portion of his subjects, against those whom he considers rebels
against his authority. That was quite a different thing from
acting, without cause or reason, as a volunteer in the French
army, against those whom he regards as his countrymen and
subjects.

"I am afraid, Desmond, that, though it may shock you to think so,
these Stuart princes of yours are not wise men. Legitimate
monarchs of England though they may be, they do not possess the
qualities that endear kings to their people. From what I have
heard, James was a heavy pedant, a rank coward, essentially not a
man to be popular among a spirited people. Charles had a noble
presence and many fine qualities. But, although his ideas of
kingly power would have suited us well enough in France, his
arbitrary measures alienated a large proportion of his people, and
brought ruin upon him.

"Your second Charles, in spite of his numerous indiscretions, was
not unpopular, because the people were wearied of the stern
repression of Puritan rule, and were therefore disposed to look
leniently upon his frailties, while they appreciated his good
temper and wit. His fatal mistake was allying himself so closely
with us--a grievous mistake, indeed, when we remember that for
centuries the two nations had been bitterly opposed to each other.
As for his brother, he forfeited his throne by his leanings
towards the Catholic Church, in whose communion he died.
Decidedly, the Stuart kings were not a success.

"As to James the Third, as you call him, I know nothing beyond the
fact that he is a protege of the king of France, and has now
fought against his own people--a blunder, as it seems to me, of
the worst kind, and one which is certain to alienate many of his
supporters on the other side of the water. Were he to mount the
throne, it would be partly due to the aid of French troops and
French money--men and money, mind you, of a power at war with
England! He would therefore, necessarily, like Charles the Second,
be regarded as a protege of France. He would be bound in gratitude
to Louis, and the position of England would be altogether changed.
She would become the ally of Spain and France, her ancient
enemies; and opponent of her present allies, Holland, Austria,
Protestant Germany, and Denmark."

Desmond was silent. He could not but agree with what his friend
said, and had himself considered that it was a most unwise step
for James to appear in the field, fighting against his countr