The speech was well received; for that Parliament was thoroughly well affected to the Government.  The members had, like the rest of the community, been put into high good humour by the return of peace and by the revival of trade.  They were indeed still under the influence of the feelings of the preceding day; and they had still in their ears the thanksgiving sermons and thanksgiving anthems; all the bonfires had hardly burned out; and the rows of lamps and candles had hardly been taken down.  Many, therefore, who did not assent to all that the King had said, joined in a loud hum of approbation when he concluded.3 As soon as the Commons had retired to their own chamber, they resolved to present an address assuring His Majesty that they would stand by him in peace as firmly as they had stood by him in war.  Seymour, who had, during the autumn, been going from shire to shire, for the purpose of inflaming the country gentlemen against the ministry, ventured to make some uncourtly remarks; but he gave so much offence that he was hissed down, and did not venture to demand a division.4

The friends of the Government were greatly elated by the proceedings of this day.  During the following week hopes were entertained that the Parliament might be induced to vote a peace establishment of thirty thousand men.  But these hopes were delusive.  The hum with which William’s speech had been received, and the hiss which had drowned the voice of Seymour, had been misunderstood.  The Commons were indeed warmly attached to the King’s person and government, and quick to resent any disrespectful mention of his name.  But the members who were disposed to let him have even half as many troops as he thought necessary were a minority.  On the tenth of December his speech was considered in a Committee of the whole House; and Harley came forward as the chief of the opposition.  He did not, like some hot headed men, among both the Whigs and the Tories, contend that there ought to be no regular soldiers.  But he maintained that it was unnecessary to keep up, after the peace of Ryswick, a larger force than had been kept up after the peace of Nimeguen.  He moved, therefore, that the military establishment should be reduced to what it had been in the year 1680.  The Ministers found that, on this occasion, neither their honest nor their dishonest supporters could be trusted.  For, in the minds of the most respectable men, the prejudice against standing armies was of too long growth and too deep root to be at once removed; and those means by which the Court might, at another time, have secured the help of venal politicians were, at that moment, of less avail than usual.  The Triennial Act was beginning to produce its effects.  A general election was at hand.  Every member who had constituents was desirous to please them; and it was certain that no member would please his constituents by voting for a standing army; and the resolution moved by Harvey was strongly supported by Howe, was carried, was reported to the House on the following day, and, after a debate in which several orators made a great display of their knowledge of ancient and modern history, was confirmed by one hundred and eighty-five votes to one hundred and forty-eight.5