The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-04-10
THE GOSSIP OF HISTORY,

Some noVelists, If no serious histor-
ians, have attempted to draw flattering
likenesses of James IL, but most men
will be OF opinion that he wasIairly glib
beted by Macaulay. The man looks so
contemplate, deserving a young and
pretty wife, for ugly mistresses. 81
can't find what he sees to admire in me ;"
said Catherine Sedley; "certainly It's
not for my beauty-and as to my wit, he
has not enough to see that have any,"
The accomplished Marquis OF Halifax
had an equally poor opinion OF his intel
lect. and was won't to say of Charles and
James, that "the elder could see things
if he would, while the younger would
see things il he could;" a cruel sentence,
which is yet something Of compli-
ment to the moral nature Of james. lie
must, indeed, have had some good quail
ties, for he was devotedly served in the
days of his exile, and men rarely devote
themselves tor a principal which is not
more or less amiably incarnate.
There is little story told Of James,
which shows that he possessed at least
some OF the Stuart urbanity. He was
sitting to Sir Godfrey Kneller for por-
trait designed as q present to Pepys,
when the news of the landing of the
Prince OF Orange was brought to him.
The King commanded the painter to
proceed and finish the portrait, that his
friend might not be disappointed. or
James successful rival ON the other
hand, Macaulay's portrait must be con-
sidered too flatteriDg, especially by con-
trast. William was not only an unfaith-
full husband, but as ostentatious in his
intidellties, as careless OF conYentiOnali-
ties, as little regardlul of his wife's feel
ings as Charles IL. Now, Macaulay
gives one good deal OF precise inlorma-
tioh about the private life of the two
last Stuart Kings, and touches but
lightly on the talIings of William. He
even goes out of the way to praise the
latter Tor trying to compel one of his
officers to marry young lady whom he
had wroDged-eXcellent counsel, no
doubt, but which must have come with
bad grace from a man whose morals
were in no wise above the level of the
age in which he lived.
There is an anecdote told of our Dutch
ruler which reflects some little credit on
him, though not much7-for he could
hardly have acted otherwise-but which
is chiefly worth relating for the curious
light in which it sets the first cons titu-
tional King of England. William had
sentenced an insubordinate regiment to
be decimated. The soldiers accordingly
drew lots, every tenth man, of course,
drawing prize-the prize OF death.
N OF unnaturally one of the winners felt
disposed to sell the lot he had drawn, if
haply he could find purchaser. One
poor 1ellow at length agreed to be shot
in his stead for a hundred pistoles, to be
paid to his relatives after his execution,
William, having been Informed Of The
bargain, sent for the soldier, and asked
whether what he had been told was true.
."Yes," replied the man, sulkily, II have
run the risk OF being killed all my life
for next to nothing day, and now lean
secure my wife and children something
substantial. l am ready to die" Will
lam pardoned the man-he could hardly
do less, and gave him the hundred pis-
toles. Martial law was formally recog-
nized by Parliament in 1859, but The dec
imated regiment must have been Dutch
or German one, for English public opin-
ion would at no time have tolerated
such barbarous mockery of justice.
Dutch ideas of liberty, however, were
always curious, or at any rate exhibited
a striking discrepancy on some points
from English ideas, and somehow or
other we incline to the latter as the
sounder. Yet there was much that was
lovable in the character OF W illiam, who
was stanch friend and a generous foe;
and perhaps he is the most estImable in
The long line of our sovereigns, with the
exception of Alfred, and perhaps OF