PRINCETON. N. J. 
 
 Part of the 
 
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MEMOIRS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 KINGS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 s= 
 
MEMOIRS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 KINGS OF GREAT BRITAIN 
 
 OF THE HOUSE OF 
 
 BRUNSWIC -LUNENBURG. 
 
 BY W. BELSHAM. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 Ac nrihi quidem videntur hue omnia efle referenda ab iis qui prsefunt 
 aliis, ut ii quieorum in imperio erunt, fint quam beatiflimi. Cicero. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR C, DILLY, IN THE POULTRY. 
 
 *793- 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary Library 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/memoirsofkingsof01bels 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 AT the sera of the Revolution, the grand 
 fabric of liberty, which it had been the 
 labour of ages to erect in this ifland, was at length 
 completed ; and in one of the principal nations 
 of the earth, a fyflem of Government was by 
 general affent eftablifhed, which had for its bafis 
 the unalienable rights of man, and profeffing as 
 its grand end and object, the happinefs of the 
 people. The defign of the following Memoirs is 
 to mow, by an impartial delineation of the interest- 
 ing events of the fucceeding reigns, how far this 
 end has been kept in view, how far it has been 
 deviated from, and in what refpects the general 
 fyftem of freedom is Hill fufceptible of enlargement 
 and fecurity. In confequence of the happy eman- 
 cipation of thefe realms, by the expulfion of a 
 wretched and mercilefs bigot, we were neceffarily 
 involved in a war with France, then in the zenith 
 of profperity, and governed by a monarch of the 
 moft afpiring ambition, fupported by a degree of 
 power truly formidable. After a long and bloody 
 conflict, however, France was compelled to reiin^ 
 Vol. I. B quid 
 
2 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 quifh her projects in favor of the abdicated Houfe 
 of Stuart ; and to acknowledge, by a formal and 
 folemn treaty, William Prince of Orange as 
 King of Great Britain. From this period, a new 
 fcene opens to our view ; and England, confirmed 
 and eftablifhed in the pofTeflion of her own liberty, 
 appears in the high and exalted character of the 
 Defender of the Liberties of Europe. And it is 
 chiefly through the efforts of this country, in which 
 the facred flame of freedom was happily preferved, 
 that Europe was able to withfland, and at length 
 effectually to baffle and defeat, the vafl hopes and 
 projects of Louis XIV. ; who feemed to extend 
 his views to no lefs than univerfal dominion. 
 Scarcely was the treaty of Ryfwick figned*, 
 when intrigues and negotiations were revived 
 and profecuted by all the European Courts, with 
 unintermitted and almofl unprecedented ardour 
 and activity. The declining health of the King of 
 Spain, was the caufe of this mighty internal agita- 
 tion ; at whofe deceafe it became a matter of great 
 and anxious doubt, upon whom the fucceffion of 
 that vafl Monarchy would devolve. The two 
 molt potent claimants were, the Emperor Leopold 
 as head and heir-general of the Houfe of Auftria, 
 and the Dauphin of France, who was defcended 
 from Ifabella eldefl daughter of Philip IV. whofe 
 marriage, however, was accompanied by a formal 
 renunciation of her eventual pretenfions to the 
 
 * A. D. 1697. 
 
 Spaniih 
 
Introduction. 3 
 
 Spanifh Crown, which would otherwife, according 
 to the rules of fuccefiion eftablifhed in Spain, have 
 indubitably fuperfeded all other claims. The grand 
 object of the ambition, both of the King and King- 
 dom of Spain, was to fecure, and to which of all 
 the different claimants was apparently a very fubor- 
 dinate confiderationj the entire and undivided 
 devolution of the Spanifh monarchy ; which in- 
 cluded not only Spain and the Indies, but the 
 two Sicilies, Milan, Sardinia, and the Low Coun- 
 tries ; and which had long been in a date of ex- 
 treme political debility, bending, as it were, beneath 
 the preflure of its own enormous weight. 
 
 King William, however, who had no other end 
 in view than to maintain the balance of power, 
 and to preferve the general tranquillity of Europe, 
 paid little attention to national prejudices origin- 
 ating in pride and folly, or even, as it rauft be 
 acknowledged, to national rights and privileges, in 
 the meafures which hefcrupled not to adopt, for the 
 accomplifhment of purpofes fo defirable and im- 
 portant. He concluded, therefore, with Louis, a 
 fecret Treaty of Partition, by which, atthedeceafe 
 of the King of Spain, the two Sicilies, and all the 
 poffeffions of Spain eafhvard of the Pyrenees, were 
 to be for ever united to the French monarchy ; the 
 Dutchy of Milan was allotted to the Emperor ; and 
 it was agreed, that the Kingdom of Spain, and its 
 remaining appendages, mould revert to the Elec- 
 toral Prince of Bavaria, who was defcended from 
 B 2 the 
 
4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the fccond daughter of Philip IV. father of the 
 reigning Monarch. This plan, however, being 
 rendered abortive by the death of the young Prince, 
 another treaty was concerted without the know- 
 ledge or participation of the Court of Madrid, 
 by which, in addition to her former allotment, 
 France obtained the important Dutchies of Lor- 
 raine and Bar, the Dutchy of Milan being ceded 
 to the Duke of Lorraine by way of equivalent j 
 and the Arch-duke, Charles II. fon to the Emperor, 
 was fubflituted as heir to the Monarchy of 
 Spain, in the room of the Electoral Prince. The 
 King of Spain, from whom this treaty could not 
 long remain concealed, exafperated at the con- 
 duel: of King William, and foftened by the 
 attentive and adulatory court paid to him by 
 Louis, who dexteroufly contrived to throw the 
 whole odium of this tranfa&ion upon the King of 
 England, was at length prevailed upon, notwith- 
 {landing his former predilection for the Emperor, 
 to make a will, by which he nominated as his fole 
 heir, the Duke of Anjou, fecond fon to the Dau- 
 phin ; who, fupported by the power of France, 
 would, as the Catholic King was inceffantly and 
 flatteringly told, be able to prevent what he fo 
 much dreaded, the difmemberment of the Spanifli 
 monarchy. 
 
 The death of that Monarch taking place after 
 a fhort interval, the Court of Verfailles declared 
 its determination of accepting the will, notwith- 
 standing 
 
INTRODUCTION. 5 
 
 Handing the formal renunciation of the Infanta 
 Ifabella, and the actual exiftence of the Treaty of 
 Partition ; alleging, " that as the object of that 
 treaty was the prefervation of the general tran- 
 quillity, and that object could not, in prefent 
 circumftances, be obtained by a ftrict adherence 
 to this engagement, a departure from the letter 
 of the treaty was clearly juftifiable, if it arofe 
 folely from a defire of acting in more perfect con- 
 formity to the fpirit of it." 
 
 At the meeting of Parliament, in which the 
 Tory intereft now predominated, the partition 
 treaty was reprobated without any referve, as a 
 meafure unjuft in its origin, and difgraceful in its 
 ilfue. It was flyled, in the vehemence of debate, 
 " a felonious treaty ■" and fo high did the refent- 
 ment and indignation of the Commons arife, that 
 the Lords Somers, Halifax, Orford, and Portland, 
 were actually impeached at the Bar of the Houfe of 
 Peers, as the principal advifers and promoters of 
 this treaty, which was in reality the fole project 
 of the King himfelf, whofe conduct, on this occa- 
 fion, notwithflanding the rectitude of his motives, 
 mufl be acknowledged not eafily reconcileable to 
 the dictates either of juflice or policy. 
 
 The Nation in general, however, entertained 
 
 the mofl alarming apprehenfions at this vaft and 
 
 unexpected addition to the power of the Houfe of 
 
 Bourbon j and their fears and jealoufies were 
 
 B 3 kindled 
 
6 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 kindled into rage by the impolitic conduct of Louis, 
 who, on the death of King James, which happened 
 about this time, formally recognized the pretended 
 Prince of Wales as true and lawful Sovereign of 
 Great-Britain. The King, encouraged by the 
 prevailing difpofition of the Nation, entered into 
 an alliance with the Emperor and the United 
 Provinces, in which all Kings, Princes and 
 States were invited to join, in order to obtain fatif- 
 faction for the Houfe of Auftria, and ample and 
 permanent fecurity for the prefervation of the 
 common liberties of Europe. The Parliament 
 being diffolved, another was fummoned ro meet 
 in December 1701, in which the Whigs again 
 recovered their afcendancy ; and the royal fpeech 
 at the opening of the Seflion, recommending, in 
 very animated and energetic language, unanimity 
 in the profecution of the mofl vigorous and deci- 
 five meafures, was received with enthufiaftic and 
 unbounded applaufe. " I promife myfelf," faid 
 the King, " you are met together full of that juft 
 fenfe of the common danger of Europe, and 
 that refentment of the late proceedings of the 
 French King, which has been fo fully and uni- 
 verfally expreffed in the loyal and feafonable 
 addrefles of my people. The eyes of all Europe 
 are upon this Parliament. All matters are at 
 a (land, till your refolutions are known. Let 
 me conjure you to difappoint the only hopes of 
 
 our 
 
INTRODUCTION. 7 
 
 our enemies by your unanimity. I have fhewn, 
 and will always mew, how defirous I am to be 
 the common father of all my people. Do you, 
 in like manner, lay afide parties and divifions. 
 Let there be no other di ft motion heard of 
 among us for the future, but of thofe who are 
 for the Proteilant Religion and the prefent 
 Eftablifhment, and of thofe who mean a Popiffr 
 Prince and a French Government. — If you do 
 in good earned defire to fee England hold the 
 balance of Europe, and to be indeed at the 
 head of the Proteilant Intereft, it will appear 
 by your right improving the prefent oppor- 
 tunity. " The King, the Parliament, and the 
 Nation, feemed now animated with the fame fpirit, 
 and in no period of his reign had William attained 
 to fo great a height of popularity as at the prefent 
 crifis ; and all Europe, fixing their attention upon 
 this Monarch, and regarding him with grateful 
 and affectionate veneration, as the great affertor of 
 its liberties— as the head, heart, and hand of the 
 confederacy — was eager with the expectation of 
 feeing him once more in the field, leading on to 
 battle the armies of that grand alliance, originally 
 projected by him, and now revived with frefh 
 fpirit and vigour ; and which, in the prefent 
 exhaufted flate of France, it was prefumed, 
 could fcarcely fail to be attended with the moil 
 fignal and glorious fuccefs. The King, however, 
 B 4 perceived 
 
8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 perceived his health and ftrength rapidly declining; 
 and he declared to the Earl of Portland, that he 
 mould not live to fee another fummer. On the 
 2 j ft of February, in riding to Hampton- Court 
 from Kenfington, his horfe fell under him, and 
 his collar-bone was fractured by the violence of 
 the mock. Though no immediate fymptoms of 
 danger appeared, this accident haftened his diHo^ 
 lution, which took place March 8, 1702, in the 
 5 2d year of his age. The recital of the actions 
 of this Monarch forms his befl and highefl eulo- 
 gium. His character was diftinguifhed by virtues 
 rarely found among!! princes — moderation, inte* 
 grity, fimplicity, beneficence, magnanimity. Time, 
 which has call: a veil over his imperfections, has 
 added luftre to his many great and admirable 
 qualities. His political views were in the highefl 
 degree laudable and upright. He had true ideas 
 of the nature and ends of Government : And the 
 beneficial effects of his noble and heroic exertions, 
 will probably defcend to the lateit generations ; 
 rendering his name jufily dear to the friends of 
 civil and religious liberty, and his memory ever 
 glorious and immortal. 
 
 Never did the death of any monarch, that of 
 Guftavus Adolphus in the midfl of his career of 
 victories againfi the Houfe of Auftria perhaps ex- 
 cepted, excite throughout the kingdoms of Europe, 
 more general grief and conft ernation, than that of 
 
 King 
 
INTRODUCTION. 9 
 
 King William. Though the grand alliance 
 againft France was now completed, the different 
 powers, of which this vaft body was compoled, 
 deprived by this unexpected ftroke of the Hero 
 in whofe wifdom and rectitude they confided, and 
 under whofe banners they had been accuftomed to 
 engage, no longer exhibited any fymptoms of ani- 
 mation or vigour. Such was the prevailing dread 
 of the power of France ; which, from the com- 
 mencement of the adminitlration of Cardinal 
 Richelieu, had been elevated to the prefent alarm- 
 ing height, by an almoft uninterrupted feries of 
 military triumphs ; that the alliance now formed 
 was confidered as by no means adequate to the 
 accomplifhment of its object in cafe of the defec- 
 tion of England ; and how far Anne of Denmark, 
 who now fwayed the fceptre of that powerful king- 
 dom, was difpofed to adopt the counfels, or to pur- 
 fue the mighty projects formed by her illuflrious pre- 
 deceffbr, was confidered as a queftion highly pro- 
 blematical. The doubt, however, was quickly re- 
 folved j for the Queen, who was laudably ambi- 
 tious of popularity, finding the nation and parlia- 
 ment flrongly inclined to war, and influenced by 
 the reprefentations of the Earls of Marlborough 
 and Godolphin, who demonstrated the imminent 
 danger to which the liberties of Europe would be 
 expofed, were England to act with indifference or 
 indecifion in the prefent crifis, declared her refo- 
 
 lution 
 
to INTRODUCTION. 
 
 lution to fulfil, in their utmoft extent, all the poli- 
 tical engagements of the late King. To give effi- 
 cacy to this refolution, the Earl of Godolphin was 
 placed at the head of the treafury, and the Earl of 
 Marlborough advanced to the rank of Captain-Gene- 
 ral of all her Majefty's forces, to the extreme fatif- 
 faclionof the Allies, who had, from his pad fer- 
 vices, already formed very high ideas of his military 
 talents. This Nobleman was alfo inverted with the 
 character of Ambaffador Extraordinary and Ple- 
 nipotentiary from her Majefty ; and fent into Hol- 
 land, in order to concert meafures with the States, 
 and to affure them, as well as the other Powers of 
 the Alliance, whofe ambaffadors were affembled at 
 the Hague, of the Queen's favourablefentiments and 
 zealous attachment to the common caufe and in- 
 terefr.. In purfuance of the fpirited exertions of this 
 able negotiator, war was declared againfl France on 
 the very fame day at Vienna, London, and the 
 Hague, to the furprife and chagrin of the court 
 of Verfailles, which had entertained the flattering 
 hope that the projects of the Allies would be 
 entirely difconcerted by the death of the King of 
 England, and had received the intelligence of 
 that event with the moft indecent marks of ex- 
 ultation. The war commenced with the fieges of 
 Keiferfwart and Landau, both which fortrefles fur- 
 rendered to the arms of the Allies, after a very 
 long and vigorous refiflance. The Earl of Marl- 
 borough arriving at the camp in June, immedi-. 
 
 ately 
 
INTRODUCTION, n 
 
 ately took upon him the command of the allied 
 army: The Earl of Athlone, who had pretenfions 
 in quality of Veldt-Marefchal of the Dutch forces, 
 to divide the command, and whofe military fame 
 was not inconfiderable, being obliged by the States 
 to relinquifh his claim. The French army under 
 Marechal Boufflers, precipitately retiring before the 
 Allies, the Earl of Marlborough fucceflively in. 
 veiled and captured the towns of Venlo, Rure- 
 mond, Stevenfwart, and Liege ; and by the judg- 
 ment and fkill with which he conducted all his 
 meafures, confirmed the confidence of the public, 
 and fully eftablimed his reputation, as an able and 
 enterprizing General. Very fplendid fuccefs alfo 
 attended the naval operations of the prefent fum- 
 mer: For though the Duke of Ormond and Sir 
 George Rooke failed in their attempt on Cadiz, 
 they received intelligence, on their return to Eng- 
 land, that the Spanifh Flota had put into the port 
 of Vigo ; and attacking that place with refiftlefs 
 intrepidity, broke the immenfe boom which extend- 
 ed acrofs the entrance of the harbour, reduced 
 the forts by which it was defended, and deflroyed 
 or captured the whole fleet of men of war and 
 galleons which had retreated thither for fecurity. 
 
 When the new Parliament met, an addrefs was 
 prefented to the Queen by the Commons, con- 
 gratulating the fuccefs of her Majefty's arms, 
 which had, as they chofe to exprefs it, fignally re- 
 5 trieved 
 
12 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 irieved the ancient honour and glory of the Eng- 
 lifti nation. This was univerfally underftood as 
 an oblique reflection upon the memory of the late 
 King; and it flrongly indicated the predominance 
 of the Tories, who were now the favoured and 
 governing party. Of this, however, a much more 
 important and decifive proof was afforded, by the 
 introduction of a bill againfl Occafional Con- 
 formity — a practice by which the Church was de- 
 clared to be expofed to the moll imminent dan- 
 ger. This bill, which was carried through the 
 Houfe of Commons by a prodigious majority, 
 was, after long and vehement debate, thrown out 
 by the Lords. 
 
 Early in the fpring, A. D. 1703, the Earl, now 
 Duke of Marlborough, paffed the fea, and, at the 
 head of the Allies, opened the campaign with the 
 fiege of Bonne ; after the reduction of which, he 
 marched towards the French army commanded by 
 Marechal Villeroy, with an intention to give them 
 battle: But at his approach, that General thought 
 proper to retire within his lines, after fetting fire 
 to his camp ; and the Duke was obliged to fatisfy 
 himfelf with the conquelt of the towns of Huy, 
 Limburg, and Gueldres. In the courfe of this 
 year, the King of Pruflia and Duke of Savoy 
 joined the grand alliance; and the Arch-duke 
 Charles, fecond fon to the Emperor, who now 
 affwned the title of King of Spain, was convoyed 
 
 to 
 
INTRODUCTION. 13 
 
 to Lifbon by an Englifh fquadron, as the claimant 
 of a kingdom in which he did not as yet polTefs a 
 fingle foot of land. 
 
 In the enfuing Seflion of Parliament, the Occa- 
 fional Conformity Bill was again revived by the 
 High-Church faction ; the mod violent partizans 
 of which attempted, though in vain, to fecure the 
 fuccefs of it, by annexing it as a tack to the 
 Land-tax Bill. This was abfolutely difcounte- 
 nanced by the Minifters of the Crown, and the 
 bill itfelf but faintly fupported by the Court party, 
 the great leaders of which, Godolphin and Marl- 
 borougn, now began, from political motives, to 
 connect themfelves with the Whigs : And though 
 the bill palled by a majority of fifty voices, it was 
 again rejected by the Lords, who would not even 
 deign to give it a fecond reading. This Par- 
 liament is diftinguifhed in the Englifh annals by 
 the perpetual mifunderftandings which prevailed 
 between the two Houfes j and this winter a 
 very remarkable difpute arofe, which origin- 
 ated in an accidental and apparently incon- 
 fiderable caufe. The fhamelefs and fcandalous 
 manner in which the Commons were wont to 
 decide upon all petitions relative to contefled 
 ele&ions in favour of the predominant party, was 
 at this time perhaps more than ufually notorious : 
 And the returning officers, who happened to be in 
 that intereft, were emboldened by it to exercife 
 
 the 
 
i 4 INTRODUCTION'. 
 
 the grofFeft partiality in admitting or rejecting 
 votes, knowing it might be done with perfect eafe 
 and impunity. At the laft general election, how- 
 ever, the vote of one Afliby, an inhabitant of the 
 borough of Aylefbury, being rejected by White 
 the returning officer, he had the fpirit 2nd refolu- 
 tion to commence an adtion at common law 
 againfl White, for illegally depriving him of his 
 franchife ; and obtained a verdict for damages, at 
 the enfuing affizes for the county of Bucks. The 
 Court of Queen's Bench, however, being moved 
 to quafh all proceedings in this matter, as contrary 
 to the privileges of the Houfe of Commons, the 
 three puime Judges were of opinion, that the 
 verdict could not be fuftained. But that great 
 and upright Magiftrate, Lord-Chief-Juftice Holt, 
 at this time prefiding in the Court, declared in 
 the mod decifive terms, " that the verdict in quef- 
 tion was both legal and juft ; — that though the 
 Houfe of Commons poneued a feparate and inde- 
 pendent jurifdietion, agreeably to the conftitution 
 of Parliament, fo far as to determine, in cafe of 
 appeal, which of the different candidates w r ere 
 duly elected ; yet that their authority did not 
 fuperfede the common courfe of judicial proceed- 
 ings in the Courts fitting at Weftminfter, which 
 founded their decifions on the known laws of the 
 land, and the evidence which came regularly and 
 properly before them j and which neither could, 
 
 nor 
 
INTRODUCTION. 15 
 
 nor would take cognizance of the proceedings of 
 the Houfe of Commons, nor of the grounds of 
 their proceedings. Where a legal right exifted, 
 and fuch, faid this able Magiftrate, is the franchife 
 of an elector ; the Law, of which the Courts of 
 Juftice are the fole difpenfers, will protect him in. 
 the enjoyment of that right. — That the Houfe of 
 Commons were not competent to decide judicially, 
 though they might be occafionally compelled to 
 exercife their difcretion in cafes of this nature, 
 evidently appeared from their utter inability to 
 grant redrefs, whatever might be the magnitude 
 of the injury fuftained : — that if this exorbitant 
 claim were once eftablifhed, the fubject might be 
 deprived of his deareft rights, by the mere arbi- 
 trary will and pleafure of the Houfe of Commons, 
 ——the mofl flagrant abufes of power might be com- 
 mitted with impunity, nay with applaufe and tri- 
 umph, by men holding public offices, who were 
 thus placed beyond the reach of the arm of public 
 juftice ; and by a monftrous folecifm in legiflation 
 and jurifprudence, an acknowledged and invalua- 
 ble right might be grofsly and openly violated, 
 and the injured party remain wholly deftitute of 
 any legal or regular means of reparation or re- 
 drefs.'' The verdict, notwithstanding thefe cogent 
 reafonings, was however reverfed ; but the caufe 
 was, by writ of error, immediately brought be- 
 fore the Houfe of Lords ; who, after requiring the 
 
 opinions 
 
16 1NTRODUCTIOM. 
 
 opinions of the twelve judges, and debating the 
 matter at great length, and with great ability* 
 determined almoft unanimoufly to fuperfede the 
 judgment pronounced in the Queen's Bench, and 
 to affirm the verdict originally given at the County 
 Affizes. The Houfe of Commons, enraged at 
 thefe proceedings, declared by a vote of the Houfe, 
 " that Matthew Afhby having, in contempt of the 
 jurifdiction of that Houfe, commenced and profe- 
 cuted an action at common law againfl William 
 White for not receiving his vote at an election for 
 BurgelTes to ferve in Parliament for the borough 
 of Aylefbury, was guilty of a high breach of the 
 privileges of that Houfe ; and that all attornies, 
 folicitors, counfellors, and fergeants-at-law, foliat- 
 ing, profecuting, or pleading in any fuch caufe, 
 were guilty of a high breach of the privileges of 
 that Houfe." And they ordered thefe refolutions, 
 figned by the clerk of the Houfe, to be affixed to 
 Weitminfler-Hall gate. So far, however, was the 
 intrepid Magiftrate at the head of the Law from 
 being intimidated by this imperious language, that 
 he is faid publicly to have declared, that if any 
 jneiTenger of the Houfe of Commons prefumed to 
 enter that Hall, in order to feize the perfon of any 
 attorney or pleader by virtue of this warrant, he 
 would immediately commit him to Newgate. The 
 Houfe of Lords, on their part, paffed votes j unifi- 
 catory of their own conduct ; copies of which were 
 
 tranf- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 17 
 
 transmitted to all fheriffs and borough-reeves 
 throughout the kingdom. The Commons, 
 finding the general voice of the people declare 
 ftrongly in favour of their antagonifts, feemed dif- 
 pofed to let it reft in its prefent ftate, and the 
 judgment of the Lords was duly and regularly exe- 
 cuted ; upon which, five other inhabitants of the 
 borough of Aylefbury brought their feveral actions 
 for damages, upon the fame grounds. This threw 
 the Houfe of Commons into a new ferment ; and 
 by their own authority, they committed thefe five 
 men to prifon, where they lay three months, with- 
 out however offering to make any fubmiffion. 
 After the money bills were paffed by the Com- 
 mons, and not till then, a motion being made in 
 the Queen's Bench in behalf of the prifoners, for 
 a habeas corpus ; the three puifne Judges declared 
 themfelves of opinion, as before, that the Court 
 could take no cognizance of the matter. But the 
 Chief- Juftice, a man inflexible to ill, and obfti- 
 nately jufi, maintained, that a general warrant of 
 commitment for breach of privilege was of the 
 nature of an execution : And as it appeared upon 
 the face of the warrant itfelf, that the prifoners 
 had been guilty of no legal offence, unlefs to claim 
 the benefit of the law in oppofition to a vote of 
 the Houfe of Commons was fuch, it was his opinion 
 that they ought to be inftantly difcharged. This 
 opinion, however, not availing in oppofition to that 
 Vol. I. C of 
 
iS INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of the majority of the Bench, the prifoners were 
 remanded ; in confequence of which, they moved 
 for a writ of error, to bring the matter before the 
 Lords. As this, agreeably to the forms of law, 
 could only be obtained by petition to the Crown, 
 the Commons prefented an addrefs to the Queen, 
 humbly requeuing her Majefty that the writ of 
 error might not be granted ; and they alfo took 
 upon them to affirm, that, in this cafe, no writ of 
 error could lie. To this addrefs, the Queen, with 
 great moderation and prudence, replied, that fhe 
 hoped never to give her faithful Commons any juft 
 ground of complaint ; but to obitruct the courfe of 
 judicial proceedings, was a matter of fuch high im- 
 portance, that (lie thought it neceifary to weigh and 
 confider carefully what it might be proper for her 
 to do. The Commons received this anfwer in 
 fullen filence ; and immediately ordered the pri- 
 foners to be removed from Newgate, into the cuf- 
 tody of their fergeant at arms, left they fhould be 
 discharged in confequence of the Queen's granting 
 a writ of error. They likewife refolved, that the 
 Lawyers who had pleaded on behalf of the pri- 
 foners, on the return of the habeas corpus, were 
 guilty of a breach of privilege ; and ordered them 
 to be taken into cuftody. The Lords, upon this, 
 voted, " that, for fubjeets to claim their juft rights 
 in a courfe of law, was no breach of privilege — 
 that the imprifonment of the men of Aylefbury 
 
 was 
 
INTRODUCTION. i 9 
 
 was contrary to law — and that the writ of error 
 could not be refufed, without a violation of Mag- 
 na Charta." This was followed by an addrefs 
 to the Queen, humbly befeeching her Majefly to 
 give immediate orders for iifuing the writ of error. 
 The Judges, moreover, now happily recovering 
 from their terrors, ventured to decide, that a peti- 
 tion for a writ of error was a petition of right, 
 and not of grace^ And the Queen was pleafed, 
 in the moil condefcending terms, to reply to this 
 addrefs, " that fhe would certainly have complied 
 with their Lordfhips* requefl in regard to the writ 
 of error, but that, as it now became neceffary 
 to put an end to the SefTion, fhe knew it could 
 produce no effecV' The Lords, confidering this 
 as a decided victory, immediately returned their 
 humble thanks to her Majefly, for this inftance of 
 her Majefly's regard for the legal and impartial 
 adminiitration of public juflice. The Queen, that 
 very day, March 14, put an end to the Seffion; 
 and on the 5th April 1705, the Parliament was 
 diffolved by proclamation. " It was no fmall 
 blefling," fays Bifhop Burnet, with his accuflomed 
 folemnity, " to the Queen, and to the nation, that 
 they got well out of fuch hands." And it mufl 
 indeed be acknowledged, that the violence and 
 malignity manifefled in their general conduct, 
 were productive of much lefs evil than might rea- 
 sonably be apprehended. 
 
 C 2 As 
 
so INTRODUCTION. 
 
 As in order to exhibit a connected view of tltis 
 memorable controverfy, the order of events has 
 been fomewhat anticipated ; it is now neceflary to 
 advert to various preceding tranfactions of great 
 moment and importance. Though it muft be 
 allowed, that nothing can be more uninterefting, 
 or uninftructive in general, than the detail of 
 military operations ; yet, as the campaign of the 
 year 1 704 is one of the mod remarkable in modern 
 hirtory, and difplays the unrivalled talents of 
 the Duke of Marlborough in the moft brilliant 
 and ftriking point of view, it cannot but excite 
 iuch emotions of curiofity as demand more than 
 ordinary attention. In the month of January, 
 Count Wrattiflau, the Imperial Ambaflador, pre- 
 ferred a memorial to the Britiih Court, in which 
 he reprefented the alarming and dangerous fitua- 
 tion to which the Emperor and the Empire were 
 reduced, m confequence of the rapid fuccefs of the 
 French arms in Germany, and the defection of 
 the Elector of Bavaria, who had entered into a 
 ftrict confederacy with France ; had joined the 
 armies of that monarchy with all his forces ; had 
 feized the cities of Augfbourg, Ulm, and PafTau, 
 and threatened to attack even the Imperial capital 
 of Vienna itfelf. The Emperor, therefore, im- 
 plored the aid and protection of the Queen and 
 People of England, to fave the Roman Empirh 
 from impending ruin. This application, fo glori- 
 ous 
 
INTRODUCTION. 11 
 
 ous to the Englifh nation, was not made in vain. 
 The Duke of Marlborough received orders from 
 the Queen, to concert with the States the mofl 
 eligible means of accomplifhing this great object. 
 On his arrival at the Hague, he reprefented to 
 their High Mightinefles, the neceffity of making 
 a powerful effort for the relief of the Empire ; and 
 propofeJ, that as the frontiers of Holland were 
 now perfectly fecure, he mould be permitted to 
 march with the grand confederate army to the 
 banks of the Mofelle, there to fix the feat of the 
 war. And as the French Court would, in confe- 
 quence of this diverfion, be led to entertain feri- 
 ©us apprehenfions for the fafety of their own ter- 
 ritories, they would be compelled to defift from 
 any farther profecution of their vafi and ambitious 
 projects in Germany. Under this veil did that 
 great Commander conceal his real defign, which 
 he communicated only to the penfionary Heinfius, 
 and two or three other leading perfons, whofe in- 
 fluence might obtain a fanctioa to the meafure, 
 whenever a public avowal of it mould be deemed 
 neceffary. The confent of the States being with 
 fome difficulty procured, and the campaign at 
 length opened, the propofed march to the Mofelle 
 accordingly took place. Marechal Tallard, who 
 commanded the French army, apprehending 
 Traerbach to be in danger, and that the Duke's 
 intentions were to penetrate into France on that 
 C 3 (ide, 
 
it INTRODUCTION. 
 
 fide, took no fteps to obftrudt his Grace's farther 
 progrefs to the Eaft. To the amazement, how- 
 ever, not only of the French General, to whom 
 the Duke's movements were wholly incomprehen- 
 fible, but of all Europe, whofe attention was now 
 fixed on this interefling fcene, the allied army 
 paiied the Rhine May 26, and in a few days 
 after, the Maine and the Neckar. On his arrival 
 at Ladenburg, June 3, the Duke thought proper 
 to throw off the mafque; and he wrote from 
 thence a letter to the States, acquainting their 
 High Mightinefles, that he had received orders 
 from his Sovereign, the Queen of England, to 
 adopt the moft vigorous meafures to deliver the 
 Empire from the oppreffion of France — that, for 
 this purpofe, he was proceeding on his march to 
 the Danube, and he hoped their High Mightineffes 
 would not hefitate to allow their troops to (hare in 
 the glory of this enterprife. The States, finding 
 it impracticable to recede, thought it advifable to 
 comply with a good grace, and immediately 
 difpatched a courier to inform the Duke that his 
 defign met with their unanimous approbation — 
 that they entrufted their troops entirely to his 
 difpofal, placing the moft perfect reliance on his 
 Grace's {kill, experience, and difcretion. This 
 difficulty being thus happily furmounted, the 
 Duke proceeded on his expedition ; and at Mil- 
 denhcim he had an interview with Prince Eugene, 
 
 in 
 
INTRODUCTION. 23 
 
 in which thcfe two confummate Generals agreed 
 upon their future plan of operations. The Prince 
 expreding his admiration of the fine appearance of 
 the troops after fo long and fatiguing a march, 
 and particularly of the uncommon fpirit apparent 
 in their countenances, the Duke of Marlborough 
 politely replied, that this might be eafily accounted 
 for, by the animation which the prefence of his 
 Highnefs could never fail to excite. On the firft 
 of July, the Duke, being previoufly joined by the 
 Imperial army, came in fight of the lines of Schel- 
 lenburg, in which the flower of the Bavarian 
 troops lay ftrongly entrenched, near the town of 
 Donavert, fituated on the banks of the Danube. 
 Early the next morning, his Grace refolved upon 
 the attack ; and after a very gallant refiflance, the 
 lines were forced with great {laughter, and Dona- 
 vert immediately furrendered at difcretion. But 
 this fuccefs, though brilliant, was loft in the fpleh- 
 dour of the fubfequent viclory. The Elector of 
 Bavaria obftiuately refufing to liflen to terms of 
 accommodation, and being at length joined by 
 Marechal Tallard, who had with great danger and 
 difficulty traverfed the immenfe forefts of Suabia 
 with a view to his relief; it was refolved by the 
 Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene, 
 Auguft 13, to engage the combined army of 
 French and Bavarians, then pofled near the vil- 
 lage of Bleinheim, a name ever memorable in 
 
 C 4 the 
 
2 4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the annals of Britifh and Gallic hiftory. The 
 enemy were very advantageoufly encamped on a 
 rifing ground. Their right flank was covered by 
 the Danube, and the village of Bleinheim, into 
 which the Marechal had thrown a great body of his 
 belt troops : Their left wing, commanded by Mare- 
 chal Marfin, and the Eleclor in perfon, was pro- 
 tected by the village of Lutzingen, and the ad- 
 joining woods ; and they had, in front of the 
 camp, a rivulet, whofe banks were iteep, and the 
 bottom marfhy. It being determined that the 
 Duke of Marlborough mould command the attack 
 againft Marechal Tallard ; about noon, the left 
 wing of the allied army parTed the rivulet without 
 moleftation, and drew up in order of battle on the 
 other fide. So unaccountably fupine were the 
 French commanders on this occafion, that they 
 fuffered even the fecond line of cavalry to form, 
 without defcending from the heights, of which 
 they were in pofTefhon, into the meadows which 
 occupied the interval between the camp and the 
 rivulet. The allies now afcending the hill in a 
 firm compacted body, the enemy advanced with 
 great fpirit and refolution, and a furious and 
 bloody contefl enfued. The French at length 
 giving way on all fides, Marechal Tallard made an 
 effort to gain the bridge thrown over the Danube 
 between Bleinheim and Hochfted ; but being 
 clofely purfued, vaft numbers were either killed 
 
 or 
 
INTRODUCTION. 25 
 
 ©r forced into the river, and the Marechal himfelf 
 was made a prifoner. The troops inclofed in the 
 village of Bieinheim being now left deftitute of 
 fupport, were obliged to furrender at difcre- 
 tion. On the right, where Prince Eugene com- 
 manded, though the fuccefs was not fo decifive, 
 the Elector, and Marechal Marfin, were compelled, 
 after a fevere conflict^ to retreat in confufion, and 
 with very great lofs ; and, upon the whole, this 
 was one of the mod complete and important vic- 
 tories ever gained. The French force in Ger- 
 many was in effect annihilated. Exciufive of the 
 prodigious carnage during the heat of the action, 
 feventy entire fquadrons and battalions were either 
 captured at Bieinheim, or drowned in the Danube; 
 and the mattered remains of their army, after the 
 lofs of forty thoufand veteran troops, were 
 utterly incapable of making head againft the 
 victors. This day entirely changed the afpect of 
 affairs in Europe. France was no longer formi- 
 dable. After her long fucceflion of triumphs, me 
 now experienced a fatal and fudden reverfe of for- 
 tune, by which fhe was overwhelmed with amaze- 
 ment and confternation. Nor has me ever been 
 able to regain that high afcendency in the fcale of 
 power which me poffeffed previoufly to that great 
 event. The Elector of Bavaria, at the head of a 
 fmall body of troops, effected a retreat, or rather 
 made his efcape, and joined Marechal Villeroy in 
 
 Flanders, 
 
25 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Flanders, leaving the Electorate at the mercy of 
 the conquerors, who, after reducing Ingoldftadt, 
 and the other fortreffes of the Dutchy, glorioufly 
 concluded the campaign with the fieges of Lan- 
 dau, Triers, and Traerbach. And in the month 
 of December, the Duke of Marlborough returned 
 in triumph to England, where he was received 
 with unbounded tranfports of joy. Daring the 
 courfe of the prefent fummer, Admiral Sir George 
 Rooke, by a very brilliant coup-de-main, furprifed 
 the fortrefs of Gibraltar, which, notwithstanding 
 the repeated efforts of the Spaniards, flill remains 
 in the pofleflion of the Englifh. It is, however, a 
 moft expenfive, invidious,- and ufelefs conqueft ; 
 and while it is, by an ungenerous and pernicious 
 policy, detained from the rightful owners, it is 
 fcarcely poffible that a cordial and fincere friend- 
 fhip can long fubfifl between the two kingdoms of 
 Great Britain and Spain. 
 
 In April 1 705, the Duke of Marlborough again 
 palled into Holland. He had now formed a real 
 intention to execute the projed, refpecling which 
 the French were fo needlefsly apprehenfive the 
 preceding year — to penetrate into France on the 
 iide of the Mofelle. For which purpofe, he pafled 
 that river in the beginning of June, expecting a 
 powerful co-operation from Prince Louis of Baden, 
 who commanded the Imperial army on the Rhine. 
 But that General, who was univ.erfally believed 
 
 to 
 
INTRODUCTION. 27 
 
 to regard the Duke of Marlborough with malig- 
 nant and envious eyes, failing in every part of his 
 engagements, his Grace was compelled to retreat 
 with fome precipitation into Flanders, where Mare- 
 chal Villeroy had taken advantage of the Duke's 
 abfence, to capture the town of Huy, and to inveft 
 the city of Liege. The Duke, however, not only 
 raifed the fiege of that city, and recaptured Huy, 
 but obliged the French General to retire within 
 his lines, which he immediately attacked with his 
 wonted fuccefs ; but the Marechal retreating to the 
 ftrong camp of Parcke, near Louvaine, no farther 
 impreffion could be made on that frontier during 
 the remainder of this campaign. On the 5th 
 May died the Emperor Leopold, who had experi- 
 enced, during his long reign, very wonderful and 
 frequent viciflitudes of fortune. He was fucceeded 
 by his fon, Jofeph, King of the Romans. If, 
 from the difappointments fuflained by the allies 
 during this fummer, the French Court derived 
 any hope of recovering their former fuperiority, 
 the enfuing campaign proved them to be wholly 
 fallacious. For the Englifh General aflemblino- 
 the confederate forces early in the fpring of 1 706, 
 marched againft the French army, commanded by 
 the Marechals Villeroy and Marfm, and the Elector 
 of Bavaria, who had received orders from the 
 French Court to rifque a general engagement ; and 
 en Whitfunday, the two armies joined battle near 
 
 the 
 
2 8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the village of Ramilies. M. Villeroy, the French 
 Commander in Chief, is faid to have made a moil 
 injudicious difpofition; and the troops, who 
 placed little confidence in his ability, difpiayed 
 no marks of fpirit or courage. In a fhort time, 
 all was rout and confternation ; and a mod com- 
 plete victory was obtained, with inconfiderable lofs. 
 The almoft entire conqueft of the Spanifh Nether- 
 lands was the immediate confequence of it. Lou- 
 vaine, Mechlin, BrufTels, Antwerp, Ghent, and 
 Bruges, fubmitted without refiftance. Offend, 
 Menin, Dendermond, and Aeth, furrendered al- 
 mofl as foon as they were furnmoned. And 
 during this fortunate campaign, the fuccefs of the 
 allied arms in Spain and Italy was fcarcely inferior 
 to this uninterrupted feries of triumphs in Flan- 
 ders. The Duke of Savoy, who had acceded to 
 the grand alliance in the hope of being power- 
 fully fupported by the Emperor, feemed to be 
 abandoned to his fate. He defended himfelf, 
 however, with undaunted refolution, againfl the 
 efforts of the Due de Vendome, the French Gene- 
 ral : But, overpowered by the fuperior force and 
 the great military talents of his antagonist, he was 
 at length reduced to take refuge in his capital of 
 Turin, where he was clofely befieged by the French 
 army under Marechal Marfin ; the Due de Ven- 
 dome, after the difafter of Ramilies, being Recalled 
 in order to take the command of the army in 
 
 Flanders. 
 
INTRODUCTION. zg 
 
 Flanders. The Imperial Court, determining to 
 make one grand effort in order to relieve the 
 Duke of Savoy in this extremity, directed Prince 
 Eugene, at the head of a powerful army, to 
 march to the relief of Turin. With fuch ability, 
 and fuch fuccefs, did that celebrated commander 
 execute this important commimon, that, after 
 furmountmg all the numerous difficulties which 
 obflructed his junction with the Duke, he at- 
 tacked the French army in their intrenchments 
 before Turin, and gained a moft glorious and de- 
 cifive victory ; the unfortunate Marechal Marfin 
 falling in the action. And this event was quickly 
 followed by the final expulfion of the French from 
 Lombardy. A loan, as M. Voltaire relates, being 
 negotiated by the Imperial Court amongft the 
 merchants of London, in order to defray the 
 expence of this expedition ; after the battle of 
 Turin, Prince Eugene wrote to the fubfcribers in 
 the following terms : — " Gentlemen, I have re- 
 ceived your remittances, and natter myfelf I have 
 laid out the money to your entire fatisfaClion." 
 The fortune of the war was not lefs favourable to 
 the allies in the fcene of action fouthward of the 
 Pyrenees. The Arch-duke Charles, recognized 
 as King of Spain by the powers of the alliance, 
 after vainly attempting, by the aid of the King 
 of Portugal, in conjunction with the Englifh and 
 German auxiliaries, to penetrate into that king- 
 2 dom 
 
30 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 dom on the weftern fide, took a fudden refold 
 tion, in the courfe of the preceding fummer, to 
 accompany the Earl of Peterborough on board 
 the fleet commanded by Sir Cloudefley Shovel, 
 on his intended expedition to the eaftern coaft of 
 that kingdom : And landing in the province of 
 Catalonia, this Monarch was received by the in- 
 habitants with every demonftration of joy and 
 affection. Barcelona furrendered in the month of 
 October, and the kingdom of Valencia, with its 
 capital, vanquifhed with furprifing rapidity by the 
 heroic exertions and romantic valour of the Earl 
 of Peterborough, alfo recognized the authority 
 of King Charles. The reigning Monarch, ferioufly 
 alarmed at the progrefs of his competitor, made 
 mighty preparations early in the enfuing fpring 
 for the fiege of Barcelona, which, being defended 
 by King Charles in perfon, made a very vigorous 
 refinance. The Earl of Peterborough, who flew 
 from Valencia to its relief, made incredible efforts 
 to fave this capital ; which, however, muff inevi- 
 tably have fallen into the hands of the Spaniards, 
 had it not been for the critical arrival of the 
 Englifh fleet, on the appearance of which, Marechal 
 de Teffe raifed the fiege with great precipitation, 
 and retired with the broken remains of his army be- 
 yond the mountains. The Earl of Peterborough 
 now urged the neceflity of immediately proceeding 
 to Madrid, in order to form a junction with the 
 
 Portu- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 31 
 
 Portugueze, who, finding few obftacles in their 
 way, had marched to that capital, of which, on 
 the 24th of June, they took quiet and peaceable 
 pofleffion. The decifive counfels of the Englifh 
 General, happily for Spain, were disregarded by 
 the new King. For reafons which doubtlefs 
 appeared to him very important, though it is now 
 difficult to afcertain them with precifion, Charles 
 lingered near three months in Catalonia and 
 Arragon — thus allowing his rival full time to re- 
 cruit his mattered forces, and to receive additional 
 fuccours from France : And on his re-approach to 
 the capital, the Portugueze army, difpirited by 
 inaction, fufpenfe, and difappointment, retreated 
 to their own frontier. The Earl of Peterborough, 
 enraged to perceive his expoftulations fruitlefs, 
 and the golden opportunity loft, refigned his com- 
 mifiion in high difguft, and immediately withdrew 
 from the kingdom. It is related, that when it 
 was once alleged by fome of King Charles's 
 courtiers, as a reafon for delaying his march to 
 Madrid, that his Majefty's equipage and retinue 
 were not fuch as were requifite for the magnifi- 
 cence of his public entry into that capital ; Ge- 
 neral Stanhope with warmth replied, " That 
 King William, when he made his defcent upon 
 England, went to London attended only by a 
 few dragoons ; otherwife he had loft his crown." 
 The fuccefs of the campaign however, upon the 
 
 whole, 
 
32 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 whole, was fplendid. At the commencement of it 
 King Charles was clofely befieged in Barcelona, 
 and in imminent danger of being made a prifoner ; 
 but it terminated in the recovery of Catalonia, the 
 fecurity of Valencia, and the reduction of Arragon. 
 But it is now proper to turn our attention to 
 tranfactions of a civil and domeftic nature. The 
 new Parliament, which met the beginning of the 
 preceding winter * , foon difcovered themfelves 
 to be actuated by a difpofition very different from 
 their predeceffors, by palling a folemn, and almoft 
 unanimous vote, " That whoever prefumed to 
 aflert the Church to be in danger under her Ma- 
 jefly's aufpicious adminiftration, was an enemy 
 to the Queen, the church, and the kingdom.'* 
 And the two Houfes joined in an addrefs to the 
 Queen, befeeching her Majefty to take effective 
 meafures for difcovering and punilhing the au- 
 thors and publifhers of this feditious and fcandal- 
 ous report. That unanimity which had been {o 
 long interrupted between the two Legiflative 
 Alfemblies, was perfectly reftored under an 
 Adminiftration and Parliament, in both of which 
 the principles of Whiggifm had now gained a 
 complete afcendency, and which enjoyed the entire 
 confidence of the nation. Public meafures were 
 concerted with wifdom, and executed with vigour 
 and fuccefs j and the general afpect of the times 
 
 • Oaob. 1705. 
 
 feemed 
 
INTRODUCTION* 33 
 
 feemed peculiarly favourable to the accompliiri- 
 ment of that great defign which the late King had 
 recommended to Parliament, almoft with his dying 
 breath, and in which every true patriot moft ar- 
 dently concurred — an union between the two 
 kingdoms of England and Scotland. This was at 
 prefent an object of greater confequence than 
 ever ; for by an act pafled by the Parliament of 
 Scotland fmce the accemon of the Queen, flyled 
 the Act of Security, that Aflembly was em- 
 powered, in cafe of her Majefty's demife without 
 iiTue, to declare a fucceiTor to the crown of Scot- 
 land. And very ferious apprehenfions were en- 
 tertained, that a fatal and final feparation of the 
 two Britifh crowns might be the refult of this 
 dangerous conceflion*. The Lord Treafurer Go- 
 
 * Such was the alarm excited In the Parliament of England 
 by this Act, that a Bill was immediately introduced and 
 pafled, declaring the fubje&s of Scotland aliens fo long as it 
 remained in force, prohibiting the importation of cattle into 
 England, or the exportation of wool into Scotland, and 
 empowering the Queen's mips to feize fuch Scottifh veflels 
 as they mould find trading to France. And the Queen 
 was addreffed to put the towns of Newcaftle, Carlifle, and 
 Hull, in a ftate of defence, and to order the militia of the 
 northern counties to be difciplined and armed ; and Lord 
 Godolphin's zeal for the accomplifhment of the Union was 
 certainly invigorated, if not infpired, by the terrors of an 
 impeachment. 
 
