The Parliament meets; Retirement of Halifax--Supplies voted--The Bill of Rights passed--Inquiry into Naval Abuses--Inquiry into the Conduct of the Irish War--Reception of Walker in England--Edmund Ludlow--Violence of the Whigs--Impeachments--Committee of Murder--Malevolence of John Hampden--The Corporation Bill--Debates on the Indemnity Bill--Case of Sir Robert Sawyer--The King purposes to retire to Holland--He is induced to change his Intention; the Whigs oppose his going to Ireland--He prorogues the Parliament--Joy of the Tories--Dissolution and General Election--Changes in the Executive Departments--Caermarthen Chief Minister--Sir John Lowther--Rise and Progress of Parliamentary Corruption in England--Sir John Trevor--Godolphin retires; Changes at the Admiralty--Changes in the Commissions of Lieutenancy--Temper of the Whigs; Dealings of some Whigs with Saint Germains; Shrewsbury; Ferguson--Hopes of the Jacobites--Meeting of the new Parliament; Settlement of the Revenue--Provision for the Princess of Denmark--Bill declaring the Acts of the preceding Parliament valid--Debate on the Changes in the Lieutenancy of London--Abjuration Bill--Act of Grace--The Parliament prorogued; Preparations for the first War--Administration of James at Dublin--An auxiliary Force sent from France to Ireland--Plan of the English Jacobites; Clarendon, Aylesbury, Dartmouth--Penn--Preston--The Jacobites betrayed by Fuller--Crone arrested--Difficulties of William--Conduct of Shrewsbury--The Council of Nine--Conduct of Clarendon--Penn held to Bail--Interview between William and Burnet; William sets out for Ireland--Trial of Crone--Danger of Invasion and Insurrection; Tourville's Fleet in the--Channel--Arrests of suspected Persons--Torrington ordered to give Battle to Tourville--Battle of Beachy Head--Alarm in London; Battle of Fleurus--Spirit of the Nation--Conduct of Shrewsbury WHILE the Convocation was wrangling on one side of Old Palace Yard, the Parliament was wrangling even more fiercely on the other.

The Houses, which had separated on the twentieth of August, had met again on the nineteenth of October.

On the day of meeting an important change struck every eye.

Halifax was no longer on the woolsack.

He had reason to expect that the persecution, from which in the preceding session he had narrowly escaped, would be renewed.