Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: a real peace. Once more it was necessary to form the Grand Alliance : once more to resist his encroachments. CHAPTER III. THE NEW DRAMATIS PERSONS. Ix accordance with the provision of the Bill of Rights, confirmed by the Act of Settlement, William was succeeded on the throne by his sister-in-law. Success1on a . , . T ' T .. , ' of Queen Anne, daughter of James II. and Anne Hyde, Anne- daughter of the Earl of Clarendon. In character, and in fitness for the position of sovereign, Anne was very different from William. She had not his discernment, nor his statesmanship, aracter. his resolution. On the contrary, she was without strength of character. She could not be expected to establish a new policy, nor, through good report and evil report, to adhere to one already established. She had always been, and, after her accession she still remained, under the influence of some stronger mind. Such influence was essential to her. There is no feature in her character which is so important to recollect as this, for it explains a good deal of her reign, especially two of its salient events—her adoption and her abandonment of the Grand Alliance. - Anne, however, though no great ruler of men, possessed personal qualities which would have made her highly esteemed in private life, and which endeared her to her subjects. Her private character was irreproachable. She was kind, affectionate, and good; a warm friend, and with a humane heart. But above all she was sincerely religious, like both her grandfathers, and, unlike herfather, she was warmly attached to the doctrines and rites of the Church of England. She often shared the unreasonable fears of the High Church party, and was easily shaken by the cry—' The Church is in danger!' She was very popular with the English people, a...