 Vol. I. D dolphin, 
 
34 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 dolphin, who had, in a moment of intimidation, 
 advifed the Queen to give the royal aflent to this 
 Act, which was indeed urged by the Scottifh Par- 
 liament with a vehemence and pertinacity not fo 
 much the refult of patriotifm as of faction, now 
 exerted himfelf to the utmoft, in order to furmount 
 a feries of obflacles, which, to a Minifler of lefs 
 refolution and perfeverance, would have appeared 
 abfolutely infuperable. And Commiffioners being 
 nominated, and conferences held, after very ample 
 difcuflion, and a negotiation protracted to the fpace 
 of many months, the memorable Treaty of Union 
 was at length concluded ; which, after being rati- 
 fied by both Parliaments, received the royal affent. 
 And from the iff. of May, A. D. 1707, the two 
 kingdoms of England and Scotland became indif- 
 folubly incorporated, and a proclamation was 
 iffued to convoke the Firft Parliament of Great 
 Britain in the month of October. On this occa- 
 fion, congratulatory addrefTes were fent up from all 
 parts of England ; but the Scots obferved a fullen 
 and expreflive filence. Indeed it cannot be denied 
 that this truly wife and falutary meafure was re- 
 probated by the whole Scottifh nation, and at 
 lafl effected by means which could be juftified 
 only by the importance and beneficial tendency of 
 the end propofed by them. The whole weight of 
 regal influence was exerted, every fpecies of arti- 
 fice 
 
INTRODUCTION. $$ 
 
 fice and intrigue was employed, honours and re- 
 wards were lavifhed, even bribery itfelf was un- 
 doubtedly practifed, in order to induce the Scottifh 
 nobles and demagogues to concur in a tranfac- 
 tion in the higheft degree conducive to the public 
 welfare and happinefs. It muft however be ac- 
 knowleged, that the honour and dignity of that 
 antient Kingdom fuffered, in confcquence of this 
 union, fome degree of diminution. . Nor is it pof- 
 fible to condemn with much feverity, the high- 
 fpirited language of the celebrated Fletcher of Sal- 
 toun, who fcrupled not to affirm in Parliament, 
 " that the intereft and honour of the nation 
 were betrayed by the Commillioners." And when 
 called upon for an explanation, he perfifted in his 
 charge, alleging " that he could find no other 
 word than treachery, to exprefs his ideas of their 
 conduct. It was harfh indeed, but it was truth ; 
 and if the Houfe thought him guilty of any offence 
 in making ufe of this expreffion, he declared him- 
 self willing to fubmit to their cenfure." A vote 
 of cenfure, however, no one dared to move. And 
 who can avoid admiring, if not ' approving, the 
 noble and elevated fentiments of the Earl of Bel- 
 haven, who, in the higheft drain of eloquence, 
 depictured Caledonia as fitting in the midfl of the 
 Senate, looking indignantly around her, and 
 covering herfelf with her royal robe, attending the 
 fatal blow, breathing out with tender and paf- 
 D 2 fi onate 
 
36 INTRODUCTION* 
 
 fionate emotion the exclamation, " Et tu quoque 
 mi fili !" — " I fee," fays this animated Orator, 
 " a free and independent kingdom, tamely re- 
 figning that which has ever been confidered 
 amongfl nations as the prize moft worthy of 
 contention— a power to manage and conduct 
 their own affairs, without any foreign interference 
 or controul. We are the fucceiTors of thofe who 
 founded our monarchy, framed our laws, and 
 who, during the fpace of two thoufand years, have 
 handed them down to us with the hazard of their 
 lives and fortunes. Shall we not then zcaloufiy 
 plead for thofe rights which our renowned pro- 
 genitors fo dearly purchafed ? Shall we hold our 
 peace, when our country is in danger ? God for- 
 bid ! England is a great and glorious nation. 
 Her armies are numerous, powerful, and victorious : 
 Her trophies fplendid and memorable. She dif- 
 pofes of the fate of kingdoms. Her navy is the 
 terror of Europe. Her trade and commerce en- 
 circle the globe : And her capital is the emporium 
 of the univerfe. But we are a poor and obfcure 
 people, in a remote corner of the world, without 
 name, without alliances, and without treafures. 
 What hinders us then to lay afide our divifions, 
 to unite cordially and heartily, when that liberty 
 which is alone our boaft, when our all, our very 
 exiftence as a nation, is at flake ? The enemy is 
 at our gates. Soon will he fubvert this antient 
 
 and 
 
INTRODUCTION. 37 
 
 and royal throne, and feize thefe regalia, the fa- 
 cred fymbols of our liberty and independence. 
 Where are our peers, and our chieftains ? Where 
 are the Hamiltons, the Douglaffes, the Murrays, 
 and the Campbells ? Will pofterity believe that 
 fuch names vet exifted when the nation was re- 
 duced to this lafh extremity of degradation, and 
 that they were not eager in fuch a caufe to de- 
 vote themfelves for their country, and die in the 
 bed of honour ? My heart," faid this noble Pa- 
 triot, " is full of grief and indignation, when I 
 confider the triumph obtained by England, who 
 has, at length, brought this fierce and warlike 
 people under fubjection, who, for fo many ages, 
 fhed the belt blood of the nation to eftablifh their 
 independency. It is fuperfluous," added he, " to 
 enter into a formal examination of the articles of 
 this treaty ; for though we mould even receive a 
 carte blanche from England, what is this in ex- 
 change for our fovereignty! But does not, in fact, 
 this pretended union amount to a political anni- 
 hilation ? I fee the Englifh conftitution remaining 
 firm. The fame two Houfes of Parliament, the 
 fame municipal laws, the fame commercial Com- 
 panies, the fame Courts of Judicature — while we 
 make an ignominious and entire furrender of our 
 national polity, our rights, our liberties, our ho- 
 nour, and^ our fafety 1" — Thefe were the fentii 
 ments by which the Scottifh nation was almofl; 
 D 3 un> 
 
38 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 univerfally a&uated, and by which a generous 
 and high-fpirited people could not fail of being 
 at fuch a crifis very powerfully imprelTed. The 
 fpeech of Lord Belhaven drew tears of anger and 
 difdain from his auditors. And it was in vain 
 that a few difinterefted and difpaffionate patriots, 
 who from principle acted in conjunction with the 
 numerous band of courtiers, placemen, and pen- 
 fioners, who compofed a majority of the Parlia- 
 ment, forcibly urged the great and folid advan- 
 tages which mud remit from this union. " That 
 the actual fituation of Scotland, in a political 
 view,'* faid one of the Lords Commiffioners, 
 who addrerled the Houfe upon this occafion *, 
 cc is difadvantageous and ineligible, no one will 
 venture to deny. Two kingdoms fubject to one 
 Sovereign, and having feparate interefts, muft be 
 liable to endlefs emulations and jealoufies : And 
 the Monarch will, whenever thefe intereils come, 
 or are fuppofed to come, in competition, be ob- 
 liged to decide in favour of the more powerful 
 kingdom. And the greater the dilparity of power 
 and riches, the greater and more rnanifeft will be 
 the partiality ; as the experience df a whole cen- 
 tury has too fatally evinced. But, to aim at an 
 stfjiolufe fepaiation of the Britifh Crowns, would 
 be a rafh and romantic project. If, in former ages, 
 the Scots were fcarcely able, with the molt heroic 
 
 * Mr. Seaton t j Pil ■ . Lden. 
 
 exer- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 39 
 
 exertions, to maintain their independency, how 
 could it be imagined poffible, now, that England 
 had acquired fuch an immenfe preponderance in 
 the fcale of power ? Were they to feek for refuge 
 or fecurity in the revival of the antient league 
 with France ? This would itfelf be a virtual de- 
 claration of hoflility againfl England, and proba- 
 bly accelerate that cataftrophe which it was its 
 profeffed object to avert. The policy of Europe 
 would undoubtedly prevent any effectual inter- 
 ference of France in their behalf, in oppofition to 
 England, the great bulwark of the liberties of 
 Chriftendom. By an entire feparation from Eng- 
 land, the internal tranquillity, and domeftic order 
 of the State, would be alfo imminently endan- 
 gered. Is the nation prepared for the reception 
 of a new fyftem of laws and jurifprudence ? or fhall 
 we revert to that Gothic conflitution of govern- 
 ment, adapted to the rude and barbarous manners 
 of our anceflors, and productive of perpetual feuds 
 and implacable animofities — of devaftation — 
 outrage and anarchy — and which, previous to the 
 union of the two Crowns, we know the executive 
 power did not poffefs energy fufficient to reprefs ? 
 If, then, the connection with England cannot be 
 fafely dilTolved, and if the political relation in 
 which we now ftand as to that country, is the fub- 
 jecl of juft and grievous complaint ; what remains 
 but to form a permanent union of the two King- 
 D 4 doms, 
 
40 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 doms, as well as of the two Crowns, on terms of 
 reciprocal amity and advantage ? Of the neceflity 
 and expediency of a firm and durable union, we 
 profefs indeed an almoft unanimous conviction— 
 but then it is a federal, and not an incorporative 
 union, for which many of our countrymen enter- 
 tain a zealous and invincible predilection. But 
 this is not the union which England offers to our 
 acceptance, or which fhe will herfelf accept. A 
 federal union would be productive of no advan-? 
 tage, would remedy no evil. And where is the 
 guarantee for the obfcrvance of the articles of a 
 federal compact between two nations, one of which 
 is fo much fuperior to the other in riches, power, 
 and numbers ? Hiftory demonftrates, that incorpo- 
 rative unions, fuch as the kingdoms included in 
 the Spanifh monarchy afford an example of, are 
 folid and permanent : But that a federal union is 
 a weak and precarious bond of connection, eafily 
 difTolved by intereft or ambition. Sweden and 
 Denmark were once united by a federal compact — 
 But was peace and concord the refult of this com- 
 pact? No — It was the parent of ftrife, of enmity 
 and oppremon j and it terminated in fcenes of 
 blood and flaughter, and in everialting feparation, 
 Let us not then amufe ouvielves with words, in- 
 ftead of things. By an union of kingdoms, I ac^ 
 knowledge, I comprehend nothing lhort of an 
 #nion of power, of government, and of intereiL 
 
 Till 
 
INTRODUCTION. 41 
 
 Till both nations are thus incorporated into one, 
 England will neither extend to us the benefits of 
 her commerce, nor the protection of her arms. 
 By this union, Scotland will be put into the im- 
 mediate poffeffion of advantages, to which me 
 could never otherwife attain. The fources of 
 profperity will be opened to her view, and placed 
 within her reach. We mall have ample fcope for 
 the exercife of our national induftry, in all its 
 various branches. To the vain ambition of inde- 
 pendence — to the mere delufive phantom of 
 royalty, will fucceed the flourishing arts of peace ; 
 and Scotland will, by a policy founded on true wif- 
 dom, acquire that fecurity and happinefs which 
 form the great and genuine end of government. 
 "We mall, with a jufl increafe of confidence, fee our 
 liberty, property, and religion, placed under the 
 guardian care and protection of one Sovereign, and 
 one Legiflature : And every branch of the Empire, 
 every part of the body-politic, be it ever fo remote 
 from the feat of Government, will participate in 
 the univerfal profperity, under the beneficial influ- 
 ence of the fame equitable and liberal fyftern of 
 polity, and in the enjoyment of the fame civil 
 rights and commercial advantages, in proportion 
 to the value of its natural products, and the vigour 
 and perfeverance of its own laudable and volun* 
 tary exertions," 
 
 Notwith- 
 
4 2 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Notwithftanding the good fenfe and political 
 rectitude of thefe reafonings, fuch was the violence 
 with which the Treaty of Union was oppofed in 
 the Scottish Parliament, and fuch the commotions 
 which it excited in the kingdom, that the Duke 
 of Queenfbery, at this time High Commiffioner, 
 abfolutely defpaired of fuccefs, and was defirous of 
 adjourning the Parliament, till, by time and manage- 
 ment, he mould be able to obviate thofe formidable 
 difficulties. But the Lord Treafurer Godolphin, 
 who faw that the meafure would be loft by delay, 
 urged him to perfift in his exertions, which were 
 at length crowned with fuccefs. The rage of op- 
 pofition fuddenly fubfided ; and the Treaty, as 
 originally framed, received, without any material 
 alteration, the folemn fanction of the Scottilh Par- 
 liament. And the Act of Union being now com- 
 pleted on the part of Scotland, palled through 
 both Houfes in the Englifn Parliament, by a very 
 fingular effort of political dexterity, almoft with- 
 out oppofition, or even debate or difcuffion. For 
 it was fo contrived that the articles of the Treaty, 
 as approved and ratified by the Parliament of 
 Scotland, mould be recited in the preamble of the 
 Act, and that the whole fhould be converted into 
 a law by a fingle enacting claufe. This was a 
 mode of conducting the bufmefs which the Tories 
 were by no means prepared to encounter, as it 
 totally precluded them from taking the articles 
 
 feparately 
 
INTRODUCTION. 43 
 
 feparately into confideration ; and they could not, 
 with the lead profpe£t of fuccefs, oppofe the 
 general enacting claufe. The Bill, therefore, paffed 
 through both Houfes with uncommon rapidity, 
 and by great majorities. And nothing can more 
 flrikingly demonflrate the eagernefs and ardour 
 with which this meafure was profecuted by the 
 Whigs, than their adopting this unprecedented, 
 and, in other circumftances, unjuflifiable mode of 
 enfuring the fuccefs of it. 
 
 Encouraged by the daring fpirit of faction which 
 at this period prevailed in Scotland, the French 
 Court equipped a powerful armament at Dunkirk, 
 with the view of making a defcent in that king- 
 dom ; on board of which embarked the Chevalier 
 de St. George, fon of the late King James. Im- 
 mediately on failing from Dunkirk, they were 
 clofely purfued by an Englifh fquadron, com- 
 manded by Sir George Byng, who captured one 
 of their flag (hips ; and the whole armament was fo 
 fcattered and difperfed in their retreat from the 
 action, that they could not even effect a landing, 
 which might, at the prefent crifis, have been at- 
 tended with very ferious confequences. And after 
 being to fled for more than a month in a lformy 
 and tempeftuous fea, they at laft found their way 
 back, in a mattered and diflreffed condition, to 
 the port of Dunkirk. On this occafion, the mod 
 firm and vigorous meafures were taken by the 
 
 Govern- 
 
44 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Government ; fuch, however, as fufficiently de- 
 monftrated the fenfe it entertained of the mag- 
 nitude of the danger. The Habeas Corpus Act 
 was fufpended— The Abjuration-Oath was ten- 
 dered to all perfons ; and thofe who refufed it, 
 were declared to be in the condition of convict 
 recufants. — A vote of credit palled the Houfe of 
 Commons, and twelve battalions of troops were 
 ordered immediately from Flanders, The Queen 
 herfelf, in a fpeech to both Houfes, informed 
 them of this alarming attempt to invade the king- 
 dom, and to fubvert the government ; and declared 
 for thejfyft and the lafi time, as many failed not 
 to remark, " That her firmed reliance was placed 
 on thofe who were chiefly concerned in effecting 
 the glorious Revolution." In this popular fpeech, 
 the Chevalier de St. George was, by a new defig- 
 nation, ftyled "The Pretender ; which term was re- 
 echoed in the numerous addreffes prefented to the 
 Queen from every part of the kingdom ; and by 
 this appellation he was in future ufually diflin- 
 guifhed. Soon after the termination of this bufinefs, 
 the Parliament, which had now fat three years 
 with the higheit reputation to itfelf, and advantage 
 to the public, was diffolved, and a new Parlia- 
 ment fummoned to meet in November 1708, in 
 which the Whig intereft ftill maintained its afcend- 
 ency. A few weeks previous to its alTcmbling, 
 died his Royal Ili^hnefs Prince George of Qen- 
 
 poarkj 
 
INT R ODUCTI ON', 
 
 mark, who had been twenty-live years married to 
 the Queen, His total want of talents, his im- 
 afpiring difpofition, and mildnefs of temper, very 
 happily combined to qualify him for the peculiarly 
 critical ftation in which his high fortune had 
 placed him, and in which a man of more firming 
 abilities, and more daring ambition, might have 
 proved fmgularly troublefome and dangerous. 
 
 The military tranfactions of the prefent reign 
 are of fuch importance, and form fo interesting a 
 part of its general hiftory, that a regular recital, 
 however concife, of the principal events of the 
 war, cannot be with propriety difpenfed with. 
 After the fuccefsful campaign of 1706, the mod 
 fanguine expectations were entertained, that France, 
 whofe pride was now humbled in the dufr, would 
 no longer be able to make any effectual refin- 
 ance ; and that the allies, as victors, might in a 
 fhort time dictate the terms of peace with the 
 point of the fword. The operations of the enfu- 
 ing fummer did not, however, in any degree tend 
 to confirm thefe lofty ideas. The Due de Ven- 
 dome, who had been recalled from Italy in order 
 to take the command of the army in Flanders, 
 chofe his pofts with fo much fkill and judgment, 
 that the Duke of Marlborough could not, without 
 manifeil rafhnefs, venture upon an attack. This 
 was the only campaign during the war, in which 
 that great Commander did not obtain fome fignal 
 
 advan- 
 
jfi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 advantage over the enemy : And the French G«« 
 neral, whofe policy it was to act upon the de- 
 fenfive, fully fuftained his high reputation, by 
 thus putting, after his Grace's long career of vic- 
 tories, a fudden and total flop to the progrefs of 
 his arms. If in Flanders the wifhes and ex- 
 pectations of the Confederates were not fatisfacto- 
 rily anfwered, in Spain they fuffered a fatal re- 
 verfe : For, a general engagement taking place at 
 Almanza, the Spaniih army, commanded by the 
 Duke of Berwick, gained a moil: complete victory. 
 The lofs fuftained by the Allies was eftimated at 
 no lefs than 10,000 men; and they were con- 
 ftrained, in confequence of this difafter, to aban- 
 don the kingdoms of Arragon and Valencia, and 
 to retire once more to the remote province of 
 Catalonia, which Mill contined faithful in its at- 
 tachment to the Houfe of Auftria. The projects 
 of the Allies in Italy alfo proved unhappily abor- 
 tive. In the month of July, Prince Eugene, and 
 the Duke of Savoy, paffed the Var, at the head 
 of 30,000 men, and marched directly towards 
 Toulon, to which they laid clofe fiege. As the 
 principal naval magazines of France, and the 
 greater part of the fleet, were inclofed within its 
 walls, or its harbour, this enterprife excited a 
 general confirmation. The place was however 
 defended with the moft heroic valour ; and troops 
 being aflemblcd from all parts, in great force, for 
 1 its 
 
INTRODUCTION. 47 
 
 its relief, the Duke of Savoy, who feared left 
 his retreat to Italy fhould be intercepted, thought 
 proper to raife the fiege with precipitation, and 
 to repafs the Var, without any acquifition of ho- 
 nour or profit from this undertaking, into his own 
 dominions. Great blame was upon this occa- 
 fion imputed to the Emperor, who detached a 
 large body of troops, deflined for this expedition, 
 to the kingdom of Naples, of which he effected a 
 complete conquefl : And this was the only ad- 
 vantage gained by the Allies during this unfor- 
 tunate campaign ; which, however, did not pre- 
 vent the Houfe of Peers from paffing a refoiuiion, 
 much applauded by the zealous Whigs, " That 
 no peace could be fafe and honourable for her 
 Majefly, and her Allies, if Spain and the Indies 
 were fuffered to continue in the pofTeflion of the 
 Houfe of Bourbon." 
 
 The King of France, emboldened by the fuccefs 
 of the laft campaign, and confiding in the talents 
 of his General, was this year inclined to aft more 
 upon the offenfive j and early in the fpring 1708, 
 the Due de Vendome furprifed the cities of Ghent 
 and Bruges, and laid fiege to the town of Oude- 
 nard. The Duke of Marlborough, however, being 
 now joined by Prince Eugene, compelled the 
 enemy to raife the fiege of Oudenard ; and fol- 
 lowing them in their retreat, forced them to a 
 general engagement in the vicinity of that place. 
 
 Though 
 
4$ INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Though the Due de Vendome, vvhofe meafureS 
 were, during the whole of this campaign, much 
 embarraiTed by the prefence of the Duke of Bur- 
 gundy, acted the part of a great General upon this 
 occafion, rallying, in perfon, the broken bat- 
 talions, calling the officers by name, and conjur- 
 ing them to maintain the honour of their country ; 
 the French army was, in the end, entirely de- 
 feated. Night however faved them from total ruin ; 
 and the Due de Vendome, feeing all hope of retriev- 
 al loft, formed his beft troops into a rear-guard, 
 with which he fecured a tolerable retreat. In con- 
 fequence of this important victory, the Generals 
 of the Allies determined to undertake the fiege of 
 Lifle, the capital of French Flanders — a town, on 
 the fortifications of which Vauban had exhaufted 
 his utmoft fkill, and which was defended by a 
 garrifon fo numerous that the fuccefs of the enter- 
 prife was adjudged extremely doubtful. After 
 happily furmounting the numerous obftacles which 
 the ability and vigilance of the Due de Vendome, 
 flill more than the unrivalled art of the engineer, 
 continually created ; and in fome of which the 
 fuperior fortune, rather than {kill, of the Duke of 
 Marlborough, was apparent ; this important town, 
 together with its citadel, furrendered to the allied 
 army, to the incxprcilible chagrin of the French 
 Court, who law the frontier of France, by this 
 conquefl, expqfed to the moil dangerous future 
 
 attacks- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 49 
 
 attacks. Ghent and Bruges were alfo recovered 
 before the end of this campaign, which terminated 
 only with the year. 
 
 In Spain and Italy the war feemed for the pre- 
 fent to flumber. But, during the courfe of the 
 fummer, Sir John Leake made a complete con- 
 queft of the Iiland of Sardinia ; and, in concert 
 with General Stanhope, alfo of Minorca. And 
 the Pope was menaced by the Britifh Admiral 
 with the bombardment of Civita-Vecchia, in re- 
 turn for the afiiftance he had publicly afforded 
 the Pretender in his late expedition into Scotland. 
 From this affront, however, the Holy Pontiff was 
 faved by the feafonable interpofition of the Impe* 
 rial Court in his favour* 
 
 The campaign in Flanders was opened in June 
 1709, by the fiege of Tournay, which furrendered 
 at difcretion, after a long and obftinate refiftance. 
 The Allies next prepared to attack the city of 
 Mons. But the French army, now commanded 
 by Marechal Villars, polling themfelves behind the 
 woods of La-Merte and Taniers, in the neighbour- 
 hood of Malplaquet, in order to obftrudt this 
 defign, the Duke of Marlborough and Prince 
 Eugene formed a refolution to attack the French 
 General in his camp, which, naturally ftrong, he 
 had fortified with redoubts behind redoubts, and 
 intrenchments behind intrenchments, with fuch 
 diligence and fcill as to make it apparently inac- 
 
 Vol. L E cemble. 
 
5° 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 cefiible. After an obftinate, fierce, and bloody 
 engagement, however, the lines were forced, but 
 not till Marechal Villars had been wounded and 
 carried off the field. And it was not without fome 
 appearance of reafon the Marechal was accuftomed 
 to boaft, that had it not been for this accident, the 
 Allies would certainly have been defeated. Mare- 
 chal Boufllers, fecond in command, made an ex- 
 cellent retreat ; and the lofs of the victors was 
 little lefs than that of the vanquifhed. The victory, 
 however, was crowned by the capture of Mons ; 
 after which, both armies went into winter-quar- 
 ters. In Spain, Count Staremberg, the Auftrian 
 General, maintained his ground with reputation to 
 the Imperial arms. The Duke ot Savoy, fince the 
 failure of his great enterprife, contented himfelf 
 with. operations merely defenfive, wifely fhunning 
 thofe rifques which might have reduced him once 
 more to that extremity of diftrefs from which he 
 had fo lately been almoft miraculouily refcued. 
 
 Prince Eugene and the Duke of Marlborough 
 again took the field togther in Flanders, April 
 17 10 ; and the fuccefs of the campaign was equal 
 tO'the expectations excited by the junction of fuch. 
 extraordinary talents. Notwiihftanding the ut- 
 aioft exertions of Marechal Villars, who directed 
 the operations of the French army with great abi- 
 lity, the Allies fucceilivcly reduced the towns of 
 . Douay, Bethune, St. Venant, and Aire, palling 
 
 in. 
 
rNTRODUCTiON > . £t 
 
 In the profecution of thefe fieges one hundred and 
 fifty days in open trenches. The mod interefting 
 events of the prefent fummer pafled however in 
 Spain. The reigning Monarch, eager to put a 
 final termination to the hopes and claims of his 
 competitor, advanced at the head of a powerful 
 army into Arragon, in order to bring matters to 
 a decifive iffue. General Stanhope notwithfland- 
 ing, with a force very inferior, attacked and to- 
 tally routed the Spanifh cavalry at Almanara. And 
 Count Staremberg following the motions of the 
 King, who found it neceffary, in confequence of 
 this check, to retire towards Saragoffa, difcovered 
 the Spanifh army drawn up in order of battle, near 
 that place ; and an engagement enfuing, the 
 enemy were entirely defeated ; King Charles en* 
 tered Saragoffa in triumph, while Philip retired 
 with the wreck of his army to Madrid. The 
 good fortune of Charles, however, was of fhort 
 duration ; proceeding, without delay, to Madrid, 
 in purfuit of his competitor, he had the mortifica- 
 tion to find that city entirely deferted by all the 
 Spanifh grandees, and to receive the moft con- 
 vincing proofs of the fidelity and attachment of 
 the Caflilians to his rival. Great efforts being 
 made by Philip to collect another army, he foon 
 appeared again in force; and Count Staremberg 
 being wholly unfupported, and apprehending his 
 retreat to Catalonia might be intercepted, thought 
 E % it 
 
5 % INTRODUCTION. 
 
 it expedient to retrace his footfteps ; and in thg 
 beginning of November, his army marched back 
 t6 Saragoffa : But the greater part of the Britifb 
 forces, under General Stanhope, imprudently halt- 
 ing at Brihuega, were fuddenly furprifed and 
 furrounded by the Spaniih army, and reduced 
 to the fatal neceflity of furrendering themfelves 
 prifoners of war. And in a few days afterwards, 
 Staremberg himfelf was attacked at Villa Viciofa 
 with great valour, but doubtful fuccefs : He was, 
 however, compelled, viclor as he ftyled himfelf, 
 to abandon Arragon, and retire to Catalonia ; and 
 being clofely purfued by the Due de Vendome, 
 now at the head of the Spanifh forces, he was at 
 lad driven to take fhelter under the walls of Bar- 
 celona. Thus the flattering fucceffes of the Allies, 
 tit the commencement of this campaign, proved 
 wholly delufive j and, during the remaining years 
 of the war, Charles was never able to regain even 
 a temporary fuperiority. 
 
 In the month of May in the fucceeding year, 
 17 1 1, the Duke of Marlborough appeared, for 
 the lad time at the head of the grand army in 
 Flanders- Eugene commanding a feparate 
 
 body of forces on the Rhine. This campaign was 
 not diiiinguifhed, on the part of his Grace, by 
 brilliant fuccefs; but it attracted uncommon at- 
 tention, as exhibiting the molt confummate proofs 
 gf military (kill and conduct. Marechal Vilkirs 
 
 had a 
 
INTRODUCTION. 53 
 
 had, with great labour and perfeverance, drawn 
 lines from Bouchaine on the Scheld along the 
 Sanfet and Scarpe, to Arras and Canche, which he 
 had fortified by redoubts, batteries, and other 
 military works, in fuch a manner that he fcrupled 
 not publicly to boaft that they were impregnable, 
 and that the Englifh General had at length arrived 
 at his ne plus ultra. The Duke, however, boldly 
 advanced within two leagues of the French lines, 
 making every preparation in order to a vigorous 
 attack the next morning ; and Villars drew, 
 with all poiTible diligence, his whole force on that 
 fide, in full expectation of an immediate and furi- 
 ous engagement. This being forefeen by the 
 Duke, he had given previous orders to Generals 
 Cadogan and Hompefch, with a ftrong detach- 
 ment, fecretly drawn from the neighbouring gar- 
 rifons, to take poiTemon of the paffes on the river 
 Sanfet, at Arleux. At nine in the evening the 
 Duke filently decamped, and by eight the next. 
 morning he arrived at Arleux with his whole 
 army, after a march of ten leagues, without halt- ' 
 ing. Villars, on being certified of the Duke's 
 motions, within a few hours of his departure, 
 marched all night with fuch expedition, that, at 
 eleven the next morning, he was in fight of the 
 Duke of Marlborough, who, to his unfpeakable 
 mortification, had, as he now found, entered thofe 
 lines which he had himfelf vauntingly pronounced 
 
 E 3 im- 
 
54 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 impregnable, without the lofs of a man. His 
 Grace immediately inverted the important fortrefs 
 of Bouchaine, which furrendered after twenty days 
 open trenches only. And this admired and 
 hazardous military atchicvement clofed the long 
 glories of this celebrated Commander ; who, at 
 the critical moment in which he had almort pene- 
 trated the French barrier, and when another 
 Ramilies might have removed all obftacles in his 
 march to Paris, was, by the mandate of that So- 
 vereign, whom he had ferved with fuch unparal- 
 leled ability and fuccefs, diverted of all his civil 
 and military employments. The gradation of 
 caufes which led to this event, at which all Europe 
 flood in artonifhment, it will now be neceflary 
 concifely to develope. 
 
 Of the favourable opinion univerfally enter- 
 tained by the Englilh nation, refpe£ting the ge- 
 neral purity and rectitude of the Queen's inten- 
 tions, the epithet of the good Queen Anne, fa 
 commonly applied to this Princefs, is itfelf a fuf- 
 ficient proof. This good Queen, however, had 
 imbibed, in a very great degree, the hereditary 
 prejudices of her family refpe&ing the nature and 
 extent of the fovereign authority. And there is 
 reafon to believe that the fuccefsful refi fiance of 
 the nation to the late King James, was, in her eyes, 
 jurtified only by the attempts made to ertablim 
 Popery upon the ruins of the Protertant religion ; 
 2 to 
 
INTRODUCTION. S5 
 
 to which, in the form exhibiting itfelf to her per- 
 ception, as inculcated and profeffed by the Church 
 of England, flie entertained a zealous attachment, 
 or rather a blind and bigoted devotion. As her 
 prejudices, political and religious, precifely coin- 
 cided with thofe of the Tories, (lie cherifhed a 
 ftrong predilection for that powerful and danger- 
 ous faction, in oppofition to the Whigs, who were 
 confidered as for the mod part latitudinarians 
 in religion, or at beft as cool and luke-warm 
 friends of the church ; and who certainly regarded 
 the particular mode in which the Proteflant reli- 
 gion was profeffed, as of little importance, when 
 put in competition with the prefervation, enlarge- 
 ment, or fecurity of the civil and religious liber- 
 ties of the kingdom. The political views of the 
 Sectaries, who were very numerous and active, 
 entirely correfponded with thofe of the Whig 
 party; and their whole weight was invariably 
 thrown into this fcale. In return, the Whigs 
 were the itrenuous and conilant advocates of the 
 Dilfenters, whenever they were threatened with any 
 fpecies of perfecution or oppreffion. It has been 
 already remarked, that the painons of ail the 
 zealous adherents of liberty were, at the period of 
 the Queen's acceffion, extremely inflamed againlt 
 the French Monarch — that imperious and reftlefs 
 defpot — on account of the open and avowed pro- 
 tection which he granted to the fon of the late 
 £ 4 King 
 
56 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 King James. When England, therefore, acceded 
 to the Grand Alliance, the Whigs rejoiced in the 
 profpect of humbling the pride, and reducing the 
 power, of that haughty tyrant. Previous to the 
 death of King William, the idea of a war with 
 France had become exceedingly popular ; and 
 after the acceftion of the Queen, the leaders of 
 the Tories, Rochefter, Nottingham, &c. who op- 
 pofed a declaration of war on the part of England 
 as unneceffary and impolitic, were over-ruled in 
 the Council, chiefly through the all-powerful in- 
 fluence of the Earl of Marlborough, who, though 
 himfelf attached to the Tories, was impatient to 
 give full fcope to his talents ; and in whofe breaft 
 an ardent third for glory, that " infirmity of noble 
 minds, " fuperfeded every other confideration. 
 This influence was obtained chiefly through the 
 medium of the Countefs of Marlborough, who had 
 been long employed in ftations near the Queen's 
 perfon, and who had'gradually acquired a complete 
 afcendency over her. In procefs of time, Marl- 
 borough, and Godolphin his friend and co-ad- 
 jutor, finding that the war received a faint and 
 feeble fupport only from the Tories, began to con- 
 nect themfelves with the Whigs, who were zealous 
 and fanguine in the profecution of it. And the 
 Queen, under the direction and government of 
 thefe two noblemen, fullered the Tories to be gra- 
 dually difplaced, an adminiflration compofed en- 
 
 tirely 
 
INTRODUCTION. 57 
 
 tirely of Whigs to be formed, and two fucceflive 
 Parliaments to be chofen under the influence of 
 the Court, in which that party maintained a de- 
 cided fuperiority. While affairs continued in this 
 ftate, a trivial and fortuitous incident eventually 
 occafioned a total change in the face of Europe. 
 The Dutchefs of Marlborough had introduced a 
 female relation and dependant at the Court, who 
 fo artfully and rapidly infinuated herfelf into the 
 Queen's affection and favour, that the Dutchefs 
 fovnd herfelf abfolutely fupplanted, almoft before 
 fhe was apprized of the danger. The new favourite, 
 Mrs. Mafham, foon discovering the Queen's fecret 
 predilection for the Tories, combined with Mr. 
 Harley, at this time Secretary of State, but who 
 afpired to nothing lefs than the flation of Prime 
 Minifler, to prepoflefs the mind of the Queen 
 againft the Duke of Marlborough, and the Earl of 
 Godolphin ; who, as they faid, and truly faid, made 
 her Majefty a mere cypher in the Government, 
 and engroffed all power, influence, and patronage, 
 into their own hands — omitting, however, to 
 inform the Queen of another truth, not lefs palpa- 
 ble ; viz. that fuch was the imbecility of her Ma. 
 jelly's understanding and capacity, that me mud 
 neceffarily remain a cypher, in whatever hands 
 her affairs were placed. And the voice, not of 
 England only, but of Europe, declared, that the 
 public interefts could not be entrusted to more 
 
 faithful 
 
5 S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 faithful or more able directors than the prefent 
 minifters. The intrigues of Hariey with the 
 Tories foon tranfpiring, he was compelled imme- 
 diately to relinqui/h his employments, though 
 with manifeft tokens of refentment and aliena- 
 tion from the Whigs, on the part of the Queen. 
 The entire management of affairs neverthelefs 
 ftill remained with that party ; and fo little force 
 and vigour of mind did the Queen poffcfs, that if 
 fubfequent circumitances had not in a remarkable 
 and unexpected manner favoured a revolution in 
 politics, it is very doubtful whether it would ever 
 have been effected. Notwithftanding the wonder- 
 ful fucceffes of the prefent war, the heavy bur- 
 dens which in confequence of its long continuance 
 it became neceffary to impofe, confiderably damp- 
 ed the ardour of the public, and by degrees had 
 much abated its original popularity. And the 
 overtures for a general accommodation made by 
 Louis from time to time, and the great conceffions 
 offered by that Monarch, led the generality of 
 intelligent and difpaiTionate people to confider the 
 grand object of the war a&now fufficiently attained. 
 At the conferences held fir ft at the Hague, and in 
 the following year at Gertruytenberg, A. D. 171 o, 
 fo low were the mighty fallen, that the King of 
 France, through the medium of the Marquis de 
 Torcy, his Prime Minider, who upon this occafion 
 took upon him the office of negotiator in perfon, 
 
 condo 
 
INTRODUCTION. 59 
 
 condefcended to acknowledge the Arch-duke 
 Charles as true and rightful Sovereign of the 
 Spanifh monarchy ; and made in all other refpecls 
 fuch ample concefhons, as the dire neceflity of his 
 affairs demanded ; fuch indeed as amply fecured 
 the interefls, and ought to have fatisfied the 
 utmoft ambition, of the Allies. With all the info- 
 lence of profperity, however, they infifned that 
 Louis mould abfolutely engage for the entire refti- 
 tution of the Spanifh monarchy to the Houfe of 
 Auftria, in the fpace of two months. It was in. 
 vain that he urged " this was a promife not in his 
 power to perform ; and that he could not at his 
 pleafure depofe a King of Spain, or impofe a 
 Monarch upon the Spanifh nation contrary to 
 their own inclination. " The plea was treated as 
 idle and frivolous. And even the offer which he 
 ultimately made, to fur render three fortreffes in 
 Flanders into the hands of the Allies as pledges 
 for the reftitution of Spain, and to furnifh his 
 quota in money or troops for trie reduction of 
 that kingdom, mould Spain refufe to accede to the 
 treaty, was rejected with difdain ; to the extreme 
 diuatisfaction of all moderate and reafonable per- 
 fons, who faw that the war was in future to be 
 continued, merely to gratify the immeafurable am- 
 bition of the Houfe of Auftria, and that, exclufive 
 of the flagrant injuftice of forcing a Sovereign on 
 the Spaniards, who was the object of the national 
 
 abhorrence, 
 
60 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 abhorrence, the policy of the meafure was in pre- 
 fent circumftances extremely doubtful. For the 
 power of France being fo greatly reduced, while 
 the grandeur of the Imperial Family was elevated 
 in the fame proportion, not lefs danger was to be 
 apprehended by transferring Spain and the Indies 
 to the Houfe of Auftria, than by leaving them in 
 the pofieffioft of a Prince of the Houfe of Bourbon. 
 The Parliament, notwithftanding, highly approved 
 the conduct of the Britifh plenipotentiaries, and 
 returned the Duke of Marlborough their unani- 
 mous thanks for his public fervices, when it be- 
 came every day more apparent, that he was actuated 
 chiefly by private confiderations, and that he in- 
 variably oppofed all overtures of conciliation, 
 prompted by the fuggeftions of ambition and of 
 intereft. In order however effectually to check 
 and intimidate that riling fpirit of difcontent, evi- 
 dent fymptoms of which began now to appear in 
 the nation, and to difplay the firmnefs of their at- 
 tachment to thofe principles in which this once po- 
 pular war had originated, the Parliament deter- 
 mined to give full fcope to their vengeance, on an 
 occafion which certainly called for no fuch extra- 
 ordinary violence of exertion. 
 
 On the 5th November 1709, an obfcure clergy- 
 man of the name of Sacheverel, of the High- 
 Church faction, preaching at St. Paul's cathedral 
 upon the words of St. Paul, " Perils from falfe 
 
 brethren," 
 
INTRODUCTION. 6x 
 
 brethren," indulged himfelf in the mod virulent 
 defamation and abufe of the prefent Adminiftra- 
 tion, and of their meafures. The Lord Treafurer 
 in particular was fcurriloufly attacked, under the 
 name of Volpone ; and divers of the Right 
 Reverend Bench were alfo inveighed againft with 
 much fcorn and malignity, as " perfidious prelates 
 and falfe fons of the Church," on account of 
 their moderation refpecting the DifTenters, and 
 their avowed approbation of the Toleration. He 
 afTerted, in terms the mod unqualified, the doc- 
 trines of paffive obedience and non-refiftance ; and 
 pretended, that to fay the Revolution was incon- 
 fiftent with thofe doctrines, was to call black and 
 odious imputations upon it. He affirmed, that 
 the Church was violently affailed by her enemies, 
 and faintly defended by thofe who profeffed them- 
 felves her friends. He vehemently urged the 
 neceffity of Handing up in defence of the Church ; 
 for which he declared, that he founded the trum- 
 pet, and exhorted the people " to put on the whole 
 armour of GOD. ," This inflammatory and libellous 
 harangue being publifhed at the requefl of the 
 Lord Mayor, was extravagantly extolled and ap- 
 plauded by the Tories, and circulated by them 
 with great induftry throughout the kingdom. At 
 the very height of the popular ferment and cla- 
 mour excited by this extraordinary invective, and 
 which would doubtlefs have foon died away, had 
 
 no 
 
62 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 no public notice been taken of it-, a complaint wag 
 formally preferred to the Houfe of Commons, by 
 one of the Members of that Houfe, of this fermon 2 
 as containing pofitions contrary to Revolution prin- 
 ciples, to the prefent Government, and to the 
 Proteflant fucceffion. As it was by- this means ob- 
 truded upon the notice of the Houfe, it was im- 
 poffible not to exprefs in fome mode their difap- 
 probation of thefe nefarious and feditious tenets* 
 The wifer Members thought it fufficient to order 
 the fermon to be burnt by the common hangman* 
 and to commit the writer to Newgate during 
 the remainder of the Seflion. This, however, was 
 by no means fatisfa&ory to the majority, who 
 determined to raife this contemptible libeller to 
 the rank of a political delinquent of great confe- 
 quence and dignity, by a folemn parliamentary 
 impeachment at the Bar of the Houfe of Lords. 
 No fooner was this abfurd and unaccountable 
 refolution made public, than every poffible artifice 
 was put in practife, by the Tory faction, to inflame 
 the minds of the public ; and to reprefent Sache- 
 verel as the champion and martyr of the Church, 
 which the Whigs had, as they affirmed, a fixed 
 intent to fubvert ; and of which project the im- 
 peachment of Sacheverel was only the prelude* 
 Thefe calumnies, however grofs and palpable, 
 were fvvallowed by the populace with amazing 
 avidity. During the trial, which lafled three 
 
 weeks , 
 
INTRODUCTION. 63 
 
 weeks, his coach, in paffing between Weftminfter- 
 Hall and the Temple, where he then lodged, was 
 constantly attended by vaft multitudes with fliouts 
 and acclamations of applaufe. And great tumults 
 prevailed in the metropolis, where feveral places of 
 worfhip licenfed under the Act of Toleration were 
 pulled down ; the houfes of many of the molt 
 eminent Difienters were plundered ; and thofe of 
 the Lord Chancellor, Lord Wharton, the Biihop 
 of Sarum, &c. were threatened with demolition. 
 The managers of the Houfe of Commons, amongft 
 whom were the celebrated names of King, Stan- 
 hope, and Walpole, neverthelefs exerted them- 
 felves with great courage and ability in fupport of 
 theprcfecution*. And divers of the Lords, Spi- 
 ritual- 
 
 • As the fentiments of the Whig managers of this Im- 
 peachment, and of the Revolution Whigs in genera!, have oF 
 late been grofsly and daringly mifreprefented, it cannot ber 
 improper to make a few extracts from the Speeches delivered 
 at this celebrated trial ; from which a competent judgment may 
 be formed of the general ft rain and fpirit of the proceedings 
 en this occafion, in behalf of the Commons of Great Britain. 
 
 Lord Coningfby. — " The Doctor, by reflecting on the ne- 
 ceflary means to bring about the Revolution — the foundation- 
 on which our prefent happy eftablifhment is buirt — by qfferthig 
 that her Majefty ought to depend on no other title to her throne, than 
 her hereditary one, defigned by fuch deftructive polltions to 
 bring back the Pretender, with Popery and French tyranny 
 attending him, to govern the ftate.'' — As long therefore as a 
 pretender to the throne exifted, it was true that the politi- 
 cal 
 
64 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ritual as well as temporal, diftinguimed themfelves 
 by the fpirit and liberality of their remarks on this 
 
 interefling 
 
 cal claims and rights of the Kings of England refted, like 
 thofe of magiftrates of every other denomination, upon the ge- 
 neral confent and will of the people, or community at large, 
 as the only proper and rational bafis. But the very fhadow of 
 competition being at length vanifhed, they are now advifed by 
 fome who prefume to ftyle themfelves Whigs, to revert for the 
 future to the old ground of inviolable hereditary right. 
 
 Mr. Dolben. — " This gentleman, Dr. S. muft be allowed the 
 infamy to have ftretched and improved this pernicious tenet to 
 the exalted height of making all our laws, liberties, religion, 
 and lives, to be held only at the precarious pleafure of any bold 
 invader, when it is taught that no oppreffion, no violence, can 
 juftify an oppofition to it. My Lords, the Commons have 
 brought this offender before you, with a view not only to detect 
 andpunifh his offence, but to obtain an occafion in the moft 
 public and authentic manner to avow the principles and juftify 
 the means iipon which the prefent Government and the Protett- 
 ant Succeffion are founded and eftablifhed ; and this more 
 out of a generous concern for pofterity than for our own pre- 
 fent fecurity. We hope the record of this proceeding will re- 
 main a lading monument to deter a fucceffor that may inherit 
 the crown, but not the virtues of her Majefty, from attempting 
 to invade the laws or the people's rights ; and if not, that it 
 will be a noble precedent to excite our pofterity to nvrejile and 
 tug for liberty as we have done.'' — Could it poffibly have enter- 
 ed into the imagination of this patriotic fpeaker, to aecufe any 
 one of fedition for teaching that the people have a right, while in 
 the fame breath he accufed Dr. S. of a high offence for teaching 
 that the people have not a right, to depoie their governors for 
 mifcondud ? — And will it be pretended by thofe who have tl c 
 
 audacity 
 
INTRODUCTION. 6$ 
 
 interefling occafion. The Earl of Wharton, know- 
 ing at the time the Queen to be in the Houfe 
 incognita, took the opportunity to obferve, that if 
 the Revolution was not lawful, many in that 
 Houfe, and vaft numbers out of it, were guilty of 
 bloodfhed and treafon ; and that the Chieen her- 
 felf was no legal Sovereign, fince the beft title fhe 
 had to the Crown was her parliamentary title, 
 founded on the Revolution. Dr. Wake, Bifhop 
 of Lincoln, remarked, that by falfe and injurious 
 reprefentations, men had been made to believe the 
 Church to be in danger, when in reality it enjoyed 
 
 audacity to bring forward fuch prepoftero us charges, that they 
 agree in all points of political theory and practice with the 
 Whigs of the Revolution ! 
 
 " If," fays Sir Jofeph Jekyl, " this doctrine of unlimited 
 non-refiftance prevail, we mult give up our right to the laws 
 and liberties of the Kingdom, and hold them only during plea- 
 fure. — Hath not this principle of unlimited non-reiiftance beeii 
 revived by the profeffed and undifguifed friends of the Pretend- 
 er ? The law is the only meafure of the Prince's authority and 
 the people's fubjection, and it derives its being and efncacy 
 from common consent ; though patriarchal or other fantaflical 
 fchemes hare been framed to reft the authority of the law upon." 
 — It is plain therefore, that as the general theory of this juftly 
 applauded manager perfectly accords with that which it is now 
 the fafhion to explode, the theories which efTentially vary from 
 it, on whatever grounds the ingenuity of their inventors may 
 place them, mufl be ranked amongft the numberbf thokfantqfth at 
 fcbemcs, which Sir Jofeph Jekyl l-ejects with indignation and 
 contempt. 
 
 Vol. I. F the 
 
66 INTRODUCTION'.- 
 
 the mod perfect fecurity ; but that fucli invective^ 
 if not timely corrected, might kindle fuch heat 
 and animofities as would truly endanger both 
 Church and State. And Burnet, Bifhop of Sarum, 
 juftified the principle of refinance without referve. 
 He mentioned the conduct of Queen Elizabeth,, 
 who had afiifted the French, the Scots, and the 
 Hollanders, in refilling their refpe&ive Sovereigns^ 
 and who was fupported in this practice both by 
 her parliaments and her convocations.. He ob- 
 ferved, that King Charles I. had affided the city 
 of Rochelle ; and that Mainwaring had incurred 
 the fevered cenfure of Parliament, for broaching 
 the doctrine of the divine right of Kings : — That 
 though this became afterwards a fafhionable doc- 
 trine, yet its molt zealous aflertors were the firft. 
 to refill, when actually fullering under oppreflion- 
 He faid, that by inveighing againft the Revolu- 
 tion, the Toleration, and the Union, the delin- 
 quent at their Lordfhips' Bar had arraigned and 
 attacked the Queen herfelf ; fince her Majefty had 
 a diftinguifhed mare in the firft, had often de- 
 clared fhe would maintain the fecond, T and that 
 ihe looked upon the third as the mod glorious 
 event of her reign. He affirmed, that this audaci- 
 ous libeller had likewife cad the mod fcandalous 
 reflections upon her Majefty's miniders ; and that 
 he had, in particular, drawn the portrait of a noble 
 Peer then prefent, in colours fo lively, and had fa 
 
 plainlv 
 
INTRODUCTION. 67 
 
 plainly pointed him out by a vile and fcurrilous 
 epithet, which he would not repeat, that it was 
 impoffible to miilake in making the application. 
 This unintentional farcafm on the Lord Treafurer 
 fomewhat difcompofed the gravity of the Houfe j 
 and in violation of dignity and decorum, the 
 Bifhop was loudly called upon to name him ; 
 which, in the fervour of his zeal, and in the wan- 
 derings of that mental abfence for which he was 
 remarkable, he might perhaps have done, had not 
 the Lord Chancellor interpofed, and declared 
 that no Peer was obliged to fay more than he him- 
 felf mould deem proper. In conclufion, Sache- 
 Verel was, after high debates, found guilty of a 
 mifdemeanour, by a majority of feventeen voices 
 only * ; and he was adjudged to befufpended from 
 preaching for the fpace of three years, and his 
 fermon ordered to be publicly burnt. And to the 
 fame flames was alfo fomewhat whimfically, 
 though very defervedly, committed the famous 
 decree of the Univerfity of Oxford, paffed near 
 thirty years before, afferting the abfolute autho- 
 rity and indefeafible right of Princes. This mild 
 fentence, which call an air of ridicule over the 
 whole proceedings, was confidered as equivalent 
 to an acquittal by the Tory faction, who cele- 
 brated their triumph by bonfires and illuminations, 
 not only in London, but over the whole kingdom. 
 * 52 to 69, 
 
 F 2 Thefe 
 
68 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Thefe rejoicings were fucceeded by numerous 
 addrefTes exprefiive of a zealous attachment to 
 the Church, and an utter deteftation of all anti- 
 monarchical and republican principles. And in a 
 progrefs which Sacheverel afterwards made into a 
 remote part of the country, he was fumptuoufly 
 entertained by the Univerfity of Oxford, invited 
 to the palaces of different noblemen, received in 
 many towns by the magistrates in their formalities, 
 and generally attended by a numerous efcort of 
 horfe. In other places the hedges were orna 
 mented with garlands of flowers, the fteeples were 
 covered with streamers and flags, and the air 
 every- where refounded with the cry of " The 
 Church and Sacheverel !" The enthufiafm fpread 
 like a contagion through all ranks and orders of 
 people. Men feemed to fuffer a temporary dere- 
 liction of fenfe and understanding, and the mob 
 and the nation were for a time terms of the fame 
 import. No martyr fuffering in the glorious caufe 
 of civil and religious liberty, was ever perhaps 
 fo much the object of public applaufe and vene- 
 ration, as this wretched and fanatical preacher of 
 nonfenfe, impiety, and fedition. 
 
