of Limerick, which were so weak that the French general said they could be ‘‘battered down with roasted apples.” Here for months the English strove in vain to capture the last stronghold of James in Ireland. At Last General Ginkell agreed to allow Sarsfield to go out with all the honours of war, and to take his soldiers abroad wherever he wished. He also promised that the Irish should have the same freedom of religious worship they enjoyed in the time of Charles II. So Sarsfield took 14,000 men to France, and the Irish were left to become ‘‘hewers of wood and drawers of water” for their English masters. Parliament refused to be bound by Ginkell’s promise to give the Irish religious freedom, and the Treaty of Limerick, in 1691, is looked upon by the people of Ireland as a glaring instance of English perfidy.
5. Some Important Laws.—While these wars were going on, important changes were taking place in England. In 1689, the Dissenters were permitted by the ‘‘Toleration Act” to worship in their own chapels; but they were not given the right to hold offices in the army and navy or to become members of Parliament. The Roman Catholics were left under cruel and unjust laws, which, however, were not fully enforced. A revenue of £1,200,000 a year was voted William and Mary, but instead of voting it for life, as in the days of Charles II. and James II. only a part was granted, the rest being kept under the control of parliament. It was in this reign that the money needed for the public service began to be voted annually, and this made it necessary that-Parliament should meet every year.
Another very important Act in 1689 was the ‘‘Mutiny Bill,” which gave the officers of the army and navy power to form courts for the trial and punishment of offenders against discipline. This power was given at first for six months and then for a year at a time. This law also makes it necessary that Parliament should meet every year, otherwise there would be no means of maintaining order in the army and of paying the soldiers.
6. War with France.—For the first eight years of William’s reign war was going on against France. A Grand Alliance was formed in 1690, of England, Holland, Germany, Spain, and some smaller states, to keep Louis XIV. in check. For a time little was done by the Allies, and Louis had everything much his own way.
