ページの画像
PDF
ePub

AMO

Scot Carl of Doncaster

himself after the fatigue of the ftorm, fet out for the village where he left Lucinda. When he arrived it was towards evening, and Lucinda was gone to take a walk. Marius went up into her chamber, and finding a letter open on the table, it appeared to be an answer to a paffionate billet The had writ the barber almoft the moment of his departure. In the midst of that agony of foul which feized him on this occafion, Lucinda

entered. Marius, with a fernness which his looks never knew before, commanded her to go to bed; the trembled, and obeyed; but was fcarcely; covered with the cloaths, ere with one piftol he killed her, and with the other difpatched himfelf. Thus fell the unhappy Marius; thus perithed the perfidious Lucinda.

I am, your's, &c.

A Genealogical Account of Scot, Earl of Doncaster.

HE noble peer who now enjoys the title of earl of Doncafter, is the great-grandfon of James duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch, and earl of Doncaster, natural fon of king Charles II. by Mrs. Lucy Walters, daughter of Richard Walters, Efq. The duke of Monmouth was born in Holland, on the ninth, of April 1649, and went by the name of James Croft, till his majefty's reftoration. In the year 1662, the king fent for him over into England, and an apartment was affigned him at Whitehall. The next year his majefty created him baron of Tindale, earl of Doncaster, and duke of Monmouth, and made him a knight of the moft noble order of the garter. The fame year he married the lady Anne, only daughter and heir of Francis earl of Buccleuch, one of the largest fortunes in Great Britain. Upon his marriage with this lady he affumed the name of Scot, and they were created duke and duchefs of Buccleuch in Scotland. He was appointed mafter of the horfe to his majefty in 1665, and captain of the life-guards in 1668. On the death of his grace the duke of Albemarle in 1669, he was conftituted general April, 1764.

D. D.

of his majesty's forces, lord lieutenant of the Eaft-riding of Yorkshire, governor of the town and citadel of Hull, and chief justice in eyre of all his majefty's foreits and chaces fouth of Trent; and in 1672 he was confituted lord high chamberlain of Scotland.

In

The fame year he commanded the fix thoufand English and Scots who joined the French army on the frontiers of Holland, and was made lieutenant-general of the forces of Lewis XIV. He was at the taking of Rhineburgh, Doefburgh, and Zutphen, and at the reduction of Utrecht, where the French king kept his court for some time. the year 1673 he was at the fiege of Maeftricht, and commanded at the attack of the counterfcarp. The town being taken, the duke, with the British forces withdrew, it not being thought confiftent with the intereft of England. to aflift the French in making an entire conqueft of the United Provinces.

[ocr errors]

The duke was elected chancellor of the university of Cambridge' in 1674 and, as he had formerly. commanded, the forces fent to the aitance of the French against the

Dd

Dutch,

Dutch, he made a campaign under the prince of Orange, in the year 1678, against the French, and was at the attack of the Abby of St. Denis.

The field-conventiclers in Scotland breaking out into rebellion in the year 1679, and having affembled a very formidable force, the duke of Monmouth was fent down to fupprefs them; and giving the infurgents battle at Bothwell-bridge on the twenty-fecond of June, totally defeated them, taking a great number of prifoners, among whom were feveral of the murderers of the bishop of St. Andrew; and, returning to court in triumph, appeared at that time very high in the king's favour. Nor was he lefs in the favour of the people, on his appearing at the head of what was called the proteftant party, and fhewing an uncommon zeal against those who were accused of the popish plot; but the king falling fick, and the , duke of York being fent for over from the Netherlands, and finding the duke of Monmouth had rendered himself exceeding popular, was apprehenfive of his having an eye upon the crown: he procured him therefore to be difmiffed from all his places, and fent abroad; but the king recovering from his illness, thought it convenient that the duke of York fhould return to Flanders before the meeting of the parlia. ment. Accordingly the duke of York refided at Bruffels, and the duke of Monmouth at Utrecht. But the latter on a fudden returned from Holland without the king's leave, and arriving in London on the 27th of November, about midnight, the watch gave notice of it to the feveral wards. The people immediately illuminated their houfes,