 Encouraged by the difpofition now univerfally 
 prevalent, the Queen gave the fir ft public indica- 
 tion of her total change of fyftem, by difmiiling 
 the Marquis of Kent, April 1710, and giving the 
 
 office 
 
INTRODUCTION. 69 
 
 office of Chamberlain to the Duke of Shrewfbury. 
 In June, the Seals were taken from the Earl of 
 Sunderland, and given to the Earl of Dartmouth : 
 And in Auguft, the Lord High Treafurer Godol- 
 phin was ordered to break his ftaff ; and the 
 Treafury was put into commiffion, Earl Paulet 
 being appointed Firft Commiffion er. But this 
 appointment was confidered as merely nominal ; 
 Mr. Harley, who was conftituted Chancellor of the 
 Exchequer, being regarded as chief, or rather fole 
 minifler. In October, the Queen came in perfon 
 to the Council, and ordered a proclamation to be 
 ifTued for diflblving the Parliament : Upon which 
 the Lord Chancellor rofe to fpeak ; but the Queen 
 declared that (lie would admit of no debate, for 
 that such was HtR pleasure. At the fame 
 time, (lie difmifled the Lord Somers, and made 
 the Earl of Rochefter Lord Prefidcnt of the Coun- 
 cil. The Duke of Buckingham was declared Lord 
 Steward, in the room of the Duke of Devonmire. 
 The Seals in the pofTe'ffion of Mr. Boyle, were 
 given to Mr. St. John : The Lord High Chancellor 
 Cowper was fucceeded by Sir Simon Harcourt, 
 The Earl of Wharton refighecTthe government of 
 Ireland ; and the Earl of Orford, his feat at the 
 head of the Admiralty. The Duke of Marlborough 
 alone was ftill fuffered to retain his employments, 
 which he was deterred from refigning by the prefT- 
 in S entreaties of the Emperor and the' States,- 
 F 3 General, 
 
70 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 General, who conceived the fortune of the war to. 
 be in a great meafure attached to his perfon. On 
 his return from the enfuing campaign, he was how- 
 ever, as mention has already been made, diverted 
 of his command, which was immediately con- 
 ferred upon the Duke of Ormond. 
 
 The Parliament, which met in November, was 
 compofed almoft wholly of Tories, who eagerly 
 fought occafions to difplay their hatred to the 
 principles and perfons of their predeceffors. An 
 inquiry was fet on foot in the Houfe of Peers 
 into the conduct of the war in Spain : And the 
 Earl of Galway and General Stanhope, being 
 Whigs, were cenfured for refolving to adopt offen- 
 five meafures, at the opening of the campaign in 
 1707, contrary to the advice of the Earl of Peter- 
 borough ; which refolution was with lingular 
 fagacity voted to be the caufe of the lofs of the 
 battle of Almanza, with all its fatal confequences. 
 And the Earl of Peterborough, a zealous Tory, 
 was thanked for his great and eminent fervices. 
 Though the Earl of Godolphin had been one of 
 the mofl incorrupt of mimfters, a vote of cenfure 
 alfo pa{Ted upon him, on pretence that his ac- 
 counts were not regularly audited. For the fake 
 of offering an indignity to the memory of King 
 William, the Houfe of Commons ordered in a 
 Bill, empowering commimoners to examine all 
 grants made by that Monarch, and to report the 
 
 value 
 
INTRODUCTION. yi 
 
 ^alue of them, and the confiderations upon which 
 they were bellowed. This, however, was rejected 
 by the Lords. Great pains were taken to fix a 
 -fiigma upon the character of the Duke of Marl- 
 borough ; and the cuftomary perquifites which he 
 received in the capacity of Commander in Chief, 
 were voted to be unwarrantable and illegal ; and 
 it was refolved by the Houfe, that the fums fo re- 
 ceived, ought to be accounted for as public pro- 
 perty : And the Queen ordered the Attorney Ge- 
 neral to commence a profecution againit the Duke 
 for money actually received by virtue of her own 
 warrant. 
 
 Early in the. year 171 1, Harley was raifed to 
 the dignity of Lord High Treafurer, and created 
 Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer. About this 
 period, died Jofeph, Emperor of the Romans. 
 His brother, the Arch-duke Charles, nominal 
 King of Spain, was elected Emperor without op- 
 pofition. This event afforded a fair opening to 
 renew the overtures for a general peace, which was 
 now not lefs the object of the eager wifhes of the 
 Court of London than that of Verfailles. After a 
 fecret, or, as it was ftyled by the Whigs, a clan* 
 defline negotiation with the agents of the French 
 Court, protracted for many months, it was at lafl 
 agreed, that Utrecht mould be the place of Con- 
 grefs, and that the conferences mould be opened 
 •the firft of January 171 2. The new Emperor, 
 
 F 4 ivho 
 
72 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 who was previoufly informed that Spain and the 
 Indies were, by the confent of England, to re- 
 main in the pofleffion of Philip, vehemently op-, 
 pofed the project of a treaty, by which he con- 
 sidered his interests as facrificed : And the States-. 
 General themfelves acceded to it with much reluc- 
 tance, and after long and repeated delays. The 
 Whigs exclaimed with all the violence of party 
 rage, againft a plan of accommodation founded on 
 this bafis, which they reprefented as fraught with 
 treachery to our allies, and ruin to ourfelves. 
 The ideas inculcated by the leaders, and fwallowed 
 by the dupes of the faction, are Strongly, though 
 undesignedly, depictured by Bifhop Burnet ; who 
 gravely informs us, that when the Queen conde- 
 fcended to afk of him his fentiments refpecling 
 peace, upon obtaining permiffion to fpeak his mind 
 plainly, he told her Majefly, " That it was his 
 opinion, that any treaty by which Spain and the 
 Indies were left to King Philip, mud in a little 
 while deliver up all Europe into the hands of 
 France. And if any fuch peace mould be made, me 
 was betrayed, and we were all ruined. In lefs than 
 three years time, me would be murdered, and the 
 fires would be again kindled in Smithfield." 
 
 The Parliament being now convened, the Earl 
 of Nottingham, after copioufly expatiating on the 
 dangers to be apprehended from leaving a Prince of 
 the Houfe of Bourbon in poneffion of the monarchy 
 
 of 
 
INTRODUCTION. 73 
 
 •of Spain, moved, that a claufe might be added to 
 the addrefs in anfwer to the fpeech from the 
 throne, reprefenting to her Majefty, " that in 
 the opinion of that Houfe, no peace could be 
 fafe or honourable to Great Britain or Europe, if 
 Spain and the Indies were allotted to any branch 
 of the Houfe of Bourbon." The previous queflion 
 being put upon this motion, it was carried in the 
 affirmative by a fingle vote ; and the main quef- 
 tion by three voices, againfl the utmoft efforts 
 of the Court. The Earl of Nottingham was, 
 himfelf, one of the mod diftinguifhed leaders 
 of the Tory party ; but he was, at this period, 
 extremely difcontented at the afcendency ac- 
 quired by the Earl of Oxford, under whom he 
 would not deign to ac~t a fubordinate part. The 
 reward for the fervice thus rendered to the Whigs 
 was their fupport, or rather acquiescence, in a Bill 
 which the fame nobleman now moved for leave to 
 bring in againfl occalional conformity ; without 
 which, as hefaid, he was only an individual ; but 
 with it, an hod. As there was little doubt, from the 
 prefent temper of the times, that this famous Bill, 
 fo often and fo ftrong-lv agitated, would be re- 
 vived, the Whigs made no fcruple to permit the 
 Earl of Nottingham to conciliate the confidence of 
 his party, by being himfelf the mover of it, efpeci- 
 ally as the penalties of the propofed Bill were 
 much milder than they would probably have been 
 
 if 
 
74 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 if introduced under the aufpices of the Court. 
 In confequence of this previous agreement, the 
 Bill pafled through both Houfes with filence 
 and rapidity. The DifTenters, however, who did 
 not perfectly comprehend thefe political and court- 
 ly manoeuvres, loudly complained that they were 
 deferted by their friends, who endeavoured in vain 
 to perfuade them that they confulted their in- 
 lereft in confenting to their oppreffion. 
 
 At this period Prince Eugene arrived in Eng- 
 land, being charged with inftructions from the 
 Emperor, to repreient to the Queen, in terms the 
 mod urgent, the fatal confequences which would 
 attend the defection of England from the alliance, 
 and to propofe a new plan for the future conduct 
 of the war, in which his Imperial Majefty would 
 take upon himfelf a larger proportion of the 
 burthen than had been required from his prede- 
 cefTors Leopold and Jofeph. The remonilrances 
 of his Highnefs, however, produced no effect ; and 
 during his refidence in London, he had even the 
 mortification to fee twelve Peers created in one 
 day, in order to fecure a majority in favour of 
 the Court, in the Houfe of Lords. "When the 
 time arrived for opening the campaign, Prince 
 Eugene neverthelefs received pofitive affurances 
 from the new General, that he would concur with 
 him in a vigorous profecution of the war ; and 
 when the Prince inverted Quefnoy, the Duke of 
 
 Ormond 
 
INTRODUCTION. 7S 
 
 Ormond undertook to cover thefiege: But when 
 the place was on the point of a furrender, his 
 Highnefs was informed by the BritiiTi Commander, 
 that an armiftice was agreed upon between the two 
 Crowns of England and France ; and that he was 
 obliged, by his instructions, immediately to begin 
 his march towards Dunkirk, in order to embark 
 his forces for England. The Prince in vain ex- 
 populated with the Duke on the unparalleled bafe- 
 nefs of this violation of national faith and honour, 
 and the danger and ruin which might enfue upon 
 this defertion. The Duke was immoveable, and 
 ordered the fufpenfion of hofHlities to be pro- 
 claimed by found of trumpet : But the foreign 
 troops in the pay of Great Britain, unanimoufly 
 refufed to obey his Grace's orders. Notwith- 
 standing the departure of Ormond, Prince Eugene 
 immediately on the furrender of Quefnoy in- 
 veiled Landreci ; but the hiflory of this campaign^ 
 after the feparation of the Britifh forces, is the re- 
 cital of a continued feries of loffes and difafters, 
 Marechal Villars, after defeating a part of the allied 
 army at Denain, proceeded to Marchiennes, which 
 contained the Prince's grand depot of military 
 ftores. After the reduction of Marchiennes, he 
 undertook the fiege of Douay, which compelled 
 the Prince to raife that of Landreci, without how- 
 ever being able to fave Douay. And before the 
 end of the campaign, the French alfo retook Quef- 
 
 noy 
 
76 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 noy and Bouchaine. So that the triumph of Vil- 
 lars was complete, and the allies were overwhelmed 
 with fhame and conflernation. In the beginning 
 of Auguft, Mr. Secretary St. John, now created 
 Vifcount Bolingbroke, went incognito to the Court 
 of Verfailles, in order, by his prefence, to obviate 
 all obftacles to the treaty between France and Eng- 
 land. And a total fufpenfion of hoftilities by fea 
 and land, for the fpace of four months, was quick- 
 ly agreed upon ; but the treaty was not figned in 
 form till the April fucceeding. All the powers 
 of the alliance, the Emperor excepted, at length 
 acceded to the terms prefcribed by England, which 
 were much lefs advantageous than thoie voluntarily 
 offered by France two years before. Louis faw 
 the impolitic ardour with which the Britifh Mi- 
 nifter purfued and even courted peace, and wifely 
 improved it to his own benefit. M. Mefnager, 
 the original negotiator of the treaty, informs us, 
 that when fett'ng out from Paris, the King of 
 France faid to him, " I am of opinion that Harley 
 and his new party may Hand in as much need of 
 peace as of viclory ; and that they may want me, 
 as much as I want them V And he adds, that it 
 
 was 
 
 * The innate gOodncfs of the Queen's difpofition, and her art- 
 It fs fimplicity, are ftrongly marked by a cireumftance related 
 by M. Mefnager, who tells us, that on being introduced by a 
 certain pjpbleraan privately to the Queen at Kenfingtonj lu-r 
 
 Majetty 
 
INTRODUCTION. J} 
 
 was impofnble to defcribe the tranfports of joy the 
 King was in at the news of the diffolution of the 
 Whig Parliament. A feparate peace was at laft 
 concluded November 17 13, at Al-Raftadt, be- 
 tween the Emperor and France ; by which the 
 former acknowledged the title of the King of 
 Spain ; and Naples, Milan, and the Low Countries, 
 were ceded to the Houfe of Auflria. 
 
 A new Parliament being convened in Decem- 
 ber, debates ran, if poffible, higher than ever, be- 
 tween the two State factions. Thefe were occa- 
 fioned chiefly by the fears and jealoufies enter- 
 tained by the Whigs, that the Protectant fucceflion 
 was in danger, from the fecret defigns of the Mi- 
 nifcers of the Crown in favour of the Pretender ; 
 though it mull be acknowledged, no very clear 
 proof has yet been adduced that any fuch defigns 
 were ferioufly harboured. " It was eafy to fee,'* 
 fays M. Mefnager, " that feveral who were near 
 
 Majefty faid, " My Lord * * * here has given me an account 
 of what Heps you have taken — You may let him hear whan 
 you have to fay." M. Mefnager bowed, but was prevented re- 
 plying by the Queen's addreffing herfeif to the r.obleman, after 
 which flie again turned to M.- Mefnager, and faid, " 'Tis 
 a good work; I pray God fucceed you in it: I am fure I long 
 for peace ; I hate this dreadful work of blood:" — And fhook her 
 head two or three times as file retired, adding fome woi-ds, which 
 M. Mefnager tells us he was extremely forry he was not able to 
 ©ver-hear. Vide Mefnager's Memoirs. 
 
 the 
 
■ f, INTRODUCTION* 
 
 the Queen, had inclinations favourable to the Court 
 of St. Germains ; but they could not make it 
 practicable, as they all faid, to take any fleps in 
 that intereft, without hazard to their own : And I 
 never found they had a true zeal for any thing 
 elfe." Oxford and Bol t ngbroke, the two 
 principal leaders of adminiftration, had long been 
 . at variance, and the diflenfion between them now 
 became open and public* Oxford was a man not 
 remarkable for capacity;, but long and intimately 
 converfant in bufmefs ; clofe, plaufible, fubtle, 
 jealous, intriguing, and ambitious. He aimed at 
 engroffing the entire confidence of the Queen, and 
 the fole management of affairs : And inftead of 
 admitting Bolingbroke to the rank of a coadjutor^ 
 he viewed him with the meannefs of fear and fuf- 
 picion ; as a competitor, by whom he dreaded to 
 be eclipfed and perhaps fupplanted. On the other 
 hand, Bolingbroke finding himfelf regarded in the 
 light of a rival, made no fcruple to become fo. 
 This celebrated nobleman, exclufive of the exterior 
 and perfonal advantages by which he was diftin- 
 guifhed, was poffeffed of abilities of the nrit order, 
 of manners the mod captivating, of eloquence the 
 mo(t commanding. In almofl: every thing, the 
 reverfe of the Earl of Oxford ; his temper was 
 open and generous ; his conduct, both in public 
 and private life, high-fpirited and magnanimous ; 
 and his meafures bold and decifive. Equally with 
 
 Oxford 
 
INTRODUCTION. 79 
 
 Oxford the {lave of ambition, and lefs (crapulous 
 in the means of gratifying it, there was good rea- 
 ion to fear left a minifter of this defcription, in 
 order to fecure the favour of the Sovereign, who 
 cherifhed a fecret but inveterate diflike to the 
 Houfe of Hanover, would engage with ardour in 
 the profecution of projects, which the phlegmatic 
 caution of Oxford would deem romantic and im- 
 practicable, and which were alfo abhorrent from 
 his feelings and principles. While Oxford entirely 
 loft the confidence of the Tories, which indeed he 
 never perfectly poffeflTed, by his flownefs, duplicity, 
 and indecilion ; Bolingbroke gained ground, both 
 with the Queen and the faction, by the fuperiority 
 of his talents, his firmnefs and vigour. Refolute 
 and daring, from that confcioufnefs of genius 
 which led him to place an entire reliance upon 
 the refources of his own mind, he very early ac- 
 quired, and ever after maintained, in a degree 
 which no political leader fmce the death of 
 Shaftelbury had been able to attain, the moft fur- 
 prifmg afcendency over the opinions of all his 
 political affociates. It is difficult to conjecture., 
 however, under what pretence or colour any 
 attempt could have been made to fubvert the 
 Proteftant fucceflion, for which both parties pub- 
 licly and uniformly profefled the moft zealous 
 attachment. In the beginning of March, the 
 Queen, whofe health was much affected by the 
 2 violence 
 
So INTRODUCTION. 
 
 violence of thofe parties which me found herfelf 
 unable to controul, and the dill more diftreffinsr 
 animofities and contentions of her own minifters, 
 went in perfon to the Houfe of Lords ; and after 
 magnifying the advantages fecured to England by 
 the late treaty of peace, me obferved, " That 
 fome perfons had been fo malicious as to infinuate, 
 that the Proteftant fucceffion in the Houfe of 
 Hanover was in danger under her government ; 
 but that thofe who endeavoured to diffract the 
 minds of men with imaginary dangers, could only 
 mean to difturb the public tranquillity.' , This 
 declarat'on was much better received by the 
 Commons, than in the Houfe of Peers, where the 
 Whigs were very numerous and powerful. The 
 queftion being propofed by the Earl of Wharton, 
 Whether the Proteftant fucceffion was in danger 
 under the prefent adminiftration ? a very warm de- 
 bate enfued ; and the Lord Treafurer Oxford, lay- 
 ing his hand upon his heart, declared, that he had 
 on fo many occafions given fuch fignal proofs 
 of affection to the Proteftant fucceffion, that he 
 was confident no member of that auguft af- 
 fembly could ever mean to call it in queftion. 
 The Proteftant fucceffion was at length voted out 
 of danger by a fmall majority *. The Earl of 
 
 Wharton 
 
 * Upon this occafion the Earl of Anglefea, who had the repu- 
 tation of being at the head of the Trimmers, divided wi h 
 
 the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 81 
 
 Wharton then moved, that an addrefs fhould be 
 prefented to the Queen, to iffue a proclamation, 
 promifing a reward to any perfon who mould ap- 
 prehend the Pretender, dead or alive ; to which 
 Lord Trevor very humanely and properly pro- 
 pofed to add, in cafe of his landing, or attempt- 
 ing to land, in Great Britain or Ireland. To the 
 motion, thus mitigated and modified, the Houfe 
 agreed ; and on its being prefented to the Queen, 
 {he replied in the following terms : " My Lords, 
 it would be a real ftrengthening to the fucceffion 
 in the Houfe of Hanover, as well as a fupport to 
 my government, that an end were put to thofe 
 groundlefs fears and jealoufies which have been fo 
 induftrioufly promoted. 1 do not, at this time, 
 fee any occafion for fuch a proclamation : when- 
 ever I judge it to be neceffary, I mall give my or- 
 ders for having it iffued." The next ftep which 
 the never-ceafing jealoufy of the Whigs led them 
 to adopt, was, to perfuade the Court of Heren- 
 haufen to order Baron Schutz, the Hanoverian 
 
 Whigs. And it has been fhrewdly fuggefted, that the reafora 
 why fo many of this clafs voted the Proteftant fucceffion to be 
 in danger, was their firm perfuafion that it was perfectly fafe. 
 " The art of the Whigs," faye Lord Lolingbroke, " was to 
 blend as undiftinguifhably as they could, all their party interefts 
 with thofe of the fucceffion, and they made juft the fame facti- 
 ous ufe of the fuppofed danger of it, as the Tories had endea- 
 voured to make fome time before of xhefvppofed danger of the 
 Church. 
 
 Vol. L Q Envoy, 
 
Sa INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Envoy, to demand of the Chancellor, a writ for 
 the Electoral Prince as Duke of Cambridge, with 
 a view to his refidence in England. Of this defign 
 the Queen, however, expreffed her difapprobation 
 to the Princefs Sophia, in terms fo ftrong, that it 
 was thought expedient to lay it afide. The death 
 of the Electrefs taking place at this period, the 
 Elector of Brunfwic was, by an order of the 
 Court, prayed for by name in all churches and 
 chapels throughout England, as prefumptive heir 
 to the English Crown. In May, a Bill to prevent 
 the growth of Schifm was introduced ; by which 
 Dilfenters were prohibited from all interference in 
 the bufinefs of education. For though the evil ef- 
 fect was acknowledged to be without remedy, and 
 therefore entitled to foine indulgence, the evil 
 caufe, it was faid, ought to be prevented, and was 
 therefore entitled to none. Notwithstanding the ut- 
 moft efforts of the Whigs, who were inflamed 
 with a juft indignation at this atrocious invafion 
 of the natural rights of mankind, this deteftable 
 Bill palTed through both Houfes, and received the 
 royal aflent. This was however the laft triumph 
 of the Tory party, many of whom were un- 
 doubtedly difpofed to have gone far greater 
 lengths. But the Queen's conlUtution was now 
 fo entirely broken, that it was evident fhe ap- 
 proached towards the conclufion of her life : And 
 the minifters of the Crown, in the alarming pro- 
 
 fpect 
 
Introduction, g 3 
 
 fpecl of her diflblution, thought of little elfe than 
 their private interefls and perfonal fafety. Ox- 
 ford and Bolingbroke were now fo exafperated 
 againlt each other, that they could not abftain 
 from the mod indecent and bitter altercation, even 
 in the prefence of the Queen. Not a fingle mea- 
 fure, however, was adopted at this critical period, 
 by which it could be inferred that the Miniftry 
 entertained defigns hoftile to the Proteftant fuc- 
 cemon. On the contrary, attempts having been 
 made to enlifl: men for the fervice of the Pretend- 
 er, a proclamation was immediately iifued, pro- 
 mifmg a reward of 5000 1. for apprehending the 
 Pretender, whenever he mould land, or attempt to 
 land, in Great Britain or Ireland. Both Houfes 
 voted an addrefs of thanks for this proclamation ; 
 and Lord Bolingbroke himfelf brought in a Bill, 
 denouncing the penalties of high treafon againft 
 thofe who mould enlift, or be enlifled, in the Pre- 
 tender's fervice. On the 9 th of July, the femon 
 was terminated by a fpeech from the throne, in 
 which the Queen affirmed, that her chief concern 
 was to preferve the Proteftant religion, the liberty 
 of her fubjects, and the tranquillity of the king- 
 dom. On the 27th July, the Earl of Oxford was 
 unexpectedly diverted of the ft aff of Treafurer j 
 and Bolingbroke found himfelf elevated to the 
 fummit of power, by the fudden and total fail of 
 his rival. This fplendid pre-eminence, however, he 
 G 2 enjoyed 
 
* 4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 enjoyed only for a moment. The Queen, who was 
 perceived to be extremely agitated from the time 
 of the difmiflion of Lord Oxford, never recovered 
 her compofure of mind ; but, as if altogether ex- 
 handed by inceffant fatigue, chagrin, and vexa- 
 tion, fhe gradually funk into a kind of lethargy, 
 in which ftate fhe remained till Sunday morning 
 Augufl i (17 14), when fiie expired, in the 50th, 
 year of her age, and 13th of her reign. 
 
 Whatever projects Bolingbroke might have m 
 contemplation, they were entirely difconcerted by 
 the flrmnefs and fpirit with which the leaders of 
 the Whig party acled upon this occafion. A 
 meeting of the Privy Council being convened 
 when the Queen was on the verge of departure, 
 ihey took their places at the Council-board with- 
 out any regular fummons, and immediately pro- 
 ceeded, by the mofc vigorous meafures, to pro- 
 vide for the fecurity of the kingdom. Orders were 
 difpatched to feveral regiments of horfe and dra- 
 goons to march towards the metropolis. Direc- 
 tions were given for equipping a fleet with all ex- 
 pedition. An exprefs- was fent off to the Elector 
 of Hanover, fignifying, that the Queen's life was 
 defpaired of, and defiring that he would, without 
 delay, repair to Holland, where he would find a 
 Britifli fquadton ready to convoy him to England.. 
 '"Iruoiions were at the fame time difpatched to 
 the Earl of Strafford, Ambaffador at the Hague y 
 1 
 
INTRODUCTION. S 5 
 
 to demand from the States the performance of 
 their engagements, as guarantees of the Proteftant 
 fucceffion ; and the heralds at arms were kept in 
 waiting, in order to proclaim the new King, the 
 jnftant the throne mould become vacant. No 
 fymptoms of popular tumult or difcontent how- 
 ever, much lei's of oppofition, appeared on this 
 great occafion ; and whatever might be intended 9 
 it is certain nothing was efTe&ed by the late Queen 
 and her miniflers in favour of the Pretender. 
 
 The death of that Princefs mud notwithstand- 
 ing, upon the whole, be regarded as a very feafon- 
 able and fortunate event. For, had Bolingbroke 
 been fully eilabiifhed in the poll of Prime Minister, 
 it is impoilible to afcertain the extent of the mif- 
 chief which might eventually have refulted from 
 the union of fuch uncommon talents with fuch a 
 total want or difregard of principle. The Queen, 
 however, merits our pity, at lead as much as 
 our cenfure. Her partiality for her own family, 
 and her diflike of the Houfe of Hanover, were 
 natural and pardonable. The Queen's own politi- 
 cal conduct, notwithftanding her high theoretical 
 principles of government, was uniformly regulated 
 by the flriclefl regard to the laws and liberties of 
 the kingdom, "for the welfare of which me enter- 
 tained even a maternal folicitude : And, if ever 
 fhe indulged the idea of caufmg the Crown, at 
 her deceafe, to revert to the hereditary, and, 
 G j doubtlefi, 
 
86 INTRODUCTION 
 
 doubtlefs, as flie imagined, the true and rightful 
 claimant, it was certainly only on conditions, 
 which, in her opinion, would have effectually fe* 
 cured both the Proteftant religion, and the Englifli 
 conftitution, from the hazard of future violation. 
 
 N. B. This Introduction is tranfcribed, with little vari- 
 ation, from the lid vol. of " Effays, Philosophical, Hifto? 
 rieal, and Literary," as, from the infeparability of hiflo-? 
 ric connection, more properly appertaining to the prefenj 
 "yVork : And it will therefore be omitted in the future re~ 
 publication of the EiTays. 
 
K. GEORGE I. 
 
 GEORGE-LOUIS, Eleftor of Hanover, and 
 head of the Houfe of Brunswic -Lunen- 
 burg, derived his defcent from the blood-royal of 
 England by his mother Sophia, daughter of Fre- 
 deric, Elector Palatine and King of Bohemia ; 
 who married Elizabeth of England, only daugh- 
 ter of James I. It is evident therefore, that the 
 title of this Prince was founded folely on the 
 choice of the Parliament, /. e. of the people or na- 
 tion ; and that the ufual order of fucceffion was 
 entirely fuperfeded. For admitting the male line of 
 the Houfe of Stuart to have been extinguifhed in 
 the perfon of James II., the right of blood refted 
 in the Houfe of Savoy, defcended from Henrietta 
 Dutchefs of Orleans, daughter of Charles I. And 
 the Princefs Sophia herfelf being the youngest 
 daughter of the unfortunate Palatine, more than 
 fifty defcendants of that Prince prior in the order 
 of fucceffion were parted over in the Act of Wil- 
 G 4 liam, 
 
$$ K. GEORGE I, 
 
 Ham, which fettled the Crown of England on the 
 Houfe of Hanover. So that the rights of the 
 people were not only afferted, but exercifed in their 
 full extent : And the family upon the throne is in- 
 difputably an defied family, though the general law 
 or rule of fuccefiion remains unaltered. The 
 new Monarch was, at the period of his acceffion, 
 in the 55th year of his age, being born the day 
 before the reftoration of K. Charles II. The uni- 
 form prudence with which this Prince had conduct- 
 ed himfelf throughout the conflicts of the late 
 reign, the general refpectability of his character, 
 and the aufpicious circumflances which attended 
 his elevation, feemed to augur calm and prcfperous, 
 days. The embers of civil difcord and animofity 
 were extinguifhed however only in appearance, 
 and the violent meafures which the King was un- 
 happily perfuaded to adopt, foon rekindled not on- 
 ly the torch of fedition but the flames of war. 
 The kingdom might at this time be confidered as 
 divided with great nearnefs of equality into the 
 two adverfe factions of Whigs and Tories ; the lat- 
 ter of which, from the egregious indifcretion of the 
 Whigs in the fatal bufinefs of- Sacheverel, had 
 recently acquired a great addition of flrength and 
 vigour. But it mult not be imagined that all who 
 were included in the appellation of Tories, who 
 detefted the principles, civil and religious, main- 
 tained by the Whigs, as definitive of the antient 
 
 confli* 
 
K. GEORGE I. 89 
 
 eonftitution and orthodox faith, and who hated 
 (till more the perfons of the Whigs than their prin- 
 ciples, as their perpetual and implacable rivals for 
 power, diflin&ion, and popularity, were therefore 
 attached as a party to the exiled family. Doubt- 
 lefs a great majority of them would have been feri- 
 oufly alarmed at any attempt to reftore the fon of 
 the late King James to the throne, at leaft while 
 he remained a Papift ; and his notorious bigotry 
 precluded almoft every hope or expectation of his 
 converfion to Proteftantifm. Previous to the cera 
 of the Revolution, the fpeculative line ©f difcri- 
 mination between the two grand factions of the 
 State, now gradually fading into obfcurity, was 
 clearly and ftrongly marked. The Whigs main- 
 tained civil government to be an inftitution of hu» 
 man origin and appointment, confonant indeed Co 
 the divine will, as effential to the order and hap- 
 pinefs of the moral and rational creation. The 
 powers veiled in the civil magistrate they regarded 
 therefore as a delegation or truit from the people: 
 And it was a neceffary confequence of this doc- 
 trine, that the individuals entrufted with thefe 
 powers, were ultimately refponhble to the people for 
 the exercife of them, and liable to be degraded 
 and punifhed for the abufe of them. They aliened 
 that there were unalienable rights inherent in hu- 
 man nature, for the prefervation of which, govern* 
 rnent was originally inftituted ; amongft the chief* 
 
 •ft 
 
*~ K. GEORGE r. 
 
 eft and mod important of which, they accounted 
 the right which every man pofleflcs of worfhippinp- 
 God, not according to a decree of the State, but 
 to the dictates of his own conscience. In other 
 words, they maintained the principle of Tolera- 
 tion, not as a matter of favour, but of juftice. And 
 this principle was confidered by them as violated, 
 not only by laws profeffedly penal, but by any ex- 
 clusion from the common rights and privileges of 
 c itizenfhip, founded not on any fpecies of civil de- 
 linquency, but the mere unavoidable diverfity of 
 religious opinions. The Tories, on the other 
 hand, rejected theie doctrines with vehement indig- 
 nation and abhorrence, as fubverfive of the welfare, 
 and even of the exiftence, of civil fociety. They 
 aflerted that government was exprefsly ordained of 
 God, from whom alone Princes derive their au- 
 thority, and to whom alone they were refponfible 
 for their actions — that to refift the will of the So- 
 vereign, was in effect to refift the will of God — and 
 that although, when the commands of the Sovereign 
 were directly oppofed to the commands of God, 
 an active obedience could not be lawfully yielded ; 
 yet even in thefe extreme cafes it was the duty of. 
 the fubject quietlv to fubmit to all the confequences 
 of his non-compliance : And that paflive obedi- 
 ence and non-reiiftance were at all times and in all 
 cafes right and obligatory, where active obedience 
 became either criminal or impracticable. They 
 
 weft 
 
K.GEORGE I. 9* 
 
 Were far from denying that it was the duty of the 
 Prince to confult and provide for the welfare 
 and happinefs of the people, as the great end of his 
 government ; but for any neglect or contempt o£ 
 this duty, there was, as they aiferted, no lawful 
 remedy but humble petition and remon ft ranee. 
 That the people had rights, they admitted ; but 
 thefe rights were not to be defended by force : In 
 the number of thefe rights, however, they did not 
 include the right of private judgment in religion. 
 They conceived it to be the duty of individuals to 
 acquiefce in that formula of doctrines, and to con- 
 form to that mode of worfhip, which the wifdon% 
 of the State had provided ; that to oppofe private 
 to public opinion was in all cafes prefumptuous 
 and unwarrantable ; and in matters of religion 
 more efpecially dangerous, and doubly culpable, 
 as a contemptuous defiance of the united authority 
 of church and ftate*. Subfequentto the Revolu- 
 tion, 
 
 * That this delineation of the principles by which the two 
 grea£ parties in the State were diftinguifhed is accurate and juft, 
 may be demonftrated by an appeal to that perfect ftandard of 
 Toryifm and High-Churchifm, the ever-memorable decree of 
 the Univerfity of Oxford, patted in full Convocation, July 21, 
 1683, and prefented to the King (Charles II.), July 24. 
 *' The Vice Chancellor, Doctors, Pro&ors, and Matters, 
 regent and not-regent, met in Convocation, decree, judge, and 
 declare, to the honour of the holy and undivided Trinity, the 
 prefervation of the Catholic truth in the Church, and that the 
 King's Majetty maybe fecured from the machinations of trea- 
 
«>« K. GEORGE I. 
 
 lution, however, in which great tranfaction the 
 Tories had taken a very laudable and decided part, 
 they appear to have been much embarraffed to 
 maintain the credit and coniiftency of their fyftem. 
 At the trial of Sacheverel the Duke of Leeds, fo 
 famous under his former title of Earl of Danby, 
 
 cherous Heretics and Schifmatics — all and every of the fol- 
 lowing proportions (cum multis aliis), to be falfe, feditious, 
 and impious, and deftructive of all government in Church and 
 
 State. 
 
 ****** 
 
 " All civil government is derived originally from the people. 
 
 " That there is a mutual compact, tacit or exprefs, between a 
 Ivince and his fubjecls, and that if he perform not his duty, 
 
 they are discharged from theirs. 
 
 ****** 
 
 " That if lawful governors become tyrants, or govern other- 
 wife than by the laws of God and Man they ought to do, they 
 
 forfeit the right they had unto their government. 
 
 * ***** * 
 
 *' The Sovereignty of England is in the three eflates — viz. 
 King, Lords, and Commons ; the King having but a co-ordi- 
 nate or fubordinate power. 
 
 ****** 
 
 " Self-prefervation is the fundamentallaw of nature, and fuper- 
 
 fedes all others whensoever they Hand in competition with it. 
 
 * * * * * * 
 
 " There is no obligation upon Chriitians to paffive obedience, 
 
 when the Prince commands any thing contrary to the laws. 
 
 * *-*•** * 
 
 " It is not lawful for Superiors to impofe any thing in the wor- 
 
 flu'p of God that is not antecedently neceflary. 
 ****** 
 *' Wicked Kings and Tyrants ought to be put to death ; and if 
 the Judges and inferior Magiftrates will not do their office, the 
 power of the fword devolves to the people." 
 
 and 
 
K. GEORGE T. 93 
 
 and who had himfelf given a noble proof of his 
 patriotifm by figning the invitation to the Prince 
 of Orange, fcrupled not to declare the Revolution 
 to be an event, however urgent the political neceffi- 
 ty of it, utterly irreconcilable with any juft princi- 
 ples of government j that thofe who examined it 
 lead therefore were its bell friends ; and that a 
 veil ought to be thrown over that tranfaclion, in- 
 ftead of quoting it as a precedent fit and proper 
 for imitation *. Many of this party fatisfied them- 
 felves with the notion of an abdication on the part 
 of the Monarch, and afferted with Sacheverel him- 
 felf, in defiance of fafts, that the nation did not re- 
 fill. The generality of the Tories, however, in- 
 
 * Nothing is more common or more eafy than for perfons 
 who are far removed from the embarraffments and temptations 
 incident to thofe who occupy diftinguifhed ftations in public life, 
 to cenfure the leaft. deviation from the rigid line of rectitude, in 
 terms of harih and indifcriminate feverity; thus indirectly af- 
 ferting their own claim to the praife of immaculate and incor- 
 ruptible integrity, beyond the poflibility of confutation ; though 
 there may perhaps arife zfufpiaon that, in the hour of trial and 
 danger, the patriotifm and public fpirit of the accufed might be 
 found beyond all comparison to furpafs that of their dogmatical 
 and virulent accufera, who would fain perfuade us that there i» 
 no virtue in men whofe conduct indicates any mixfhre of human 
 weaknefs and infirmity. — Thefe obfervations are particularly 
 applicable to the Earl of Dauby, who more than redeemed his 
 political errors and delinquencies by the glorious ardour with 
 which, at the extreme hazard of his life and fortune, he concurred 
 in the original formation, and fubfequent happy and fuccefsful 
 accomplifhment, of the ever-memorable Revolution. 
 
 eluding 
 
94 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 eluding almoft the whole body of the Clergy, highly 
 offended with the unexpected advancement of the 
 Prince of Orange to the throne, adopted the famous 
 diflinction of a King defado, and a King dejure : 
 And by yielding a paflive obedience to the Mo- 
 narch in pofTeflion, they flattered themfelves that 
 they confulted their intereft without abandoning 
 their principle. After the death of the Duke 
 of Gloucefler, the Marcellus of England, the 
 national deteftation of Popery, which equally per- 
 vaded all parties, induced the Tories to acquiefce 
 in the parliamentary fettlement of the Crown 
 on the Houfe of Hanover, as the lead of two 
 great evils, without appearing very folicitous, after 
 the lapfe of fo many years, to reconcile their prac- 
 tice with a theory, the original uncontaminated 
 dignity of which it was no longer poffible for them 
 to maintain. The Whigs, on the contrary, had 
 ever diftinguifhed themfelves by the ardour of their 
 zeal for the Hanover fucceffion. Nor would the 
 ftrength of their attachment to that Houfe have 
 been fhaken or impaired by any recantations or 
 proteftations, however frequent or folcmn, on the 
 part of the Pretender. Under the banners of 
 this party, the DifTenters of all denominations 
 ranged themfelves with eagernefs ; and in a politi- 
 cal view they might be confidered as directly oppof- 
 ed to the Jacobites, who regarded the Sectaries 
 with peculiar malignity, and who, under the ge- 
 neral 
 
K. GEORGE I. 9 5 
 
 Iieral denomination of Tories, fought for occa- 
 fions of fubverting the prefent edablifhment, with 
 anxiety as inceffant as the Diflenters to fortify and 
 fecure it. Under thefe circumdances, it is no 
 wonder that the King mould entertain a drong pre- 
 dilection for the Whigs ; and being educated in 
 the principles of Lutheranifm, which bear a nearer 
 analogy to Prefbyterianifm than to Epifcopacy, he 
 regarded the DifTenters with favour, as men whofe 
 political and religious opinions rendered them his 
 firmed and mod unalterable friends ; and it is faid 
 that the unfortunate fate of King Charles I. being 
 once mentioned in his prefence, as a proof of their 
 implacable animofity to Kings, he replied with a 
 pleafant indifference, " that he had nothing to fear, 
 for that the King-killers were all on his fide." 
 Convinced that no danger was to be apprehended 
 on the death of the Queen, either from foreign or 
 domeiHc enemies, he appeared in no hade to leave 
 Herenhaufen ; and it was not till the middle of Sep- 
 tember that he arrived in England, which exhibit- 
 ed every-where the appearance of fatisfaction and 
 tranquillity. The King of France, of whom alone 
 any jealoufy could be entertained, ordered, on the 
 firft intelligence of the dernife of the Queen, M. 
 D'Ibberville, his Envoy Extraordinary at the Court 
 of London, to declare, in the mod explicit terms, 
 his refolution to adhere to the terms of the late trea- 
 ty, and his fincere dedre to maintain the mod per- 
 
 fed 
 
96 K. GEORGE 1. 
 
 feci: amity and good underftanding with the new Sd* 
 vereign : And Count Konigfeg, the Imperial Am* 
 baffador, offered, in the name of the Emperor his 
 mafter, any number of troops that might be 
 wanted at this crifis, to fupport the authority of 
 government. Previous to the departure of the 
 King from Hanover, notwithftanding the prefent 
 fair and flattering appearances, he had tranfmitted 
 orders to the Regency *, confiding of the feven 
 great Officers of State, and certain other per- 
 
 * For the mere purpofe of embarraffing the Whigs, a mo- 
 tion had been made in Parliament by the Tories, A. D. 1705, 
 for an addrefs to the Queen, befeeching her Majefty to invite 
 the Princefs Sophia, prefumptive heirefs to the Crown, to refide 
 within the realm. The Whigs railed their credit extremely 
 with the Queen, to whom this motion was very offenfive, by the 
 ftrenuous oppofition which they hefitated not to give to it ; and 
 in order to preferve their credit with the nation, a Bill was 
 brought in, under the fanction of the Whig Miniftry, for fecur- 
 ing the Proteftant fucceiTion ; by which, in cafe of the Queen's 
 demife, the executive power of government was veiled in the 
 perfons holding the offices of Archbiihop of Canterbury, Lord 
 Chancellor, Lord Treafurer, Lord Prefident, Lord Privy Seal, 
 Lord High Admiral, andLord Chiefjuftice of the Queen's Bench, 
 in conjunction with certain other perfons, nominated as Regents 
 by the fucceffor in three lifts to be fealed up and depoiited with 
 the Archbiihop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor, and the 
 Minifter refidentiary of Hanover. This Bill Uie Tories in their 
 turn oppofed with violence ; but it palled by a great majority, 
 and with the general approbation of the nation ; and the Tories, 
 by their injudicious conduct in the whole of this . tranfadtion, 
 *£Torded their rivals a great and decilive advantage. 
 
 fons 
 
K. GEORGE 1. 97 
 
 fons appointed in virtue of an a&paffed in the late 
 reign, to remove Lord Bolingbroke from bis pod 
 of Secretary of State, and to feal up the doors of 
 his office. This was ominous of the change of 
 miniltry, which took place immediately on his 
 aifumption of the regal power. And it was no 
 lefs abfolute and decifive than that which preced- 
 ed it, AD. 1 710. The Earl of Halifax was 
 made Firft Commiflioner of the Treafury, the 
 King refufing to create a Lord High Treafurer ; 
 not chufing, as he faid, that there mould be any 
 greater man in the kingdom than himfelf. Lord 
 Townfbend and General Stanhope were nominat- 
 ed Secretaries of State, and to them was chiefly 
 committed the direction of foreign affairs. The 
 Earl of Nottingham, the only Tory admitted into 
 the new adminiftration, was declared Prefident of 
 the Council, the former council being previoufly 
 diflblved. Lord Cowper was reinftated in the 
 high office of Chancellor ; the command of the 
 army reftored to the Duke of Marlborough; the 
 privy feal given to the Earl of Wharton, 
 and Lord Sunderland appointed to the go- 
 vernment of Ireland. Hitherto no more was 
 done than might have been with certainty expect- 
 ed : No more than the attachments and even the 
 interefts of the new government might reafonably 
 perhaps be thought to require. But it quickly 
 appeared that meafures of great feveritv, amount- 
 Vol. I. H ing 
 
9 S K. GEORGE I. 
 
 ing to almofl a general profcription of the Tory 
 party, were determined upon by the Whigs, who 
 were now in full and exclufive pofleffion of the 
 government ; and whofe power feemed eflablifhed 
 on a bafis fo firm, as might, if the fpirit of equity 
 and moderation had influenced their councils, 
 have inclined them to a milder and more temper- 
 ate fyflem of policy. The Parliament, which 
 affembled in March 17 15, was compofed almofl 
 entirely of Whigs, who were well difpofed to 
 fecond the mod vindictive meafures which could 
 be fug-gelled by the adminiflration : " For the 
 miniflers," fays Lord Bolingbroke, " whofe true 
 interefl it mufl always be to calm the minds of 
 men, were upon this occafion the tribunes of the 
 people." 
 
 The royal proclamation convoking this afTembly 
 contained in it the following indifcreet expreflions: 
 " It having pleafed Almighty God, by mod re- 
 markable fleps of his providence, to bring us fafe 
 to the crown of this kingdom, notwithflanding 
 the defigns of evil men, we do not doubt that 
 our loving fubjecls will, in the enfuing elections, 
 have particular regard to fuch as fhewed a firm- 
 nefs to the Proteflant fuccefiion, when it was in 
 danger." This was ftyled by Sir William Wynd- 
 ham, a member confpicuous for his paiiiamentary 
 talents, no lefs than his zealous attachment to the 
 Tory interefl, " an unprecedented and unwar- 
 rantable 
 
K. GEORCE L 99 
 
 Tantable exertion of the prerogative, and of dan- 
 gerous confequence to the very being of parlia- 
 ments;" for which, having refufed to apologize, 
 he was, by order of the Houfe, reprimanded by 
 the Speaker, who intimated that it was owing to 
 the extraordinary lenity of the Houfe, that he 
 was not committed to the Tower. Sir William 
 Wyndham in reply declared, " that he was 
 neither confcious of offering any indignity to his 
 Majefty, nor of violating the privileges of that 
 Houfe; and that he had therefore no thanks to 
 give thofe gentlemen, who, under pretence of 
 lenity, had brought this cenfure upon him." This 
 incident fufficiently indicated the temper of the 
 Houfe, the attention of which was however 
 quickly engaged by far greater objects, in confe- 
 quence of official information from General Stan- 
 hope and Mr. Walpole, a man of diflinguifhed 
 ability, and who had in the late reign fuffered 
 feverely for his attachment to the Whig intereft, 
 under the recollection of which he yet fmarted *, 
 that the papers found in the office of the late 
 
 * In the feffion of Parliament 171 1, Mr. Walpole, on pre- 
 tence of a douceur of iooo guineas faid to have been received by 
 him, or with his confeni, from the profits of a certain government 
 contract made by him when Secretary at War, was voted guilty 
 of an high breach of trull and notorious corruption, was com- 
 mitted piifoner to the Tower, and expelled the Houfe, and a 
 profecution ordered to be inftituted againft him. 
 
 H 2 Lord 
 
ico K. GEORGE L 
 
 Lord Bolingbroke would afford ample ground 
 for impeaching various of the members of the 
 former adminiflration, which they affirmed to be 
 the raoft wicked and corrupt that had ever fat at 
 the helm of affairs in this country. This noble- 
 man, who had hitherto preferved the appearance 
 of great ferenity; attending and even taking a 
 part, as ufual, in the debates of the Houfe of Lords; 
 now withdrew with great precipitation to the 
 Continent. In the beginning of April General 
 Stanhope laid before the Houfe of Commons all 
 the papers relating to the negotiations of the late 
 miniftry with France, which were immediately 
 referred to a felect committee of twenty-one per- 
 fons; and in June Mr. Walpole, as chairman, 
 made the report, in which the fecret prelimina- 
 ries figned with M. Mefnager, the fufpenfion of 
 arms, the ieizure of Ghent and Bruges by the 
 Duke of Ormond, Lord Bolingbroke's journey 
 to Paris, and feparate conferences with the French 
 miniftry; in a word, all the meafures which pre- 
 ceded or facilitated the conclufion of the peace 
 of Utrecht, were dated as highly criminal. And 
 Mr. Walpcle, boldly averting that to vindicate 
 thefe meafures was in a manner to (hare the guilt 
 of them, terminated the report by impeaching 
 Henry Lord Vifcount Bolingbroke of high 
 treason; and Lord Coningfby immediately 
 (landing up, exclaimed, " The worthy Chairman 
 
 has 
 
K. GEORGE I. 101 
 
 has impeached the hand, but I impeach the head 
 —I impeach Robert Earl of Oxford and Earl 
 Mortimer of high treafon." On the 21 ft June 
 General Stanhope impeached the Duke of Or- 
 mond of high treafon; and the day following 
 Mr. Aiflabie impeached the Earl of Strafford of 
 high crimes and mifdemeanors. And fuch was 
 the temper of the Houfe, that thefe impeachments 
 were fur the mod part carried without difficulty, 
 and almoft without a divifion. It is notwith- 
 ftanding very hard to difcover upon what confti- 
 tutional grounds any of thefe impeachments could 
 be voted, and much lefs how the charges con- 
 tained in them could amount to the crime of high 
 treafon. The meafures adopted by the late Tory 
 miniftry were, it muft be allowed, difgraceful to 
 the reputation, incompatible with the engage- 
 ments, and in fome points injurious to the inter- 
 ells, of the kingdom. But as nothing was done 
 without the fanclion and concurrence of Parlia- 
 ment, on what pretence of juilice minifters could 
 be punilhed for carrying into effect meafures of 
 ft ate policy which had received either the previous 
 or fubfequent approbation of the Legifhture, it 
 feems difficult or rather impoffible to devife. To 
 miflead or delude the Parliament into a miftaken 
 approbation of any fpecific meafures of govern- 
 ment by defective or erroneous information, is 
 indeed an high offence : But to execute meafures 
 H 3 approved 
 
joz K. GEORGE I. 
 
 approved by the Legiilature, in confequence of 
 full and fufficient information, cannot be criminal 
 in individuals holding offices of refponfibility, 
 becaufe it is their duty to conform to the public 
 will ; and to the Legiilature itfelf it would be 
 folecifm and abfurdity to impute criminality. Of 
 the impeachment of the Duke of Ormond in 
 particular, a nobleman of unblemifhed integrity, 
 of honour without a Main, equally diftinguifhed 
 by courtefy and courage ; no lefs the ornament of 
 his country than its defence j the injullicc appears 
 grofs and manifefr.. Of all the charges adduced 
 againil the late miniftry, the fufpenfion of arm?, 
 which was productive of confequences fo difaf- 
 trous and fatal, was one of the moff, or rather 
 was incomparably the mod ferious, and of the 
 greater!: magnitude. But it cannot be pretended 
 that the Duke of Ormond could or ought to 
 exercife any difcretion in this cafe : His orders 
 were peremptory and pofitive. And for any mili- 
 tary commander to alTume, under fuch circum- 
 ftances, a difpenfing power, and to prefume to 
 act in open contradiction to the authority from 
 which he derives his commiilion, would indeed 
 call for and juflify a parliamentary impeachment. 
 The Duke, feeing the fpirit of faction and revenge 
 fo flrongly predominate in the proceedings againft 
 him, followed Lord Bolingbroke to the Conti- 
 nent j and both thefe noblemen, irritated by per-* 
 
 fecution, 
 
K. GEORGE I. 103 
 
 fecution, and deftitute of refource, entered into 
 the fervice of the court at St. Germaine's, now 
 removed to Commerci in Lorraine, which re- 
 ceived by this means a dangerous addition of ta- 
 lents and ftrength*. On his arrival in France 
 Lord Bolingbroke apologized in a letter to his 
 
 friend 
 
 * Though Lord Bolingbroke fuffered himfelf to be engag- 
 ed by earneil folicitation in the fervice of the Pretender, and 
 even accepted the feals as Secretary of State to that fhadow of a 
 King, while, as he expreffes it, " the fmart of a bill of attainder 
 tingled in every vein ;" on perceiving the hopelefs condition of his 
 affairs, and the weaknefs anddiflrac~lion of hiscounfels, he willing- 
 ly received, in about fix months, his difmifiion from this un- 
 enviable pre-eminence. It is a curious circumflance, that on 
 leaving the Pretender's fervice this nobleman had articles of 
 impeachment formally exhibited againil him, branched out 
 into the fevcral heads of treachery, incapacity, and neglect : 
 To which he made an elaborate reply, expreffing, at the clofe 
 of it, his obligation to the Pretender, for " cutting by this 
 means that Gordian knot afunder, by which he had conceived 
 himfelf for ever bound to his interefts, and which would have 
 effectually precluded every ideaof making his peace at home ;''— 
 an event which from this time became the object of his incef- 
 fant intrigues and folicitations. The Duke of Ormond, who 
 was much more in earneft in his attachment to the exiled fa- 
 mily, and who difdained to court a reconciliation with that 
 country by which he confidered himfelf as treated with the 
 higheft injuftice and ingratitude, retained, during the remainder 
 of his life, his flation in the Pretender's court, around the; 
 cheerlefs and contracted circle of which he alone reflected 
 fpme fcattered rays of luftre. Previous to his departure from 
 London he vifitcd, for the laft time, the Earl of Oxford, who 
 djffuaded him from flying with as much earneftnefs as he in- 
 
 H 4 treated. 
 
