Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- BOOK XX WILLIAM III AND PARLIAMENT DURING THE WAR WITH FRANCE, 169O–1697
- BOOK XXI THE LATER YEARS OF WILLIAM III, 1697—1702
- INTRODUCTION
- CHAP. I Relations between France and England after the conclusion of Peace. The Partition treaties
- CHAP. II Parliamentary proceedings in the Session of 1697, 1698
- CHAP. III Reduction of the Army in the Session of 1698, 1699
- CHAP. IV Changes in Court and State. Resumption of the Irish Land-grants, 1699, 1700
- CHAP. V Affairs in Ireland, Scotland, and North America
- CHAP. VI Origin and conditions of the Hanoverian Succession
- CHAP. VII Change in European politics. The Session of 1701 in relation to this change
- CHAP. VIII Conflicts between Tories and Whigs. Negotiations with France in the spring and summer of 1701
- CHAP. IX Breach with France. The sixth Parliament of William III
- CHAP. X Constitutional opposition between Whigs and Tories. Death of King William III
- BOOK XXII REVIEW OF ENGLISH HISTORY TO THE YEAR 1760
CHAP. III - Reduction of the Army in the Session of 1698, 1699
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 June 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- BOOK XX WILLIAM III AND PARLIAMENT DURING THE WAR WITH FRANCE, 169O–1697
- BOOK XXI THE LATER YEARS OF WILLIAM III, 1697—1702
- INTRODUCTION
- CHAP. I Relations between France and England after the conclusion of Peace. The Partition treaties
- CHAP. II Parliamentary proceedings in the Session of 1697, 1698
- CHAP. III Reduction of the Army in the Session of 1698, 1699
- CHAP. IV Changes in Court and State. Resumption of the Irish Land-grants, 1699, 1700
- CHAP. V Affairs in Ireland, Scotland, and North America
- CHAP. VI Origin and conditions of the Hanoverian Succession
- CHAP. VII Change in European politics. The Session of 1701 in relation to this change
- CHAP. VIII Conflicts between Tories and Whigs. Negotiations with France in the spring and summer of 1701
- CHAP. IX Breach with France. The sixth Parliament of William III
- CHAP. X Constitutional opposition between Whigs and Tories. Death of King William III
- BOOK XXII REVIEW OF ENGLISH HISTORY TO THE YEAR 1760
Summary
King William as yet did not feel himself seriously imperilled by the parliamentary opposition he had met with. The steps agreed on even proved useful to him in his European position, although they had not originally met his wishes. It made a general impression on the world, when it was seen that England by the late subscriptions proved herself still so wealthy after a long war, which had utterly exhausted all the other powers. This was one of the reasons why France was conciliatory and yielding over the first Partition-Treaty: and, besides, he thought there need be no hurry over the disbandment of the troops: for the funds set apart for this object had not yet begun to come in. Accordingly, when he left for Holland, the King gave orders that a far larger number of men than Parliament had voted should be retained. He held that this was sufficiently justified by the necessity of having the country properly defended with an army in the case of a vacancy to the Spanish throne. With the self-confidence of a good conscience he rose above the anxieties which Parliament had expressed about the security of the common freedom. For what had any one to fear from him? He had no children, no successor to care for: he was alone; he had nothing but the good of the nation at heart: for its own good the country must be armed.
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- A History of EnglandPrincipally in the Seventeenth Century, pp. 183 - 196Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010First published in: 1875