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that he was to be tried for high treason on
the Monday following. In the interim,
his children humbly petitioned the King
for time, that their father might prepare
for his defence: but they petitioned in
vain, though the most material evidence
in his favour was then 140 miles from
London. He was indicted the next Mon-
day, for conspiring to raise a rebellion, to
destroy the King, and subvert the consti-
tution in the late reign. The only mate-
rial evidence were two persons of an in-
famous and profligate character; one of
them an outlaw, who was pardoned, and
his testimony made legal, for his appear-
ing against Cornish; and though what he
deposed did not affect the prisoner, he was
condemned, and on the 23d of the same
month, hanged, drawn, and quartered be-
fore his own door, at the end of King
street, Cheapside.
During this short but iniquitous reign,
in which the boldest attempts were made
for extirpating the protestant religion, and
the religious and civil liberties of the
people, the citizens and the whole nation
cast their eyes on the Prince of Orange as
their deliverer. That Prince's resolution
to grant them his assistance was no sooner
known at Whitehall, than the deluded,
weak, and pusillanimous King, prompted
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by fear, sent for the Lord Mayor and Al-
dermen, and with a meaness of spirit
equal to that of enslaving his people, pro-
mised to restore their charter. Accord-
ingly, on the sixth of October 1688, the
infamous and cruel Lord Chancellor Jef-
fries brought back the charter to the
city.
Upon this, a new Lord Mayor was
chosen; the Aldermen restored to their
respective wards; and the Liverymen of
the several Companies at the time when
judgment was given against the city upon
the quo warranto, were also restored.
It may be proper to observe, before we
conclude this reign, that about the begin-
ing of December 1683, was a severe
frost, which continued till the 5th of Fe-
bruary; the Thames being froze, a great
number of streets with shops were erected
upon it.
In the year 1687, a dreadful persecu-
tion raging in France against the distressed
protestants, 13,500 of them came over
and settled in this city, and the parts con-
tiguous, particularly in Spitalfields, by
which they greatly enriched the city and
kingdom, by introducing among us new
arts and manufactures.
As the citizens had contributed very
much to the revolution, King William
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