204- K. GEORGE I. 
 
 friend Lord Lanfdowne for his fudden and abrupt 
 departure : " You wiii," faid lie, " excufe me 
 when you know that I had certain and repeated 
 information, from forne who are in the fecret of 
 &5air§, $\at a refolution was taken by thofe who 
 have power to execute it, to purfue me to the 
 fcaffold. Had there been the leaft reafon to hope 
 for a fair and open trial, after having been already 
 pj iged unheard by two Houfes of Parliament, 
 I .liould not have declined the ftricleft examination. 
 I challenge the mofh inveterate of my enemies to 
 produce one inftance of a criminal correfpond- 
 ence, or the leaft corruption of any part of the 
 admin!) tration in which I was concerned." The 
 Earl of Oxford, however, confeious of the fleadi- 
 nefs of his attachment to the Houfe of Hanover, 
 cf the King's real obligation to him, and of his 
 knowlege of that obligation, determined to abide 
 the fury of. this political tempeft; and the im- 
 peachment preferred by the Commons being fol- 
 lowed by a motion in the Houfe of Peers for his 
 commitment, he rofe to fpeak in his defence, ob- 
 ferving **' that the whole charge might be reduced 
 to the negotiation and conclufion of the peace. 
 That the nation wanted a peace," he faid., " no 
 one would deny; and he averred, that the con- 
 ditions upon which it was made were as good as 
 
 treated Oxford to make his efcape. He at length parted from 
 the Earl with thefe words : " Farewell, Oxford, without a 
 bead.*' To which Oxford. replied, " Farewell, Puke, without 
 
 the 
 
K. GEORGE I. iojt 
 
 the obftinate and perverfe reluctance of the Allies to 
 concur in theQueen's meafures would admit: That it 
 had been approved by two fucceflive Parliaments : 
 That he had acted by the exprefs commands of 
 his fovereign, without offending againftany known 
 law; and being juftified in his confcience, was 
 unconcerned for the life of an infignincant old 
 man." The Earl was attended to the Tower by 
 a prodigious concourfe of people, fhouting, " High 
 Church, Ormond and Oxford for ever !" And the 
 riots and tumults which enfued in various parts 
 of the kingdom, fully juftified and verified the 
 expreflion of the Earl of Anglefey, in the debate 
 of this day, " that it was to be feared fuch violent 
 meafures would make the fceptre (hake in the King's 
 hands \" for which the Houfe in its wifdom infilled 
 upon his making an apology. When the articles of 
 impeachment were exhibited againir. the Earl of 
 Strafford, that nobleman complained of the ar- 
 bitrary and illegal feizure of his papers, and de- 
 fired a competent time to prepare for his defence; 
 requiring for this purpofe duplicates both of fuch 
 as had been laid before the Committee of Secrefy, 
 and of thoie remaining in the hands of Govern- 
 ment. This requeft, to the difgrace of the ruling 
 party, was vehemently oppofed, until the Earl of 
 Hay reprefented " that in all civilized nations, 
 all courts of judicature, the Inquijltion excepted, 
 allowed the perfons arraigned all that was neceffary 
 to their j unification j and that the Houfe of 
 
 Peers 
 
io6 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 Peers of Great Britain would not, he was per* 
 fuaded, in a cafe of this nature, do any thinp con- 
 trary to that honour and equity, for which they 
 were fo juftly renowned through Europe." The 
 Houfe, thus fuddenly and powerfully awakened to 
 a fenfe of their own dignity, refolved that the 
 Earl fhould be allowed copies of fuch papers as he 
 might have occafion to ufe in his defence. Bills 
 of attainder, in default of perfonal appearance, 
 palled againft the Duke of Ormond and Lord 
 Vifcount Bolingbroke. Their names and armorial 
 bearings were erazed from the rolls of the Peer- 
 age, by order of the Houfe; and the Duke's 
 atchievement as Knight of the Garter taken down 
 from St. George's Chapel at Windfor : And from 
 the addrefs of the Speaker to the King at the 
 clofe of the feffion, which was protra&ed to the 
 end of the fummer, it does not appear that the anger 
 of the Houfe had fuflered any abatement. " Your 
 Commons," faid the Speaker, Sir Spencer Comptort*, 
 C4 could not fee without the utmoft indignation the 
 glories of her late Majefty's reign tarnifhed by a 
 treacherous ceflation of arms — the faith of treaties 
 violated — thatantient probity for which the Engliih 
 nation had been juftly renowned throughout all 
 ages, expofed to fcorn and contempt. — Such 
 was the condition of the kingdom, when it pleafed 
 the divine Providence to call your Majefty to the 
 
 * Afterwards created Earl of Wilmington. 
 
 throne 
 
K. GEORGE I. 107 
 
 throne of your ancestors, under whofe aufpiclous 
 reign, your Commons behold with pleafure the 
 glory of the Plantagenets, your Majefty's royal 
 anceflors, revive, and have an unbounded profpecT: 
 of the continuance of this happinefs to the lateft 
 pofterity." A very great part of the nation being 
 much inflamed with the late extraordinary pro- 
 ceedings, the partizans of the Pretender were in- 
 cited to exert themfelves with redoubled vigour and 
 activity ; and it was determined at one and the 
 fame time to take up arms in both kingdoms 
 againft the Government. In the month of Sep- 
 tember, the Earl of Mar fet up the ftandard of 
 rebellion, and proclaimed the Pretender, under the 
 ftyle and title of King James III. at Caflletown 
 in Scotland, and foon collected an army of ten 
 thoufand men. The vigilance of the Government 
 in a great meafure rendered abortive the defigns 
 concerted by the adherents of the Houfe of Stuart 
 on the fouth of the Tweed. The Habeas Corpus 
 Act being fufpended, feveral noblemen were 
 committed to the Tower, amongrt whom were 
 Lord Lanfdowne and the Earl of Jerfey, who 
 had engaged to join the Duke of Ormond on his 
 intended landing in the Weft. By previous con* 
 fent of the lower Houfe of Parliament, Sir 
 William Wyndham, Mr. Harvey, and various 
 other members of that Houfe, were feized and 
 committed to clofe cuftody, the bail of the Duke 
 
 of 
 
i©« K. GEORGE I. 
 
 of Somerfet, father-in-Law to Sir William Wynd- 
 ham, being peremptorily refufed, and the Duke 
 himfelf, for fome indifcreet exprefiions of refent- 
 ment, removed from his place of Mailer of the 
 Horfe. Notwithstanding, however, thefe fpirited 
 and refolute meafures of prevention, the Earl of 
 Derwentwater and Mr. Foiter appeared at the 
 head of an armed force in Northumberland, and 
 proclaimed the Pretender at Warkworth, Penrith, 
 Lancafier, and other places, in their progrefs to the 
 fouthward. At their arrival at Preiton, Novem- 
 ber 12, they were attacked by the King's forces 
 under the Generals Willes and Carpenter, who 
 inverting the town on all fides, compelled them to 
 furrender at difcretion : And the very fame day a 
 bloody battle was fought, between the Earl of 
 Mar and the Duke of Argyle, at Sheriff-moor, near 
 Dumblaine in Scotland. The Duke, apprized of 
 the intention of the Earl of Mar to crois the Forth, 
 in order to join the infurgents in the Lowlands, 
 haftened to fecure the paffes of that river, which 
 he himfeif erofled at Stirling, and immediately 
 took pofTeflion, with a force not exceeding 4000 
 men, of the heights of Dumblaine. The Earl of 
 Mar now advanced to the attack ; and the Clans 
 of Glengary and Clanronald, which formed part of 
 the enemies right wing, rufhed down upon the 
 Royalifts, fword in hand, with iuch determined 
 and irrefiflible impetuoiity, that the left wing of 
 
 the 
 
K. GEORGE I. 109 
 
 the King's army was in a fhort time entirely- 
 broke, and General Whetham, who commanded 
 it, carried the news of his own defeat with in- 
 credible expedition to Stirling— declaring the 
 ruin of the whole army to be inevitable. In the 
 mean time, the Duke of Argyle, who commanded 
 the right wing in perfon, charged the enemy 
 with the moft heroic ardor, and drove them be- 
 fore him, about two miles, as far as the Loch of 
 Alien, though they repeatedly attempted to rally. 
 On his return from this purfuit, he was unexpect- 
 edly confronted by the victorious rebels on their 
 return from the purfuit of Whetham ; and each 
 army found itfelf poflcffed of the flation occupied, ia 
 the early part of the engagement, by the adverfary. 
 In this poflure they remained till evening, when 
 the rebels returned to Ardoch, and the Duke to 
 Dumblaine ; and next day marching back to the 
 field of battle, he carried off the wounded, and fe- 
 veral pieces of cannon left by the enemy. Though 
 the engagement was thus indecifive, all the honour, 
 as well as advantage, of the fight, refled with the 
 Duke of Argyle, who, with a force fo inferior, had 
 entirely difconcerted the fchemes of his antagcnid 
 by the moil intrepid perfonal exertions. Various 
 fucceffes were obtained alfo by the Royaliiis in the 
 northern parts of Scotland, where the lofs of In- 
 vernefs was very feverely felt by the rebels ; and 
 Argyle being now joined by large reinforcements, 
 1 it 
 
If* K. GEORGEL 
 
 it was with difficulty Mar kept the field till the ar- 
 rival of the Pretender in perfon, who landed at 
 Peter-head Dec. 26th, and immediately iffued va- 
 rious proclamations : One of which was for fum- 
 moning a Convention of the Eftates ; a fecond order- 
 ing all fencible men to repair to his ftandard ; and 
 a third fixing a day for his coronation. He che- 
 rifhed, however, no fanguine hope of fuccefs : 
 <£ For me," faid he in a fpeech addreffed to his 
 friends convened in council, " it will be no new 
 thing if I am unfortunate: My whole life, even 
 from my cradle, has fhewn a conflant feries of mil- 
 fortunes, and I am prepared, if fo it pleafe God, 
 to fuffer the threats of my enemies and yours." 
 In a very fhort time the folly and rafhnefs of the 
 enterprife became fo apparent, that on receiving 
 intelligence of the approach of the Duke of Argyle, 
 he refolved to embark on board a French fhip lying 
 in the harbour of Montrofe, accompanied by the 
 Earls of Mar and Melfort, which flretching over 
 to Norway, in order to avoid purfuit, and coafting 
 along the fhores of Germany and Holland, arrived 
 in five days at Graveline : The rebel army retir- 
 ing northward, quietly difperfed without making 
 any farther effort, or receiving the flighted moleft- 
 ation. The extreme mifconduct and want of ca- 
 pacity apparent in the whole of this enterprife, was 
 decifive of the perfonaldifpofilion and character of 
 the claimant of the Britiih crown ; and the impo- 
 litic 
 
K. GEORGE I, in 
 
 litic violence, which had hitherto predominated in 
 the counfels of the new Monarch, was happily 
 compenfated by the wretched imbecility of his 
 rival. " Should the Pretender ever be reftored, it 
 was eafy," Lord Bolingbroke tells us, " to fee that 
 the Court of St. James's would be conftituted in 
 the fame manner as that of St. Germaine's." On 
 being prefented with the draft of a declaration to 
 be difperfed in England, he took exception againfl 
 feveral pafTages, and particularly thofe by which a 
 direct promife of fecuring the churches of England 
 and Scotland was made. i( He was told" he faid, 
 " that he could not, in confeience, make fuch a 
 promife ;" and, on being farther urged to compli- 
 ance, afked with warmth, " why the Tories were fo 
 defirous to have him, if they expected thofe things 
 from him which his religion did not allow ?" And 
 after confulting his confidents and cafuiils, the 
 papers were at length printed, with amendments 
 which exhibited the extreme of Jefuitical prevari- 
 cation, infomuch that Lord Bolingbroke abfolutely 
 refufed to counter-fign them. Intoxicated with 
 fuperilition and enthufiaftic zeal, all efforts were 
 quickly perceived to be loll on a man whofe obfti- 
 nacy and prejudice were fortified by the native 
 narrownefs of his underitanding. " His religion," 
 fays the nobleman juft mentioned, " is not founded 
 on the love of virtue, and the deteftation of vice, 
 on a fenfe of that obedience which is due to tht 
 
 will 
 
na K. GEORGE I. 
 
 will of the Supreme Being, or of thofe obligations 
 ■which creatures formed to live in a mutual depend- 
 ence on one another lie under. The ipring of 
 his whole conduct is, fear ; he has all the fuperititi- 
 on of a Capuchin, but I found in him no tincture of 
 the religion of a Prince ; and I converfed with very- 
 few among the Roman Catholics themfelves, who 
 did not think him too much a PapilL" Although 
 the rebellion in both kingdoms was thus happily and 
 fpeedily i'upprelTed, the clemency of the King did 
 not appear fo confpicuous as might have been wifh- 
 ed, and reafonably expected. The Lords Der- 
 wentwater, Nithifdale, and Nairne, with divers 
 other noblemen, being tried in Weftminfter Hall, 
 received fentence of death, Earl Cowper prefiding 
 as Lord High Steward. And notwithilanding the 
 affecting and urgent fupplications of the CountefTes 
 of Derwentwater and Nithifdale, and Lady 
 Nairne, who threw themfelves at the King's feet, 
 and implored his mercy, no mitigation of the fen- 
 tence could be obtained ; and very many of the 
 lower claffes of the people fell a facrifice to the 
 fatal delufion of thofe miftaken principles which 
 led them to engage in this revolt *, which might, 
 
 in 
 
 * For the following curious anecdote we are indebted to the 
 Rev. Mr. Macaulay's ingenious topographical Hiftory of the 
 Pariih of Claybroke in I eicefterfliire : One Paul, a clergyman, 
 and Vicar of Orton upon the Hill in that county, was tried and 
 
 convicted 
 
K. GEORGE 1. 113 
 
 in all human probability have been eafily prevent- 
 ed by the adoption of a more equitable and gene- 
 rous policy. " Certain it is," fays Lord Boling- 
 broke, " if milder meafures had been purfued, 
 that the Tories would never have univerfally 
 embraced Jacobitifm : The violence of the Whigs 
 forced them into the arms of the Pretender, and 
 dyed the royal ermines in blood." The King was 
 notwithstanding of a difpofition by no means harfh 
 or implacable. On the contrary, it was with ex- 
 tremejiefitation and reluctance that he concurred in 
 the meafures which he was allured were neceffary to 
 his fafety. And we are told, that when Lord 
 Somers, who in a date of great corporeal infir- 
 mity ftill retained his wonted powers of mind, 
 was informed by Lord Townfhend, with much 
 exultation, that the King had at length confented 
 to all that was required of him, this aged and 
 venerable patriot alked him with great emotion, and 
 ihedding many tears, whether they meant to re- 
 convicted, A. D. 17 15, of high treafon, he having joined the 
 rebels at Prefton in Lancafhire, and differed, with the moil un- 
 daunted refolution, the utmoft rigour of the law. On the Sun- 
 day previous to his departure he preached a fcrmon at his own 
 parifh church, from Ezek. xxi. 26, 27. " Thus faith the Lord 
 God, Remove the diadem, and take off the crown. Exalt aim 
 that is low, and abafe him that is high. I will overturn, over- 
 turn, overturn, and it mall be no more, until he come whofe 
 right it is, and I will give it unto him." 
 
 Vol. I. I vive 
 
ii 4 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 vive the profcriptions of Marius and Sylla *. The 
 miniftry, perceiving and probably relenting the 
 general difcontent and difaffedion of the people 
 
 to 
 
 * " All the traditional accounts of this nobleman," fays Mr. 
 Walpole, now Lord Orford, who has delineated his character 
 with great felicity, " the hiftorians of the laft age, and its bed 
 authors, reprefent him as the moil incorrupt Lawyer and the 
 honefteft Statefman ; as a mafter-erator, a genius of the finefl 
 tafte, and as a patriot of the noblefl and moil extenfive views ; 
 as a man who difpenfed bleffings by his life, and planned them 
 for pofterity. Mr. Addifon, who has drawn a laboured but 
 diffufe and feeble character of him in the Freeholder, tells us 
 that he gained great efteem with Queen Anne, who had con- 
 ceived many unreafonable prejudices againfl him. Mr. Addifon 
 might as well have faid that the Queen had at firft difbelieved, 
 and was afterwards converted to Sir Ifaac Newton's fyftem of 
 comets. Her Majeily was full as good a judge of aftronomy 
 as of Lord Somers's merits. The momentous times in which 
 he lived gave Lord Somers opportunities of difplayiug the 
 extent of his capacity, and the patriotifm of his heart. The 
 excellent balance of our conftitution never appeared in a clearer 
 light than with relation to this Lord, who, though impeached 
 by a mifguided Houfe of Commons, with all the intemperate 
 folly that at times difgraced the free Mates of Greece, yet had 
 full liberty to vindicate his innocence, and manifeft an in- 
 tegrity which could never have fhone fo bright unlefs it had been 
 juridically afperfed. In this country happily the factious and 
 the envious have not a power of condemning by a (hell which 
 many of them cannot fign." To thefe excellent obfervations it 
 may be permitted to add, that when we reflect on the firm and 
 undaunted fland made by the Houfe of Lords on this and 
 ether interefling occafions againft the democratic fury of the 
 
 Commons, 
 
K. GEORGE I. nj 
 
 to a government which willingly concealed even 
 from itfelf the defire of vengeance by which it 
 was actuated, under the veil of loyalty and patri- 
 otifm, now found or imagined the neceiTity of 
 adopting a meafure for the prefervation of the 
 public fafety, which has been ever confidered as 
 
 Commons, we fhall not be forward to applaud the wifdom of 
 thofe by whom that Houfe was once voted, or of thofe who 
 are now ready to pronounce it, ufelefs. That there fliould exift 
 one fovereign will only in a ftate, is certain ; but the legislative 
 body in which this will refides may, by a juft and wife organi- 
 zation, contain within itfelf a principle of vigorous collifion 
 and controul. But we have lately heard much from certain 
 prefurnptuous fpeculatifts on the fcience of government, of 
 the ridiculous folly and abfurdity of permitting, under a free 
 conftitution, any portion of hereditary authority — or, to 
 adopt their own phrafeology, " hereditary nonfenfe," to exift, 
 however limited or modified — Though it is remarkable, that 
 previous to thefe recent difcoveries in politics, wifdom was 
 ever accounted the grand characleriftic feature of Ariftocracy, 
 as power of Monarchy, and public fpirit of Democracy. And 
 of the juflnefs of this political axiom, not to appeal to antient 
 times, the celebrated republics of Venice and Berne exhibit at 
 this day finking and obvious examples. Nor are the reafons, 
 — the permanent caufes of this permanent effect, — difficult to 
 develope : But at prefent in politics, as at no very diilant pe- 
 riod in philofophy, a pretended common fenfe, made up of 
 audacity of affertion, and infolence of abufe, is to fuperfede 
 all inductions of reafon, knowlege, and experience. The 
 harfhnefs of this cenfure muft however be qualified with the 
 acknowledgement that in the writings now alluded to are to be 
 found many important and intereiting truths, exprefled in lan- 
 guage peculiarly ftriking and energetic. 
 
 1 2 the 
 
u6 L GEORGE I. 
 
 the higheft and moft unconfhitutional exertion of 
 parliamentary authority attempted fince the asra 
 of the Revolution ; and if we except the Act of 
 Henry VIII. declaring the proclamations of the 
 Crown equal in validity to Ads of Parliament, and 
 the Perpetuity Act of Charles I. ; it may not be too 
 much to affirm, fince the fir ft exiftence of Parlia- 
 ments. This was no other than the introduction 
 of the famous Septennial Bill, in the feflion of 
 1716, by which the Parliament not only affumed 
 a power of prolonging the duration of future Par- 
 liaments, but even its own ; and being elected by 
 the nation for three years, they elected themfelves 
 for four years more. As the difcretion veiled in 
 Parliament has however no precife limits, no one 
 has ventured formally or judicially to impeach the 
 validity of this Act ; and it has been truly urged 
 in its favour, that it was in fact agreable to the 
 fentiments of a great and refpectable part of the 
 nation, who had long feen and deplored the evils 
 attending the frequent recurrence of parliamentary 
 elections under the prefent miferably corrupt, 
 though long-eftablifhed, modes of election; and 
 who were convinced of the danger which muft 
 eventually have ariien from the diflblution of the 
 prefent Parliament at a juncture fo critical. The Bill, 
 which originated in the Houfe of Peer?, was oppof- 
 ed with great ability by divers noblemen, and in par- 
 ticular by the Earl ;>f Nottingham, who, difgufted and 
 provoked by the intemperate conduct of the admi- 
 
 niltration, 
 
K. GEORGE I. 117 
 
 migration, had now quitted his connections with the 
 Whigs. This nobleman obferved, " that frequent 
 Parliaments were of the effence of the Englifh con- 
 stitution, and were functioned by the practife of 
 ages ; that the Members of the Lower Houfe were 
 delegated by the body of the nation, for a certain 
 term of years, at the expiration of which, they 
 were no longer the reprefentatives of the people ; 
 that by thus lengthening, at their own pleafure, the 
 duration of their own authority, they deprived the 
 people of the only remedy, which the wifdom of 
 our anceflors had provided, againfl the ignorance 
 and corruption of thofe who might be tempted to 
 betray the truft repofed in them ; that as to 
 the pretence of adding energy or {lability to 
 the foreign transactions or projected alliances of 
 Government, what prince or ft ate could rationally 
 entruft us with the care of their interests, when we 
 appeared fo ready to abandon our own ? that the 
 preamble of the Bill itfelf might fuffice to deter 
 them from entering into engagements with our 
 Government, when they understood by it that the 
 Popifh and Jacobite faction was fo powerful as to 
 threaien deftruction to the prefent eftablimment ; 
 and that the Government acknowleged its weak- 
 nefs to be fuch, as to make fo extraordinary a 
 provision neceffary for its fafety ; when it appeared 
 that the nation was not to be milled, and that the 
 affections of the King's fubjects were reftricted 
 I 3 within 
 
uS K. GEORGE I. 
 
 within the limits of the Houfe of Commons. He 
 affirmed, that a long Parliament would encourage 
 every fpecies of corruption in every clafs of the 
 community ; that the value of a feat would bear 
 a determinate proportion to the legal duration of 
 Parliaments, and the purchafe would rife accord- 
 ingly; that a long Parliament would both enhance 
 the temptations, and multiply the opportunities, of 
 a vicious ministry, to undermine the integrity and 
 independency of Parliaments far beyond what could 
 occur, if they were fhort and frequent ; that the 
 reafons urged for prolonging the duration of this 
 Parliament to feven years, would probably be 
 as flrong, and by perfeverance in the fame 
 impolitic 'conduct, might be made much 11 ronger 
 before the end of that term, for continuing 
 and even perpetuating their legillative power,** 
 When this Bill was tranfmitted to the Commons, 
 it had to encounter an oppofition fl ill more vehe- 
 ment and formidable. No fooner was it announced 
 to the Houfe, by two of the Judges fent from the 
 Peers, that their Lordfhips had paffed a Bill for en- 
 larging the time of the continuance of Parliaments, 
 to which they defired their concurrence, than 
 Lord Guernfey moved to reject the Bill, without 
 reading it. The Houfe, however, determined by 
 a great majority to receive it ; And the Bill being 
 a firft and fecond time read, Mr. Shippen arofe 
 to pppofe the commitment of it. He commenced 
 
 his 
 
K. GEORGE Ij 119 
 
 his obfervations with remarking, " that he too well 
 knew the hazard attached to every unguarded ex- 
 preffion in that Houfe, to venture to fay, that by 
 any meafures already taken, — alluding to the late 
 great augmentation of the land forces, — we have 
 paved the way to a defpotic and military govern- 
 ment. Such reflections, indeed, might perhaps be 
 pardoned from perfons without doors, who are not 
 able to enter into the depth and wifdom of our 
 counfels, and who prefume to cenfure what they 
 cannot comprehend. But the prefent Bill is yet 
 unpafled, and we have as yet a right to invefligate 
 its merits with freedom. It has been urged, that 
 the difaffection of the people is fo great, and the 
 enemies of the Government both at home and 
 abroad fo powerful, that a new election, at this 
 period, may be deflruclive of its peace, and even 
 of its fafety. If this argument be applied to the 
 Miniflry, it is enough to reply, — that it is no concern 
 of ours, whether they have rendered themfelves 
 odious to the people or not — They may be deftroy- 
 ed, and the Government fubfift and flouiifh. But 
 if it be applied to his Majefty, no argument could 
 be offered fo injurious to his honor. How is it 
 that, in the infancy of his reign, he hath deprived 
 himfelf of the love and affection of a people who fo 
 lately received him with every exprelfion of joy ? But 
 admitting the fact, is this the way to extinguifh 
 the difcontents already exifting, or will it not ra- 
 
 I 4 thet 
 
i?o K. GEORGE I. 
 
 ther increafe and create frem difcontents ? Agre* 
 ably to the law as it now (lands, a diflblution will 
 not be neceflary for a year and a half; and can 
 national difcontents be imagined to exift fo long 
 under fo wife, fo excellent, and fo indulgent an 
 adrniniftration as we now enjoy ? Another reafon 
 for pafTmg this Bill is, that it may encourage our 
 antient allies to enter into new treaties, which, 
 under the actual conftitution of things, they may 
 heiitate or refufe to do. In order therefore to 
 obtain the favour and f> iendfhip of thofe nations, 
 in whofe fupport we have on fo many occafions 
 lavilhed cur treafure and our blood, we muft, it 
 feems, alter the prefent frame of our conftitution ! 
 What emotions of indignation muft not the infolence 
 of this demand excite — efjJfecially if it happen to be 
 urged by a ftate which owes its very being to Eng- 
 land, and which continues to fubfift as a fovereign 
 power by our aid and protection ! Sir, His Ma- 
 jefty, as King of Great Britain, is the arbiter of 
 Europe, end may dictate to other nations, who 
 will for their own fakes court his friendship, and 
 who have always found their account in the alli- 
 ance of the crown which he now wears. The ex- 
 pence attending frequent elections has been alio 
 mentioned. But this is an argument which merits 
 no attention. Every Gentleman is a judge of his 
 own circu rulances, and knows how far they are 
 pompeteiu 1:0 the neceuary expenccs of an election ; 
 
 for 
 
K. GEORGE I. i 2I 
 
 for I will not fuppofe that the advocates of this 
 Bill can mean to extend this argument to corrupt 
 expences, when the incorrupt, unbiafled, and con- 
 ftitutional mode in which the election of the pre- 
 fent Parliament was conducted, is fo notorious. 
 The manner in which this Bill has been introduced 
 into the Houfe is itfelf a fufficient reafon for its 
 rejection. It is fent from the Lords ; and as it 
 relates merely to ourfelves, I apprehend it to be in- 
 confiftent with our honour to receive it. Our 
 predeceifors have fhewn a determination to refifl all 
 attempts to innovate on their privileges ; and fhall 
 this glorious Houfe of Commons be content 
 humbly to model themfelves at the pleafure of the 
 Lords? Shall we tamely and meanly acquiefce in an 
 attack that ftrikes at the very foundation of our 
 authority ? But however unlimited our complai- 
 fance, I humbly conceive we have it not in our 
 power to confent to this Bill ; for I cannot difcover 
 by what rule of reafon or law, we, who are only 
 reprefentatives, can enlarge, to our own advantage, 
 the authority delegated to us — or that by virtue of 
 fuch delegated authority, we can deftroy the fun- 
 damental rights of our conftitution. This Houfe 
 has no legiflative authority, but what it derives 
 from the people. The members of this aiTembly 
 were chofen under the Triennial Act. Our truil 
 is therefore a triennial truft, and if we extend it 
 fcevond the flrict legal duration, w r e ceafe from 
 
 that 
 
izz K. G E O R G E I. 
 
 that inftant to be the truftees of the people, and 
 are our own electors. From that inftant, we act 
 by an unwarrantable affumption of power, and 
 take upon us to create a new conftitution. For 
 though it is a received maxim in civil fcience, that 
 the fupreme legiflature cannot be bound, yet an 
 exception is neceflarily implied, that it is reftrained 
 from fubvertinc; the foundation on which it ftands. 
 The Triennial Act, which reft ored the freedom and 
 frequency of Parliaments, was a conceffion made 
 to the people by King William, in the midft of his 
 difficulties; and the policy of thofe Minifters, who 
 may advife his Majefty to give his royal affent to 
 the repealing of it, is of a nature too refined for 
 my underftanding. And as his Majefty has been 
 pleafed topropofe that Prince as a model to himfelf, 
 and is emulous to imbibe his fpirit and to equal 
 his glory, it is a matter of aftonifliment to thofe, 
 who are not in the fecret of affairs, to fee the 
 falutary meafures adopted on the mod mature de- 
 liberation, with a view to the public good in the reign 
 of the former Monarch, fo eagerly and rafhlyrefcind- 
 ed in the very commencement of that of the latter. 
 There mud certainly be fome latent caufe for the 
 precipitation with which this Bill has been urged; 
 there mud be fome fecret meafure in contempla- 
 tion, which the minifters of the crown iufpect will 
 not ftand the teft of a new Parliament. It mult be 
 fomething, I repeat, hereafter to be done by them ; 
 
 lor 
 
K. GEORGE I. 
 
 12 3 
 
 for I will do them the juftice to believe, that for 
 all the manifold mifchiefs that have been done, 
 they feel entirely at their eafe — perfectly callous to 
 the emotions of fenfibility or remorfe. A Handing 
 Parliament, which it is the object of this Bill to 
 eftablifh. has been faid to referable a (landing pool, 
 the waters of which grow, for want of a frelh and 
 free current, oilenfive and fetid. But the prefent 
 Parliament may more juftly be compared to a tor- 
 rent, which, in its furious and foaming courfe, de- 
 folates the land, bearing down all the land-marks 
 and antient mounds which have been raifed to con- 
 fine it within its regular and accuftomed banks." 
 After a variety of able fpeeches from the moil dif- 
 tinguifhed members on both fides of the Houfe, 
 Sir Robert Raymond, afterwards Lord Raymond, 
 and Chief Juftice of England, concluded the debate 
 with a comprehenfive reply to the arguments in 
 favour of the Bill, and a mafterly recapitulation of 
 the objections urged againft it, of which the mul- 
 tifarious particulars that demand a place in general 
 hiftory will fufFer only a concifeand curfory mention 
 " The arguments for theBill were, according to the 
 enumeration of this able fpeaker : I. The expences 
 attending frequent elections ; II. The divifions and 
 animofities excited bv them ; III. The advantages 
 
 J ' o 
 
 to be derived by our enemies from thefe domeftic 
 feuds ; IV. The encouragement which this Bill 
 holds out to our allies to form with us more uricr. 
 
 and 
 
124 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 and permanent connections. As to the expences 
 of election, they were, he acknowledged, of late 
 years, mod alarmingly increafed, and were become 
 very grievous and burdenfome. They have increaf- 
 ed, however, not from the contefls of neighbour- 
 ing gentlemen with each other, but from the intru- 
 fion of ftrangers, who, having no natural intereft to 
 fupport them, and coming no one could tell from 
 whence, have recourfe to the fcandalous arts of 
 bribery and corruption, which have impofed a ne- 
 ceffity upon gentlemen to enlarge their expences, 
 in order to preferve their antient and eftablifhed 
 interefts in their refpeclive counties ; and the im- 
 punity which the practife of bribery and corrup- 
 tion had too often met with in that Houfe, he was 
 compelled to add, had greatly enhanced the evil. 
 But would any oneaifert that feptennial Parliaments 
 •were competent to remedy this evil ? Would they 
 not rather increafe it ? For thofe that will give 
 money to obtain a feat in Parliament for three years, 
 will give propcrtionably more for feven. No — not 
 feptennial, but annual Parliaments are the true 
 conltitutional remedy for this grievance : That was 
 our antient confticution, and every departure from 
 it has been attended with inconvenience and injury. 
 With refpect to the animofities and divifions at- 
 tending frequent elections, they are chiefly of a 
 private nature, and little afilct the public : Such 
 as they are, however, this Bill is more calculated 
 
 to 
 
K. GEORGE I. 125 
 
 to inflame than to extinguifh them. But our moft 
 alarming and pernicious animoiities proceed cer- 
 tainly from a very different fource — from the re- 
 fentment and ambition of fome, from the folly and 
 prejudice of others. That our enemies will take 
 advantage of our divifions whenever it is in their 
 power, cannot be doubted ; but fmce the Triennial 
 Act paired, ten fucceffive Parliaments have fat, 
 two long and bloody wars have been waged, our 
 factions ran high, and our enemies were vigilant ; 
 vet no fuch inconveniences were felt as are now 
 apprehended or alleged : Nor were any attempts 
 made by them, as far as I have heard, to our pre- 
 judice during the temporary ferments of thofe elec- 
 tions. The lad argument is deduced from the en- 
 couragement this will give to your allies to enter 
 into treaties with you. Sorry fhould I be to fup- 
 pofe we had any allies who refufed to treat with us, 
 becaufe we refufed to relinquifh our Constitution : 
 Were fuch a requifition to be made to them on our 
 part, would it not be rejected on theirs with con- 
 tempt and indignation ? But the meafure now pro- 
 pofed is calculated not to flrengthen the hands of 
 the executive power, but to lelfen its influence 
 with foreign nations. Is it not to proclaim to the 
 world that the King dare not call a new Parlia- 
 ment ? that he dan not truft the people in a new 
 choice ? 1 And is not this a fuppofition difhonour- 
 able alike to the Monarch and to the Parliament 
 
 now 
 
125 "K. GEORGE I. 
 
 now exifting ? It prefumes that another Houfe of 
 Commons would ad differently from the prefent, 
 which implies that this Houfe does not truly re- 
 prefent the people. Frequent Parliaments are 
 coeval with the conftitution. In the reign of Ed- 
 ward III. it was enacted, that Parliaments fhould 
 be holden every year once, and oftener if need be. 
 This mud: be underftood of new Parliaments ; for 
 prorogations and long adjournments were not then 
 known. Every long interruption of Parliaments 
 has been attended with mifchief and inconvenience 
 to the public : And in the Declaration of Rights 
 at the Revolution it is aiferted, as the undoubted 
 right of the fubjecl, that Parliaments mould be 
 held frequently ; and the preamble of the Bill, 
 which we are now called upon to repeal, declares, 
 4 that by the antient laws and ftatutes of the 
 realm frequent Parliaments ought to be held, and 
 that frequent new Parliaments tend very much to 
 the happy union and the good agreement of the 
 King and his people.' Before this repeal takes 
 place, I hope it will be fhewn in what confifts the 
 error of thofe after tions. Would the King efla- 
 bliih his throne in the hearts of his people, this is 
 the mod fure and effectual way ; for fuch frequent 
 appeals to the people generate confidence, and con- 
 fidence is a great advance towards agreement and 
 affection. Will not the people fay with reafon, if 
 this Bill mould pafs, that when the original term of 
 i ■ delegation 
 
K. GEORGE I. 127 
 
 delegation is elapfed, you are no longer their repre- 
 fentatives ? In my opinion, with great fubmiffion I 
 fpeak it, King, Lords, and Commons, can no 
 more continue a Parliament beyond its natural 
 duration, than they can make a Parliament. The 
 wifefl governments, it is well known, have ever been 
 the moft cautious in continuing thofe perfons in 
 authority to whom they have entrufted the fupreme 
 power. A (landing parliament and a (landing 
 army are convertible, and fit inflruments to fup- 
 port each other's powers. For thefe reafons, and 
 becaufe no flate neceility can be alleged or pretend- 
 ed for the palling of fuch an Acl, at a time when 
 the prefent Parliament may be convened for two 
 fucceeding feffions, I fhall give my vote againft 
 the commitment of the Bill." On a divifion, the 
 queflion of commitment was carried in the affirm- 
 ative by a majority of 284 againft 162 voices. 
 While this memorable Bill was pending in the 
 Houfe, various petitions were prefented againft it: 
 One, in particular, from the Borough of Horf- 
 ham, Hating, ' that they looked upon this Bill as an 
 overturning of the Conflitution, and an infringe- 
 ment of their liberties,' gave fuch offence, that the 
 Houfe refufedto receive it ; and the general o^eftion, 
 that this Bill do nozupafs, was carried in the affirmative 
 by a triumphant majority of 264 votes againft 121 ; 
 and on the 26th of June 1716, it received the 
 royal aflent, the King expreiiing in his fpeech the 
 
 fatisfadion 
 
128 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 fatisfa&ion he felt at the profpeft of a fettled 
 Government, fupported by a Parliament, which 
 had fhewn fuch zeal for the prbfperity of their 
 country, and the Proteftant intereft of Europe. 
 And his Majefty now deeming himfelf in a ftate of 
 perfect fecurity, and being, by an Act pafied in the 
 laft feffion, relieved from the duagreable em- 
 barrarTment of a claufe in the Aft of Settlement, 
 reftraining him from leaving the kingdom with- 
 out the confent of Parliament, determined to re- 
 vifit his dominions in Germany, the ftate of 
 affairs on the Continent demanding his mod 
 ferious attention. Louis XIV., King of France, 
 had terminated his long career, in the courfe of the 
 preceding fummer, September i, 171 5. For 
 more than half a century, this monarch had 
 reigned the dread and envy of Europe, and at no 
 period, fince the foundation of the monarchy, 
 had France difplayed fuch power or fplendour. 
 During the continuance of the feudal fyftem, the 
 authority of the monarch, and the collective force 
 of the monarchy, was reftrained and diminimed by 
 the independent authority vefted in the nobles. 
 When the regal authority was at length fully re- 
 ftored, and eftablilhed, by the infidious and pro- 
 found policy of Louis XL, the power of France 
 was for a feries of years eclipfed by the fuperior 
 greatnefs of the Houfe of Auftria. But at the 
 acceffion of Louis XIV., the pride of that haughty 
 
 family 
 
K. GEORGE I. 129 
 
 family had been fignally humbled by the genius of 
 Richelieu and the arms of Guftavus. Thus by 
 the dangerous policy of the laft century, France 
 was left without a rived, and Louis XIV. foon 
 fhewed himfelf of a difpofition to improve and ex- 
 tend that fuperiority to its utmod limits. Vain, 
 unfeeling, unprincipled, haughty, ambitious, the 
 ruling paffion of his life was the third of Glory *. 
 For this he fcrupled not to facrince the repofe of 
 nations, and to deluge Europe in blood. A pro- 
 fpect of the internal date and condition of France, 
 under his government, difcovers an amazing con- 
 trail of magnificence and wretchednefs. In religion, 
 a malignant and mercilefs bigot, he forced from 
 their native homes, by the violence of his perfecu- 
 tion, myriads of the mod induftricus and vir- 
 tuous of his fubjects, the lofs of whom France yet 
 feels and laments. From the impreffion made, 
 neverthelefs, by the nrft rapid glances of Hidory, 
 his character appears in a variety of dazzling and 
 
 * In a letter written by Louis to the Count D'Eftradesj 
 Ambaffador at the Court of London, January 1662, h^ 
 declares that the King of England, and his Minifter Clarendon, 
 do not as yet fufficiently know him — that he aims at glory, 
 preferable to any other confideration — that all motives of in- ' 
 terefl: are as nothing to him in comparifon of a point of honour — ■ 
 and that he fliall always be ready to hazard all, rather than 
 tarn ifh that glory at which he aims, as the principal object of 
 all his actions. 
 
 Vcl. I, K im> 
 
i 3 o K. GEORGE I. 
 
 impofing points of view. He was pofTefTed of 
 ftrong natural powers of mind ; and of great per- 
 fonal accomplimments. He was generous, affable,, 
 condescending, a munificent patron, and rewarder 
 of merit. Under his reign, great characters were 
 formed, great public works both of ornament and 
 utility conftructed. Science and the arts flourifhed 
 under his aufpices, and a new Auguflan age ap- 
 peared. He fuftained the adverfe fortune of his 
 later years with firmnefs and magnanimity. His 
 heart, foftened by diftrefs, feemed at length to feel 
 for the diftrefies of his people : And he acknow- 
 Ieged, when too late to rectify his error, that 
 he had formed miftaken opinions refpecting that 
 glory ^ which he had been fo anxioufly folicitous to- 
 acquire. His death took place at a critical moment, 
 and the projects formed m favour of the Houfe of 
 Stuart, which were by its ableft adherents, before 
 that event, deemed " wild and uncertain," be- 
 came, in confequence of it, mad and defperate* 
 He was fucceeded by Louis XV., an infant only 
 five years of age, and the government of the king- 
 dom was now verted in the hands of the Duke of 
 Orleans, Regent of France. This Prince, who, in 
 cafe of the death of the infant Monarch, had jufl 
 pretentions, founded on the arrangements of the 
 treaty of Utrecht, to the throne of France, dreaded 
 with reafon, notwithftandingthe act of renunciation,, 
 the competition of the King of Spain. And the 
 
 fituation 
 
K. GEORGE t i 3 r 
 
 fituation of the King of England, who had alfo 
 the defigns of a reitlefs rival to oppofe, being 
 analogous to that of the Regent, they concluded 
 with an emulation of eagernefs, — all political diffi- 
 culties being previoufly obviated by the ability 
 and addrefs of the Earl of Stair, now Ambaffador 
 at Paris, — a treaty of friendfhip and alliance for 
 their mutual affiftance and fupport, to which the 
 States-General readily acceded. But in England, 
 where diftruft and hatred of France were univer* 
 fally prevalent, it excited much murmur and fur- 
 prize, nor would the nation eafily be perfuaded to 
 believe that the Proteftant fucceffion in England 
 could derive any additional fecurity from the 
 officious or infidious guarantee of France. The 
 affair, however, which principally engaged the 
 King's folicitude at this period, and which forms, 
 indeed, the grand key to almofl: all the numerous 
 and intricate negotiations, conventions, and aL» 
 liances of the prefent reign, was the recent ceffion 
 of the Dutchies of Bremen and Verden by Den- 
 mark, who had conquered them from the Swedes ; 
 and for which Denmark was to receive a certain 
 equivalent in money from Hanover. Exclufive, 
 however, of this pretended equivalent, the King 
 of England, as Elector of Hanover, undertook to 
 guarantee to Denmark, the Dutchy of Slefwic, 
 conquered by that power from the Duke of 
 Holftein, the ally of Sweden j his Danifh Ma- 
 
 K 2 jefty 
 
lit K. GEORGE I. 
 
 jefty thus wifely parting with one half of his con- 
 quells, in order to eftablifh a permanent property 
 in the other. This whole tranfa&ion the King of 
 Sweden regarded as a mod flagrant injury and in- 
 iult. And little regarding, in the vehemence of 
 his anger, the diftinction arifmg from the twofold 
 character fuftained by his adverfary, as King of 
 England and Elector of Hanover, and well know- 
 ing that, in the mere capacity of Elector, he would 
 liot have ventured to gratify his ambition fo much 
 at the rifque of his fafety, he directed all the efforts 
 of his vengeance againft the Englifh nation, who 
 appeared to him to countenance this ufurpation, 
 and whom he therefore confidered as his deter- 
 mined and mortal enemies. In the fummer of 
 the preceding year, 1715, Sir John Norris failed 
 with a ftrong iquadron to the Baltic, for the pro- 
 tection of the national commerce, which had fuf- 
 fered extremely from the hoftile refentment of the 
 Swedes. The King of Sweden was at this time 
 deeply engaged in negotiations and intrigues with 
 the Englifh malcontents ; and a project was formed 
 for the invafion of the kingdom, by that heroic 
 and romantic monarch, at the head of a large body 
 of forces, which would doubtlefs have been joined 
 by great numbers of the difaffected, who waited 
 only a favourable moment for revolt. The King 
 of England, who had received information from 
 various quarters of this dangerous confpiracy, on 
 
 his 
 
K. GEORGE I. 133 
 
 his return from the Continent, caufed the Swedifh 
 Ambaflador Count Gyllenburg to be arreted. 
 At the fame time, Baron Goertz, the Swedifh 
 Refident in Holland, was alfo, by an excefs of 
 complaifance, for which it would not be eafy to 
 find a precedent, arretted at the requifition of the 
 King by order of the States : And in the papers of 
 thefe two noblemen, which, by a bold and irregular 
 exertion of power, were feized and fearched, was 
 found ample proof of their fecret machinations. 
 The foreign Mini iters were not a little alarmed at 
 this extraordinary procedure. And the Marquis de 
 Monteleone, the Spanifh Ambaffador, in particu- 
 lar, exprefied his aftonifhment and regret, that no. 
 other mode of preferving the peace of the king? 
 dom could be devifed, than by arrefting the per- 
 fons of Ambafladors, and feizing their papers — 
 the facred repofitories of their mailers fecrets. 
 The Secretary of State, Mr. Methuen, ftated the 
 urgent neceffity which had impelled the King 
 his mafter to adopt a meafure fo contrary to his 
 inclinations : And Baron Goertz openly avowed 
 the whole project of the invalion, of which he ac- 
 knowleged himfelf the author, and which he 
 faid " was amply juftified by the conduct of the 
 King of Great Britain, who hud joined the con- 
 federacy againft the King of Sweden, without 
 having received the leaft provocation — who had 
 afliited the King of Denmark in fubduing the 
 K 3 Putchica 
 