rung the bells, made bonfires, as if they had received the news of fome great victory; but the duke, having left Flanders without the king's leave, did not think it proper to attend the court: and foon after his friends in London, Shaftsbury, Ruffel, and feveral other perfons of diftinction, prefented the duke of York as a recufant, which made that prince their profeffed enemy. The king calling the next parliament to meet at Oxford, the duke of Monmouth, the earl of Effex, and feveral other lords, petitioned his majesty that the parliament might not fit at Oxford, where they fuggefted the houfes could not act with freedom; but that he would be pleased to order them to fit at Weftminster, the ufual place, where they might confult and act with fafety.

The king frowned on the petitioners, and gave them no answer; and the parliament accordingly met at Oxford on the twenty-first of March 1680-1, where a bill was brought in for excluding the duke of York from the crown, and fecuring the nation against a popifh fucceffion. When this bill was ordered to be read a fecond time, the king came to the houfe, and made a fpeech, wherein he obferved, That their beginnings were fuch, that he could expect no good fuccefs from their debates, and therefore diffolved them; and a plot, called the Ryehoufe plot, being difcovered at this time, the earls of Shaftsbury and Effex, lord Ruffel, col. Sydney, and several others, were taken into cuftody as confpirators, and foon after the duke of Monmouth; but the king being fatisfied that he was not concerned in the Ryehoufe plot, granted a pardon to his grace, who thereupon went

over to Holland, where he remained till the death of king Charles II. which happened on the fixth of February, 1684-5.

The duke of Monmouth being ftrongly poffeffed with an opinion that his mother was married to king Charles II. and that he had confequently an undoubted right to the British crown, advised with the earl of Argyle, and the reft of his friends in Holland, on the probability of making a fuccefsful defcent on the coaft of England, and afferting his right to that throne. They were pretty unanimous as to the probability of fuccefs, the duke being fo exceeding popular, and the nation in general jealous of the king's defign to introduce popery: but part of his friends were of opinion that things were not yet ripe; that it would be better to wait till the king had made fome advances towards the alteration of religion, and the people's fears of popery were heightened. Others, on the contrary, infifted, that they were more likely to fucceed if they made the attempt before the king was well fettled in the throne, and while the duke's intereft was fo confiderable in England. This debate was at laft terminated in favour of an immediate defcent; and the earl of Argyle immediately embarked in order to make a diverfion in Scotland to favour the duke's defcent, Every thing being thus agreed, the duke hired a frigate of thirty-two guns, and three fmall tenders, one of which was detained in Holland by the application of the English minister to the ftates. The duke, however, proceeded in his voyage with the frigate and two tenders; and after a tedious and ftormy paffage, reached Lime in Dorsetshire on the eleventh of June,

1685. His whole force, including officers, did not exceed two hundred men; but, having brought arms for five thousand more, and great numbers of the country people joining him, his forces foon became very formidable, the militia conftantly flying before him.

The duke marched from Lime a-cross the country to Taunton-dean in Somerset fhire, where he caufed himself to be proclaimed king, and fet a price upon the head of James II. as the latter had done upon that of the former, and also attainted him of high treafon in the parliament then fitting. This being known to the duke, he filed the parliament a feditious affembly in the declaration he published. After ftaying a little time at Taunton-dean, he advanced to Bridgwater, and continued his march towards Bath and Bristol; but, receiving advice that a body of regular troops was in full march for the weft, he thought proper to return to Bridgwater, and foon after the king's forces arrived within four or five miles of that town, commanded by the earl of Feverfham and lord Churchill, afterwards duke of Marlborough, and encamped on Sedgmore. The duke of Monmouth being informed of their arrival, and alfo that the officers spent their nights in drinking, and that their outguards were very negligent in their duty, he formed a design for furprifing the camp of the royalifts in the night-time; but his guides, either through ignorance or treachery, led the duke's forces fo far round about, that it was broad daylight before they reached the camp. of the royalifts, whom they found drawn up ready to receive them. The duke's foot, however, fought very gallantly, and bid fair for vicDdz

1

tory

« 前へ次へ »