论

    《唯识学概论》内容简介:《中观学概论》和《唯识学概论》两书的作者弘学居士,本名李英武,重庆南岸人氏。外祖母、母亲都是虔诚的佛教徒。弘学是我汉藏教理院同班同学正果法师的忠实弟子。1993年他写了《佛学概论》,我专门为他写了序,并希望他能“写出中、高两级佛学院校学生阅读的佛学书籍,并作为各级佛学院校的教材或参考资料”。
  • 一品废材妻

    一品废材妻

    (全文完)她,亲眼目睹闺蜜和男友背叛意外坠台,穿越重生为废材郡主。当青眸再次睁开,她被妖狐附体。白天她是弱懦的紫璃郡主,晚上她则是收服妖灵,群妖为之膜拜的妖后。什么?要她替长姐嫁给另一位傻王爷?好,她嫁!古代父母之命,媒妁之言,她认…“娘子,娘说:她要抱胖娃娃。”他狼心封动。“哦,你娘还说了什么?”她狐心灵动。
  • 废后逆袭:皇上,请上榻

    废后逆袭:皇上,请上榻

    【本文三观颇正,双男主!】我这一生过的糊涂至极,不顾叔嫂情分,背着我的丈夫与他亲弟弟欢好。不仅坏事做尽,还帮他夺下皇位。最后却落得表妹进宫,夺我后位,死于非命。重生一世我发誓,定要有仇必报,以牙还牙!**********“你想要谋朝篡位?”“不,我只想他们死。”
  • 庶族

    庶族

    上品无寒门,下品无势族,寒门庶族生来艰难。叶长安出身庶族,生母早亡,父亲失踪生死成迷,后来一朝家破,她被迫深陷国仇家恨中,那时候她便想,她一定要带领庶族中人杀出一条生路来。
  • Great Astronomers

    Great Astronomers

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 东京漫画家

    东京漫画家

    正经版:丘原一觉醒来,重生在九十年代的日本,成了落魄的漫画家。画漫画,当偶像,丘原不断前行。努力奋斗,永远年轻,永远热泪盈眶,永远在路上。中二版:光影人生,漫画之王。音乐,漫画,电影,时代周刊的封面上,是丘原捧着奥斯卡的侧身照。“地下漫画皇帝,超级偶像,金牌制作人,日剧一番。”“我来,我见,我征服……”
  • 太华希夷志

    太华希夷志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 用胸膛行走西藏:英文

    用胸膛行走西藏:英文

    《用胸膛行走西藏》是一部反映武警交通部队官兵在西藏生活的作品,由一个又一个鲜为人知的故事的构成。电影《拯救大兵瑞恩》的故事,在阿里无人区演绎了一个真实的版本。
  • 补充团

    补充团

    天气热得燥,人人肚子里都憋了一肚子火,除官长外,士兵弟兄们又不能像树上的知了一样放声喊叫,人就像捆紧了的炸药包,缺的就是火捻子了。孟二愣子就是那颗火星子。孟二愣子的发作突如其来,让在场的所有人都吃了一惊。的确,事先生没有任何征兆,教官李伦当时正拿着一支步枪,懒洋洋地讲解枪的构造。枪是广东石井兵工厂仿德国6.8口径毛瑟枪,不过改了名称叫“元年式”。天气太热了,李伦没精打采的。其实,李伦脑袋中装的全是德国造的原装步枪,那是国民政府用分期付款和稀有矿产从德国换来的,国防军的非主力部队都还没换装呢。