* 54 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 Dutchies of Bremen and Verden, and then pur- 
 chafed them of the ufurper, and who had, in the 
 courfe of this very fummer, fent a ftrong fquadron 
 of fhips to the Baltic, where it joined the Danes 
 and Ruffians againft the Swedes." The States of 
 Holland not venturing to detain the Baron long 
 in confinement, he profecuted his defigns with 
 increafe of zeal and earneftnefs. Soon after 
 the meeting of Parliament, February 1717, the 
 King informed the Houfe of Commons, by a royal 
 meffage delivered by General Stanhope, of the 
 danger which impended over the nation from the 
 defigns of Sweden, and demanded an extraordinary 
 fupply, to enable him to make good fuch engage- 
 ments as it might be neceffary for him to contract 
 with other powers, in order effectually to avert 
 it. A fupply of 250,000!. was accordingly voted, 
 but by a perilous majority of four voices only, 
 and not without vehement debate and oppofition, 
 chiefly in confequence of an alarming divifion in 
 the adminiftration, and the eventual feceffion of 
 various of its members, diflinguifhed equally by 
 eminence of flation and ability — amongft whom, 
 Lord Townfhend, fometime Secretary of State, and 
 lately appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and 
 Mr. Walpole, who had fucceeded the Earl of Hali- 
 fax, as Firft Commiffioncr of the Treafury, appeared 
 moil confpicuous. The leaders of the feccilion, by 
 the faint and languid fupport which thole who took 
 
 any 
 
K. GEORGE I. 135 
 
 any part in the debate gave to this motion, and 
 the obflinate filence of the reft, fufficiently fhewed 
 their difapproval of the conduct, of the Court, which, 
 for the fake of an ufelefs acquifition of territory in 
 Germany, fcrupled not to involve Great Britain 
 in an expenfive, dangerous, and deftructive war. 
 And it was now clearly perceived, though un- 
 fortunately at a period too late, that the feparation 
 of the kingdom from the electorate, ought to have 
 conftituted the bafisofthe fettlement of the Crown 
 upon the Houfe of Hanover. The meffage was 
 declared, by Mr. Shippen, to be unparliamentary 
 and unprecedented; penned, he fuppofed, by fome 
 foreigner, totally unacquainted with their accuf- 
 tomed forms of procedure, and their invariable 
 ufage of granting money only on eftimate, and 
 for certain fpecified fervices. And he alked, 
 what glorious advantages were to be obtained for 
 England, which made it neceffary to incur this 
 expence, and to encounter this danger ? Mr. 
 Hungerford ridiculed the idea of courting, and 
 much more cf purchafmg, foreign. alliances ; and 
 faid, that a nation fo lately the terror of France 
 and Spain, was furely able to defend itfelf in any 
 caufe, which called for national exertion, from the 
 attack of fo inconfiderable an enemy as Sweden. 
 General Stanhope, in the warmth of debate, afTert- 
 ing, " that none could refufe compliance with 
 this meffage, but fuch as were not the Kings 
 K 4 fiic nds ;" 
 
ix6 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 friends;" much offence was taken at this expr-ef* 
 fion by many Members, far removed from the fuf- 
 picion of difaffection ; and Mr. Lawfon, Member 
 for Cumberland, obferved, " that he was furprifcd 
 to hear fuch unguarded expveflions fall from io 
 refpeclable a perfon, and that if every Member c.f 
 the Houfe who ufed freedom of fpeech, mull be ac- 
 counted an enemy to the King, whenever he hap- 
 pened to difapprove of the meafures of his Minif- 
 ters, he knew no fervice they could render to their 
 country in that Houfe, and it were better at once 
 to retire to their country-feats, and leave the King 
 and his minifters to act entirely at their difcretion." 
 On the commitment of the Bill, Mr. Pulteney, 
 who had now refigned his office of Secretary at 
 War, protefied that he could not perfuade himfelf 
 that any Englishman had dared to advifehis Majefty 
 to fend fuch a meffage ; but he hoped that the 
 Houfe would not be fwayed by German counfels ; 
 and that fuch resolutions would be adopted as 
 would make a German Miniilry tremble *. It was 
 again urged, that no occafion did or could exift, 
 for entering into foreign alliances, with a view of 
 
 * Lord Townfhend was difmlfled from his office of Lord 
 Lieutenant of Ireland on the evening of the day (April o, i 7 1 7) 
 on which the fir ft debate and diviiion on this motion had taken- 
 place. — And Mr. Walpole, Mr. Methuen Secretary of Si 
 and Mr. Pulteney, delivered in their refignations the next morn- 
 ing. 
 
 defend- 
 
K. GEORGE I. 137 
 
 tlefending Great Brkairi from this danger — that 
 we had an army and a fleet, far fuperior to any 
 force that Sweden could in her prefent date bring 
 into action againft us ; that we were in actual 
 alliance with France, from whofe former connec- 
 tion with Sweden, apprehenfions might otherwife 
 have been entertained. But if the Court perfifted 
 in aiferting the neceflity of new and foreign engage- 
 ments againft Sweden, it was doubtlefs requifite to 
 {late, fmce no one could pretend to conjecture, 
 what thofe engagements were. And the Speaker, 
 who took part in the debate, declared, that no 
 additional burdens on the public appeared at this 
 time neceflary. It was his opinion, therefore, 
 that if the fum now demanded, were expended for 
 our fafety abroad, fuch proportion of the national 
 troops as equalled the amount of the expenditure, 
 oucrht to be difbanded at home. Lord Finch, 
 elded fon of the Earl of Nottingham, reprobated 
 in flrong terms this novel fyftem of politics. It 
 appeared, as he alfo faid, from the memorial recent- 
 ly prefented by the Ruffian Minifter, and by the 
 anfwer which had been returned to the fame, 
 that fuch meafures were purfued as were likely to 
 engage us in a quarrel with the Czar. To 
 which General 'Stanhope replied, " that as for 
 rhe inftances which his Majefty has caufed to be 
 made with the Czar, and the meafures he may 
 have concerted to get the Ruffian troops out of 
 
 the 
 
i 3 S K. GEORGE I. 
 
 the Dutchy of Mecklenburg, his Majefty has acted 
 in all this as Elector and Prince of the Empire ; 
 and he was perfuaded all the gentlemen here would 
 agree with him, that the King's dignity, as King 
 of Great Britain, was never underflood to tie up 
 his hands with refpect to his interefts in Germany, 
 and as Prince of the Empire *." The fact itfelf 
 
 never- 
 
 * Early in the month of March 171 7, the Minifterof the Czar 
 prefented a memorial to the Court of London, fetting forth the 
 folicitude of the Czar to conclude a treaty of amity with his 
 Majefty, and to guarantee the Hanover fucceffion ; and fays, 
 *' And it was not the fault of his Czarifh Majefty that the faid 
 negotiation was not brought to a happy conclufion. Although 
 his Czarifh Majefty has lately obferved, that feveral contrary 
 fteps have been taken by your Majefty's Minifters in many foreign 
 Courts, particularly at the Court of Vienna and thofe of Den- 
 mark and Pruffia, as well as at the Diet of Ratifbon, though his 
 Czarifh Majefty had given no caufe forfuch meafures, notwith- 
 standing that he had fufficient reafons to be upon his guard, and 
 to provide for his own fecurity, conlldering the general reports 
 and the particular advices he had had from many places that 
 your Majefty is negotiating a feparate peace with Sweden, in 
 which you promife your afliftance againft his Czarifh Majefty 
 upon the condition of the ceffion of Bremen and Verden, as it 
 plainly appears by the letters lately publifhedby the Swedifh Mi- 
 wfter." An anfwer was delivered to this memorial, dated 
 April 2, 1717, which fays, " As to the complaint? contained 
 in that memorial of the fteps which his Majefty may have taken 
 at feveral Courts in Germany with. regard to the Ruffian troops 
 in the Empire ; granting it fo be true, that the Britifh Mini- 
 fters had a£ted with vigour at the faid courts, in order to procure 
 
 the 
 
K. GEORGE I. 139 
 
 fieverthelefs remained indifputable, that the Ger- 
 manic politics of the King had embroiled the 
 kingdom of Great Britain in a dangerous conteft, 
 not only with Sweden but Rufiia ; for the Czar, 
 pafiionately refenting the conduct of King George, 
 who vehemently oppofed his favourite and invidi- 
 ous project of a fettlement in Germany as a Prince 
 of the Empire, and being at open variance with 
 the King refpefting the aftairs of the Dutchy of 
 Mecklenburg, which in the view of his Britannic 
 Majefty were inferior in importance only to thole 
 of Bremen and Verden, now haftily acceded to 
 the preliminaries of a convention, which a fTiort 
 time would probably have ripened into a definitive 
 peace, through the dextrous intervention of Baron 
 Goertz, with his inveterate rival the King of 
 Sweden, with whom he had been near twenty 
 years at war; and afiented to the project of elevat- 
 ing the Pretender to the throne of Great Britain. 
 But the good fortune of the King of England, 
 which throughout the whole courfe of his life was 
 ever remarkable, delivered him from all appre- 
 
 the evacuation of the faid troops, Ins Czarlfh Majefty ought not 
 to be in the lead furprifed at it, conhdeiing the Uriel union 
 ivhich has fo long fub filled between Great Britain, the Empe- 
 ror, and the Empire, which union has been confirmed and 
 ftrengthened the laft year by a new treaty of alliance and gua- 
 rantee between the Emperor and the King." 
 
 henfions,' 
 
« 4 o K. GEORGE I. 
 
 henfions, by the death of the King of Sweden, 
 who was killed by a cannon-ball in the trenches 
 before the fortrefs of Frederickfhall in Norway; 
 an event which produced great political convul- 
 lions in Sweden, in the fiifl fhock of which Baron 
 Goertz loll: his head on the fcaffold. This mo- 
 narch was one of the moll remarkable characters 
 which the prefent or indeed any age has produced. 
 Attacked in early youth without pretence or pro- 
 vocation, by an ambitious ami unprincipled con- 
 federacy of kings, he defended himfelf with 
 heroic valor and glorious fuccefs. But, in- 
 toxicated by a long and uninterrupted courfe 
 of profperity, inflamed with an eager defire 
 of revenge, and indulging wild and extrava- 
 gant ideas of conquer!, he refufed with difdain 
 all terms of accommodation, and at length expe- 
 rienced a fatal reverfe of fortune, the calamitous 
 confequences of which, Sweden dill molt fenfibly 
 feels. Neverthelefs the memory of this romantic 
 monarch is held in high veneration by the Swedes, 
 who yet celebrate the anniverfary of his birth with 
 an enthufiafm due only to that of the great re- 
 ftorer of Swedifh liberty and independency, the 
 illuftrious Gustavus Vasa — a name profaned 
 and infulted by this commemoration : For a 
 tyranny more opprefiive than that of Charles XII. 
 was never exercifed, nor a fubmiliion more abject 
 
 never 
 
K. GEORGE I. i 4 | 
 
 ftever exa&ed by any monarch from any people *. 
 The Czar, in confequence of this unexpected event, 
 thought it prudent to defifl from the farther pro- 
 fecution of his hoflile defigns ; and Bremen and 
 
 Verden 
 
 * The following portrait of this extraordinary man, drawn 
 by the pen of genius, cannot but prove interefting and accept- 
 able: 
 
 On what foundation {lands the warrior's pride, 
 How juft his hopes, let Swedifn Charles decide : 
 A frame of adamant, a foul of fire, 
 No dangers fright him, and no labors tire ; 
 O'er love, o'er fear, extends his wide domain, 
 Unconquer'd lord of pleafure and of pain. 
 No joys to him pacific fceptres yield : 
 War founds the trump — he rallies to the field ; 
 Behold furrounding kings their force combine, 
 And one capitulate, and one refign. 
 Peace courts his hand, but fpreads her charms in vain. 
 *' Think nothing gain'd," he cries, " till nought remain, 
 On Mofcow's walls till Gothic ftandards fly, 
 And all be mine beneath the polar fky." 
 The march begins in military Hate, 
 And nations on his eye fufpended wait ; 
 Stern Famine guards the folitary coaft, 
 And Winter barricades the realm of froft. 
 He comes — not want or cold his courfe delay ; 
 Hide, blufhing Glory ! hide Pultowa's day. 
 The vanquifli'd hero leaves his broken bands, 
 And fhews his miferies in diftant lands ; 
 Condemn'd a needy fupplicant to wait, 
 While ladies interpofc and Haves debate. 
 
 —But 
 
i 4 2 R. GEORGE I. 
 
 Verden were left in the polTeffion of Hatiovef i 
 though the inveftiture of thofe Dutchies by the 
 Emperor was Hill wanting to complete the validity 
 of the purchafe. This, therefore, now became 
 the grand object of the attention and folicitude of 
 the Englifh court ; and as the Emperor, notwith- 
 flanding the recent renewal of treaties, affected 
 delay and reluctance to comply with the eager ap- 
 plications of the Englifli Monarch, means were 
 to be devifed to obviate his objections, or at lead 
 to convince his Imperial Majefly how much it con- 
 cerned the interefts of the Court of Vienna not to 
 infill too flrongly or pertinacioufly on them. By 
 the treaty of Utrecht the kingdoms of Naples and 
 Sardinia were ceded to the Houfe of Auflria, toge- 
 ther with Milan and the Low Countries ; and the 
 Ifland of Sicily, with the title of King, to the Duke 
 of Savoy. The pride of Spain was, however, 
 deeply wounded by this forcible difmemberment 
 of her monarchy, though the experience of almoft 
 a century had fhewn how little acceffion of flrength 
 
 —But did not Change at length her error mend i 
 Did no fubverted empire mark his end ? 
 Pid rival monarchs give the fatal wound ? 
 Or hoftile millions prefs him to the ground? 
 His fall was deftin'd to a barren flrand, 
 A petty fortrefs, and a dubious hand : 
 He left that name at which the world grew pale, 
 To point a moral or adorn a tale. 
 
 Johnson'6 Im. of Juv. Sat. 10. 
 
 IliC 
 
L GEORGE I. 143 
 
 fne really derived from the poflemon of thefe de- 
 tached and remote provinces, or rather how great 
 an increafe of weaknefs. Cardinal Alberoni, Prime 
 Minifter of Philip V., a man of a lofty and afpir- 
 ing genius, which delighted to form bold and dan- 
 gerous projects, at this time entertained the chime- 
 rical hope of re-uniting to the monarchy of Spain 
 the kingdoms and provinces of which me had been 
 diverted. And the Emperor being actually engag- 
 ed in a war with Turkey *, the Cardinal embraced 
 the opportunity to equip a formidable armament, 
 which failed from Barcelona July 17 17, and land- 
 ing at Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, foon made 
 an entire conquer! of the ifland ; pretending, as a 
 reafon for this invafion, the previous violation of 
 the mofl pofitive engagements on the part of the 
 Emperor, or, to adopt the haughty language of the 
 Court of Madrid, of the Arch-duke f. The Em- 
 peror 
 
 * In this war the Imperial arms, under the aufpfcious con- 
 duct of Prince Eugene, triumphed glorioufly over the Ottoman 
 power. Servia and Croatia were added to the Auftrian domi- 
 nions ; and "the Turkifh moons wandered in difarray" over 
 the impurpled fields of Peterwaradin and Belgrade. 
 
 f It mull be remarked, that no definitive treaty had taken 
 place between Spain and the Emperor fince the war of the fuc- 
 ceffion, nor had the refpeclive titles of thefe rival potentates been 
 as yet reciprocally and formally acknowleged. " Greatnefs of foul, '' 
 fays the Marquis deGrimaldi in his circular letter addrefled to the 
 Minifters of the feveral foreign Courts, " made his Majefty bear 
 
 tkc 
 
i 4 4 K - GEORGE t 
 
 ror loudly complaining of Lhis hoflile, and, a* h<* 
 termed it, facrilegious attack, while his armies 
 were combating the common enemy of the 
 Chriftian faith ; and the King of Spain profeffing 
 a willingnefs to fubmit the juflice of his quarrel to 
 equitable arbitration, the King of England and the 
 Regent of France, in concert with the States-Gene- 
 ral, undertook the accommodation of thefe differ- 
 ences. And conferences being opened with the Court 
 of Vienna, the famous quadruple alliance 
 
 the difmemberment of his dominions, which the plenipotentia- 
 ries would facrifice to the tranquillity of Europe. After which he 
 perfuaded himfelf, that thefe ftipulated facrifices would at leaft 
 havefecured to him the reft of this nation as glorious as afflicted. 
 But no fooner had he complied with the furrender of Sicily, in 
 favour of the repofe of Spain, upon the condition of the evacua- 
 tion of Catalonia and the iilaad of Majorca, than he found that 
 the orders received for that purpofe were concealed; and when 
 at laft it came to the knowlege of his allies, it was pretended 
 that the treaty fhould be executed, by virtue whereof his 
 jcfty demanded the evacuation of the places. Nothing was 
 more eafy for that purpofethan for the garrifons of the Arch-. 
 to have furrendered to the King's troops the gates of the places 
 they poffeffed, in the fame manner as was reciprocally pra . 
 among the potentates of Europe. Eat quite on the contrary, 
 the Generals of the Arch~duke t violating the public faith of 
 treaties and the reciprocal engagements, abandoned the places 
 to the Catalans, making them, at the fame time, believe that 
 they would foon return ; and thereby fomented their difquiet 
 and rebellious fpirit, fo far as to induce them to think of a fu- 
 rious and obftinate refiftance.'' 
 
K. GEORGE I. Hs 
 
 was at length concluded, by which it was deter- 
 mined that Sardinia, now actually in the pofleflion 
 of Spain, fhould be transferred to the Houfe of 
 Savoy ; and Sicily, a far more valuable poffeffion, 
 ceded in exchange to the Emperor. The claims 
 of Spain were altogether difregarded ; only it was 
 ftipulated that the fuccemon to the Dutchies of 
 Tufcany, Parma, and Placentia, claimed by the 
 Queen of Spain as heirefs of the Houfes of Me- 
 dicis and Farnefe, mould devolve upon her eldefl 
 fon in cafe of a failure of male iflue : And three 
 months only were allowed to the parties interefted 
 in thefe ceffions to declare their acceptance or rejec- 
 tion*. Spain, as may be imagined, was little difpofed 
 
 to 
 
 * Although the Regent of France, from his eager deure to 
 fecure the friendfhip of England, and from perfonal animofity 
 to the King of Spain, entered entirely into the views of the 
 Englifh Monarch upon this occafion, he retained at the bottom 
 all the Bourbon prejudices againft the Houfe of Auftria. The 
 principal obftacle to the alliance concluded in 1716 between the 
 two kingdoms, was the unwillingnefs of the Regent to affent to 
 the expulfion of the Swedes, the antient enemies of that Houfe, 
 from Germany. " I have," fays the AmbafTador, Lord Stair, 
 in a difpatch addrefTed to Secretary Craggs, " all along endea- 
 voured to perfuade the Regent that, in the prefent flate of the 
 kingdom of Sweden, it can be of no great ufe to France that 
 that Crown fhould preferve a foot in the Empire ; and that the 
 true and folid balance againft the Emperor, and for preferving 
 the liberty of Germany, mult be by making a clofe conjunc- 
 tion among the Princes of the north of Germany. This 
 VOL, I. L thought, 
 
146 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 to acquicfce in this fetllement. And the propoll- 
 tions of General Stanh >pe, the Englifh Secretary 
 of State, who was him elf invefled with the cha* 
 racier of AmbafTador Extraordinary to the Court 
 of Madrid Dn this occafion, were refufed with 
 difdain* A ftill more formidable armament than 
 the former was now fitted out by the indefatigable 
 exertions of the Cardinal, deitined for the invafion 
 
 thought, in general, pleafes the Regent very well ; but he 
 does by no means like the particular part of it, to deprive the 
 Crown of* Sweden of their dominions in Germany.'' When 
 affairs, after this, took a different turn ; when jealoufies and 
 difTenfions arofe between the Emperor and the King of Eng- 
 land, and hopes were entertained that England might be 
 effectually detached from the Auftrian intereft ; the Court of 
 Verfailles entered with more fincerity, and even with apparent 
 eagernefs, into the projects of Hanoverian aggrandizement ; 
 fenhble that the facrifice made by France was trivial in compa* 
 rifon of the advantage gained Lord Stair, at this period, had 
 the generofity zealoufly to intercede with the Court of London 
 for the pardon of the Earl of Mar. After being, however, a con- 
 fiderable time amufed with the hope of obtaining it, he met with 
 a final and harfh repulfe. " Lord Mar," fays the Atnbaffador to 
 Mr. Craggs, " is outre at the ufage he has met with. He fays, our 
 Miniftry may be great and able men, but that they are not fkilful 
 in making profelytes, or keeping friends when they have them. 
 I am pretty much of his mind. He was certainly determined 
 to leave the Pretender's intereft. He is now full of refent- 
 menl, and in moft violent agitations." How ftriking the 
 contrail between the policy of the Englifh Court in this reign, 
 and that of Henry IV. of France, after his triumphs over the 
 faction of the League ! But every King is not a hero. 
 
 Of 
 
K. GEORGE I. i 47 
 
 of Sicily; his Sicilian Majefly having concerted 
 his own meafures by a feparate negotiation with 
 the Court of Vienna ; wifely refolving to fubmit 
 to terms, however difadvantageous, which he 
 found himfelf unable to oppofe with effecl:. The 
 Spaniards having landed their forces, confiding 
 of 30,000 men, flattered themfelves with the fpeedy 
 reduction of this rich and beautiful ifland. But 
 the King of England, in order to counteract the 
 defigns of Spain, had, with the concurrence of 
 Parliament, though England had no imaginable 
 motive to interfere in thefe diftant fcenes of con- 
 tention, caufed a formidable fleet to fail for the 
 Mediterranean, under the command of Sir George 
 Byng, with peremptory orders to attack the Spaniih 
 fleet if engaged in any hoftile enterprife againft 
 Naples or Sicily. The Britiih Admiral, on his 
 arrival off Cadiz, tranfmitted by his fecretary a 
 copy of his inftru&ions to the Cardinal, who 
 perufed them with great emotion, and after fome 
 deliberation returned for anfwer, " that the Che- 
 valier Byng might execute the orders he had 
 received from the King his matter V The Ad- 
 miral 
 
 * The inftructions of the Admiral were as follows — " You are 
 to make inftances with both parties to ceafe from ufing any 
 farther a£s of hoftility ; but in cafe the Spaniards do ftill infi-ft 
 with their fhips of war and forces to attack the kingdom of 
 Naples, or other the territories of the Emperor in Italy, or to 
 
 L 2 knd 
 
r 4 8 K. CE0R6E I, 
 
 miral proceeding, therefore, on his voyage, eafl 
 anchor with his whole fleet in the Bay of Naples, 
 where the magnificence of the fpe&acle drew im- 
 tnenfe multitudes of people to the furrounding 
 fhores, which refounded with loud acclamations. 
 
 On receiving intelligence from Count Daiin, the 
 Viceroy, that Medina, the capital of Sicily, was 
 reduced to the laft extremity ; he again weighed 
 anchor, and on the 9th of Auguft 171 8, he came 
 in fight of the Faro of Meflma, and difpatched his 
 own captain with a meflage to the Marquis de Lede, 
 commander of the Spanifh forces, propofing a 
 ceffation of arms in Sicily for two months, that the 
 powers of Europe might have opportunity to con- 
 land in any part of Italy, which can only be with a defign to 
 invade the Emperor's dominions, againft whom only they have 
 declared war by invading Sardinia J or if they mould endeavour 
 to make themfelves mailers of the kingdom of Sicily, which 
 mult be with a defign to invade the kingdom of Naples ; in 
 fuch cafe you are with all your power to hinder and obftruct 
 the fame. If it Ihould fo happen, that at your arrival with 
 our fleet under your command in the Mediterranean, the 
 Spaniards Ihould already have landed any troops in Italy, in 
 order to invade the Emperor's territories, you (hall endeavour 
 amicably to diffuade them from perfevering in fuch an attempt ; 
 and offer them your affiftance to help them to withdraw their 
 troops and put an end to all farther a&s of hoftility. But in 
 cafe thefe your friendly endeavours fhould prove ineffectual, 
 you fhall, by keeping company with or intercepting their mips 
 or convoys, or, if it be neceffary, by openly oppofing them, 
 defend the Emperor's territories from any farther attempt." 
 
 cert 
 
K, GEORGE 1. x 4S > 
 
 cert aieafures for reftoring a lading peace, declar- 
 ing, at the fame time, that mould this propofal be 
 rejected, he mould, in purfuance of his inftruc- 
 tions, ufe all his force to prevent farther attempts 
 to difturb the dominions the King his matter had 
 engaged to defend. The Spanifh General anfweiv 
 ed, " that he had no power to treat of an armiftice, 
 but fhould obey his orders, which were, to reduce 
 Sicily to the dominion of his mafter the King of 
 Spain." On the nth of Auguft the Spanifh fleet, 
 confiding of twenty-feven fail of the line, was 
 defcried off the coaft of Calabria, lying too in the 
 order of battle ; and though on the approach of 
 the Britifh fquadron they bore away apparently 
 with the view of maintaining a running fight, the 
 fuperior manoeuvres of the Englifh commander 
 foon brought on a clofe action, which before fun* 
 fet terminated in the almoft total deftruction of 
 the Spanifh fleet ; Don Caflanita the commander 
 in chief, and three other Admirals, being cap- 
 tured. Captain Walton being detached by Sir 
 George Byng, with five fhips of the line, in pur* 
 fuit of a divifion of the Spaniards much fuperior 
 in force, acquainted the Englifh Admiral with the 
 event of his undertaking, in the following memo* 
 rable letter : -~ fi Sir, We have deftroyed all the 
 Spanifh fhips and veflels which were upon the 
 coaft, the number as per margin." Upon infpecl* 
 jng the margin of this laconic epiftle, no lefs than 
 
 L 3 thirteen 
 
150 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 thirteen fhips of war of different defcriptions were 
 found comprized in it. It is laid that Rear-ad- 
 miral Cammock, a native of Ireland, who com- 
 manded one of the divifions of the Spaniih fleet, 
 propofed to the Commander in Chief to remain in 
 the Road of Paradife, where the coafl is bold 
 and the anchorage good, with their broadfides 
 towards the fea, in order of battle : A pofition in 
 which the Britifh fleet might have been greatly 
 annoyed from the batteries erected on more ; and 
 the various and rapid currents would have pre- 
 vented a clofe and regular approach. But the 
 evil genius of Spain predominated, and this pro- 
 pofal was rejected. In reward of this great victory, 
 Sir George Byng was raifed to the dignity of the 
 peerage by the ftyle and title of Vifcount Torring- 
 ton, and received other diflinguifhed marks of the 
 royal favour. But the Court of Madrid exclaim- 
 ed in the morl pafiionate language againft the 
 conduct of England, as contrary to the Jaw of na- 
 tions and a flagrant violation of the moft folemn 
 engagements 5 and orders were iilued at all the 
 ports of Spain and the Indies, for making reprifals 
 upon the Englifh ; in confequence of which, war 
 was formally declared by England againft Spain, 
 which was fopn followed by a like declaration on 
 the part of the Regent of France, 
 
 Thefe tranfaction?, however, did not pafs abroad 
 without fevere notice and animadvcrfion at home. 
 
 In 
 
K. GEORGE I, 151 
 
 In the feffion of Parliament which commenced Nov. 
 1 7 17, the King had in his fpeech affured the two 
 Houfes that his endeavours to preferve the public 
 tranquillity had not been unfuccefsful ; and that 
 he had reafon to believe they would in the end 
 produce their full effect. A confiderable reduc- 
 tion of the army was in confequence propofed on 
 the part of the Minifters, who contented themfelves 
 with moving for 18,000 men only for the fervice 
 of the enfuing year. Even this force was deemed 
 by the Oppofition very unneceffary, and an effort 
 was in vain made to limit the number to 12,000. 
 Mr. Walpole, in particular, declaimed with much 
 energy on the danger of a {landing army in a free 
 country ; and he affirmed, that though a confider- 
 able proportion of the privates had been diibanded, 
 the officers had been retained ; and the foldiers 
 wanting to complete the feveral companies and 
 regiments might be raifed with beat of drum in 
 twice twenty-four hours ; fo that a force double 
 to what was intended by Parliament was virtually 
 veiled in the Crown. And Mr. Shippen, in the 
 courfe of a very able fpeech, declared the expence 
 attending the army to be the fmallefl: objection 
 to it. The chief argument againfl it was, that 
 the civil and military power would not long fubfill 
 together. Far from being neceffary to our pro- 
 tection, he apprehended fo great a force to be 
 inconfiftent with our fafety. In certain circum- 
 
 L 4. fiance? 
 
152 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 fiances an army might be neceflary, but in fuch 
 circumftances it was only to be chofen as the lefler 
 evil; for that, abfiraftedly confidered, it was an evil, 
 every lover of liberty mutt acknowlege. I know 
 (faid this inflexible patriot) that thefe aflertions 
 interfere with fome paragraphs of his Majefty's 
 fpeech. But we are to confider that fpeech as the 
 compofition of the minifters and advifers of the 
 Crown, and we are therefore at liberty to contro- 
 vert every proportion in it, -particularly tbofe which 
 feem calculated rather for the meaidian. "o/" Ger- 
 many than of Great Britain. But it is the 
 infelicity of his Majejifs reign, that he is miac- 
 quainted with our language and Constitution; 
 and it is therefore the more incumbent upon his 
 Britifli Minifters to inform him, that our govern- 
 ment does not ftand upon the fame foundation 
 with that which is eftablifhed in his German do- 
 minions. If we recur to the hiftory of Europe, 
 we mail find that the nations once free have loft 
 their liberties by allowing, on fome plaufible pre- 
 tence of exigence, their Princes to maintain an 
 armed force during peace. They perceived, too 
 late, that they had erected a power fuperior to 
 themfelves, and they now wear the chains which 
 they forged for their own necks. The confent of 
 Parliament is indeed alleged in favour of the army 
 entrufted to the Crown in this country. But the 
 conftnt of Parliament cannot alter the nature of 
 
 things, 
 
K. GEORGE I, 153 
 
 things, or prevent the fame caufes from producing 
 the fame effects. No art can difguife from an 
 army, however denominated, the knowlege of its 
 own ftrength ; and the experience of the laft cen- 
 tury has taught us, that a Parliament army may 
 give as deep a wound to the conftitution as an 
 army of the Crown. So long as the army, there- 
 fore, is continued, io long is the conftitution fuf- 
 pended ; fo long is it at the mercy of thofe who 
 command it. — During this fpeech, Mr. Lechmere 
 had taken down in writing thofe marked expref- 
 fions which feemed pointed not fo much againft 
 the Minifters as the King : And when Mr. Shipped 
 had fat down, Mr. Lechmere immediately rofe, and 
 dated to the Houfe that thefe words were a fcan- 
 dalous invective againft his Majefty's perfon and 
 government ; — fuch as merited the higheft refent- 
 ment of that Houfe; and he therefore moved, that 
 the Member who had fpoken them be committed 
 to the Tower. This motion was immediately fe- 
 conded by Mr. Spencer Cowper, fupported by Sir 
 Jofeph Jekyl, and various others ; on which Mr. 
 Walpole defired that the Member might be per- 
 mitted to explain thefe rafh words, fpoken in the 
 heat of debate. But Mr Shippen declared that he 
 defired no fuch indulgence, and that the words 
 needed neither explanation or apology. The 
 Houfe in a flame immediately refolved that the 
 Chairman leave the chair j and the Speaker re- 
 luming 
 
j 5 + It. G E R G E I. 
 
 fuming his place, Mr. Farrer, Member for Bedford, 
 reported from the Committee the words fpoken by 
 Mr, Shippen ; upon which Mr. Shippen withdrew. 
 And the queftion being put, " that the words 
 fpoken by William Shippen, Efq. a Member of 
 this Houfe, are highly difhonourable to, and 
 unjuflly reflecting on, his Majefty's perfon and 
 government," it was carried in the affirmative by 
 ij$ voices againfl: 8j, and the Speaker was or- 
 dered to iifue his warrant for the immediate com- 
 mitment of Mr. Shippen to the Tower. 
 
 The feflion doled in March, a few days previ- 
 ous to which, the King by a royal meffage inform- 
 ed the Houfe " that he had reafon to judge from 
 the information he had lately received from abroad, 
 that an additional naval force would be necefTary ; 
 and an addrefs was moved and prefented, affuring 
 his Majefly, that the Houfe would make good fuch 
 exceedings as his Majefly in his royal wifdom. 
 Ihould deem neceilary for the purpofe of giving 
 effect to his unwearied endeavours to preferve the 
 peace of Europe" No divifion on this motion took 
 place — Mr. Walpole alone obferving, " that this 
 pacific addrefs had violently the air of a declara- 
 tion of war." The Parliament again meeting 
 Nov. 1 718, the King, in his fpeech, declared that 
 the Court of Spain had rejected all his amicable 
 propofals, and had broke through their moft folenm 
 engagements for the fecurity of the Britifli com- 
 merce. 
 
K. GEORGE I. 155 
 
 merce. To vindicate therefore the faith of his 
 former treaties, as well as to maintain thofe he 
 had lately made, and to protect and defend the trade 
 of his fubjecls, which had been violently and un- 
 juftly oppreded, it became necenary for his naval 
 forces to check their progrefs ; that notwithstand- 
 ing the fuccefs of his arms, that Court had lately 
 given orders at all the ports of Spain, and the 
 Weft-Indies, to fit out privateers againft the Eng- 
 lifh. He faid, that he was perfuaded, a Britim 
 Parliament would enable him to refent fuch 
 treatment ; and he allured them that his good 
 brother the Regent of France was ready to con- 
 cur with him in the mod vigorous meafures. 
 An addrefs of thanks and congratulation being 
 propofed, it was forcibly urged, that fuch addrefs 
 might be attended with the mod ferious confe- 
 quences, as damping with the fanction of Parlia- 
 ment, meafures which, upon examination, might 
 appear equally contrary to the law of nations, 
 and the interefts of Great Britain. And it was 
 moved in the Houfe of Peers by Lord Strafford, 
 that the indruciions of Admiral Byng might be 
 laid before the Houfe. General, now created 
 Earl Stanhope, replied, that there was no occafion 
 to fubmit the Admiral's indructions to public dif- 
 cufTion, as the treaties, of which the late fea-fight 
 was a neceffary confequence, had already received 
 the approbation of Parliament. He accufed the 
 
 Court 
 
156 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 Court of Spain of a violation of the treaty of 
 Utrecht, and of public faith, in attacking the Em- 
 peror, while he was engaged in a war againfl the 
 common enemies of Chriftendom. He added 
 likewife, that it was high time to check the growth 
 of the naval power of Spain, in order effectually to 
 protect the Britifli commerce, which had been 
 violently oppreifed by the Spaniards. In the 
 Lower Houfe, Mr. Walpole declaimed with much 
 vehemence and energy againft the late meafures j 
 and affirmed that to fanction them by the propofed 
 Addrefs, would anfwer no other purpofe, than to 
 fcreen from punifhment the Minifters of the 
 Crown, who had dared to plunge the nation into 
 a war with Spain, of which they now wifhed to 
 relieve themfelves from the refponfibility. He 
 declared that,inflead of the entire fatisfaclion which 
 they were called upon to exprefs, he would fubfti - 
 tute an entire dijj'at'isfaclion \ for the conduct of 
 the Admiriiftratioh had been both faithlefs and 
 pernicious. And on a fubfequent refumption of 
 the queftion, Mr. Shippen, with unbroken fpirit, 
 obierved, " that there exifted no neceflity for in* 
 solving this nation in a war, on account of any 
 mercantile grievances, as there was every reafon 
 to believe they might be amicably redrefled ; and 
 added, that the war fcemcd to be calculated for ano* 
 ther meridian." Theexpreflion, though amount- 
 ing to a fort of defiance, parted unnoticed ; and 
 
 Mr, 
 
K. GEORGE I. 157 
 
 Mr. Methuen, who had recently refigned the 
 Seals, accounted and apologized for the dilatori* 
 nefs of the Court of Spain, in refpeft to the mer- 
 cantile grievances complained of, from the multipli- 
 city and diverfity of regulations, which prevailed in 
 the feveral provinces and ports of that kingdom*. 
 An expremon in theanfwer of theEnglim Court to 
 a memorial of the Marquis de Monteleone, the Spa- 
 nifli AmbafTador, was animadverted upon as very 
 extraordinary — it being therein dated, " That his 
 Majefty the King of Great Britain did not feek 
 to aggrandize himfelf by any new acquisition, 
 but was rather inclined to facrifice fomething of 
 his own, to procure the general quiet and tran- 
 quillity of Europe." This was faid to be a very 
 uncommon ftretch of condefcenfion. The King of 
 Spain was- to be tempted by an offer from Eng- 
 land,- — which offer was fufpecled to be the ceffion 
 of Gibraltar, or Minorca, — to accede to the terms 
 of the Quadruple Alliance, by which nothing was 
 gained by England, and the great object of which 
 was plainly the fecurity of the King's German 
 acquifitions, and the aggrandizement of Hanover. 
 The Addrefs however was at length carried, but 
 the Commons thought proper to vote no more 
 
 * Mr. Methuen, afterwards Sir Paul Methuen, had refided 
 feveral years in the quality of AmbafTador at the Court of Lif- 
 bon, where he negotiated the famous treaty with Portugal, 
 known by the name of the Methien Treaty. 
 
 3 than. 
 
i 5 $ K. GEORGE 1. 
 
 than 26,000 men, for the entire amount of the 
 fea and land-fervice of the year. 
 
 Wholly actuated by the blind and furious fpirit 
 of revenge, Cardinal Alberoni had by this time 
 formed a rafli and romantic project for the eleva- 
 tion of the Pretender, now received and acknow- 
 leged as King of England at Madrid, to the 
 throne of Great Britain. And a new armament 
 was equipped at Cadiz, on board of which 6000 
 regular troops, with arms for a much larger num- 
 ber, were embarked under the command of the 
 Duke of Ormond. Scarcely, however, had they 
 reached Cape Finifterre, but they were difperfed 
 and mattered by a violent temped, which totally 
 difabled them from profecuting their voyage. 
 Two frigates only, with the Earls Marefchal and 
 Seaforth, and the Marquis of Tullibardine, with 
 300 Spanifh foldiers on board, arrived in Scot- 
 land, where they were joined by fome clans of 
 Highlanders. But on the approach of the King's 
 forces the Highlanders difperfed, and the Spaniards 
 furrendered themfelves prifoners of war. Mean- 
 time the efforts of the Engliih arms abroad were 
 attended with brilliant fuccefs. In confequence 
 chiefly of the able and unintermitted exertions of 
 Sir George Byng, and the powerful affiftance 
 which the Imperialifts derived from the Britifh 
 fleet, the Spaniards were reduced to the humili- 
 ating neceflity of evacuating the illands of Sicily 
 
 and 
 
K. GEORGE I. t$$ 
 
 and Sardinia. For though the Marquis de Lede, 
 notwithstanding the decifive victory obtained by 
 Sir George Byng, had compelled the city of 
 Meflina to furrender, the Spanifh army was effec- 
 tually precluded, by the vigilance of the Britifh 
 Admiral, from receiving any reinforcements or 
 fupplies by fea. And on the other hand, a nu- 
 merous body of Imperialifts, commanded by the 
 Count de Merci, was landed on the ifland under 
 convoy of the Britifh fleet, by the vigorous co- 
 operation of which, the city of Meffina was reco- 
 vered. On the approach of fpring Palermo was 
 invefted, the Count de Merci marching acrofs the 
 mountains, while the Britifh-- fleet coafled along 
 the more. The Marquis de Lede, who had 
 retreated under the cannon of Palermo, now pre- 
 pared to give battle to the Imperialifts, although 
 in his circumflances a defeat muft have proved 
 fatal, when a felucca arrived with difpatches from 
 the Court of Madrid, empowering the Marquis to 
 fign a convention, by which Spain agreed to relin- 
 quifh her pretenfions to Sicily; and the mattered 
 remains of her troops were immediately embarked 
 at Tauromini for Barcelona. Such was the jufl 
 confidence placed by the King of England in the 
 zeal and ability of the gallant officer inverted 
 with the high and arduous commiffion thus pro- 
 fperoufly terminated, that in reply to an application 
 for inftruclions, his Majefty declared " he would 
 
 fend 
 
iGo K. GEORGE I. 
 
 fend him none, for that he well knew how to a& 
 without any." And the uniform fuccefs attend- 
 ing all his enterprifes, vulgarly afcribed to fortune, 
 a more jufl and accurate difcernment, tracing the 
 concatenation of events, perceived to be the natu- 
 ral confequence of the wifdom and vigour with 
 which his meafures were invariably planned and 
 executed. During thefe tranfactions in Sicily, 
 Lord Cobham, with a confiderable force, made a 
 defcent on Spain, and took Vigo. Preparations 
 alfo were making for an expedition againfl Spanifh 
 America, and an army of French which had pene- 
 trated into Spain under the Duke of Berwick, 
 reduced the towns of Fontarabia and St. Sebaflian. 
 So that the Court of Madrid found itfelf attacked 
 on all fides, its fchemes completely difconcerted, 
 and no refource left but to accede, however reluc- 
 tantly, to the terms of the Quadruple Alliance— 
 the remaining differences between the Emperor 
 and the King of Spain being referred to a Congrefs 
 at Cambray, which, however, after a very long 
 and tedious difcuffion, was at laft dilfolved with- 
 out coming to any terms of agreement. A treaty 
 of peace was now likewife concluded (November 
 1719), through the mediation of France, by the 
 King of England, with Ulrica Queen of Sweden, 
 filter and fucceuor to Charles XII. ; by which 
 Bremen and Verden were fecured to Hanover at 
 the expence of a million of rix-dollars — a far more 
 
 gonfi- 
 
K. GEORGE t. i6x 
 
 confiderable fum than the revenues of that Elec- 
 torate were generally deemed competent to dif- 
 charge. This peace, entitled a peace between 
 Sweden and Great Britain, was negotiated and 
 figned by a Hanoverian Minifter, one Adolph- 
 Frederic Van Baflawitz, who had the prefumption 
 to engage, " in the name of his Britannic Majefty, 
 both as King and Elector, immediately to renew 
 the antient alliances and friendfhips, <kc. &c. 
 as alfo the guaranties upon the foundation of the 
 treaty of -peace concluded amongji the allies of the 
 North, or which may be concluded or applied to the 
 profit of the Ducal Houfe of Hol/lein Gottorp" — or, in 
 plain terms, he undertakes to guarantee Slefwic to 
 Denmark, Bremen and Verden to Hanover, and 
 the eventual equivalent for Slefwic to the Duke of 
 Holftein. Early in the following year (1720) a 
 treaty of alliance was concluded between the 
 Crowns of Great Britain and Sweden, by which 
 his Britannic Majefty flipulated not only to furnifh 
 the powerful fuccours therein fpecined, but to 
 engage his friends and allies to contribute by fub- 
 fidies and auxiliary troops " ad coercendum Czarum 
 Rujfia" — the exprefs words of the treaty. In 
 both thefe treaties the loffes fuftained by the Eng- 
 lifh commerce in confequence of the depredations 
 of the Swedes, which formed the only plaufible 
 pretext for involving Britain in this quarrel, were 
 pafTed over unnoticed. And while the petition 
 Vol. I. M from 
 
iGz K. GEORGE I. 
 
 from the merchants was lying neglected and for- 
 gotten on the table of the Houfe of Commons, 
 the mm of £72,000, in confequence of a meffage 
 from his Majefly, was voted as a fubfidy to Sweden. 
 After all the indefatigable exertions and expenfive 
 facrifices of the King of England to procure from 
 the Court of Stockholm the abfolute ceffion of 
 Bremen and Verden, and which was at length fo 
 happily and unexpectedly accomplifhed, the invef- 
 titure of thofe Dutchies, of which he had been fo 
 long and eager an expectant, notwithftanding the 
 mighty fervices rendered to the Houfe of Auftria, 
 was not yet obtainable from the gratitude or con- 
 defcenfion of the Court of Vienna. On the con- 
 trary, the Emperor feemed to think thofe fervices 
 amply compenfated by the proteclorial c 0711111 jjfwn 
 with which that monarch had been recently in- 
 verted by his Imperial Majefly for the adminiftra- 
 tion of the Dutchy of Mecklenburg — the Duke of 
 Mecklenburg being fufpended from his govern- 
 ment, by a fentence of the Aulic Council, for 
 tyranny and mal-adminiftration. And it is even 
 afferted upon good authority, that this commiiiion 
 was actually and formally exchanged at the Court 
 of Vienna, for the u instructions of Sir George 
 Byng." The affairs of Mecklenburg had long 
 occupied a large mare of the attention of the King 
 of England, who was flrongly fufpecced of a dcfign 
 to add that Dutchy to his other acquifitions in 
 
 Germany. 
 
K. GEORGE I. 163 
 
 Germany. And the Duke of Mecklenburg, in his 
 feveral memorials to the Diet at Ratifbon, openly 
 charges the Houfe of Lunenburg with afpiring to 
 the abfolute fovereignty of Lower Saxony; and 
 affirms that the troubles in his dominions have 
 been continually fomented and *inflamed by the 
 Court of Llerenhaufen exprefsly with that view. 
 But though the Emperor was at little pains to 
 conceal his diflike and jealoufy of thefe defigns, 
 the neceffity of his affairs compelled him to this 
 conceffion, which was apparently confidered only 
 as a prelude to a more firm and permanent pof- 
 feffion. The King of England, in purfuance of his 
 engagements with Sweden, fending in the fummer 
 of this year, 1720, a powerful fquadron into the 
 Baltic, the Ruffians — knowing that the command- 
 er Sir John Norris had inftruclions fimilar to thofe 
 under which Sir George Byng had lately acted — 
 retired into their ports ; and a peace was foon after- 
 wards concluded between the crowns of Sweden and 
 Ruffia; not, however, without ftrong marks of re* 
 fentment on the part of the Czar, at what he flyled 
 " the infolent interpofition of Great Britain." 
 
 It will now be proper to revert to thofe domeflic 
 occurrences, the relation of which has been, inter- 
 rupted by this recital of foreign tranfaclions. The 
 riots and tumults which w r ere the natural confe- 
 quence of the meafures adopted by the prefent 
 miniftry, broke out afrefn from time to lime in 
 M 2 various 
 
1 64 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 various parts of the kingdom with alarming fymp* 
 toms of difarTection and violence. But the fpirit 
 of dilloyalty and fedition feemed to difplay itfelf 
 at this period with more confpicuous malignity at 
 the city of Oxford than perhaps any other place ; 
 infomuch that it was deemed neceflary by the 
 Government to ftation there a confiderable mili- 
 tary force, between whom and the youth of the 
 Univerfity frequent occafions of quarrel arofe, 
 fome of which were of magnitude to come under 
 judicial cognizance ; and that antient and venera- 
 ble feat of the Mufes feemed by a deplorable fatality 
 to be converted into the temple of Civil Difcord. 
 On the return of the King from the Continent 
 numerous addreffes of congratulation were pre- 
 fented, amongft which one from the Univeifity of 
 Cambridge, particularly noticing the fuppreflion 
 of the late rebellion, was mod gracioufly received. 
 At a meeting of the Vice-chancellor and Heads 
 of Houfes in Oxford, a motion being made for 
 that purpofe, it was rejected with marked indig- 
 nation. Dr. Smalridge, Bifnop of Briflol and 
 Dean of Chriit Church, had the preceding year 
 been removed from his poll of Lord Almoner for 
 refufing, with Atterbury Bilhop of Rochelter, to 
 fign the proteltation of the Kpifcopal Bench againit 
 the claims ok the Pretender: This Prelate now grati- 
 fied his refentment by declaring " that the rebellion 
 had been long fuppreffed, and that there would be 
 
 no 
 
K. GEORGE I. 165 
 
 no end of addrefles mould one be prefented every 
 time his Majefly returned from Hanover — that 
 anv marks of royal favour they had received were 
 more than counterbalanced by the troops now 
 quartered upon them — and that the hiflory of this 
 country afforded no precedent for addreffing a King 
 on his return from his German Dominions." 
 As a decifive proof of their alienation from the 
 Court, or rather the Government, Sir Conflantine 
 Phipps, who on a ftrong prefumption of difaffeclion 
 had been removed from his office as one of the 
 Lords Juftices of Ireland, had an honorary degree 
 conferred upon him with marks of peculiar dis- 
 tinction : And the Earl of Arran, on the attainder 
 of his brother the Duke of Ormond. was chofen 
 to fucceed him as Chancellor of the Univerfity*. 
 
 The 
 
 * So marked at this period was that opposition of politics 
 by which the two Univerfities were long diitinguifhed, and all 
 fymptoms of which are not at this day entirely obliterated, that 
 we cannot wonder the Court mould embrace with eagernefs 
 every opportunity to difplay its refentment againil the one, 
 and its approbation of the other. A royal prefent of books 
 having been fent to Cambridge foon after the commencement 
 of the tumults at Oxford, the celebrated Dr. Trapp took 
 occafion from this circumftance to pen the following well* 
 known Epigram : 
 
 Our Royal Mailer faw with heedful eyes 
 The wants of his two Univerfities : 
 Troops he to Oxford fent, as knowing why 
 That learned body wanted loyalty, 
 
 M 3 But 
 
i66 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 The cry of " the Church and Sacheverel" 
 feemed (till to retain its full efficacy and influence 
 over the multitude ; and the dwelliiig-houfes and 
 meeting-houfes of the fecfaries were the favourite 
 objects of the popular vengeance. In confequence 
 of thefe outrages the Houfe of Commons prcfented 
 an addrefs to the King, in which they ftate, " that 
 great numbers of his Majefly's deluded fubjects 
 had affembled in a tumultuous and rebellious 
 manner, had committed great diforders, and done 
 great injuries to others of their fellow-fubjects and 
 fellow-proteftanis — and they declare it to be their 
 indifpenfable duty to exprefs their utmoft abhor- 
 rence of all fuch traitorous proceedings, and their 
 highed refentment againil the authors and pro T 
 moters of them ; and befeech his Majefty, that the 
 laws now in force may be put in fpeedy and vi- 
 gorous execution againft them. And they farther 
 defire, that in juftice to thofe who for their zeal 
 and firm adherence to his Majefly's government 
 have been iuiTerers in the faid tumultuous and 
 
 But bock* - , to Cambridge gave, as well difcerning 
 That that rigfit loyal body wanted learning. 
 
