Pilate “ were made friends together ” when they combined to
murder Christ, so Louis and James cemented their friendship
by uniting to murder William. The exergue refers to the
passage, “ The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were
gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ.”
The reverse alludes to them as joining, under the sanction of
Father Petre, to bribe the conspirators to murder William.
Louis as well as James had furnished large sums of money to
carry out the plot. The young Prince is represented, as usual,
upon a lobster. (See No. 71, Yol. I. p. 643.) The figures
40 allude to the number of the conspirators leagued together
under Sir George Barclay to murder the King. The fleet was
that drawn together at Calais and Dunkirk to carry over troops
to co-operate with the malcontents in England. This scene is
explained by the reference to Genesis—“ Simeon and Levi are
brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. 0
my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly,
mine honour, be not thou united : for in their anger they slew
a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed
be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was
cruel.”
415. A s sa s s in a t io n P l o t . 1696.
Bust of William III., r., hair long, in armour with stud on
the breast, and mantle fastened with brooch on the shoulder.
Leg. WILHEL . I l l . D . G . MAG . BEIT . FEAN . ET . HIB . BEX.
Below, i. s. (Jan Smeltzing.) Same as Nos. 41, 310, 311. M 'X'j’
liev. David taking away the cruse of water from the tent of '
Saul, while he sleeps; sentinels asleep. Leg. pivs . g e n e e .
IMPIO . SOCEEO . BONVM . PEO . MALO . BEDDIT. (The pioUS SOn-
in-law renders good for evil to his impious father-in-law.) Ex.
M.DC.XCVT. M : SMELTZING.
2-25. Bapin, xix. 10. Van Loon, IY. 225.
MB. iR. Hague, iE. Brussels, iR. Yery rare.
During the contest in Ireland William gave the most positive
and repeated orders for the preservation of the life and person
of James ; and proposals for his seizure were peremptorily
rejected, because in their execution James’s person might have
been endangered. The medal intimates that such were not the
feelings of James towards William, and he is here charged
with having encouraged the assassination plot. David’s forbearance
towards his father-in-law Saul is well known. (See
I. Sam. xxvi. 12.)
416. A s sa s s in a t io n P l o t . 1696.
Bust of William III., r„ laureate, hair long, in armour with
lion’s head and straps on the shoulder, and mantle round the
breast. Leg. w il h e l . n i . d . g . mag . b e it . f e a n . e t . h ib .
EEX.
Rev. Arrows, daggers, and torch falling broken and blunted
from a column against which they have been aimed. Leg.
FEVSTBA s e d n o n im pv n e p e t e b a n t . (They attempted in vain,
but not with impunity.) Ex. c o n iu ea t . d e t e c t p u n it a 1696.
(The conspiracy detected, punished, 1696.) n . c . (Nicolas
Chevalier.)
1. Rapin, xix. 14. Yan Loon, IY. 228.
MB. M . Very rare.
William is the column against which the weapons of the
conspirators were directed in vain and broken ; eight of those
who were detected suffered the penalty of death. The generals
of the allied army determined to mark their sense of the
atrocity by bombarding Givet, destroying the place and all the
vast magazine of stores which Louis had accumulated there.
417. N a t io n a l A s so c ia t io n . March, 1696.
Bust of William III., r., laureate, &c.; same as the preceding.
Rev. A cockade, inscribed, t h e n a t io n a l l a s so c ia t io n f o e
k in g w il l ia m ; each bow is marked with a crown. Leg. d e .
se ev a n d o . tam . caeo . c a p it e . co n iv ea n t . (They combine to
preserve so precious a life.)