re was most danger was Portsmouth. The
Prince did not however insist that this important fortress should be
delivered up to him, but proposed that it should, during the truce, be
under the government of an officer in whom both himself and James could
confide.

The propositions of William were framed with a punctilious fairness,
such as might have been expected rather from a disinterested umpire
pronouncing an award than from a victorious prince dictating to a
helpless enemy. No fault could be found with them by the partisans of
the King. But among the Whigs there was much murmuring. They wanted no
reconciliation with their old master. They thought themselves absolved
from all allegiance to him. They were not disposed to recognise the
authority of a Parliament convoked by his writ. They were averse to
an armistice; and they could not conceive why, if there was to be an
armistice, it should be an armistice on equal terms. By all the laws of
war the stronger party had a right to take advantage of his
strength; and what was there in the character of James to justify any
extraordinary indulgence? Those who reasoned thus little knew from how
elevated a point of view, and with how discerning an eye, the leader
whom they censured contemplated the whole situation of England and
Europe. They were eager to ruin James, and would therefore either have
refused to treat with him on any conditions, or have imposed on him
conditions insupportably hard. To the success of William's vast and
profound scheme of policy it was necessary that James should ruin
himself by rejecting conditions ostentatiously liberal. The event
proved the wisdom of the course which the majority of the Englishmen at
Hungerford were inclined to condemn.

On Sunday, the ninth of December, the Prince's demands were put
in writing, and delivered to Halifax. The Commissioners dined at
Littlecote. A splendid assemblage had been invited to meat them. The old
hall, hung with coats of mail which had seen the wars of the Roses, and
with portraits of gallants who had adorned the court of Philip and
Nary, was now crowded with Peers and Generals. In such a throng a
short question and answer might be exchanged without attracting notice.
Halifax seized this opportunity, the first which had presented itself,
of extracting all that Burnet knew or thought. "What is it that you
want?" said the dexterous diplomatist; "do you wish to get the King into
your power?" "Not at all," said