 This Epigram received a very happy and decifive retort from 
 the late Sir William Brown, as it t:-, Saul, impromptu : 
 
 The King to Oxford fent a troop of horfe, 
 For Tories know no argument but for 
 With equal care to Cambridge books lie fent, 
 Lor Whigs allow no force but argument. 
 
 traitorous 
 
K. GEORGE I. 167 
 
 traitorous diforders, his Majefty would be graci- 
 oufly pleafed to direct an exad account to be taken 
 of the lofles and damages fuftained by fuch fuf- 
 ferers, in order that full compenlation may be 
 made ; and alluring his Majefty that all expences 
 fo incurred fhall be made good out of the fir ft aids 
 granted by Parliament. " To which the King re- 
 plied, " that he would give immediate directions 
 for putting in execution the feveral matters fo 
 juftly recommended to him." This was followed 
 by a very loyal and proper addrefs from the Dif- 
 fenters themfelves, acknowleging the feafonable 
 protection granted them by government, and ex- 
 preffing " a grateful fenfe of his Majefty's gracious 
 anfwer to the addrefs of his faithful Commons in 
 favour of thofe whofe fufFerings they fo juftly im- 
 pute to the zeal difplayed by them for his Majefty's 
 perfon and government. We defire," fay they," no- 
 thing more than to enjoy our civil rights, with a 
 full liberty to profefs our own religious fentiments, 
 which we take to be a privilege due to all men. 
 Nor know we any reafon why we have now fuffered 
 from the outrages of dilaffetted perfons, but be- 
 caufe we were known to be a body of men fixed 
 in our duty to your Majefty." To this addrefs his 
 Majefty replied in the moft gracious terms, " ex- 
 preffing his deep concern at the unchriftian and 
 barbarous treatment, which they had met with, 
 and afluring them of his royal protection and a 
 M 4 ' full 
 
168 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 full compenfatlon for all their fufferings." At 
 this period the Riot Act pafled for the prevention 
 of fimilar diforders, declaring it to be felony for 
 more than twelve perfons to remain affembled 
 more than one hour after its being publicly read 
 by the magiftrate ; and by the falutary operation of 
 this law, the internal tranquillity of the kingdom 
 was in a great degree reftored and eftablifhed. 
 
 Notice has been already taken of the refignation 
 of Mr. Walpole, who had fucceeded, on the deceafe 
 of the Earl of Halifax *, to the high and important 
 poll of Firft Lord Commiffioner of the Treafury. 
 During his fhort continuance in office, he had ex«. 
 
 hibited 
 
 * The Earl of Halifax furvlved a very fhort time only, his 
 appointment as Firll Lord Commiffioner of the Treafury, which 
 office he had before fuftained with high reputation, during the lat~ 
 ter years of the reign of King William, — dying after a few days 
 illnefs, in the vigor of his age, May 19, 1 7 15- It is believed 
 that he afpired to the poft of Lord High Treafurer, and was 
 little pleafed with the King's determination to put the Treafury 
 into commiffion. Though the abilities of this Nobleman as a 
 Financier and a Statefman were unqueftionably great, he is 
 chiefly known to pofterity as a moil munificent patron of lite-? 
 rature ; maintaining in this refpect an illuftrious rival fhip with 
 the Earl pf Oxford, the head of the oppofite faction ; and in the 
 fpace of eighty intervening years, thefe noblemen have had, it ia 
 not enough to fay, no equals, but no fucceffors. When, on the 
 great and n emorable change of Adminiuration, A. D. 17 10, 
 tjie Earl of Halifax interceded with the Earl of Oxford in fa- 
 For of the Engli/h Menander, Congreve, who, through the favor 
 
 Of 
 
K. GEORGE I. 169 
 
 hibited a fignal proof of his financial ability, in 
 the introdu&ion of the memorable Bill which en- 
 acted, that all the public funds redeemable by law, 
 and bearing higher intereft than five per cent, be 
 
 redeemed 
 
 of Halifax, enjoyed a lucrative place under the government ; 
 
 Oxford, with great dignity and elegance, replied, 
 
 " Non obtufaadeo geflamus pectora Peeni, 
 
 Nee tarn averfus equos Tym foljungit ab urbe." 
 
 A very invidious caricature portrait of the Earl of Halifax is 
 to be found in the Satires of Pope, under the name of Bufo : 
 
 " Proud as Apollo, on his forked hill, 
 Sat full-blown Bufo, puff 'd by every quill; 
 Fed with foft dedication all day long, 
 Horace and he went hand and hand in fong ; 
 His library, where bulls of Poets dead, 
 And a tiue Pindar flood without ahead, 
 Receiv'd of Wits an undiftinguinVd race, 
 Who firfl his judgment afk'd, — and then a place ; 
 Dryden alone, — what wonder ! came not nigh, 
 Dryden alone efcap'd this judging eye : 
 But flill the great have kindnefs in referve — 
 He help'd to bury whom he help'd to flarve." 
 
 Pope has elfcwhere taken pains to imprefs the idea, that this 
 Nobleman was a mere fciolill in literature; and having matters of 
 much more importance than poetry to engage his attention, itmay 
 eafily be fuppofed that hi? critipifms were often hafty and fuper- 
 ficial. The poetical re mains of Lord Halifax, it mull be confeffed, 
 do little honour to his memory, except as they afford a proof 
 of his early and devoted attachment to the Mufes. There is 
 however one beautiful paffage, which well deferves toberefcued 
 
 from 
 
170 L GEORGE I. 
 
 redeemed according to their refpe&ive provifoes 
 or claufes of redemption, or, with confent of the 
 proprietors, be converted into an intereft or annu- 
 ity not exceeding five per cent, per annum, redeem- 
 able by Parliament. And by this Bill the joint 
 furpluffes arifmg, as well from the propofed re- 
 duction of intereft from fix to five per cent, 
 as from the excelfes of the feveral taxes appropri- 
 ated to the payment of the intereft, were folemnly 
 declared to be folely and unalienably applicable, 
 under the denomination of a sinking fund, to 
 the difcharge of the principal of the public debt 
 contracted previous to the 25th of December of 
 the preceding year 17 16. Had this plan been as 
 fteadily profecuted as it was wifely concerted, the 
 nation would have been foon relieved from her 
 pecuniary difficulties. For, as in confequence of 
 the progrefiive redemption of the debt the fur- 
 
 from oblivion, in his Epillle to the Earl of Dorfet, on the vic- 
 tory gained by King William on the banks of the Boyne, in 
 which that monarch received a flight contufion from a mufcjuet- 
 ball, which grazed on his fhoulder : 
 
 te O, if in France this hero had been born, 
 
 What glittering tidfel would his acts adorn ; 
 
 Their plays, their fongs, would dwell upon his wound, 
 
 And operas repeat no other found : 
 
 Boyne would for ages be the painter's theme, 
 
 The Gobelins' labor, and the Poet's dream ; 
 
 The wounded arm would furnilh all their ro< 
 
 And BLfeEDfor ever porple in their looms." 
 
 plufles 
 
K. GEORGE I. 
 
 171 
 
 pIuiTes mufl increafe with accelerated rapidity, its 
 internal energy, without ftrict attention to the 
 regular though complex mode of its operation, is 
 wholly inconceivable. Of this plan of redemption 
 it may with peculiar and Unking propriety be faid, 
 
 " Mobilitate viget, virefque acquirit eundo." 
 
 " — Every moment brings 
 
 <c New vigor to its flight, new pinions to its wings.'* 
 
 The immediate caufe of the feceflion of Mr. 
 "Walpole, whole example was followed by his 
 friends, Mr. Methuen Secretary of State, and 
 Mr. Pulteney Secretary at War, afterwards fo 
 famous and fo formidable as his antagonift, has 
 been already intimated, and was now unrefervedly 
 avowed to be his total difapprobation of the con- 
 tinental politics of the Court, which he perhaps 
 deemed not merely injurious to the nation, but 
 eventually hazardous to the fafety of the minifter 
 who mould venture publicly to juftify or fupport 
 them. For it did not at this time clearly appear 
 how far the complaifance of Parliament would in 
 time extend. Nor was it previoufly very credible 
 that the interefts of three powerful kingdoms mould 
 be made entirely fuofervient, by men chofen to 
 guard and protect them, to the afpiring views of a 
 German Electorate. But experience and obferv- 
 ation taught this minifter very different and 
 much j ufler notions of things. Mr. Walpole was 
 fucceeded in the Treafury at firft by General Stan- 
 hope, 
 
i 7 2 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 hope, who finding and ingenuoufly acknowleging 
 his incompetency for that ftation, foon refigned to 
 the Earl of Sunderland, who had long afpired to 
 the pofleffion of ic. Under this nobleman Mr* 
 Aiflabie a£ted as Chancellor of the Exchequer ; 
 and the celebrated Addifon was advanced in the 
 room of Mr. Methuen to the poft of Secretary: 
 But being found efTentially deficient in the requi- 
 fite qualifications of a Minifter of State, he refign- 
 ed, on the pretence of ill health and the fatigues 
 of office, to Mr. Craggs, And General Stanhope 
 being created an Earl, refumed the feals of the 
 foreign department, leaving Aiflabie and Craggs 
 to conduct the affairs of government in the Houfe 
 of Commons ; who, though men of good parlia- 
 mentary talents, were confidered only as fecond- 
 ary miniflers to the great efficient leaders, Sun- 
 derland and Stanhope. The Earl of Oxford, 
 who had now remained two years in the Tower, 
 was encouraged, by the defection of his mod pow- 
 erful adverfary, to petition the Houfe of Lords that 
 his imprifonment might not be indefinite : And 
 the Houfe appointed an early day for his trial in 
 Weftminfter Hall, for which the mod folemn and 
 magnificent preparations were made, Earl Cowper 
 prefiding, as on former occafions, in the capacity of 
 Lord High Steward. The articles of the impeach- 
 ment being read, and Sir Jofeph Jekyl (landing up 
 Sis one of the committee of m anag ;ers in the name 
 
 i 
 
L GEORGE I. 173 
 
 of the Commons of England to make good the firfl: 
 charge, Lord Harcourt arofe and obferved, " that 
 the articles of the impeachment being numerous, 
 and two of them only extending to the charge of 
 high treafon, it was fupernuous to enter into the 
 invefti"-ation of the reft till thefe had been decided 
 upon ; for fuppofmg him guilty of all, the utmoit 
 their Lordfhips could inflict, or the Earl could 
 fuffer, would amount to no more than the forfeiture 
 of life and eftate." The Commons affected to re- 
 fent what they ftyled an encroachment upon their 
 privileges, and peremptorily reiufed to proceed in 
 the order prefcribed by the Lords. The Lords, 
 on their part, haughtily refufed a. free conference on 
 this fubject, as demanded by the Commons : And 
 on their non-appearance at the fubfequent adjourn- 
 ment of the court, the Earl was acquitted ; not, 
 as was generally believed, without the fecret ap- 
 probation and concurrence of the Crown. The 
 Commons, however, prefented an addrefs to the 
 King, defiring that he might be excepted out of 
 the intended act of grace ; by which they expreffed 
 at once their fenfe of the Earl's demerit, and their 
 contempt of their Lordfhips' fentence of acquittal. 
 The act of grace accordingly pafled with this and 
 fome other exceptions ; and Oxford, to preferve 
 appearances, was forbidden to prefent himfelf at 
 Court, but no attempt was at any time made to 
 revive the proceedings againft him. By virtue of 
 
 this 
 
i 7 4 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 this ad the Lords Carnwath, Widrington, and 
 Nairne, with many other perfons of distinction con- 
 cerned in the late rebellion, were difcharged. Lord 
 Nithifdale had previoufly effected his efcape ; the 
 Earl of Derwentwater and Lord Vifcount Kenmuir 
 only fuffering the utmoft rigour of the law. 
 
 In the courfe of this year (1718), the. attention 
 of the public was excited in a molt uncommon de- 
 gree, by a fermon preached before the King, at 
 the Chapel-Royal, and publifhed at his exprefs 
 command, by Dr. Benjamin Hoadley, Lord Bi- 
 fhop of Bangor, " On the nature of the kingdom 
 of Christ." As the foundation of this memora- 
 ble difcourfe, the Bifhop felected the famous 
 declaration of Chrift to Pilate, the Roman procu- 
 rator j " MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD." 
 
 And the direct and undifguifed object of it was, to 
 prove " that the kingdom of Chrift, and the fanc- 
 tions by which it is fupported, were of a nature 
 wholly intellectual and fpiritual — that the church, 
 taking the term in its utmoft latitude of fignifi- 
 cation, did not, and could not, pollefs the flight- 
 ed degree of authority under any commiflion, 
 or pretended commiflion, derived from him : That 
 the church of England, and all other national 
 churches, were merely civil or human inflitutions, 
 eflablifhed for the purpofes of diffufing and per- 
 petuating the knowlege and belief of Chriftia- 
 nity ; which contained a fyitem of truths, not in 
 1 their 
 
K. GEORGE I. l 7 | 
 
 their nature differing from other truths, except- 
 ing by their fuperior weight and importance ; and 
 which were to be inculcated in a manner analo- 
 gous to other truths, demanding only, from their 
 more interefling import, proportionably higher de- 
 grees of care, attention, and afliduity in the pro- 
 mulgation of them. ,, It is fcarcely to be imagin- 
 ed in thefe times, with what degree of furious 
 and malignant rancour, thefe plain, fimple, and 
 rational principles, were attacked by the zealots 
 and champions of the church. On the meeting 
 of the Convocation, a committee was appointed 
 to examine 'this famous publication ; and a repre- 
 fentation was quickly drawn up, in which a mofs: 
 heavy cenfure was paffed upon it, as tending to 
 fubvert all government and difcipline in the 
 church of Chrift, to reduce his kingdom to a Mate 
 of anarchy and confufion, to impugn and im- 
 peach the royal fupremacy in matters ecclefi- 
 aflical, and the authority of the legiflature to en- 
 force obedience in matters of religion by civil 
 fanctions. A fudden flop however was put to thefe 
 difgraceful proceedings,, by a royal prorogation; 
 and from this period, the Convocation has never 
 been convened, but as a mere matter of form, and 
 for the purpofe of being again prorogued. Per- 
 haps, however, in thefe more enlightened times, 
 this affembly might be again permitted to refume 
 its deliberative and legiflative powers, with advan- 
 tage 
 
j 7 6 L GEORGE r, 
 
 tage to the community — and in no other afTembly 
 could proportions of ecclefiafiical reform originate, 
 with fo much effect or propriety. The controverfy 
 which thus commenced, was carried on for feve- 
 ral years with great ability and animation on the 
 part of the Bilhop, aided by various excellent pens, 
 though oppofed by men, whofe learning and ta- 
 lents gave an artificial luftre to bigotry and abfur- 
 dity. No controverfy, however, upon the whole, 
 ever more fully and completely anfvvered the pur- 
 pofe intended by it. The obfcurity in which this 
 fubject. had been long involved, was diffipated. 
 The public mind was enlightened and convinced. 
 Chukch authority, the chimara vomiting 
 Jjamesywas deftroyed; and the name of Hoadley 
 will be tranfmitted from generation to generation, 
 with increafe of honor, of efteem, and grateful 
 veneration. It would be injuftice alfo to deny to 
 the King himfelf, his (hare of praife for coun- 
 tenancing and fupporting opinions fo oppofite to 
 thofe which have ufually conflituted a part of the 
 policy of princes ; and which reflect equal credit 
 upon his underflanding and integrity. As a far 
 more important proof however, of the liberal 
 and benignant difpofition of this Monarch, Earl 
 Stanhope, his favourite, and confidential minifter, 
 prefented to the Houfe of Lords, Dec. 1718, a 
 Bill for the repeal of the Occafional Conformity 
 and Schifm Acts, palled under the late admini- 
 
 itration ; 
 
K. GEORGE L 177 
 
 flration ; and likewife fuch claufes of the Teifl and 
 Corporation Acts, as operated to the exclufion 
 of Proteftant DilTenters from civil offices. The 
 latter part of the Bill had an unexpected and for- 
 midable obflacle to encounter in the oppofition of 
 the Lord Chancellor Cowper, who joined the 
 Tory Lords in founding the alarm of danger 
 to the church, mould the DifTenters be admitted 
 to the common rights and privileges of citizens 
 in the flate. Dr. Wake, Archbifhop of Canter- 
 bury* a prelate eminent for learning and general 
 refpe&ability of character, but who, fince his ele- 
 vation to the primacy, feemed to have loll fight 
 in a great meafure of thofe principles to which he 
 owed his advancement ; employed upon this occa- 
 fion fome arguments againft the DilTenters, which 
 were confidered by his former friends as not a lit- 
 tle extraordinary. He affirmed, " That the Acts 
 this Bill propofed to repeal, were the main bul- 
 warks of the Englifh church ; and though he had 
 all imaginable tendernefs for well-meaning and con- 
 fcientious DiJJcnters, he was compelled to fay* that 
 many of that perfuafion had made a wrong ufe of 
 the favor and indulgence fhewn them at the Revo- 
 lution ; it was therefore deemed neCefTary for the 
 legiflature to interpofe, in order to put a flop to 
 the fcandalous pra&ife of occafional conformity. 
 As to the Aft againft Schifm — the proteft of the 
 Lords againft which, reprobating, in the molt in- 
 Vol. I. N dignant 
 
178 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 dignant terms, that deteftable flatute, he had him- 
 felf figned — his Grace added, that the repeal of 
 it was superfluous, as no advantage had been 
 taken of the Act to the- prejudice of the Diffent- 
 ers V In oppofition to thefe novel fent'mients of 
 
 * It might be imagined, from that " tendernefs to well-mean- 
 ing Diffenters,*' which this Prelate fo oftentatioufly profeffes, 
 and which they no doubt are bound with fuitable humility and 
 gratitude to acknowiege, that the Diffenters are a weak and 
 ignorant people, entertaining abfurd notions on fubje&s of 
 high and general concern, and wholly dcilitute of learning 
 and ability to defend their own principles. But of this, not 
 the prefent times only, but " the centuries to come,'' will judge. 
 As an amufmg contrail; to thefe fentiments of Archbifhop 
 Wake, it may not be improper to oppofe thofe of his venera- 
 ble predecelTdr Archbifhop Tennifon, who in the debate on the 
 Occahonal (.Conformity Bill, A. D. 1704, declared his decid- 
 ed difapprobation of th° meafure. Far from confidering 
 cccaiional conformity as " a fcandalous practife," or " dan- 
 gerous to the church," he affirmed, that it ought to be en- 
 couraged by all good churchmen, as having an evident tendency 
 to conciliate the affections, and to moderate the prejudices, of 
 the Diffenters; being in itfelf a laudable exercife of chriftian cha- 
 rity, and nowife incompatible with the flricteft integrity. 
 " The employing of perfons,'' faid this excellent Prelate," of a 
 religion different from the eitablifhed in civil offices, has been 
 praclifcd in all countries where liberty of confeience has been 
 allowed. We have already gone farther in excluding Diffent- 
 ers than any country has done. Whatever rcafons there 
 were to apprehend our religion in danger from Papiils, when 
 the Tell Act was paffed, cannot be applicable to the Diffent- 
 ers at prefent. On the contrary, manifeft inconveniences rc- 
 fult from this exclufion."' 
 
 his 
 
K. GEORGE I. 179 
 
 his Grace, the Bifhop of Bangor demonftrated "that 
 the Acts ftyled by the Archbifhop the bulwarks of 
 the church, under whatever falfe colors they 
 might be difguifed, were Acts of real perfec- 
 tion : That if the mere pretext of felf-prefervation, 
 or felf-defence, was once admitted as a fufficient 
 ground for palling laws of this nature, all the 
 heathen perfecutions againft Chriftians, and all the 
 Popifh perfecutions againft Proteftants, would be 
 jufliiied : That the church of England as by law 
 eftablifhed, flood not, and he trufted would never 
 (land, in need of fuch miferable fupports : That 
 toleration was not 2. favor, or indulgence, but a 
 natural right ; and that the fafety of the church 
 was fecured by no means fo effectually, as by a 
 regard to the juft and equitable claims of their 
 fellow-chriftians and fellow-citizens. He added, 
 that the ardent and intemperate zeal which many 
 difplayed for the interefts of the church, was, he 
 feared, principally incited by a regard to their 
 own interefts, and by a fecret and fond attachment 
 to the power, the honors, and the emoluments 
 which appertain to it. The defire of power 
 and riches was, he owned, natural to all; but 
 reafon and religion ought to reftrain men from in- 
 dulging it, to the injury or prejudice of others ; 
 or in any manner inconnftent with the general 
 rights and liberties of mankind." Thefe fenti- 
 ments of the Bifhop of Bangor were ftrongly en- 
 forced by Dr. Kennet Bifhop of Peterborough, 
 
 N 2 who 
 
1S0 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 who declared his opinion, that the repeal of the 
 Acts in queftion would not be detrimental to the 
 church, but would redound to her advantage 
 and fecurity. He affirmed that the evidence of 
 hiftory proved the church to be moll fafe and 
 Ilouriming when the clergy did not affeel: more 
 power than appertains to their fhare, and were 
 tender of the rights and liberties of their fellow- 
 fubjects : But that arbitrary meafures and perfe- 
 ctions firft brought, as the experience of the lafl 
 century fufficiently evinced, fcandal and contempt 
 upon the clergy, and, at lafl:, ruin both upon church 
 and flate. The church, faid this Prelate, is, I 
 admit, a term of facred and venerable import, and 
 therefore it is, that in the mouths of bigots, or 
 of malicious and defigning men, it has produced 
 fuch fatal effects. " The temple of the Lord — 
 the temple of the Lord are we," was of old the 
 boafl of the feditious and abandoned among 
 the Jews, and were ufed as a color and incentive 
 to every evil purpofe. The Bifhop faid, that the 
 DifTenters, though the mod zealous promoters of 
 the Revolution, had hitherto been no gainers by it ; 
 for it was well known that they enjoyed the 
 full benefits of toleration under King James. 
 And he Hated as a grofs political abfurdity, that 
 they were incapacitated by the Telt, from ferving 
 that government, of which they were allowed to 
 be the firmefl friends j and alluding to what had 
 
 paffed 
 
K. GEORGE I. i8t 
 
 patted in the courfe of the debate, he declared, 
 that he hoped it would not be thought fufficient, 
 in oppofition to the plained dictates of juftice and 
 equity, which called aloud for the repeal of thefe 
 Acts, to fay, " that the example of Sweden was 
 otherwife." 
 
 In this memorable debate, no one diftingui fried 
 himfelf more than Lord Lanfdowne, who had 
 imbibed in all their virulence, the antient princi- 
 ples of Toryifm ; who had been a fteady and in-> 
 veterate enemy to the Hanoverian fuccefhonj and 
 who was happy to embrace this occafion of pro- 
 nouncing an invective againft the Diffenters, re- 
 plete with malignant and farcaltic wit, and 
 breathing a fpirit which, unreflrained by external 
 caufes, would doubtlefs have difplayed itfelf in 
 all the terrors of the mofl fanguinary perfecution. 
 This nobleman declared, " That he always un- 
 derftood the Act of Toleration to be meant as 
 an indulgence for tender confciences, not a licenfe 
 for hardened ones — and tjiat the Act to prevent 
 occafional conformity was defigned only to cor-, 
 rect a particular crime of particular men, in which 
 none were included, but thofe followers of Judas 
 who came to the Lord's fupper for no other end 
 but to fell and betray him. It is to me (faid his 
 Lordfhip) a matter of aftonifliment, to hear the 
 merit of Diffenters fo highly extolled and magni- 
 fied within thefe walls. Who is there among us, 
 N 3 but 
 
f 82 K. GEORGE T. 
 
 but can tell of feme anceftor either fequeftered 
 or murdered by them ? "Who voted the Lords 
 ufelefs ? The Diflenters. — Who abolifhed Epifco- 
 pacy ? The Diflenters. — Who deflroyed freedom of 
 Parliament ? The Diflenters. — Who introduced 
 government by Handing armies ? The Diflenters. — 
 Who wafhed their hands in the blood of their mar- 
 tyred Sovereign ? The Diflenters. — Have they re- 
 pented? No — they glory in their wickednefs at 
 this day. That they have remained not only 
 quiet, but have appeared zealous in the fupport of 
 the prefent eftablifhment, is no wonder : For who 
 but themfelves, or their favorers, have been 
 thought worthy of countenance ? If univerfal dis- 
 content pervades at this time all ranks of people 
 throughout the nation, thereafon is plain, flagrant, 
 and notorious. It arifes from the infoience and 
 the prefumption of the Diflenters — from their 
 open infults of the clergy — from their public vin- 
 dication of the murder of King Charles I. and their 
 vile reflections upon the memory of Queen Anne, 
 ever dear to the people of England ; befides other 
 indecent and arrogant provocations, too many to 
 enumerate, too grievous to endure. And if all 
 this is done, not only with impunity, but with 
 authority and reward, is there not more than fuffi- 
 cient reafon for jcaloufy ? a jealouly, which this 
 new attempt to break down all the fences and 
 boundaries of the church at once, will certainly 
 
 have 
 
L GEORGE I. 183 
 
 have no tendency to extinguish. If indeed (con- 
 cluded his Lordfhip) there are individuals amongfl 
 them who pretend to peculiar merit, let them ftand 
 forth, and clearly and explicitly Mate their claims— 
 for God forbid but that all of them mould have 
 their deferts." — If at this diftance of time, and on 
 a cool and impartial review of facts, we are com- 
 pelled feverely to cenfure the conduct of the Whigs, 
 now exercifing the entire powers of Government, as 
 exhibiting plain indications of the rage and hatred 
 characterise of a political faction, it is not diffi- 
 cult to conjecture from this, and fimilar fpecimens 
 of Tory eloquence, to what far more dangerous 
 extremes of violence, the oppofite faction, if tri- 
 umphant, were prepared to refort. The fpeculative 
 principles of the Whigs alfo being in their own 
 nature juft, beneficent, and generous ; the fpirit of 
 their adminiftration, after the firft emotions of ran- 
 cor and revenge were gratified, became infenfibly 
 mild, eafy, and equitable : Whereas, had the Tories 
 gained a permanent afcendency, the certain founda- 
 tion would have been laid of an internal and 
 everlafling fyftem of oppreffion, diffraction, and 
 calamity. 
 
 After long debate, the Houfe agreed to leave out 
 the claufes refpecting the Corporation and 1 eft 
 Acts; in which ftate it was tranfmitted to, and 
 parted by the Commons ; and in the Royal Speech, 
 gtthe clofe of the feflion, his Majeity exprefledthe 
 N 4 higheft 
 
1 84 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 higheft fatisfa&ion at this fignal inftance of legifla- 
 
 tive wifdom and moderation *. 
 
 Previous 
 
 * Sir Robert Walpole, at this time in oppofition, with a 
 view to embarrafs the meafures of the Court, fpoke and voted 
 againft this repeal : And he is faid frequently to have exprefTed 
 in the latter years of his life, his regret at having joined in the 
 clamors of the High-Church party on this occafion. Lord 
 Cheflerfield, then a very young man, and in the fervice of the 
 Prince of Wales, who at this period countenanced the oppofi- 
 tion, voted on the fame fide with more fincerity : ** I thought it 
 (fays he) impoffible for the honefteft man in the world to be 
 faved out of the pale of the church, not confidering that mat- 
 ters of opinion do not depend upon the will — that it is as natural 
 and allowable that another man fhould differ in opinion from me, 
 as that I fhould differ from him ; and that if we are both fincere, 
 we are both blamelefs, and fhould confequently have mutual In- 
 dulgence for each other." It may be tranfiently remarked, 
 in anfwer to the virulent accufations of Lord Lanfdowne, that 
 it is the height of folly, as well as injuftice, to charge the ac"ls 
 of Cromwell's ufurpation upon the Diffenters or Prefbyterians 
 of the lail century — when it is notorious, that they oppofed 
 them to the utmoft of their power — and that 200 members of 
 the Houfe of Commons of that denomination were fecluded by 
 military violence from the Houfe before the ordinance paffed 
 for the trial of the King. Had the condemnation of that mer- 
 cilefs and perfidious tyrant — for fuch, notwithflanding his boafl- 
 cd private and perfonal virtues,he undoubtedly was — refulted from 
 the unbiafled will of the nation, future ages might have applauded 
 the acL though, as perpetrated by a defperate and lawlefs fac- 
 tion, in oppofition to the public will, it is indeed the fubjeA of 
 jult abhorrence. Let the guilt of the individuals concerned in 
 this tranfaciion, however, be what it may; why are we, who 
 have only an hiilorical knowlege of the fad, and who live in 
 
 another 
 
K. GEORGE U 185 
 
 Previous however to the recefs of Parliament, 
 a Bill was unexpectedly brought in under the 
 fan&ion of the Government, for limiting the 
 Peerage, by reftraining the Crown from en- 
 larging the prefent number of Peers by more 
 than fix new creations. This was generally con- 
 fidered as a meafure not fo much of policy as 
 of refentment on the part of the Crown, eagerly 
 and intemperately defirous to excite the cha- 
 
 anotherageof the world, called upon to exprefs our penitence 
 and contrition for it ? Certainly, the fervice of the 30th of 
 January is a political farce, upon which the wifdom of Govern- 
 ment ought long ago to have dropped the curtain. There is 
 indeed a charge omitted by Lord Lanfdowne, but which might 
 be properly urged againft the DiiTenters, as containing not ficti- 
 tious, but real culpability. It is that, pofTefllng the authority 
 and confidence of the nation in the Convention Parliament of 
 1660, they had the unpardonable weaknefs to reftore King 
 Charles II. to the crown, without any previous limitations or 
 conditions. Let the idolizers of Kings, who have hearts to feel, 
 if not underflandings to be convinced, view the interefting and 
 affecting portrait now in the poiTefiion of Lord Elliot, of his il- 
 luftrious anceftor, Sir John Elliot, who, with many other diltin- 
 guiflied patriots, was, for his noble exertions in the caufe of liber- 
 ty, committed to the Tower, after the difiblution of the lail of 
 the early Parliaments of Charles I. He is drawn pale, languish- 
 ing, and emaciated — but difdaining to make the abject fubmif- 
 fion required of him by the tyrant, he expired under the excef- 
 five rigors of his confinement, leaving this portrait as a legacy 
 and memento to his pofterity, and to mankind ; who in the 
 contemplation of fuch enormities, have reafon to rejoice 
 
 (t "When vengeance in the lurid air 
 Lifts her red arm expos'd and bare/' 
 
 grin, 
 
186 I GEORGE I. 
 
 grin, and diminifh the political importance, of the 
 Prince of Wales, who had highly offended the 
 Court by the fupport he had for fome time pad 
 given to the oppofition. The Court influence, 
 weakened by the late feceffion, and in this inftance 
 oppofed by the general fenfe of the nation, which 
 law its tendency to elevate the ariftocracy, 
 and by the efprit die corps of the Houfe of 
 Commons, was however found, upon trial, not 
 iufficiently powerful to carry this favorite but very 
 exceptionable project, into effect : And the Bill, 
 after being withdrawn by Lord Stanhope in order 
 to its revival with greater force the enfuing feflion, 
 when it paffed the Lords with very little difficulty, 
 was ultimately rejected by the Commons, not with- 
 out evident marks of indignation ; the divifion on 
 the queflion of commitment being 269 to 177 
 voices. 
 
 Mr. Walpole particularly diffinguifhed himfelf 
 by the animation of his oppofition to this Bill. 
 By an allufion happily imagined^ he compared the 
 two Houfes of Parliament to the temples of Fame 
 and Virtue, and obferved that," among the Romans, 
 the former was placed behind the latter, to denote 
 that fame was no otherwife attainable than by 
 virtue. But if the prefent Bill paffed into a law, 
 one of the moil powerful incentives to virtue would 
 be taken away. He affirmed that this Bill would 
 not only operate as a diicouragement to merit, but 
 
 would 
 
K. GEORGE I. 187 
 
 would endanger the conftitution : That the Peers 
 were already pofTefTed of futEcient privileges ; but 
 that the propofed limitation of their number would 
 prodigioufly enhance their authority, and in time 
 reduce the Commons to a ftate of fervile depend- 
 ency : That he was aftonifhed their Lord/hips 
 could prefume to fend fuch a Bill to that Houfe, 
 or that they could flatter themfelves it would ever 
 receive their concurrence, or expect that they 
 would voluntarily exclude themfelves and their pof- 
 terity from the honors of the Peerage. And he 
 thought it a very injurious and ungrateful return in 
 one, who had himfelf been advanced to a partici- 
 pation of thofe honors for his public fervices, to 
 endeavour, on his admiflion to the Houfe of Peers, 
 to bar the door againft future claimants." 
 
 In allufion to this Bill, the King, in hisfpeech from 
 the throne, had ufed thefe remarkable expreffions : 
 " As I can truly affirm that no prince was ever 
 more zealous to increafe his own authority, than I 
 am to perpetuate the liberty of my people, I hope 
 you will think of all proper methods to eftablifh 
 and tranfmit to your pofterity, the freedom of our 
 happy conftitution; and particularly to fecure 
 that part which is mod liable to abufe :" And by 
 an exprefs menage to the Lords, when the Bill 
 was pending, his Majefty declared, " That he had 
 fo much at heart the fettlement of the Britifh Peer- 
 age, upon fuch a foundation as might fecure the 
 
 freedom 
 
iS8 L GEORGE I. 
 
 freedom and conftitution of Parliaments in all fu- 
 ture ages, that he was willing his prerogative 
 mould not fland in the way of fo great and necef- 
 fary a work." Certainly it would be harm and 
 uncandid to afcribe this apparent generofity of fen- 
 timent to the exclufive influence of invidious 
 motives ; but it may well be doubted whether the 
 remedy propofed by the minifters of the Crown, 
 for the abufe fo reafonably apprehended, and 
 which time has contributed rather to ftrengthen 
 than impair, might not in its confequences be pro- 
 ductive of political inconvenience (till moreferious 
 than the evil it was intended to obviate. 
 
 In the feifion of 1 7 1 9, alfo, the celebrated Decla- 
 ratory Bill, for the better fecuring the dependency 
 of Ireland upon the Crown of England, was intro- 
 duced and paiTed ; in which the fupremacy of the 
 appellant jurifdiction of the Englifh Houfe of 
 Peers, and the right of the Englifh Parliament 
 to make laws to bind the kingdom of Ireland in 
 all cafes whatfoever, were aflerted in a high tone, 
 in confequence of the refractory fpirit which had 
 lately difplayed itfelf in various inftances in that 
 kingdom. Nor was jt conceivable at this period, 
 by any effort of political fagacity, that Ireland 
 would be in a fituation, before the termination of 
 the century, to extort from England an entire 
 and abfolute renunciation of thefe haughty and un- 
 juft pretentions. The Parliament of Ireland af- 
 
 ferabling 
 
K. GEORGE i. 189 
 
 fumbling July 1, 17 19, the Duke of Bolton, Lord 
 Lieutenant of that kingdom, in his fpeech, ftrongly 
 urged the neceflity of guarding againft the de- 
 figns of the difaffected, and declared, that it would 
 be very pleafmg to his Majefty, if any method 
 could be found, not inconfiftent with the fecurity 
 of the church, to render the Proteftant DifTenters 
 more ufeful and capable of ferving his Majefty, 
 and fupporting the Proteftant intereft, than they 
 now are — they having upon all occafions given fuf- 
 ficient proofs of their being well affected to his 
 Majefty's perfon and government, and to the fuc- 
 ceflion of the crown in his royal houfe. And this 
 his Excellency declared he was exprefsly ordered 
 to lay before the legiflature, as a thing greatly im- 
 porting his Majefty's fervice, and the national fecu- 
 rity. In confequence of this interpofition, an Act 
 patTed to relieve the DifTenters from certain penal- 
 ties inflicted by the exifting laws ; but the repeal of 
 the facramental Teft, to which the King plainly 
 extended his views, could not be obtained by any 
 effort of regal influence from the equity or com- 
 plaifance of the prefent Parliament *. 
 
 About 
 
 * Nearly at this period the Earl of Stair, who had ferved 
 his country for feveral years with diftinguifhed ability, as Ambaf- 
 fador at the Court of Verfailles, was recalled in confequence of a 
 political difference between him and the Lords Stanhope and Sun- 
 derland, refpeftingthe famous Law, raifed by the Regent to the 
 
 Comptroller- 
 
i 9 o K. GEORGE I. 
 
 About this period, the famous South-SeaBill was 
 introduced into the Britifh Houfe of Commons, by 
 Mr. Aiflabie, Chancellor of the Exchequer; the Earl 
 of Sunderland prefiding at the board of Treafury ; 
 and after long and able difcuffion, received the 
 royal aiTent, April 7th, 1720. By this Bill, which 
 propofed eventually to reduce all the different pub- 
 
 Comptroller-generalfhip of the Finances, and whofe credit at 
 the French Court, from the knowlege of his mifchievous de- 
 figns, the Ambaffador had labored to fubvert. In a letter to 
 Mr. Secretary Craggs, dated I tbruary 14, 1720, he vindicates 
 his public character and conduct with great fpirit, and in a man- 
 ner highly charafteriilic of his well-knpwn firmnefs and eleva- 
 tion of mind. A few fentences it may be permitted as the pri- 
 vilege of a note to tranferibe. " If (fays he) Lord Stanhope 
 has not gained Mr. Law, I am afraid we fliall not find our ac- 
 count in his Lordfnip's fupporting him, when he was ready to 
 fall — in making him lirft minifter, and recalling me from this 
 Court, where my long itay mould have enabled me to be bet- 
 ter abie to judge or their defigns, and of their ways of working, 
 than a ftranger of greater capacity could poffibly be. After the 
 ufage I meet with, I do not wonder to fee that our minifters 
 have fo few friends. As to my revocation, if it was poffible 
 I fliould have a mind to flay in this country, you have made it 
 impracticable — you have taken all effectual ways to deitroy 
 any perfonal credit I had with the Regent — you have made it 
 plain to him, that I have no credit with the King — you are un- 
 der a neceffity of fending therefore another minifter to this 
 Court. As to the manner of my revocation, I do not care to 
 make the grimace of defiling it for falfe realons. I expect no- 
 thing, and I fear nothing. As to my behaviour when I come 
 home, I fliall ever be a faithful fervant to the King, and act as 
 a man in whom the love of his country is fuperior to all other 
 confederations." Hardivick State Papers. 
 
 lie 
 
K. GEORGE I. i 9 t 
 
 lie fecurlties into one grand aggregate fund, the 
 South Sea Company was inverted with certain com- 
 mercial privileges, and authorized to take in, by 
 purchafe or fubfeription, both the redeemable and 
 irredeemable debts of the nation, to the amount of 
 about thirty-three millions, at fuch rates and prices 
 as fliould be agreed upon between the Company 
 and the refpective proprietors — a claufe propos- 
 ed in the Houfe of Commons, for afcertain- 
 ing what mare of the capital itock of the Company 
 fhould be vefled in thofe proprietors of government 
 flock, who might voluntarily fubferibe, being moll 
 unwifely rejected. In return, the Company con- 
 fented that the intereft upon their original capital 
 of 9,400, oool. as twell as the intereft upon 
 the public debts, to be redeemed in the mode 
 prefcribed by the prefent Act, mould, after Mid- 
 fummer-day 1727, be reduced to four per cent, 
 redeemable by Parliament ; and exclufive of this 
 reduction, the Company agreed, to pay into the 
 Exchequer four years and a half purchafe of all the 
 long and fhort annuities that mould be fubferib- 
 ed, and one year's purchafe of fuch long annuities 
 as mould not be fubferibed ; amounting, on the 
 execution of the Act, to no lefs than feven mil- 
 lions ; for raifmg which fum, they were impower- 
 ed to open books of fubfeription, to grant annuities 
 redeemable by the Company, and to convert the 
 money fo raifed, into additional ftock. It is evi- 
 3 dent, 
 
j 9 2 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 dent, from the wild and extravagant terms of this 
 contract, that it was never meant to be ferioufly 
 fulfilled. In vain did the fagacity of Walpole dif- 
 cern, and his eloquence difplay, the mighty mif- 
 chiefs contained in this cafket of Pandora. In vain 
 did he urge the acceptance of the equitable and 
 rational propofals of the Bank. The Houfe was 
 fafcinated by the dazzling and magnificent appear- 
 ance of the South-Sea project ; and the Bill paffed 
 with general applaufe, and by a vaft majority of 
 votes, 55 members only dividing againft it. But 
 in a fhort time, this myflery of iniquity began to 
 unfold itfelf. The molt artful and infidious me- 
 thods were put in pra&ife to delude the public 
 with the notion of the vaft emoluments eventually 
 to be derived from the commercial intercourfe 
 which it was pretended would, with the confent 
 of the Court of Madrid, and as an equivalent for 
 the ceffion of Gibraltar and Minorca, be eftablifh- 
 ed with the empires of Mexico and Peru. The 
 fucceflive fubfcriptions filled with amazing rapi- 
 dity, and the Court of Directors declaring a divi- 
 dend of 30 per cent, for Chrifhuas 1720, and 50 
 per cent, for no lefs than twelve years after, the tranf- 
 fer price of the Company's flock advancing in pro- 
 portion to the public demand, rofe from 1 30, which 
 was the price it bore while the Bill was de- 
 pending in Parliament, in a very fhort fpace 
 of tin;e to 1000; by which means an oppor- 
 tunity 
 
L GEORGE L t 95 
 
 tunity was offered, to thofe who were concerned 
 in the project, or rather the plot, to make immenfe 
 fortunes, before the burfling of this mighty bub- 
 ble. And the flock falling with the fame, or 
 even greater rapidity, than that with which it had 
 rifen ; vafh numbers of adventurers — and fuch was 
 the general infatuation, that upon this occafion the 
 whole nation feemed to have become adventurers- 
 awaking from theit golden dreams of profperity, 
 found themfelves reduced to a flate of the mod de- 
 plorable diftrefs and ruin. On a parliamentary 
 invefligation of this dark and dangerous bufinefs, 
 which was ftyled, in the report of the Secret 
 Committee, " a train of the deeped villainy and 
 fraud Hell ever contrived for the ruin of any 
 nation ;" it appeared, that transfers of the Com- 
 pany's flock, to a very great amount, had been 
 made to perfons high in office, to facilitate the 
 pafhng of the Bill— that the fcandalous artifices 
 praftifed by the Company, and their fhamelefs 
 abufe of the public Confidence, had received not 
 only the connivance but the encouragement of 
 feveral, at leafl, of the Miniflers : And Lord Sun- 
 derland and Mr. Aiflabie were compelled to a 
 precipitate and difgraceful refignation of their 
 offices — the latter being alfo expelled the Houfe, 
 and committed to the Tower. Mr. Craggs, Secre- 
 tary of State, was exempted only by the ftroke of 
 death, from a fimilar fate : And many other per- 
 Tol. I. O fons 
 
194 K GEORGE 1. 
 
 fons of figure and confequence, who were found, 
 on inquiry, more or lefs culpable, were varioufly 
 punifhed ; though, in the opinion of the exafpe- 
 rated public, not with an adequate degree of feve- 
 rity. Neverthelefs, the Houfe acted with a fpirit 
 and unanimity on this great occafion, which re- 
 flected upon their proceedings the higheft honour J 
 and fufBciently manifefted the indignation they felt, 
 at having been, under fpecious pretences, made 
 the unintentional intlruments of an injury fo ex- 
 tenfive, and a deception fo dreadful. 
 
 Mr. Waller, fon-in-law to Aiflabie, to whom 
 South-Sea flock, to an immenfe amount, had 
 been transferred, had preferved no minutes of his 
 tranfactions ; and pretended, on his examination, 
 that he could not recollect for what perfons or 
 purpofes he had accepted it. Sir John Blount, 
 accounted the original projector, and one of the 
 mod guilty agents in this buhnefs, refufing to 
 anfwer certain interrogatories put to him in the 
 Houfe of Lords by the Duke of Wharton ; and 
 being fupported fomewhat too peremptorily in his 
 refufal, by Lord Stanhope ; the Duke malicioufly 
 obferved, that the government of the befl princes 
 was fometimes rendered intolerable to their fub- 
 jecls by bad minifters — mentioning the example 
 of Sejanus, who had made the reign of Claudius 
 hateful to the Romans. Confcious of the unfullicd 
 rectitude of his conduct, Lord Stanhope, in a 
 
 tranfport 
 
K. GEORGE I. t 95 ~ 
 
 tranfport of anger, rofe to fpeak in his own vindi- 
 cation j and in confequence of the vehemence of 
 his exertions, was feized with a fudden illnefs, 
 which compelled him to retire : And after a fliort 
 interval of languilhment and infenfibility, he ex- 
 pired in the evening of the next day, extremely 
 regretted by his Sovereign, and poffelTing the 
 general efteem and regard of the nation # . On the 
 deccafe of this nobleman, and the compulfive 
 refignation of Sunderland, a new arrangement cf 
 adminiftration was formed ; and Mr, Walpole, 
 Lord Townfhend, and Mr. Methuen, now recon- 
 ciled to the Court, were re-inftated with great 
 eclat in their former offices : And from this period, 
 Mr. Walpole — who being in the progrefs of royal 
 favour inverted with the Order of the Garter, 
 afTumed the title of Sir Robert Walpole — muft be 
 regarded as Prime Minifler f . Through the judi- 
 cious 
 
 * The King, as the Countefs of Chefterfield, who was pre- 
 fent on the occafion, related to the refpe&able Author of the 
 " Memoirs of the Earl of ChefterReld,'' received the intelli- 
 gence of this nobleman's death when at fupper ; and not being 
 able to fupprefs the emotions of his grief, he rofe from table, 
 and retired — his eyes being fuffufed with tears. Lord Stan- 
 hope died, Feb. 1 721. Sir Robert Walpole's commiffion, as 
 Firft Lord of the Treafury, bore date April 2, 1721. 
 
 ■j- Though a real and very important difference of opinion 
 was believed to exift in the Cabinet, previous to the feceffion, 
 on the fubjefr of continental politics ; the animofities of the 
 Whigs, it mult be remarked, may be traced to another and 
 
 O 1 much 
 
i?6 I GEORGE 1. 
 
 cious and vigorous refolutions adopted by Parlia- 
 ment, in purfuance of his recommendations, pub- 
 lic credit was fpeedily and effectually reflored. 
 
 Knight, 
 
 much lcfs honorable fource — the infatlable ambition of the 
 Earl of Sunderland ; whofe cabals and intrigues had, from the 
 death of the Earl of Halifax, divided the Court into two oppo- 
 fite and hoftile parties. Lord Stanhope, who poffeffed the 
 entire confidence of the King, and who had acquired a great 
 afcendency over him, was much difpofed to favor the views, 
 and was himfelf mar.ifcftly under the influence, of the artful 
 Sunderland. Walpole and Townfhend, finding themfelves ex- 
 cluded from the fecret counfels of the King, and becoming 
 every day more infignificant, determined upon a refignation ; 
 A vehement mutual refentment and averfion from this time 
 fubfifled between Stanhope and Walpole, which broke out on 
 one occafion in an altercation and reciprocal crimination in the 
 Houfe of Commons fo violent, that the Houfe was obliged to 
 interpofe its authority, to prevent any difaftrous confequences. 
 And Mr. Hungerford obferved, " that it became the members 
 of that Houfe, after the Oriental fafhion, to avert their counte- 
 nances, while thefe two great men, the Fathers of the State, 
 were thus expofing each other's nakednefs." After the difgrace 
 of Sunderland, and the death of Stanhope, no fhadow of com- 
 petition remained ; and Townfhend and Walpole were inverted 
 with the full powers of government. But no fooner had they 
 attained the fummit of their wiflies, than a violent jealoufy arofe 
 between thefe quondam friends ; and the influence of Walpole 
 at length prevailing, Lord Townfhend, after a long-protrac~ted 
 ftruggle, refiglied his offices, and retired to his eflates in Norfolk ; 
 where he paffed his remaining years highly refpefted, amufing 
 himfelf, and benefiting the country around him, with his agri- 
 eultural experiments — to which there is an allufion in one of 
 
 Pope's 
 
K. GEORGE I. x 97 
 
 Knight, Cafhier of the South-Sea Company, for 
 the apprehending of whom a royal proclamation 
 had been iftued, had efcaped at a critical moment 
 to the Continent ; carrying with him the famous 
 Green Book, which was fuppofed to contain the 
 entire fecret of the transaction. Being arretted at 
 Tirlemont, by the vigilance of the Engliih Refident 
 at Bruffels, application was made to the Marquis 
 du Prie, Governor of the Low Countries, to deliver 
 him up to juftice. But anfwer was unexpectedly 
 made by the Imperial Court, that this could not 
 be done, confidently with the privileges of the 
 States of Brabant — for by an article of the Joyeufc 
 Entree, no perfon, againft whom a criminal ac- 
 cufation is brought, can be removed for trial out 
 of the province. It was thought that, in a cafe 
 of this momentous nature, his Imperial Majefty, 
 for whom England had conquered kingdoms, 
 might have prevailed upon the States to wave their 
 privilege : And very preffing inftances were anew 
 made, for the furrender of Knight. But, in the 
 interim, he effected a fecond efcape from the cita- 
 del of Antwerp — and in the fequel, he received 
 
 Pope's epiftolary imitations of Horace — " All Townfliend'a 
 turnips, and all Grofvenor's mines." But thefe court-intrigues 
 are amongd: thofe arcana of State, which lie too deep for 
 *' men of common minds " to difcufs. They are unfathomable 
 myftei-ies, facred as thofe of the Bona Dea : Procul este 
 
 O 3 a free 
 
i 9 S K. GEORGE I. 
 
 a free pardon. Vehement fufpicions, therefore, 
 arofe, that Knight's evidence was too decifive to 
 be produced ; and that the late Minifter had (till 
 fufficient influence to fcreen himfelf from that 
 punimment, which the whole nation believed him 
 to merit, and from which his fuperior adroitnels 
 of management only protected him. 
 
