There would be no dissolution of the Parliament, no suspension of the customs and excise; commissions would retain their force; and all that James would have gained by the fall of his enemy would have been a barren revenge.
The death of the Queen changed every thing.

If a dagger or a bullet should now reach the heart of William, it was probable that there would instantly be general anarchy.

The Parliament and the Privy Council would cease to exist.

The authority of ministers and judges would expire with him from whom it was derived.

It might seem not improbable that at such a moment a restoration might be effected without a blow.
Scarcely therefore had Mary been laid in the grave when restless and unprincipled men began to plot in earnest against the life of William.
Foremost among these men in parts, in courage and in energy was Robert Charnock.