 Lord Sunderland did not long furvive his 
 cufmifiion from his high office ; but died April 
 1722, leaving behind him a character which bore 
 a finking analogy to that of his father — infidious, 
 faithlefs, ambitious, excelling in all the arts of 
 courtly addrefs, and diftinguifhed by his extent 
 of political knowlege and fagacity, though he 
 attained not to the dignity of true wifdom, which 
 is infeparably connected with re&itude of heart 
 and conduct. Nearly at the fame time expired 
 the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough, 
 to whom Sunderland was clofely allied, by mar- 
 riage with his eldeft daughter. So variously has the 
 character of this great man been delineated, that it 
 is no eafy talk clearly to afcertain the truth. With 
 refpect to political probity, however, he feems not 
 inferior to the generality of his coremporaries. 
 lie has been accufed of bafe ingratitude in the defer- 
 tion of his royal mailer and benefactor, King James 
 II. But this defertion took place at a time when it 
 was not unattended with danger : And there appears 
 in his conducl: at that great political crifis, nothing 
 
 incon- 
 
K. GEORGE I. 199 
 
 inconfiftent with the fuppofition, thnt his motives 
 were laudable and patriotic. And furely no pri- 
 vate obligation can be of force, to fuperfede the 
 duties we owe to our country. It is, indeed, far 
 more difficult to juftify the correfpondence which 
 he afterwards carried on with the abdicated 
 monarch : But this guilt he appears to have 
 fhared with fo many other diftinguifhed, and, 
 upon the whole, refpectable perfons ; that it can- 
 not be imputed to him as a fubject of pecuiar re- 
 proach. The truth is, that a fecret fufpicion and 
 apprehenfion pervading the minds of the bulk of 
 the nation, that the exiled family, would, by fome 
 revolution in politics, be one day reflored, as in 
 the perfon of King Charles II. it had once before 
 been; many, perhaps a majority of thofe who 
 acted a confpicuous part in public life, allowed 
 themfelves, by a too lax political morality, to 
 entertain a clandeftine correfpondence with the 
 Court of St. Germaine's, with a view to avert 
 the effeds of its indignation, in cafe the actual 
 ftate of things mould be reverfed, but who were 
 far from wifhing to contribute to the acceleration 
 of fuch a cataftrophe. And it is evident that the 
 Court of St. Germaine's was the perpetual dupe 
 of thefe egregious artifices. The military talents 
 of the Duke of Marlborough tranfcend all praife, 
 and may be fet with advantage in competition with 
 O 4 thofq 
 
20o K. G E O R G E I. 
 
 thofe of any commander antient or modern * . To 
 Marlborough alone, no one has ventured to impute 
 either error or misfortune. In his political capa- 
 city, he was a mofl able and fuccefsful negotiator : 
 And though, in confequence of his early initiation 
 into the brilliant and diffipated circles of the Court, 
 neceflarily and grofsly illiterate ; all defects of this 
 nature were more than compenfated by the native 
 excellence of his understanding, the fafcination of 
 his manners, and his profound knowlege of 
 mankind — the fruit, not of abstract fpeculation, 
 but of aclual obfervation and long experience. 
 His perfon was eminently graceful, and his coun- 
 tenance noble and engaging : His difpofition was 
 mild, his deportment affable, and the general 
 tenor of his private and focial life regular and 
 unblemiihed. He has been, indeed, ufually repre- 
 fented as deeply tinctured with the vice of avarice : 
 But though he was, doubtlefs, eager in the accu- 
 mulation of riches, it does not appear that he 
 degraded the dignity of his ftation and character, 
 
 # When Prince Eugene was in England, during the ad 
 miniftration of Lord Oxford, being one day entertained at the 
 table of the Lord Treafurer, that Miniiter politely remarked, 
 that he might congratulate himfelf on having for his guelt the 
 firft General in Europe : To which his Highncfs, i:i allufion 
 to the recent difgrace of the Duke of Marlborough, replied, 
 That if it were fo, it was to his Lord/hip he was indebted for 
 the pre-eminence. 
 
 by 
 
K. GEORGE I. 201 
 
 by the parfimony of his expences. And he is 
 known to have refilled with firmnefs and magna- 
 nimity the immenfe offers made to him in the 
 name of Louis XIV. by the Marquis dc Torcy 
 at the conferences of Gertruydenberg. In the lad 
 rears of his life he exhibited an affecting proof of 
 the imbecility of human nature and the vanity of 
 human greatnefs* — leaving upon the public mind 
 an impreflion of companion, which the unex- 
 ampled pomp of his funeral obfequies did not tend 
 to weaken. 
 
 A vehement controverfy having recently arifen 
 on the fubjecl of the Trinity, chiefly in confe- 
 quence of the learned tracls publifhed in oppofition 
 
 to the eftablifhed doclrine bv the famous Profeffor 
 
 j 
 
 Whifton, the Univerfity of Oxford in full convo- 
 cation refolved " that the folemn thanks of that 
 body mould be returned to the Earl of Nottingham, 
 for his moft noble defence of the Catholic faith, 
 contained in his anfwer to Mr. Whifton's letter 
 concerning the eternity of the Son of God and of 
 the Holy Ghoft." And at the inftance of this 
 theological Statefman, a Bill was introduced into 
 the Houfe of Peers for the fuppreffion of blafphemy 
 
 * " In life's laft fcene what prodigies furprize ! 
 Fears of the brave, and follies of the wife ! 
 From Marlborough's eyes the ftreams of dotage flow, 
 And Swift expires — a driveller and a fhow.'' 
 
 Johnson's Im» cf Juv. Sat. 10. 
 
 and 
 
2 p2 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 and profanenefs; which enacted, that if any one 
 fpoke or wrote againft the Being of a God, the 
 divinity of Jefus Chrifl or the Holy Ghoft, the 
 doctrine of the Trinity, the truth of the Chriftian 
 religion, or the divine infpiration of the fcriptures, 
 he mould fuffer imprifonment for an indefinite 
 term, unlefs in a certain form prefcribed he mould 
 publicly renounce and abjure his errors. And by 
 a claufe in this Bill, the Archbifhops and Bifhops 
 within their refpective jurifdiclions, and the Juf- 
 tices of Peace in their feveral counties at their 
 quarter feffion, were authorized to fummon any 
 Diflenting Teacher, and to require his fubfcription 
 to a declaration of faith containing the articles 
 above enumerated ; and upon his refufal, it was 
 enacted, that he mould be ipfo facto deprived of 
 rhe benefit of the Act of Toleration. The Lords 
 being fummoned on the fecond reading of this Bill 
 (May 1 721), Dr. Wake, Archbifhop of Canter- 
 bury, fealed his apoftacy from the principles of 
 civil and religious liberty, by moving to have it 
 committed. Upon which Lord Onflow rofe, and 
 declared " that though he was himfelf zealoufly 
 attached to the doctrines of the Church of Eng- 
 land, he would never confent to fupport even the 
 truth itfelf by perfecution ; and he moved that the 
 Bill might be thrown out.'* He was feconded 
 by the Duke of Wharton, who faid, that having 
 been himfelf frequently accufed of impiety and ir- 
 
 reltgiori, 
 
K. GEORGE I. 203 
 
 relio-lon*, he conceived that he could not more 
 effe&ually vindicate his character from thefe im- 
 putations, than by oppofmg to the utmoft a 
 
 meafure 
 
 * This is the Nobleman whofe character is fo happily deli- 
 neated by Pope, in his Epiftle to Lord Vifcount Cobhara: 
 — " Wharton the (corn and wonder of our days, 
 Whofe ruling paffion is the luft of praife, 
 Born with whate'er could win it from the wife ; 
 Women and fools muft like him — or he dies. 
 Though wondering Senates hung on all he fpokc f 
 The Club muft hail him mafter of the joke. 
 Shall parts fo various aim at nothing new ? 
 He'll fhine a Tully and a Wilmot too. 
 Thus with each gift of nature or of art, 
 And wanting nothing but an honeft heart, 
 Grown all to all — from no one vice exempt, 
 And moft contemptible, to fhun contempt; 
 His pafiion ft 111 to covet general praife, 
 His life to forfeit it a thoufand ways- 
 He dies fad outcaft of each Church and State ; 
 And, harder ft ill — flagitious, yet net great.'' 
 
 There feems a remarkable refemblance between the character of 
 this Nobleman and that of the laft Villiers Duke of Buck- 
 ingham, defcribed with fuch mafterly ftrokes of genius under 
 the appellation of Zimri in Dryden's Abfalom and Ahitophel, 
 and like him, 
 
 " Beggar'd by fools-r-whom ftill he found too late ; 
 
 He had his jeft — and they had his eftate." 
 On leaving England with a ruined conftitution and fortune, he 
 entered into the fervice of the Pretender then patronized by 
 the Court of Madi id ; and receiving, when in that city, a letter 
 from his Sovereign the King of England, commanding his 
 
 return 
 
204 K. G E R G E I, 
 
 meafure fo repugnant to the fpirit of Chriftianity. 
 And taking a bible from his pocket, he excited 
 the amazement of the Houfe by reading with much 
 gravity many paflages from the facred volume, 
 containing exhortations to univerfal charity, meek- 
 nefs, and mutual forbearance. The Earl of Peter- 
 borough, with uncommon boldnefs and happinefs 
 of expreifion, declared, that though he was for a 
 Parliamentary King, he was not for a Parliament- 
 ary God or a Parliamentary Religion ; and that 
 if this Bill were to pafs, he mould be ambitious of 
 a feat in the Conclave of Cardinals, as more ho- 
 norable than that which he occupied in the Britifh 
 Houfe of Peers. Dr. Kennet, Bifhop of Peterbo- 
 rough, protefted, that he never would be con- 
 cerned in the execution of fuch a law — and he 
 earneftly hoped that his brethren on the bench 
 would not concur in the eftablifhment of a 
 Protestant Inquisition. The Lords Cowper 
 andTownfhend alfo fpoke with much ability againfl 
 this infamous and execrable Bill; by which a pre- 
 tended regard for the honor of religion was, as 
 ufual, made a pretext for the gratification of the 
 
 return home, he is faid to have thrown it fcornfully out of the 
 coach window. After running a rapid and aftonifhing career 
 of profligacy and extravagance, he expired — " with not a friend 
 to dole his eyes," at a convent near Terragona in Spain, 
 A. D. 1 73 1, when he had not completed the thirty-fecon,4 
 yeir of his age, 
 
 moft 
 
L GEORGE I. 205 
 
 Xnoft malignant paffions — a Bill, which openly and 
 impudently avowed and adopted the mofl profli- 
 gate practices of the Romifh church — and the 
 principle of which, if once admitted, would lead to 
 all the horrors of the rack, the flake, and the 
 wheel *. It was on the other hand fupported by 
 the Earl of Nottingham, the Lords Bathurft and 
 
 Trevor, 
 
 * It has been juftly obferved, that every man difclaims the 
 character and appellation of a perfecutor. Gardiner and 
 Bonner doubtlefs profeffed themfelves animated not by a fpirit 
 of perfecution, but of holy %eal for the prefervation of the Ca- 
 tholic faith in its genuine purity. And if the Earl of Not- 
 tingham had been left to decide upon the fate of the learned 
 Profeffor his antagonift, he might very poffibly have had the 
 moderation and candor to fay, in the words of the well-known 
 epiftle of King James I. to the States of Holland, in relation to 
 the famous Vorftius, " that he would not prefume politively to 
 pronounce what refolutions it might be proper to take refpecting 
 him ; but surely never heretic better deserved the 
 flames." On account of his temporary junftion with the 
 Whigs during the adminiftration of Oxford, the Earl of Not- 
 tingham is fatirized in various jeux-d'e/prit of Swift, under 
 the appellation of Dismal. A humorous parody of the cele 
 brated fpeech of this Nobleman, in oppofition to the Treaty of 
 Utrecht, thus concludes : 
 
 " Since the Tories have thus difappointed my hopes, 
 And will neither regard my figures nor tropes, 
 VYLfpeecb againft peace while Dismal's my name, 
 And be a true Whig, while I am — not-in-game.'' 
 
 In the " Windfor Prophefy" he is ftyled, in allufion to his 
 name and original title, Baron Finch of Daventry, " the tall 
 
 black 
 
2o5 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 Trevor, the Bifhops of London, Winch eft er, 
 Litchfield and Coventry, and various others. But 
 on a divifion, the Bill was rejected by a majority 
 of fixty voices againft thirty-one. 
 
 At this period died Pope Clement XI. who had 
 fat in the papal chair above twenty years — a man 
 refpectable for his talents, but haughty, inflexible, 
 and zealoufly devoted to the interefts of the Houfe 
 of Stuart. He was fucceeded by Benedict XIII. 
 of the Houfe of Conti. 
 
 Although the pernicious tendency of the con- 
 tinental connections of England had been the 
 conftant theme of Mr. Walpole's eloquence while 
 in oppofition to the Court, one of the firfl: mea- 
 fures of his adminift'ration was to move for a fub- 
 fidy to Sweden, with whom an alliance oftenfive 
 and defenfive had been juft concluded — a Britifh 
 fquadron being alfo at this very time cruifing in 
 the Baltic for the protection of that kingdom 
 againft the defigns of Ruflia. So that, as Lord 
 Molefworth obferved, " We were not only required 
 
 black Davcntry Bird." And ia the ballad on the furrender of 
 Dunkirk lie is again complimented : 
 
 " Sunderland's run out of his wits, 
 And Dismal double-difmal looks ; 
 
 Wharton can only fvvcar by fits, 
 And ftrutting Hal is o(T the hooks. 
 
 Old Godolphin, full of fplcen, 
 
 Made falfc moves and loll his Queen.'* 
 
 to 
 
K. GEORGE L 207 
 
 to aflifl: the Swedes with whom we had been fo 
 long at variance, but to purchafe at an enormous 
 price the permiffion to aiiill them. His Lordfhip 
 affirmed, that our engagements were inconfiflent 
 and contradictory — that our politics were not only 
 variable, but incomprehenfible to every man who, 
 knowing merely the ftate of Great Britain, was 
 unapprized of the feveral petty intcrefls of the 
 Electorate, which were the fecret fprings of our 
 tranfactions abroad — that we were in turn the 
 allies and the dupes of all nations— that if fuch 
 folicitude for the refloration of the conqueits made 
 by Ruflia upon Sweden were reafonable, it was 
 incumbent upon Hanover to fet the example by 
 the reftoration of Bremen and Verden, and of 
 Pruflia our ally by that of Pomerania — that what- 
 ever might be the connections or engagements of 
 Hanover, Great Britain had neither any interefl 
 nor any right to intermeddle in the affairs of the 
 Empire, and that the friendfhip or enmity of the 
 powers of the Baltic was of little importance to 
 England, as we procured nothing from the king- 
 doms of the North which we could not with more 
 advantage import from our own colonies in 
 America, were proper encouragement held out to 
 them. His Lordfhip acknowleged that the dif- 
 treffed condition to which the Swedes were reduced 
 would be really worthy of ccmpaffion, could we 
 forget that they had been the authors in a great 
 3 meafure 
 
aoS K. GEORGE I. 
 
 meafure of their own misfortunes, by their tame 
 fubmimon to a defpotic tyrannical Prince, who 
 had facrificed their fubflance in purfuit of his rafh 
 and unjuft defigns ; and that any nation which 
 followed their example deferved the fame fate. — 
 His Lordfhip touched on the affairs of the Dutchy 
 of Mecklenburg, which he infmuated to have been 
 the fecret caufe of the rupture with the Czar ; and 
 entered into a detail of the treaties of Rofchild 
 and Travendahl, in order to fhew how widely we 
 had deviated from engagements of which we were 
 ourfelves the guarantees. His Lordfhip faid he 
 would go as far as any man to maintain and fup- 
 port the honor and dignity of the Crown of 
 Great Britain, but he would never confent to 
 fquander, in the mode now recommended, what yet 
 remained of the wealth and refources of the nation." 
 The vote of fupply at length paffed, not without 
 much angry objection and difficulty. The terms 
 of the treaty of peace with Spain alfo, when laid 
 before Parliament (October 1721), underwent very 
 fevere cenfure. It was faid, that as the war was 
 undertaken without provocation, fo the peace was 
 concluded without advantage — that the Spanifh 
 fleet had been attacked without any declaration of 
 war, while amicable negotiations were carrying on 
 at Madrid : And by an article of the treaty, we 
 now fubmitted to the reproachful condition ot 
 reftoring the fhips fo captured, or of paying the 
 
 full 
 
K. GEORGE I. 209 
 
 full value of thofe previoufly difpo r ed of: That 
 the trade with Spain, which conftituted one of the 
 mod valuable branches of the Britiih commerce, 
 had been interrupted and endangered, and the m- 
 terefts of England wantonly and daringly Sacrificed 
 to an obftinate predilection for that Germanic 
 fyftem of politics with which we had no national 
 concern : That the navy debt was increafed to an 
 immenfe amount, by keeping feumen in pay in 
 order to maintain fleets in the Mediterranean and 
 the Baltic, not for the fervice of Great Britain, 
 but for the prefervation of the King's acquifitions 
 in the Empire. The Court however, now 
 flrengthened by the recent coalition of the Whigs, 
 fet all oppofition at defiance, and the new Minifter 
 foon proved himfelf fuperior to all his predecefTors 
 in the art of adroit and dextrous parliamentary 
 management. 
 
 In the courfe of this feffion a fingular petition 
 was prefented to Parliament from that refpe&able 
 clafs of citizens known by the appellation of 
 Quakers. It is a well-known tenet of this feci:, 
 diftinguifhed by its harmlefs peculiarities, that 
 oaths even judicially adminiftered are in their own 
 nature unlawful ; and the Legiflature had long fince 
 wifely and indulgently parTed an A6t to render 
 their folemn affirmation in all matters of civil con- 
 cern, equivalent to an oath. The object of the 
 prefent application was the omiflion of the words 
 
 Vol. I. P « in 
 
210 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 •* in the prefence of Almighty God," in the legal 
 form of that affirmation ; it being juflly alleged, 
 that while thofe words remained, the eflence of an 
 oath was preferved. The Court, ever ready under 
 this reign to extend and eftablifh the civil and re- 
 ligious privileges of the fubject, countenanced and 
 fupported this application, and a Bill for this pur- 
 pofe pafTed the Houfe of Commons without diffi- 
 culty. But in its paffage through the Houfe of 
 Lords, the fpirit of bigotry, now awakened from 
 its tranfient fl umber, difplayeu itfelf in all its 
 malignity. Dr. Atterbury Bifhop of Rochester 
 obferved, that he knew not why fuch a diftin- 
 guifhing mark of indulgence mould be allowed to 
 a fet of people who were hardly C'lriftians. And 
 a petition was prefented by the Archbifhop of 
 York to the Houfe, from the London Clergy, 
 " expreffing a ferious concern left the minds of 
 good men mould be grieved and wounded, and the 
 enemies of Chriftianity triumph when they mould 
 fee fuch condefcenfion made by a Chriftian Legifla- 
 ture to a fet of men who renounce the divine in- 
 stitutions of Chriftianity, particularly that by which 
 the faithful are initiated into this religion, and de- 
 nominated Chriftians " This petition was rejected 
 by the Houfe, not without fymptoms of difguft 
 and contempt : And the Bill finally pafled, though 
 accompanied with a proteft figned by feveral Lords 
 eager to record their own difgrace and folly. 
 
 The 
 
K. GEORGE I, 211 
 
 The firft Septennial Parliament of Great Britain 
 was diffolved March 1722, and early in the enfu- 
 ing month of October the King opened the new 
 Parliament with a fpeech from the throne, in 
 which he exprefted his concern in being obliged 
 to inform them, that a dangerous confpiracy had 
 been for fome time paft formed, and was flill car- 
 rying on, againft his perfon and government, in 
 favor of the Pretender. His Majefly declared that 
 the difcoveries made at home, the information ob- 
 tained from his minifters abroad, and the intelli- 
 gence received from the various Powers in alliance 
 with him in different parts of Europe, had afforded 
 him ample and concurrent proofs of this wicked 
 defign. Some of the confpirators were already, 
 he added, fecured, and endeavors ufed for appre- 
 hending others — and he referred to the wifdom of 
 Parliament the meafures neceffary to be taken for 
 the fafety of the kingdom — expreffing at the fame 
 time his firm belief that the hopes and expectations 
 of their common enemies were very ill founded, 
 in fuppofing that the difcontents occafioned by the 
 loffes and misfortunes of individuals, however in- 
 duflrioufiy fomented, were turned into difaffedion 
 and a fpirit of rebellion. " Had I, faidthis monarch, 
 in very animated and dignified language, fmce my 
 acceflion to the throne ever attempted any inno- 
 vation in our eftablifhed religion ; had I in any 
 one inflance invaded the liberty or property of my 
 
 P 2 fubjecls, 
 
212 K. GEO ROE I. 
 
 fubjects, I mould lefs wonder at any endeavor to 
 alienate the affections of my people, and draw them 
 into meaiures that can end in nothing but their 
 own deftruction. But to hope to perfuade a free 
 people, in full enjoyment of all that is dear and 
 valuable to them, to exchange freedom for flavery, 
 the Proteftant religion for Popery, and to facrifice 
 at once the price of fo much blood and treafure 
 as have been fpent in defence of our prefent efta- 
 blilhment, feems an infatuation not to be accounted 
 for. — Your own intereft and welfare call upon you 
 to defend yourfelves. — I rely upon the Divine pro- 
 tection, the fupport of my Parliament, and the 
 affections of my people, which I fhall endeavor to 
 preferve by continuing to make the laws of the 
 realm the rule and meafure of all my actions. " 
 On the communication of this intelligence, a verv 
 great and general alarm was excited in the nation. 
 A confiderable augmentation of the forces was 
 immediately voted ; the Habeas- corpus Act was 
 fufpended, contrary to all precedent, for no lefs 
 than twelve months. On the requifition of the 
 King, a body of troops was held by the States- 
 General in readinefs to embark from Holland, and 
 fix regiments were Iikewife ordered from Ireland. 
 And both Houfes joined in expreiiing the flrongeft 
 deteflation and abhorrence of this " traitorous and 
 unnatural confpiracy." Mr. Walpole alfirmed to the 
 Houfe, " that this wicked defign was formed about 
 
 Chriftmas 
 
K. GEORGE 1. 2ij 
 
 Chriftmas Ian: ; that the confpirators had made 
 application to certain foreign potentates for troops, 
 but being difappointed in their expectation from 
 abroad, they had refolved defperately to go on, 
 confiding in their own ftrength, and fondly de- 
 pending upon the general difcpntent and confufion 
 excited by the failure of the fatal South-Sea project; 
 that the plan was to feize upon the Tower, the 
 Bank, and the Exchequer, and to fecure by vio- 
 lence the perfons of the King and the Prince ; 
 that Government had received information of this 
 plot ever fince May laft, but two terms coming at 
 that time together, it was thought advifable to 
 poilpone the apprehending of the confpirators till 
 the long vacation, that no advantage might be 
 taken of the Habeas-corpus Act. An exact account 
 of this deteftable confpiracy he allured the Houfe 
 would in time be laid before them " But the 
 plot itfelf feems to have been difcovered while yet 
 in embryo, and it is probable that no regular pro- 
 ject of invafion or iiifurrection had been digefled 
 or matured ; nor have the circumltances explana- 
 tory either of its nature or extent ever been clearly 
 developed. Various perfons, however, of high 
 diftinction, amongff. whom were the Duke of 
 Norfolk and the Lords Orrery, North, and Grey, 
 were apprehended on a very lirong prefumption of 
 their concurrence in this confpiracy. Pains and 
 penalties were inflicted by Act of Parliament on 
 
 P 3 fever a! 
 
214 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 feveral of the confpirators. But one only fuffered 
 capital punifhment — Chriftopher Layer, a Bar- 
 rifter of the Temple, convicted of high treafon in 
 enlifling men for the fervice of the Pretender, 
 He was repeatedly reprieved, and much endeavor 
 was ufed to procure from him a full confeffion ; 
 hut he perfifled in a refolute refufal. Beyond 
 companion, however, the trial which attracted 
 moft of the public attention was that of the cele- 
 brated Atterbury Bifhop of Rochefter, who was 
 found to be a party in this confpiracy, or at lead 
 confidentially privy to it : And he was, by a Bill 
 which paffed both lloufes by great majorities, de- 
 prived of his epifcopal dignity, and fentenced to 
 perpetual banifhment. Mr. Yonge, the mover of 
 the Bill, declared this Prelate to be a difgrace and 
 difhonor to a Church confpicuous for its loyalty ; 
 that his holy function and elevated ftation, with 
 the folemn oaths he had taken, were the moft un- 
 pardonable aggravations of his crime ; and he 
 concluded with applying to him the denunciation 
 authorized by warrant of holy writ — " Let his 
 habitation be defolate, and let no man dwell 
 therein, and his bifhopric let another take." 
 The declaration of the Pretender, framed for the 
 occafion, and dated from Lucca, was by both 
 Houfes voted to be a falfe, infolent, and traitorous 
 libel, and ordered to be burnt at the Ro v al 
 change. In this declaration the Pretender, with 
 
 fmgular 
 
K. GEORGE I. 215 
 
 fmgular modefty.and all the appearance cf gravity, 
 propofed, that if King George would relinquifh to 
 him the throne of Great Britain, he would in 
 return confent to his retaining the title of King in 
 his native dominions, and would invite all other 
 States to confirm it : And he likewife mo it graci- 
 oufly engaged to leave to King George his fuccef- 
 fion to the Britifh dominions fecure, whenever, in 
 due courfe, his natural right mould take place. 
 An addrefs was prefented to the Throne by the 
 two Houfes, expreffing their " aftonifhment at the 
 extravagant prefumption of this declaration, and 
 repeating their aifurances to fupport his Majefty 
 againft the impotent efforts of an attainted fugitive, 
 bred up in the maxims of tyranny and fuperfti- 
 tion." The proofs in fupport of the charge 
 againft the Bifliop of Rocheiler being fo me what 
 deficient in legal precifion, though fufficiently 
 clear to induce an entire conviction of his guilt, 
 much clamor was excited by the Bill of Banifh- 
 ment paired by the Commons againft him; though, 
 had not a fpirit of lenity pervaded the proceedings 
 of Government on this occafion, he would fcarcely 
 have efcaped a Bill of Attainder. When it came 
 under the difcuflion of the Lords, the Duke of 
 Wharton, in a fpeech of uncommon ability, ex- 
 pofed what he ftyled the weaknefs, infufficiency, 
 and contradiction of the evidence againft the 
 Bifliop j and added, that fuch proceedings, like the 
 
 P 4 itone 
 
216 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 ftone of Syfiphus, frequently rolled back on thofc 
 who were the chief promoters of them. Lord 
 Cowper, now in oppofition to the Court, enlarged 
 much on the danger and injuftice of fwerving 
 from the fixed rules of evidence. He affirmed, 
 " that the penalties inflicted by this Bill were either 
 much greater or much lets than the Bilhop de- 
 fended ; that whatever might be the nature or 
 extent of the accufation, the law of the land and 
 the eftablifhed forms of judicial procedure ought 
 to be ftricTtly adhered to, not only in the courts 
 below, but in the high court of Parliament itfelf ; 
 that every Englifhman had a right to a trial by 
 law ; that this was in a more efpecial manner the 
 privilege of a Peer of the Realm. And the poli- 
 tical neceflity which was alleged in vindication of 
 this meafure he did not believe to exill ; the 
 Government was fufficiently fecured by the powers 
 veiled in the Crown in confequence of the fuf- 
 penfion of the Habeas-corpus A£t, and the addi- 
 tional troops raifed for its defence." And Lord 
 Bathurft, in the courfe of an eloquent fpeech on the 
 fame fide, turning to the Bench of Bifhops, far- 
 caflically remarked, " that he could not account 
 for the inveterate hatred and malice which fome 
 perfons bore the learned and ingenious Bilhop of 
 Rochefter, unlefs they were intoxicated with the 
 infatuation of certain tribes of favage Indians, who 
 believed they inherited not only the fpoils but 
 
 even 
 
K. GEORGE I. 2i 7 
 
 even the abilities of any great enemy whom they 
 killed in battle.'' Notwithftanding the reafonings 
 of Lord Covvper, it feems erroneous and unfafe 
 to deny the general pofition, that deviations from 
 the eftablifhed forms of judicial procedure in. 
 extraordinary cafes are juftifiable, and even necef- 
 fary, where the public fafety is concerned — provided 
 that the executive juflice of the State depart not 
 from that fubjlantial juflice which is founded in the 
 nature of things. So entirely oppofite were now the 
 politics of France from thofe which had prevailed in 
 the late reign, that upon this occafion the Regent 
 offered twenty battalions of veteran troops to the 
 King of Great Britain, in order to defend his per* 
 fon and government againft the attempts of that 
 family which Louis XIV. had employed the whole 
 force of his kingdom to protect and reftore — but 
 this offer it was judged prudent to decline. 
 
 That the vengeful and mercilefs fpirit by which 
 the Whigs had been actuated when firft reftored to 
 power, wa9 now, notwithftanding the pretended 
 rigor of the late proceedings, mod fenfibly abated, 
 the reverfal at this period of the Act of Attainder 
 paffed againft Lord Bolingbroke, is a decifive 
 proof. The Bifnop of Rochefter, on his arrival 
 at Calais, hearing that Lord Bolingbroke was 
 waiting there for a paffage, exclaimed, with an 
 emotion from which much was inferred, " Then 
 
 we 
 
2i8 K, GEORGE f. ' 
 
 we are exchanged." This nobleman however, 
 though reftored to his honors and paternal eftate, 
 was ftill excluded from a feat in the Houfe of 
 Peers, through the inflexible oppofition of the 
 Minifter, who clearly difcerned and dreaded the 
 confequences which might eventually refult from 
 the irrefiftible force of his eloquence and talents, 
 when exerted in that grand field of action. Fired 
 with ambition to refume his former Ration in pub- 
 lic life, and a philofopher only through neceflity, 
 he cherifhed a fixed and mortal refentment againfl 
 Sir Robert Walpole ; and regardlefs of his recent 
 obligations, in a fhort time joined with eagernefs 
 that oppofition to his adminiftration, fo celebrated 
 for the abilities of its members, and which began 
 now to afTume a regular and fyftematic form. The 
 chagrin of Lord Bolingbroke was undoubtedly 
 enhanced by feeing his former coadjutors in office, 
 Lord Oxford and Lord Harcourt, in full polfeffion 
 of thofe high privileges which he vainly and incef- 
 fantly pined to regain. The latter of thefe noblemen 
 was even received into an high degree of favor at 
 Court ; which, it is faid, occafioning fome fevere re- 
 flections from the paflionate lips of Atterbury, Lord 
 Harcourt was provoked to retaliate, by declaring, 
 that on the Queen's death the Bifhop came to him 
 and Lord Bolingbroke, and faid, nothing remained 
 but immediately to proclaim King James— olier- 
 3 * n S» 
 
K. GEORGE I. 219 
 
 ing, if they would give him a guard, to put on 
 his lawn fleeves, and head the procefiion *. 
 
 Early 
 
 * This celebrated Prelate, his learned friend Dr. Smalridge, 
 on prefenting him, A. D. 17 10, to the Upper Koufe of Con- 
 vocation, as Prolocutor, moll elegantly ftyles, " Vir in nullo 
 literarum genere hofpes, in plerifque artibus et ftudiis diu et 
 feliciter exercitatus — in maxime perfecfis literarum difciplinis 
 perfectifiimus.'' His eloquence and learning, none, indeed, 
 have prefumed to difpute ; and his public chai-a&er has all that 
 dignity which arifes from firmnefs and confflency. Of the 
 violence and virulence of his temper he gave early proof, in his 
 reply to the famous treatife of Dr. Waxe, " On the Autho- 
 rity of Chriilian Princes, and the Rights, Powers, and Privi- 
 leges of Convocations-:" " Were (fays he) all that Dr. 
 Wake affirms, ftriclly true and juftifiable, yet whether laboring 
 the point fo heartily as he does, and (hewing himfelf to be fo 
 willing to prove the Church to have no rights and privileges, 
 be a very decent part in a clergyman, I leave his friends to 
 conlider. But when all a man advances, is not only ill-defigned, 
 but ill-founded, and his principles are as falfe as they are fcan- 
 dalous, there are no names and cenfures roo bad to be bellowed 
 on fuch writers and their writings." One cannot fuificiently 
 admire the effrontery cf the iniinuation, that whether the au- 
 thority claimed by the Church be well or ill-founded, it is at 
 all events incumbent on the clergy, as fitch, to defend and fupport 
 it. For this performance an honorary degree was conferred upon 
 Atterbury by the Univerfity of Oxford. But in animadverting 
 upon it, Bifhop Burnet happily remarks, " that the applauk 
 with which it was received, when the temper and fpirit with 
 which it is written are confidered, forms a much flronger argu- 
 ment agaill the expediency of a Convocation, than any he brings 
 or can bring in favor of it." And Dr. Wake himfelf declared, 
 ^ that fuch a fpirit of wrath and un,charitablenefs pervaded the 
 
 whole 
 
220 L GEORGE I. 
 
 Early in the prefent fefiion, a Bill which occu- 
 pied much of the attention of Parliament, and was 
 kept long depending in the Houfe, was introduced 
 and fupported by the Minifter, for levying the funi 
 of one hundred thoufand pounds on the eflates of 
 all Roman Catholics, upon pretext of " the conftant 
 
 whole book, as he had hardly ever met with before ; though, to 
 do no injuftice to his adverfary, he admits that Dr. Atterbury 
 has done all that a man of parts and zeal could do, to defend 
 the caufe he has efpoufed. One thing only was wanting : 
 He had not truth on his fide — his work is a mere ro- 
 mance." In 1703, when the principles of Whiggifm began 
 to predominate, Hooper Dean of Canterbury, a man diitin- 
 guifhedby the fteadinefs of his attachment to them, was, by an 
 unexpected and unfolicited nomination, raifed to the bifhoprie 
 of St. Afaph, " with a view (as Dr. Atterbury tells his friend 
 Trelawney Bifhop of Exeter), as he fuppofes, to take the lead 
 in the adminiftration of ecclefiailical affairs ; in which cafe, fays 
 lie, I am fure to be oppreffed and kept under, as much as if 
 Archbiihop Tillotfon were alive and at the helm — a very ill re- 
 turn for my making that fcujjle which fet him at the head of 
 the lower clergy." But furely this was a ground of obligation, 
 on which few perfons would have thought of founding a claim 
 of gratitude. In June 1 7 1 3, the Tories being now triumphant, 
 Dr. Atterbury was advanced to the bifnopric of Rochester. His 
 fanguine hopes of attaining to the primacy were however quiek- 
 ly blafted, by the death of the Queen ; and at the acceffion of 
 King George I. he engaged, with all the fervor of party rage 
 and difappointed ambition, in the moft violent meafures of the 
 oppofition ; and was at length iniligated by paflion and re- 
 venge, to- embark in a wild and ill-condudred confpiracy, which 
 terminated in his ruin. He died at Paris, Feb. 1732. 
 
 endca- 
 
 
K. GEORGE I. 221 
 
 endeavors of thePapifts to fubvert the prefent hap- 
 py eftablifhment ; though he profefled that he would 
 not take upon him to charge any particular perfon 
 among them, with being concerned in the prefent 
 horrid confpiracy. But it was well known, that 
 many of them had been engaged in the late rebel- 
 lion ; and the prefent plot, he averred, was con- 
 trived at Rome, and the Englifh Catholics were 
 not only well-wifhers to it, but had contributed 
 large fums to carry it on. And he thought it 
 highly reafonable, that the fomenters of the pub- 
 lic difturbances mould themfelves bear the chief 
 mare of the burdens, which mud be necefTarily 
 incurred for their fuppreffion." This proportion 
 was hearkened to with extreme disapprobation, 
 and incurred heavy cenfure, not only from the 
 partizans of the Tory and Jacobite factions, but. 
 from many of the moil enlightened and intelligent 
 members of the Houfe. And it was fo ably com- 
 bated by Mr. Lutwyche in particular, in a fpeech 
 delivered on the motion of commitment, as to 
 merit a diftincl and mod honorable tranfmiffion 
 for the inftruclion of fucceeding times. 
 
 " The Gentlemen (faid this excellent citizen 
 and fenator) who have fpoken in favor of this Bill, 
 have urged the invariable and inveterate enmity 
 of the Catholics againfl the prefent eflablifhment ; 
 and have afferted, that if they did not mew them- 
 felves openly againfl the Government in the late 
 
 con- 
 
222 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 confpiracy, it proceeded from motives of prudence, 
 and not for want of zeal in the Pretender's caufe. 
 A general charge of this kind may, indeed, form 
 a fufficient ground for a preamble to a Bill of this 
 nature ; but the enacting part ought to be fupport- 
 ed by fpecific facts, clearly and plainly proved ; 
 otherwife we may involve the innocent in a punifh- 
 ment due only to the guilty. Becaufe ycwz^ of the 
 Roman Catholics are fufpecled to have been con- 
 cerned in this confpiracy, mall the whole body be 
 not only charged with the guilt, but actually fuffer 
 the penalty ? The law fuppofes every man to be 
 accountable for his own actions, and doth not re- 
 quire what is in no man's power to perform — that 
 he mould be anfwerable for the conduct of another. 
 As to the difaifection of the Catholics in the prefent 
 inftance, I appeal to the Houfe, whether any men- 
 tion is made in the Report, of any Roman Catho- 
 lic of eminence, except a noble Duke, to whom a 
 letter is fuppofed to have been written, implying 
 his knowlege and approbation of the confpiracy. 
 How unjuft then, upon fo (lender a fufpicion, to 
 inflict the feverities enacted by this law, upon 
 numerous innocent families who harbor no dan- 
 gerous defigns, and wifh for no political revolution! 
 If you abandon the ground of difaflection, and 
 make their religion, fuppofed fo inimical to that 
 eftablifhed in this country, the pretext for this 
 meafure ; it is a fpecies of perfecution odious it 
 
 itfelf, 
 
K. GEORGE I. 223 
 
 itfelf, incompatible with the honor of the legifla- 
 ture, and deftructive of the freedom and happinefs 
 of the fubjecl. Let it not be faid, that his Ma- 
 jefty's mild and gracious reign has been blemifhed 
 by an act fo rigorous, of which the evident tend- 
 ency is to confirm the obftinate in their errors, 
 and alienate the affections of the well-difpofed. 
 There has been, indeed, a political reafon affigned 
 for this meafure, deduced from its expediency; 
 and it is faid to be intended to deter the Jacobites 
 abroad from rafh enterprizes, by making their 
 friends here pay the expence which the nation 
 finds neceffary for its fecurity. As this is a reafon 
 founded on mere fpeculation, I will venture to 
 oppofe one conjecture to another. And it is 
 my opinion, that as the claims of the Pretender 
 are in themfelves unfounded and unjufl, his only 
 hope of fuccefs can be derived from the difcon- 
 tents of the people ; the more ground, therefore, 
 there is for complaint, the better profpecl he has 
 of fuccefs, and the wider fcope will be afforded to 
 the Jacobites, to aggravate the errors and faults 
 of the government. If the peaceable and quiet 
 behaviour of the Catholics does not entitle them 
 to the protection of the law — if the principle on 
 which this Bill is founded be in future adopted as 
 juft and equitable — if the moft dutiful and unre- 
 ferved fub million cannot exempt them from cri- 
 minal imputations, and even from the penalties 
 
 of 
 
224 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 of open fedition and rebellion, will they not 
 embrace any opportunity to free themfelves from 
 this intolerable tyranny, thinking that under no 
 form of government they can receive worfe treat- 
 ment ? It is alleged that, for many years pad:, 
 the legal impoiitions have not been levied from the 
 Catholics ; and that a much larger fum than the 
 prefent, is actually due from them, if the for- 
 feitures were rigoroufly exacted. The fact I will 
 not difpute : But the queftion to be refolved is — ■ 
 Why do you now change your lenity into cruelty ? 
 The executive government, it is evident, conceived 
 the terrors of the penal code to be intended for 
 fecurity, not revenge. And in confequence of 
 the peaceable demeanor of the Catholics, thefe 
 acts were virtually fufpended. If thefe flatutes 
 were, therefore, juflly and wifely difpenfed with 
 befo c, why are they to be put in execution now ? 
 At the 2era of the Revolution, the Roman Catholics 
 were far more numerous and powerful than at 
 prefent. It was well known that they held corre- 
 fpondence, and were deeply engaged in the interefts 
 of King James, who was openly fupported by 
 France. At that period, the competition for the 
 Crown was indeed of a ferious nature, and greatly 
 different from that originating from the wild and 
 extravagant pretentions of a forlorn fugitive, ex- 
 pelled from all the courts of Europe, and obliged 
 to feek for inciter and fanduary at Rome. ■ But 
 
 King 
 
K. GEORGE I. 225 
 
 Kino- William, though warned of the dangers of 
 his fituation, fully apprized of the feverity of the 
 laws enacted againfl the Papifts, and repeatedly 
 urged to carry them into ftricl: execution, refolutely 
 and conftantly refufed compliance. That great 
 Monarch knew that no free State could long fub- 
 fift in a departure from the rules of equal and im- 
 partial juftice. It has been faid, that the liberties 
 of England can never be in danger, but from the 
 Roman Catholics : The truth is, that the chief 
 danger arifes from the divifions and animofities 
 fubfiiting between the various denominations of 
 Proteftants in this country — animofities arifing 
 from an erroneous and contracted policy, and 
 perpetuated by artful and ambitious leaders for 
 their ownpurpofes, by exciting unneceffary fears and 
 groundlefs jealoulies. I know, faid this enlight-* 
 ened fenator, no better rule of government, than 
 to punilh the guilty, and to protect the innocent — 
 but precipitately to treat as criminal, a body of 
 men, becaufe you fufpecl: them to be guilty, when 
 farther inquiry and better information may prove 
 them to be innocent, is no very fatisfa&ory mode 
 of difplaying the impartiality of your proceedings. 
 Conhdering the great vigilance of the miniftry, and 
 their diligence in unravelling the mod fubtle con- 
 trivances of the confpirators, I think it very unlike- 
 ly that any confiderable foreign remittances made 
 by the Roman Catholics mould have efcaped their 
 Vol. I. Q notice. 
 
$i6 K. GEORGE t 
 
 notice. To fingle out one fet of men, therefore, 
 stnd upon a mere fuppofition to inflict penalties 
 upon them, which the cleared proof of guilt only 
 could warrant, is an act impoffible to reconcile 
 to that juflice and equity which ought invariably 
 to guide and direct the proceedings of this 
 aflembly." 
 
 This iniquitous Bill, which was, in its progrefs 
 through ( the Houfe, extended to all Nonju- 
 rors, notwithstanding thefe irrefragable reafonings, 
 finally palled by a majority of 217 againfl 168 
 Voices, and received the royal affent 5 on which 
 occafion a fpeech was made by Sir Spencer 
 Compton, the Speaker^ mewing, or at lead endea- 
 vouring to {hew, the policy and necemty of this 
 meafure, from the countenance and fupport given 
 by the Papifts and Nonjurors to the " late horrid 
 and execrable confpiracy." As no opprefhon, how- 
 ever, of a fimilar nature was afterwards attempted, 
 there is reafon to believe that the generous efforts 
 now made in the caufe of juflice and humanity, 
 were not wholly loft. And if the magnitude of the 
 fubject may be deemed not fuch as to require fo par- 
 ticular a detail, it ought to be remarked, that the 
 arguments of Mr. Lutwyche are not of a temporary 
 or local kind, but comprize truths of univerfal 
 and perpetual importance and obligation. 
 
 On the 27th of May 1723, an end was put 
 to this long and interefling Seilion by a fpeech 
 
 from 
 
K. GEORGE L 227 
 
 from the throne ; in which his Majefty expreffed in. 
 warm terms " his fatisfa&ion at the proceedings of 
 the Parliament, and in particular at thofe exertions 
 of legiflative authority which were neceffary in this 
 crifis of danger, for the punifhment of offenders, 
 whofe guilt there was no room to doubt, but 
 whofe wicked arts and practifes had been brought 
 to fuch perfection, that they confidently carried on 
 their traitorous projects in defiance of the law, 
 from an affurance of being able to elude it. Some 
 extraordinary affairs, his Majefty added, 
 calling him abroad this fummer^ he doubted not but 
 that the wifdom and vigilance of his good fubjecls 
 would prevent their common enemies from taking 
 advantage of his abfence : And that they will at 
 length ceafe to flatter themfelves with the vain 
 imagination of being able to fubvert our religion 
 and prefent eftablifhment." 
 
 About this period, Philip V. King of Spain, 
 yielding himfelf up without referve to vain and 
 fuperftitious fervors of devotion, retired to the 
 monaftery of St. Ildefonfo ; whence he made a 
 iblemn renunciation of the crowns of Caftile and 
 Arragon, in favor of his eldefl fon, Don Louis, 
 Prince of Afturias — " committing him and his 
 people to the powerful protection of the Holy 
 Virgin," under whofe aufpices the young Prince 
 ventured to aflume the reins of government, 
 without the ufual formality of affembling the 
 Q^2 Cortez. 
 
22S ft. GEORGE I. 
 
 Cortez. But, dying foon after his elevation to 
 the throne, the abdicated monarch was reluctantly 
 prevailed upon, again to encounter the cares and 
 burdens of royalty. Devoting himfelf, neverthe- 
 lefs, entirely to monkim exercifes of religion, the 
 tafk of government devolved upon the Queen ; 
 whofe influence in the Spanifh counfels had been, 
 for fome time pad, very confpicuous. 
 
 The public tranquillity being now perfectly 
 reflored, the King put in execution his refolu- 
 tion to revifit his dominions on the Continent, 
 where new and unexpected political connections 
 and combinations were taking place, by no means 
 favorable to the views and wifhes of his Britannic 
 Majefty. The enmity between Rullia and Sweden 
 had been at length terminated by a treaty con- 
 cluded at Nyftad, A. D. 1721 ; conformably to 
 which, the fertile and extenfive provinces of Livo- 
 nia, Ingria, Efthonia, and Carelia, were confirmed 
 to Ruiiia, and the barren deferts of Finland, only, 
 reitored to Sweden. This peace was quickly 
 matured into an union of counfcls and defigns, 
 which gave extreme umbrage and uneafmefs to the 
 King of England ; who, having ground to believe 
 the immediate object of this coalition to be the 
 reftoration of the Dutchy of Slefwic to the Duke 
 of Holflein, trembled for the fafety of his favorite 
 and contiguous acquisitions of Bremen and Verdeii 
 — the fecurity of all thefe poflemons refting only 
 1 on 
 
K. GEORGE I. 229 
 
 on the tottering bafis of the mutual guarantee of 
 Denmark and Hanover. After a fhort interval of 
 anxious fufpenfe, it was afcertained that the treaty 
 of Stockholm, figned February 1724, contained in 
 it a fecret article, by which the high contracting 
 parties obliged themfelves, " in the mod effectual 
 manner to ufe their good offices, for the reftoring 
 the Duke of Holftein — who was nearly related to 
 both — to the Dutchy of Slefwic ; and if thefe 
 proved ineffectual, other methods Jhould be thought 
 of. In particular, application mould be made to 
 the powers who flood engaged with them, to gua- 
 rantee the faid Dutchy to the faid Duke, of whom 
 England by the treaty of Travendahl was one — 
 leaving it more immediately to his Imperial Ma- 
 jesty, to concert fuch meafures as might with the 
 greatefl fecurity for ever cut off this fource of fuch 
 infinite troubles to the North." A vifible coldnefs 
 had for fome time fubfifted between the King of 
 England and the Emperor, who in every inftance 
 oppofed, as far as he could venture to oppofe, the 
 afpiring views of the Houfe of Lunenburg ; and 
 who perfifted in his refufal to grant the invefliture 
 of the Dutchies of Bremen and Verden, but upon 
 terms with which the King of England perfifted 
 in his refufal to comply-— the Emperor requiring, 
 as it is faid, on his part, " a refrefhing fee," to an 
 enormous amount ; and his Britannic Majefty.be- 
 ing anxioufly defirous, in contrariety to the pofitive 
 conftitutions of the Empire, and the peremptory 
 Q^ 3 declara- 
 
j 5 o K, GEORGE L 
 
 declarations of the Emperor, to include the Im- 
 perial city of Bremen in the new inveftiture. 
 Unfortunately alfo, an Imperial Eafl-India Com- 
 pany had been recently eftablifhed at Oflend, 
 which was viewed, both by England and Holland, 
 with the malignant eyes of commercial jealoufy, 
 A vote, and, in the fequel, an Aft, parTed in the 
 Britim Parliament, declaring it to be an high 
 crime and mifdemeanor for any fubject of Great 
 Britain in any manner to engage in or counte- 
 nance this undertaking j and repeated remon - 
 Itrances, much more urgent than reasonable, were 
 made by the Englifh miniftry, to induce the 
 Emperor to abandon this enterprize. 
 
 During this ftate of things in Europe died 
 Philip J)uke of Orleans, Regent of France, the 
 firm and faithful ally of the King of England*. 
 This Prince was ponelTed of mining talents, which 
 were neverthelefs greatly clouded and obfeured by 
 an extravagant propenfity to pleafure, which he 
 indulged without referve or decorum. From the 
 love of fame incident to an elevated mind, he was 
 anxious that his conduct mould appear in a favor- 
 able light to poflerity, and had formed a ferious 
 refolution of convoking the Eftates- General of the 
 kingdom, for the purpofe of effecting a grand re- 
 formation in the State, from which he was with 
 difficulty diverted by his confidential minifter and 
 
 * December 2, 1722- 
 
 favorite 
 
K. GEORGE I. 231 
 
 favorite the Cardinal Dubois *. The Regent fre- 
 quently exprefTed his indignation at the wretched 
 Hate of political degradation to which France was 
 reduced ; declaring that, had he been born a 
 commoner, he would have defended the caufe of 
 liberty againft the oppreffion of the Government, 
 But his voluptuous life and the profligacy of his 
 morals were totally incompatible with the predo- 
 minance of public virtue or public fpirit in his 
 counfels. Under the adminiftration of the Duke 
 of Bourbon his fuccefTor, the fame good under- 
 standing feemed to fubfifl between the Crowns of 
 Great Britain and France; and both Courts viewed 
 with equai aftonifhment and apprehenfion the hid- 
 den termination of the long and deeply-rooted 
 animofity of the Emperor and the King of Spain 
 by a treaty concluded at Vienna, April 1725 ; in 
 conformity to which, Spain became guarantee of 
 the Auflrian fuccefiion, according to the Prag- 
 matic Sanction f . Such was the appellation 
 
 * On this man, the abandoned high-prieft and companion of 
 the nocturnal orgies of the Regent, the following epitaph was 
 written : 
 
 Rome rougit d'avoir rougi 
 Le maquereau qui git ici, 
 
 •f The term, " pragmatic, 1 ' univerfally applied to this fa- 
 jnous edict, is ufed in a fenfe fo uncommon, that it may be 
 pardonable, en pajfant, to remark its derivation from the Greek 
 ^ay^aTjHo,-, carrying with it the complex meaning of a public 
 fcnd weighty fanction. 
 
 0^4 given 
 
232 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 given to the Imperial edict, confirmed and ratified 
 by the Diet of the Empire, by which the vaft do- 
 minions of that Houfe were declared to be a per- 
 petual and indivifible feoffment limited to the 
 heirs-general of the prefent Emperor. And the 
 Emperor, on his part, granted the inveftiture of 
 the Dutchies of Tufcany, Parma, and Placentia, 
 to the eldefl: fon of Philip V. by his prefent Queen, 
 in default of heirs in the actual pofleflors. High 
 oifence had been recently given by the Court of 
 Verfailles to the Court of Madrid, by the difmiffal 
 of the young Infanta of Spain, affianced to the 
 King of France, but to whom that monarch had 
 conceived a diflike approaching to averfion. The 
 Spanifh Court not only in the firft emotions of 
 its anger fent back to France Mademoifelle de 
 Beaujolois, daughter of the late Regent,, and be- 
 trothed to Don Carlos, fecond fon of his Catholic 
 Majefty ; but offered, in its eager folicitude of re- 
 venge, to adjuil all exifting differences with the 
 Emperor, under the fole mediation of Great Bri- 
 tain. But at this propofition, fo flattering and 
 advantageous in various refpecls, the King of 
 England was compelled to hefitate ; knowing that 
 this mediation could not be accepted without ex- 
 citing the extreme umbrage and jealoufy of France; 
 and the treaty was fuddenly and unexpectedly 
 figned without the intervention of any other 
 power. To this treaty the Court of Peterfburg, 
 
 alter 
 
K. GEORGE I. 233 
 
 after an interval of deliberation and delay, acceded : 
 And military preparations were made by all thefe 
 Courts, which were fuppofed to indicate farther 
 defigns than it was yet thought proper to avow. 
 
 To counterbalance the weight of this confedera- 
 cy, a fnnilar treaty of alliance was figned atHanover, 
 Sept. 1 725, betvveenEngland, France, Denmark, and 
 Pruflia ; to which Holland and Sweden afterwards 
 acceded. When this treaty was communicated to the 
 Englilh Parliament, which met January 1726, after 
 twofucceffive quiet and tranquil feffions, demanding 
 no diftincl hiftoric notice, it was ftrongly urged, 
 " that the Britifh nation would be eventually en- 
 gaged by it in a war for the defence of the King's 
 German dominions, contrary to an exprefs pro- 
 vifion made in the Act of Settlement, which, as 
 the bafis the prefent family relied their title to the 
 Crown upon, ought to be held facred and inviola- 
 ble. And the whole fcope and tenor of it was faid 
 to be diametrically oppofed to the uniform policy 
 of Great Britain for a long fucceffion of years. 
 For by this treaty we had abandoned an alliance 
 upon which the balance of power in Europe, and 
 the prefervation of its liberties, were generally and 
 juflly believed to depend ; and with unexampled 
 eagernefs and affiduuy of folly had folicited the 
 friendfhip of a nation, whofe views and interefls 
 ftood in direct oppofition no lefs to thofe of Eng- 
 land than of the Houfe of Auflria." Mr. Horace 
 
 Walpole, 
 
234- K. GEORGE I. 
 
 Walpole, brother to the Minifter, and much em- 
 ployed, and confided in, by him in all foreign 
 tranfactions, and who had been the chief nego- 
 tiator of this treaty, undertook to obviate all ob- 
 jections to it in a fludied and elaborate harangue, 
 in which he explained to the Houfe at great length 
 the different fituations and interests of the princi- 
 pal States of Europe, from the peace of Utrecht to 
 the prefent time. This Minifter allured the Houfe, 
 " that the conftant care and endeavour of his Ma- 
 jefty, fince his happy acceffion to the throne, had 
 been to fecure the tranquillity of Chriftendom, to 
 promote the honor and intereft of his kingdoms, 
 and fettle the balance of power in Europe on a 
 folid foundation. With thefe great and laudable 
 views, he faid, his Majefty had affumed the charac- 
 ter both of mediator, and guarantee, of the Barrier 
 Treaty concluded in 171 5, and of the convention 
 by which it was fubfequently confirmed between 
 the Emperor and the States. Actuated by the 
 fame motives, he had in 1 7 1 6 figned a defensive 
 alliance with the Emperor, and in 171 7 another 
 with the Moll Chriftian King and the States- 
 General. In order to fortify thefe treaties, and 
 more effectually to fecure the repofe of Europe, 
 the King had in 17 18 made a convention with his 
 Molt Chriftian Majefty, for propofing ultimate 
 conditions of peace between the Emperor and 
 Spain ; and alfo between his Imperial Majefty and 
 
 the 
 
K. GEORGE I, 235- 
 
 th e then King of Sicily. That this treaty was fol* 
 lowed, after a very fhort interval, by a treaty of 
 alliance between the Emperor, the King of Great 
 Britain, his Mofl Chriftian Majefty, and the Re- 
 public of Holland ; whence this treaty derived its 
 popular appellation of the Quadruple Alliance. 
 That within a few months the King of Sicily was 
 admitted as a party to this treaty ; and at length 
 the King of Spain himfelf was compelled to accede 
 to the terms of it, which was mainly owing to the 
 generous affiftance his Britannic Majefty gave to 
 the Emperor in the Mediterranean ; that the re- 
 maining points in difpute between their Imperial 
 and Catholic Majefties were referred to the decifion 
 of a Congrefs opened at Cambray. After an un- 
 iuccefsful negotiation of three years the Congrefs 
 was fuddenly diffolved, upon advice that the Em- 
 peror and King of Spain had adjufted their differ- 
 ences, by a feparate treaty concluded at Vienna. 
 That this unexpected event had occafioned no 
 little furmife and alarm ; and had raifed jealoufies 
 which a more perfect knowlege of this tranfaclion 
 had fully juftified. That this treaty of peace was 
 followed by a treaty of commerce, the principal 
 object of which was the eftablifliment of an India 
 Company at Oftend, in violation of our rights, 
 and to the ruin of our trade. That the remon- 
 flrances made by his Majefty's Minifters at the 
 Courts of Vienna and Madrid had been received 
 
 by 
 
236 K. G E O R G E I. 
 
 by the Minifters of his Catholic Majefty with 
 coldnefs, and by thofe of his Imperial Majefty 
 with the utmoft haughtinefs ; infomuch that they 
 fcrupled not to infmuate, that if his Britannic 
 Majefty perfifted in adopting refolutions hoftile to 
 the treaty of Vienna, his Imperial Majefty would 
 think himfelf difengaged from the guarantee of 
 the Proteftant fucceffion to the Crown of Great 
 Britain. And they had even gone fo far as to 
 affirm, that fuch meafures might be attended with 
 difagreable confequences in relation to his Ma- 
 jefty's dominions in Germany. Such however 
 was the firmnefs of his Majefty, that no impreflion 
 could be made on him by thefe menaces ; nor was 
 he by any fuggeftions to be deterred from concert- 
 ing with other Powers the means of counteracting 
 the ambitious views of this formidable alliance. 
 And this was the more neceflary, becaufe there 
 were juft grounds to believe that this extraordinary 
 and unexpected reconciliation was owing to the 
 fixed and favorite purpofe of the Houfe of Auftria, 
 of rendering the Imperial dignity hereditary in 
 their family. In order to that, it might befrp- 
 fofed that the treaty of Vienna was to be cemented 
 by a marriage between the Emperor's eldtft 
 daughter and the Infant Don Carlos. Who did 
 not forefee the fatal confequences of this conjunc- 
 tion ? The ifiue of fuch a marriage might in 
 time inherit, not only the Imperial Crown, and 
 
 the 
 
K. GEORGE I. 237 
 
 the Vaft hereditary dominions of the Auflriaa 
 family, but the entire monarchy of Spain with its 
 appendages, which would entirely overthrow the 
 balance of power, and render the liberties of 
 Europe wholly precarious. If this was not within 
 the contemplation of thefe two monarchs, how 
 would any one undertake to account for the exten- 
 five privileges bellowed by the King of Spain, in 
 contravention of his mod folemn treaties with 
 Great Britain, upon the Emperor's fubjects in the 
 Netherlands j or for the Emperor's fo far for- 
 getting his obligations to England and Holland, 
 as to perfift in fupporting the Oftend Company, 
 eftablifhed with no other view than to diftrefs the 
 maritime powers ? or for his engaging to affifl 
 the King of Spain in the recovery of Minorca and. 
 Gibraltar ? In order to put a timely flop to tht 
 progrefs of fuch alarming and dangerous defigns, 
 his Majefty had, in his great wifdom^ entered into 
 a defenfive alliance with his Moft Chriftian Majefty 
 and the King of Pruffia, to which feveral other 
 Powers, and particularly the States-General, were 
 invited to accede : 1 hat the grand defign of this 
 alliance was to maintain the tranquillity of 
 Chriftendom and the balance of power, and the 
 refpe&ive rights and immunities of all nations, 
 particularly thofe relating to commerce : And that 
 his Majefty, ever attentive to the fupport and pro- 
 tection of the Proteftant intereft, had engaged, by 
 
 a fepa- 
 
23* K. GEORGE L 
 
 a feparate article of this treaty, the Moft Chriftiaft 
 King and the King of Pruflia, who together with 
 his Majefty were guarantees of the treaty of Oliva, 
 concluded between the Crowns of Poland and 
 Sweden, A. D. 1660, to interpofe in behalf of 
 our diflrelfed Proteftant brethren in Poland ; and 
 to caufe reparation to be made for what may have 
 been done at Thorne, contrary to the ftipulations 
 of that treaty. And he concluded, with pafting 
 very lavifh encomiums on the wifdom* vigilance, 
 ileadinefs, and refolution of his Majefty, in the 
 conduct of ail thefe weighty and important affairs." 
 The Houfe, no doubt completely enlightened 
 and convinced by the perfpicuity of this 
 itatement and the force of thefe reafonings, 
 and admiring the beautiful harmony with which 
 thefe complicated, multifarious, and feemingly 
 diffonant treaties, alliances, and conventions, 
 concurred in promoting the intereft of Great 
 Britain, with a fmgle eye to which they were fo 
 demonftrably concluded, voted by a prodigious 
 majority* viz, 285 againfl 107, an addrefs to 
 the King, declaratory of the higheft approbation 
 of the treaty of Hanover ; and expreffive of the 
 unfeigned gratitude of the Houfe, for the meafures 
 fo wifely concerted by his Majefty, for obviating 
 and difappointing the dangerous views of the 
 Emperor and the King of Spain ; and reprobating 
 the treaty of commerce concluded between thofe 
 Powers, as " calculated for the entire deftruttion 
 
 3 °? 
 
K. GEORGE 1. 239 
 
 of the Britifli trade ; and affuring his Majefty, that, 
 in vindication of the honor of the Britifh Crown, 
 the Houfe will effectually ftand by and fupport his 
 Majefty againft all infults and attacks that any 
 power, in refentment of the meafures fo wifely 
 taken, mall make upon any of his Majefty's terri- 
 tories, though not belonging to the Crown of 
 Great Britain." This unexpected revolution in 
 the general politics of Europe was chiefly effected 
 through the inftrumentality of the famous M. de 
 Ripperda, a native of Holland ; who, from the 
 condition of a private gentleman, was advanced, 
 after the fall of Alberoni, to the rank of a Grandee 
 of Spain, and fucceeded to the poft of Prime 
 Minifter. He was infpired by a kindred genius, 
 and profecuted the fame projects of aggrandize- 
 ment, by different means. Finding the power of 
 England the grand and perpetual obftacle to the 
 accomplimment of his defigns, he frequently in- 
 dulged himfelf in very indifcreet and pamonate 
 exprefiions of refentment, and openly affirmed 
 that the interefts of Europe required the reftora- 
 tion of the Houfe of Stuart. After the conclufion 
 of the treaty of Hanover, he haughtily exclaimed, 
 " Well, well, we fhall teach thefe petty gentlemen 
 (meaning the Electors of Hanover and Branden- 
 burg) to make treaties 1 " And he was frequently 
 accuftomed to fay, that Cardinal Alberoni made 
 a falfe flep, in fending that fleet to Sicily, which 
 
 he 
 
? 4 o K. GEORGE 2, 
 
 he ought to have fent to England. In a memorial 
 addrefled by Colonel Stanhope # , the Britifli 
 Minifter at Madrid, to the Spanifh Secretary of 
 State, the Marquifs de la Paz, at a fubfequent 
 period, heavy complaints are made of the infolent 
 difcourfes of the Due de Ripperda, during his 
 embafly at Vienna : " There can be no ftronger 
 proof (faid the Englifh Minifter) of their Catholic 
 Majefties approbation of M. de Ripperda's behavi- 
 our, than the great honors to which they promoted 
 him, and the entire truft they conferred upon him, 
 at his return to Madrid. And as what he had 
 given out at Vienna, relative to Gibraltar, was 
 verified by the peremptory demand of that fortrefs ; 
 fo from that time meafures were taken, to make 
 good what he had likewife faid there, that the 
 King mould be driven out of his dominions, and 
 the Pretender placed upon the throne of Great 
 Britain. It is freely left to the judgement of every 
 impartial perfon, that he who declared there was 
 a fecret oifenfive alliance, Mas actually Prime 
 Minilter to his Catholic Majefty, who honored 
 him with his entire confidence — that it was he who 
 had himfelf made the treaties of Vienna — that he 
 never denied making fuch declaration, when it 
 was publicly talked of, and that he was never 
 
 * Afterwards created Earl of Harrington ; and who, on 
 his return from this embafly, fucceeded Lord Tov.nihend in 
 the pod of Secretary of State. 
 
 difowneU 
 
K. GEORGE I. 241 
 
 difowned in it by the King his matter, who con- 
 tinued him a long time after in his fervice ; nor 
 was it ever alleged as one of the caufes of his dif- 
 grace." The Spanifh Minifler, in reply, declares, 
 " that the King of Spain does not confider himfelf 
 as refponfible for the vain and idle difcourfes of the 
 Due de Ripperda, whofe extravagancies had at 
 length induced his Catholic Majefly not only to 
 dived him of his offices, but to fecure the perfon 
 of a Minifler as culpable as dangerous. But he 
 acknowleged, that the Due de Ripperda was jufli- 
 fied in declaring, that the good correfpondence 
 and friendfhip of England and Spain depended on 
 the fpeedy reftitution of Gibraltar, agreably to 
 the pofitive engagements of the King of England." 
 This extraordinary man, after his difgrace, efcaped 
 from the Tower of Segovia, where he was clofely 
 confined, and fought for refuge in England, where 
 he refided three years in great pomp and fplendor. 
 But not finding his wild fchemes and projects of 
 revenge likely to be adopted by the Britifh Court, 
 he took a hidden refolution to offer his fervices to 
 Muley Abdalla, Emperor of Morocco, by whom 
 they were received with eagernefs ; and embracing 
 the Mahommedan faith, he was created a BafTa 
 and Prime Minifler and Vizier of the Empire. 
 After experiencing divers viciflitudes of fortune 
 he expired at Tetuan, October 1737, profeffing 
 himfelf a true and fmcere penitent; and being 
 Vol. I. R received 
 
z 4 z K. GEORGE I. 
 
 received as fuch into the bofom of the holy Catho- 
 lic Church, in the communion of which he was 
 originally educated ; though early in life he had 
 abjured the errors of Popery, and embraced the 
 Protectant faith, which he afterwards renounced 
 on entering into the fervice of Spain ; on receiving 
 abfolution from a Monk of Mequinez, he became, 
 although previoufly agonized with remorfe, calm 
 and ferene, and at lafl died with cheerfulnefs and 
 hope. — Such is the fafcination of the Roman 
 Catholic religion. 
 
 The political connection between Ruffia and 
 Sweden, fo recently formed, was already much 
 weakened by the unexpected death of the Czar, 
 Peter the Great, January 1725; and the har- 
 mony between England and Sweden was, in 
 confequence of that event, after an interval of bufy 
 intrigue and negotiation, completely reflored. 
 This Monarch mud ever be regarded as the moil 
 extraordinary phenomenon of the age in which 
 he lived. Previous to his acceffion to the throne 
 of his anceftors, Ruflia was fcarcely known as an 
 European power, except by her occafional wars 
 with Poland, and by the commercial intercourfe 
 which fhe maintained with England, through the 
 medium of the remote port of Archangel, fituated 
 at the extremity of the Frozen Ocean. Peter, 
 who, by a rare conjunction of qualities, joined a 
 mofl daring and ardent fpirit of enterprize to a 
 2 clear 
 
K. GEORGE L 243 
 
 clear and folid judgment, early entertained the 
 vaft defign of civilizing his immenfe dominions — 
 burning with ambition to occupy a confpicuous 
 and leading flation amongft the powers of Europe. 
 With what fuccefs he profecuted and accomplifhed 
 this grand project, it is foreign to the purpofe of 
 the prefent hiftory to relate* After furmounting, 
 by the incefiant labor of thirty years, difficulties 
 infuperable to any other man, he lived to fee him- 
 felf in poffemon of all which had engaged his wifhes 
 and his hopes — applauded as a hero, venerated as 
 a legiflator. By his conquefts he had fubje&ed vari- 
 ous rich and populous provinces to his dominion, 
 and in themidft of them he had built a magnificent 
 city bearing the name of its founder, and which 
 will attefl to future and fucceffive ages the gran- 
 deur and fublimity of his genius. He introduced 
 difcipline into his armies ; he created a powerful 
 navy ; and in the room of Afiatic ignorance, 
 prejudice, and barbarifm, he fubftituted the arts, 
 the learning, the cuftoms and manners of Europe. 
 His fyftem of improvement and aggrandizement 
 has been eagerly and invariably purfued by his 
 fucceflors in the empire, and with a degree of 
 fuccefs which may reafonably excite univerfal 
 jealoufy and apprehenfion : For to the rapid and 
 unexampled increafe of the power of Ruffia, no 
 other European State bears a juft or relative pro- 
 portion. The King of England, alarmed at the 
 R 2 great 
 
244 K. G E R G E I. 
 
 great naval equipments of the Emprefs Catherine, 
 upon whom the Imperial crown of the late Czar 
 her hufband had by his will devolved, profefled, 
 with great orientation of generofity, to feel an 
 extreme apprehenfion, left Sweden mould be 
 eventually endangered by them. And though 
 Sweden, clearly perceiving that Slefwic was the 
 real object of his folicitude, openly declared her- 
 felf in perfect amity with Ruffia ; a firong fqua- 
 dron under Sir Charles Wager failed, by order of 
 the King of England, to the Baltic, early in the 
 year 1725, with exprefs directions not to fuffer 
 the Ruffian fleets to leave their ports, till the 
 Emprefs had obviated all ground of fufpicion, by 
 an explicit declaration of her pacific intentions. 
 The Emprefs, though highly offended at this im- 
 perious requifition, protefted, " that nothing was 
 farther from her thoughts, than any defign to 
 difturb the peace of the North — exprefiing at the 
 fame time her aftonifhment, that (he had not 
 received his Majefty's letter until his fleet was at 
 anchor before Revel ; a procedure totally incon- 
 iiftent with the amity fo long maintained between 
 her kingdoms and the Crown of Great Britain." 
 That Ruflia, at lead after the death of the Czar, 
 was willing and defirous to maintain amity with 
 Great Britain, and even with Hanover, as con- 
 nected with Britain, appears from the tenor of the 
 negotiations carried on in the fu miner of i7 2 5> 
 
 when 
 
K. GEORGE I. 245 
 
 when the Czarina declared her readinefs to con- 
 cede in all other points, provided Slefwic were 
 reftored to the Duke of Holftein, or an equivalent 
 found for it. To this idea of an equivalent, the 
 King of England profefTed not to object ; but 
 after much laborious difcuftion of this knotty 
 point, no equivalent could be devifed j though, 
 had not Hanover been at this period the darling 
 care of England, Bremen and Verden would pro- 
 bably have been deemed a very fit and commodious 
 one. Notwithstanding the declaration of the 
 Empiefs, Sir Charles Wager, who had been 
 joined at Copenhagen by a Daniih fquadron, con- 
 tinued in his ftation, till the feafon was too far 
 advanced to admit of any farther naval operations. 
 Thus provoked, the Czarina acceded in form to 
 the Treaty of Vienna (Auguit 1726). And the 
 Government of Sweden, perceiving Ruffia unable 
 to cope with the naval power of England, and 
 feeling fenfibly the operative influence of the 
 golden JJjoxvcrs which now dirfufed themfelves in 
 rich profufion over that barren land, acceded, 
 March 1727, to the Treaty of Hanover*. Two 
 
 other 
 
 * In confequence of the unlimited votes of credit pafled by 
 the Commons in 1726 and 1727, It appears that the fum of 
 jT 435,000 was expended during thofe two years in fecrct 
 Jerv'ues, neceflary, to adopt the language of Parliament, " tp 
 fulfil and perfeel his Majefty's engagements for fecuring the 
 R 3 peace 
 
246 K GEORGE I. 
 
 other powerful fquadrons were alfo at this period 
 fitted out at an imrnenfe expence, though, as far 
 
 as 
 
 peace of Europe.'' In the month of June 1726, when the 
 Britifh fleet was actually in the Baltic, Mr. Poyntz, Ambaffador 
 at the Court of Stockholm, prefented a memorial to that 
 Court, declaring, " That his Britannic Majefty, always attentive 
 to preferve the peace of the North, had no fooner concluded 
 the Treaty of Hanover but he had communicated it to Sweden, 
 and defired its accefllon thereto — that it was with great concern 
 he faw this negotiation lengthened out to above fix months, 
 and that in the mean time Sweden had entered into engagements 
 with other Powers (alluding to the accefllon of the Emperor, 
 April 1726, to the Treaty of Stockholm, of Feb. 17 24V; 
 notwithstanding which, his Majefty, fearing thefe delays fliould 
 endanger Sweden, to (hew his exa&nefs in fulfilling his engage- 
 ments and his attention to the fuccor of Sweden, was willing 
 to put that Crown in poffeffion of the good fruits of its accef- 
 llon, even before it had acceded, by fending a powerful fquadron 
 into the Baltic without any requ'ifition thereof — that the Britifh 
 Admiral had been prefented to his Swedifh Majefty to allure 
 him, that if he thought himfelf in any immediate danger from 
 the armament of his neighbours, he was in that cafe to concert 
 meafures with his Majefty for the defence of Sweden ; but that 
 while the faid Admiral continued at Stockholm, his Swedifh 
 Majefty had gracioufly anfwered in writing, That having a 
 
 DEFENSIVE ALLIANCE WITH RUSSIA, HE THOTGHT HIMSELF 
 
 in no danger from thence. — If after the departure of the 
 Englifh fleet, any misfortune fhould happen to Sweden for want 
 of timely precautions, it is hoped fuch misfortune will not be 
 imputed to his Britannic Majefty. And the AmbafTadorconcludes 
 with faying, that his Majefty cannot imagine that the fear of 
 danger ought not to be a fufficient inducement to guard again ft 
 thole dangers ; nor that the loofe and uncertain hopes of future 
 
 adv;;a- 
 
K. GEORGE I. 247 
 
 as appears, without any determinate object ; and 
 indicating only the jealous fears and reftlefs fur- 
 mifes of the King of England. One of thefe, 
 under the command of Sir John Jennings, with a 
 body of land-forces on board, cruized for a con- 
 siderable time off the coafts of Spain, to the great 
 confternation of the inhabitants, but attempted no 
 act of hoftility. Another fleet under Rear-Admiral 
 Hofier failed for the Weft-Indies, with orders to 
 block up the galleons in the Spanifh harbors ; 
 or to capture them, in cafe they mould prefume 
 to venture out. But his inftructions authorizing 
 no farther or more direct act of hoftility, and the 
 Spaniards having reconveyed, on the firft intelli- 
 gence of this armament, their treafures from 
 Porto Bello to Panama, this gallant officer was 
 compelled to remain inactive in his (tation till the 
 greater part of his men, and at length the Admiral 
 himfelf, perifhed deplorably by the difeafes of that 
 
 advantages from Ruffia can afford a reafonable motive to reject 
 the friendfhip of thofe Powers which have ever been the fupport 
 of Sweden; nor that thofe imaginary and invidious promifes 
 can be balanced againil a clear and net fubfidy of 100,000 ducats 
 per month, to commence from your Majefty's acceffion to the 
 Treaty of Hanover, and with a profpecr. of more confiderable 
 affiilance in cafe of need." Surely the graved counfellor in the 
 fenate of Sweden muff: have found it difficult to read this 
 Memorial with a ferious countenance; for who ever hearU 
 before, of an armament fent out of pure good-will to refcue a- 
 jiaticn from the danger of its own alliances ? 
 
 R 4 deftru&ive 
 
z 4 8 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 dePcructive climate. The mips alfo were faid to be 
 ruined by the worms ; and loud and general com- 
 plaints were made in England, of the improvident 
 and wanton wafte of lives and money, in this un- 
 accountable and difaftrous expedition. 
 
 During the feffion of the preceding year, 1725, 
 the Earl of Macclesfield, Lord High Chancellor 
 of Great Britain, was impeached by the Houfe of 
 Commons, of high crimes and mifdemeanors, upon 
 the ground of his having made unufual and exor- 
 bitant profits from the fale of places — as alfo from 
 the abufe of his truft:, as general guardian of the 
 perfons and eftates of orphans and lunatics ; 
 and, after a trial of twenty days, he was convicted 
 by the Peers, and fentenced to pay a fine of 
 £ 30,000, and to imprifonment in the Tower till 
 the fame was paid. — A memorable example of the 
 upright and impartial adminiftration of criminal 
 juftice in Great Britain. He was fucceeded in the 
 Chancellorfhip by Sir Peter King, created Baron 
 King of Ockham in Surry, who had acquired great 
 anddeferved reputation in his former fhition of Lord 
 Chief Juftice of England. But to this new and 
 more elevated employment his talents were nor 
 deemed equally adapted : And on his refignation 
 the Great Seal was configned to Lord Talbot, a 
 nobleman of the higheit mental accompli fhments, 
 of profound profeflional knowlege, and whofe 
 private life was the mirror of every virtue. His 
 
 death, 
 
K. GEORGE I. 249 
 
 death, which moft unhappily took place foon after 
 his advancement, in the vigor of his age, was 
 honored with the deepeft expreffions of national 
 veneration and forrow. He was fucceeded by Sir 
 Philip Yorke, Lord Chief Juftice of England, 
 created Baron Hardwick, who prefided in the 
 Court of Chancery with high reputation no lefs 
 than nineteen years. 
 
 At this period the King revived the antient 
 order of Knights of the Bath — an inftitution which 
 affords a cheap and honorable recompenfe to men 
 who have merited of the public, fo long as fuch 
 diitin&ions retain in the public eftimation their 
 prefent artificial and ideal value *. 
 
 The Parliament of Great Britain being convened 
 January 1727, the King informed the two Houfes 
 " that the alliance offenfive and defeniive concluded 
 between Spain and the Emperor had laid the found- 
 ation of a molt exorbitant and formidable power — 
 a power levelled againft the deareft interefts and 
 privileges of the Englifh nation, which mud either 
 iurrender Gibraltar to Spain, and acquiefce in the 
 Emperor's ufurped exercife of commerce, or refolve 
 yigoroufly to defend their undoubted rights. He 
 allured them that it was a fecret article of this 
 alliance to place the Pretender upon the throne of 
 
 * To attempt with philosophical feverity to expofe the 
 frivoloufnefs of thefe dilhnctions, were " to reafon too 
 curioufly." 
 
 w Thefe little things are great to little Man." 
 
 Great 
 
■ ?S o K. GEORGE I. 
 
 Great Britain ; and that Ruffia was actuated by the 
 fame views, which me had however been prevented 
 from taking any fleps to accomplifh by the recent 
 operations of the Britifh fleet in the Baltic. Two 
 other fquadrons, he faid, had been alfo equipped, 
 the advantage and glory accruing to the nation 
 from which, fufficiently fpoke their praife. — And 
 he concluded with informing them, that the King 
 of Spain had actually ordered his Ambaffador 
 to quit the kingdom, leaving a memorial containing 
 a formal demand for the reftitution of Gibraltar.'* 
 The Commons, in reply to his Majefty's fpeech, 
 voted a mod loyal and zealous addrefs, exprelling 
 " their determination to ftand by and fupport his 
 Majefty with their lives and fortunes againfl all his 
 enemies ; and engaging not only chearfully and 
 effectually to raife the fupplies neeeflary for the 
 prefent exigency, but to enable his Majefty to make 
 good his engagements with his allies, in order to 
 preferve the balance of power in Europe and the 
 undoubted rights of the Crown of Great Britain." 
 In vain was it urged by the patriots in oppofition, 
 " that it was fufficient on this occafion to return 
 thanks to his Majefty for his moft gracious fpeech, 
 and appoint a day for taking it into confideration, 
 without precipitately pledging themfelvcs to fup- 
 port meafures, the rectitude and wifdom of which 
 they had as yet been furnifhed with no means to 
 afcertain ; that the addrefs implied an approba- 
 tion of meafures taken to prevent dangers. But 
 
 could 
 
K. GEORGE I. 251 
 
 could this be done with propriety without knowing 
 of what nature thofe meafures were, or whether the 
 dangers alleged were imaginary or real ? On this 
 occafion they faid the advice of the Houfe might be 
 quite as neceflary as it's fupport ; that the queflion 
 of peace and war was the mod momentous which 
 could fall under the cognizance of that aflembly ; 
 that it was incumbent upon them not rafhly to de- 
 cide, but maturely to deliberate ; and for this pur- 
 pofe it was neceflary that thofe papers which could 
 alone elucidate and eftablifh the facls flated in his 
 Majefly's fpeech, mould be laid before them." 
 Sir William Wyndham remarked, that of late 
 years our counfels had been in a ftate of perpetual 
 fluctuation ; that, Penelope- like, we were continu- 
 ally weaving and unravelling the fame web — now 
 raifmg, now deprefling the power of the Houfe of 
 Auftria, and engaging in fucceffive quarrels with 
 every power of the continent, under the pretence 
 of preferving the balance of Europe.'' It was 
 afked by Mr. Hungerford, by what fleets the Pre- - 
 tender was to be convoyed to England ; and whe- 
 ther he propofed to embark on the floating ifland 
 of Gulliver — a fcheme which feemed not lefs chi- 
 merical than the other circumftances of this ro- 
 mantic tale. He hoped that matters were not yet 
 carried to fuch defperate lengths but that means of 
 accommodation might be found without engaging 
 the nation in a war, which could only prove an 
 aggravation of misfortunes." Sir Thomas Hanmer 
 
 declared, 
 
2 5 z K. GEORGEI. 
 
 declared, that if the dangers which this nation was 
 now faid to be threatened with, were fo real and fo 
 imminent as fome pretended, he would be one of 
 the foremoft in recommending fpeedy and vigorous 
 refolutions. But he acknowleged his incredulity ; 
 thefe dangers appeared to him mere phantoms, 
 diflant and almoft indifcernible. And as to the 
 Pretender, though his name might be converted 
 to a political ufe by foreign princes, in order to 
 frighten and alarm us ; his intereft was never fo 
 low, nor his party fo defpicable, as at prefent ; 
 and all mention of him in this day's debate ought 
 to be left entirely out of the queftion. He confeffed 
 himfelf extremely apprehenfive that the acquifition 
 of certain foreign dominions had fown the feeds 
 which had now produced thefe divifions and dis- 
 turbances, which menaced Europe with a general 
 war ; and that we had involved ourfelves in our 
 prefent difficulties by compliances, unaccount- 
 able on any pofiible ground connected with the 
 national interefts; or which could be dictated by 
 any other motive than the fecurity o( thoie acqui- 
 iitions." Thefe reafonings, however, were too 
 weak to have the lead influence on the decifion of 
 the Houfe; and the addrefs was carried on the di- 
 viiion by a majority of 251 againft Si voices. 
 The demand of the King cf Spain, mentioned in 
 the fpeech from the throne, and alluded to by Sir 
 Thomas Hanmer, was founded upon what his Ca- 
 tholic Majefty affected to confider as a pofitjve 
 
 engage. 
 
K. GEORGE L 253 
 
 engagement of the King of England himfelf ; who, 
 in order to facilitate the accomplifhment of the 
 purpofes which were at that time the object of 
 negotiation at the Court of Madrid, had, in a 
 letter written in his own hand to the King of Spain, 
 flattered that monarch with the idea of this refli- 
 tution ; which was afterwards, in confequence of 
 the indignation excited by the mere fuggeftion of 
 this project to the Houfe of Commons, laid afide 
 as wholly impracticable ; not however without 
 leaving an apparent (tain, or at leaft carting a cer- 
 tain made, upon the honor of the King *. Such 
 
 was 
 
 * Of this celebrated letter from the King of England to 
 the King of Spain, the following is a tranflated copy from the 
 French original : — 
 
 " Sir, my Brother, 
 
 " I have learned with great fatisfaction from the report of 
 my AmbaiTador at your Court, that your Majefty is at laft 
 rcfolved to remove the obitacles that have for fome time delayed 
 the entire accomplishment of our union. Since, from the 
 confidence which your Majefty expreffes towards me, I may 
 look upon the treaties which have been in queftion between us 
 as re-eftabliftied, and that accordingly the inllruments necefiary 
 for carrying on the trade of my fubje&s will be delivered out ; 
 1 do no longer hefitate to allure your Majefty of my readinefs 
 to fatisfy you with regard to your demand touching the reflora- 
 tion of Gibraltar, promifing you to make ufe of the firft 
 favorable opportunity to regulate this article with the con- 
 tent of my Parliament. And to give your Majefty a fartiier 
 proof of my 'affection, I have ordered my Ambaffador, as foon 
 
 as 
 
8^4 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 was the umbrage given by the King's fpeech to 
 the Court of Vienna, that M. de Palm, the Im- 
 perial Refident at London, was ordered by the Em- 
 peror 
 
 as the negotiation with which he has been charged fhall be 
 finimed, to propofe to your Majefty new engagements to be 
 entered into in concert and jointly with France, fuitable to the 
 prefent conjuncture, not only for ftrengthening our union, but 
 alfo for fecuring the tranquillity of Europe. Your Majefty 
 may be perfuaded that I on my part will {hew all facility 
 imaginable, promifing myfelf that you will do the fame for the 
 mutual benefit of our kingdoms — being mod perfectly, 
 " Sir, my Brother, 
 
 " Your Majefty 's good Brother, 
 >nc h 17*1. "GEORGE, R. 
 
 " To the King af Spain, Monfuur my Brother. ," 
 
 But this, though the chief, was not the fole ground upon 
 which the King of Spain refted his claim of reftitution. Towards 
 the conclufion of Lord Stair's embaffyat Paris, Lord Stanhope 
 went over to France charged with a fecret commiffion. And 
 the Cardinal Dubois, after his departure, informed the 
 AmbafTador, " that Lord Stanhope had given a verbal pro- 
 mife to the Regent, or at leaft what the Regent underftood as 
 fuch, for the reftoration of Gibraltar — that the Regent thus 
 authorized, had pofitively and formally affiired the King of 
 Spain that Gibraltar fhould be reftored; and that the honor 
 of his Highnefs as well as that of the King was now engaged 
 for its accompliihment, and that a failure in this point might 
 be attended with difaftrous confequences." — That Lord 
 Stanhope fhould be empowered to offer an abfolute ceflion of 
 Gibraltar is, however, not credible ; as the King of England 
 himfelf acknowleges in his letter to the King of Spain, the 
 
 confent 
 
K. GEORGE I. 25$ 
 
 peror to prefent a remonftrance to the Britifh 
 Court, framed in terms unufually bold and pointed, 
 charging the King with " calumnious mifrepre- 
 fentations, and with hazarding affertions void of all 
 foundation. He affirmed that there was no offen- 
 five alliance fubfifting between the Imperial and 
 Spanifh Crowns ; that the article relating to the 
 Pretender was an absolute nullity, and that 
 the reftitution of Gibraltar, however juft the claim 
 of the King of Spain, was foreign to the purpofe of 
 the treaty." The two Houfes expreffed, in a formal 
 addrefs to the throne, their indignation at the in- 
 folence of this memorial, which they flyle an 
 extravagant infult upon his Majefly, and a pre- 
 fumptuous and vain attempt to inftil into the 
 minds of his faithful fubjects a diftruft of his royal 
 word." As no pofitive evidence has however yet 
 been adduced to confirm the affertions of the King 
 of England, it is probable that the intelligence 
 received reflecting this political myftery did not 
 merit that implicit credit which, predifpofed by 
 
 confent of Parliament to be neceffary; and the prejudices of 
 the kingdom with regard to Gibraltar were far too great and 
 obvious to admit the fuppolition that this confent could be at 
 any time believed eafily attainable. It is probable, therefore, 
 that the offer was made by the Englifh Court chiefly to amufe, 
 though the King and his Miniflers were certainly not averfe to 
 the furrender of this invidious conqueft.— — Vide Har divide 
 State Papert. 
 
 the 
 
256 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 the credulity of habitual apprehenfion and fufpi- 
 cion, the Court of London appears to have given 
 to it — although Lord Townfhend hefitated not to 
 declare in the Houfe of Lords, " that if the fafety 
 of the (late permitted to lay the advices in poffef- 
 fion of Government before the Houfe, their Lord- 
 fhips would no more queftion the certainty of fuch 
 an article than if they had been prefent at the 
 figning of it.'* On the other hand, Count Palm 
 in his memorial declares, " that his Imperial Ma- 
 jefty was (truck with the utmoft aftonifliment that 
 the King of Great Britain could furfer himfelf to 
 be prevailed upon to declare from the royal throne 
 to that moft renowned nation, as certain and un- 
 doubted facts, things abfolutely void of all found- 
 ation. — And the Ambaffador declares that his 
 Imperial Majelty has exprefsly authorized and com- 
 manded him molt folemnly to affirm in his name, 
 and upon his Imperial word, that there exifts no 
 fecret article or convention whatfoever which 
 contains or can tend to prove the lead tittle of 
 what has been alleged." And in another part of this 
 famous memorial he prctcfts ci that there exifts 
 not even a pretence to fay that this treaty can be 
 grievous or hurtful to a nation for which his Im- 
 perial Majefty has the greatelt affeclion and efteem, 
 and whofe glorious exploits and important fuccors 
 no time will efface out of his memory." The 
 Emperor was believed to be envious of the power 
 
 and 
 
K. GEORGE I. 257 
 
 and grandeur of the Houfe of Lunenburg fince its 
 acceffion tathe throne of Great Britain, to a degree 
 which the zealous and uniform attachment of the 
 Princes of that Houfe to the interefts of the Impe- 
 rial family could never foften. But that he mould 
 ferioufly liflen to any propofals from the Court of 
 Madrid in favor of the Houfe of Stuart, from 
 whofe gratitude he had little to expect, and from 
 whofe deeply-rooted animofity and revenge he 
 might eventually have every thing to fear, carries 
 with it the face of great improbability. Highly 
 refenting neverthelefs the conduct of the King of 
 England, and confidering himfelf as abandoned by 
 the treaty of Hanover, he had in the courfe of the 
 preceding year (April 1726) acceded to the fecret 
 article of the treaty of Stockholm ; from which 
 asra the exorbitant power of the Houfe of Auftria, 
 and the danger to which the balance of power and 
 the liberties of Europe were expofed, had become 
 the fafhionable theme of declamation in the Court 
 and Parliament of Great Britain. 
 
 With the memorial alfo was tranfmitted from 
 Vienna a letter from the Chancellor Count Zin- 
 zendorf to Count Palm, exprefsly commanding 
 him, in the name of his Imperial Majefty, after 
 prefenting the memorial to the King of Great 
 Britain, to publifh it, together with the letter 
 annexed, for the information of the Britifh nation. 
 The Chancellor Zinzendorf affirms in this letter, 
 
 Vol. I. S " that 
 
258 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 " that it is eafy to fee that the fpeech was made 
 for no other purpofe but to excite the nation to a 
 rupture and open war with the Emperor and Spain; 
 and to make the Parliament approve the precipitate 
 and burdenfome meafures which the Government 
 has taken for private ends too well known. — That 
 on the firfl report of thefe falfe fuppofitions, the 
 Emperor and the King of Spain, in order to filence 
 them, propofed a formal act de non ojfendendo t 
 into which all the contracting parties of the treaties 
 of Vienna and Hanover might enter, till fuch time 
 as a definitive agreement might have taken place f 
 but that this proportion was rejected. He fays, 
 that the articles of the Quadruple Alliance are 
 exprefsly and publicly laid down as the unalterable 
 baiis of the treaty of Vienna, and that to affirm 
 that by a fecret pact concluded at the fame time, 
 engagements have been entered into by their 
 Imperial and Catholic Majefties, repugnant to the 
 fame, is an outrageous infult to the majefty of the 
 two contracting powers, who have a right to de- 
 mand a reparation proportioned to the enormity 
 of the affront. And that the high contracting 
 parties had no other view than that oi making 
 peace between themfelves, without injuring any 
 one elfe." The allegations contained in this letter 
 and memorial feem but too well founded ; but 
 the intemperate language of thefe papers gave 
 high and juft offence: And Mr. Shipper*, Mr. 
 
 II unger- 
 
K. GEORGE 1. 259 
 
 Hutigerford, Sir William Wyndham, and all 
 the leaders of oppofition in Parliament, warmly 
 concurred in the addrefs prefented to the throne 
 on this occafion ; and which palled the Houfe with- 
 out a diflentient vote. And an order was fent to 
 M. de Palm, fignifying " that the faid Palm 
 having delivered into the hands of his Majefty, at 
 his late audience, a memorial highly injurious to 
 the honor and dignity of his Crown, and having 
 alfo publicly difperfed the fame with a letter from 
 the Count de Zinzendorf to him the faid Palm, 
 ftill more infolent than the memorial, his Majefty 
 looked upon him no longer as a public minifter, 
 and required him forthwith to depart out of this 
 kingdom." Vigorous preparations were now made 
 on both fides for war ; and before the end of the 
 feflion, the King informed the Parliament that the 
 fortrefs of Gibraltar was actually befieged. The 
 forces of Great Britain were augmented by fea 
 and land. Thirty thoufand Swedes, Danes, and 
 Heffians, were taken into Britifti pay. And 
 amongft other more ufuai ways and means of pro- 
 viding the fupplies called for on this occafion, 
 the King was empowered, by a claufe of appro- 
 priation in one of the revenue bills of the year, 
 " to apply fuch funis as mould be neceffary for 
 making good the expences and engagements which, 
 had been or mould be made before the 25th of 
 September next, for the purpofes of eftablifning 
 S 2 the 
 
26o L GEORGE I. 
 
 the fecurity of commerce and reftoring the tran- 
 quillity of Europe." And it was in vain urged, 
 " that this mode of afking and granting fupplies, 
 was in the higheft degree unparliamentary— that 
 fuch an unlimited power ought never to be given 
 under a free government — that fuch confidence in 
 the Crown might be attended, through the influ- 
 ence of evil minifters, with the moll dangerous 
 confequences — that no provifion was made for the 
 refponfibility of thofe entrufted with the difpofal 
 of this money — that the conftitution could no 
 otherwife be preferved, than by a ftrict adherence 
 to the effential parliamentary forms of granting 
 fupplies upon eftimates, and of appropriating thofe 
 fupplies to fervices and occafions publicly avowed, 
 and judged necefTary — and that fuch an unwar- 
 rantable delegation of authority transfers that 
 difcretion to the Crown which can with fafely be 
 veiled in the legiilature alone.'* The fum of 
 £ 370,000, iffued in Exchequer Bills, was alio 
 charged on the furplus produce of certain duties 
 appertaining to the finking fund, towards the ex- 
 pences of the war, notwithstanding the vigorous 
 oppofition of Sir Jofeph Jekyl and Mr. Pulteney, 
 who demonftrated how effentially the efficacy of 
 the fund would, by fuch a practile, be impaired. 
 The latter of thefe gentlemen, in particular, affirm- 
 ed, " That by charging new loans upon old and 
 appropriated iurpkifies, the public were grofsly 
 1 deceived ', 
 
K. GEORGE L 261 
 
 ceived ; that by thefe expedients to put off the 
 evil day, taxes would be perpetuated ; and that 
 notwithflanding the great merit aflumed by the 
 inventors of this boafted fcheme of redemption, 
 the national debt had really increafed fmce the 
 fetting up of that pompous project.'* This infidi- 
 ous alienation of a fund, hitherto regarded as 
 facred, was the more remarkable, as the Houfe of 
 Commons, in reply to the fpeech from the throne, 
 exprefsly recommending to their attention the ftate 
 of the Sinking Fund, had faid — " And that all 
 who wiih well to the peace and quiet of your 
 Majefty's government, may have the fatisfaclion to 
 fee that our prefent neceffities mall make no inter- 
 ruption in the progrefs of that defirable work, of 
 gradually reducing the national debt ; we will con- 
 fider of the molt proper method for immediately 
 applying the produce of the Sinking Fund to the 
 ufes for which it was fo wifely contrived, and to 
 which it Hands now appropriated. " The Court, 
 having now carried all its meafures by great and 
 decifive majorities, the Parliament was prorogued, 
 May 15, 1727. 
 
 Sir John Norris, at this time failing with a 
 powerful fleet to the Baltic, was joined by a 
 Danifli fquadron. But the Czarina dying at this 
 critical juncture, and the politics of the Court of 
 "eterfburg fuftaining another unexpected change, 
 the armament became happily ufelefs. Meantime, 
 S 3 through 
 
262 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 through the active and feafonable intervention of 
 the Court of Verfailles— relu&ant to carry mat- 
 ters to farther extremity againft the Emperor, 
 while fupported by Spain, whofe friendfhip me was 
 folicitous to recover — preliminary articles of accom- 
 modation were iigned, May 1727, by the minifters 
 of all the belligerent powers ; who, though much 
 exafperated againft each other, were actuated by 
 no motives of fuflicient weight to induce them to 
 involve anew all Europe in the horrors of a general 
 war. Thefe articles imported, that hoitiliiies mould 
 immediately ceafe - 7 that the charter of the Offend 
 Company mould be fufpended for feven years ; 
 and that a congrefs mould be opened in four 
 months at Aix-la-Chapelle, afterwards transferred 
 to Soiffons, to fettle the terms of a final pacifi- 
 cation*. 
 
 The King of England feemed at length to have 
 furmounted all his political difficulties ; and if we 
 cannot always applaud the juflice or the wifdom of 
 } 11s counfels, it iiuift at lead be acknowledged, 
 that they were inforced v\jth an extraordinary 
 
 * So fciioufly nevei thelefs did Franco enter into the views of 
 England, or rather of Hanover, at this crilis, for the abafe- 
 merit of the Houfe of Aullria, that fhe had actually engaged 
 for the payment of an annual fubhdy to Denmark of 350,000 
 rix-dollars, for four years; and likevvife of 50,000 ducats 
 monthly to Sweden, to commence from the period ot her 
 acctlfign to t> «. Treaty of Hanover, 
 
 degree 
 
K. GEORGE I. 16$ 
 
 degree of vigor and fuccefs. A fair profpect of 
 peace and tranquillity now feemed to open ; and 
 the King embraced with his ufual eagernefs this 
 favorable opportunity of revifiting his electoral 
 dominions, to which he ever retained a fond and 
 partial attachment, and by which he was in a 
 degree not inferior revered and beloved. Embark- 
 ing at Greenwich, June 3, 1727, he landed in 
 Holland on the 7th, and immediately fet out on 
 his journey to Hanover. On the road, between 
 Delden and Oihaburg, he was feized with a kind 
 of lethargic paralyfis ; and feeling himfelf attacked 
 by the ftroke of death, he faid to the nobleman 
 who accompanied him in the carriage, " Ceft fait 
 de ?noi." He appeared, however, extremely 
 anxious to reach the capital of his dominions j 
 but on his arrival at the palace of his brother, the 
 Bifhop of Omaburg, it was found impoflible to pro- 
 ceed ; and on Sunday nth June 1727 he expired, 
 in the 68th year of his age, and 13th of his reign 
 —-leaving iillie by his confort Sophia Dorothea, 
 heirefs of the Houfe of Zell, George, fuccefTor to 
 the Crown, and a daughter, married previous to 
 the acceffion of the Brunfwic family to the royal 
 dignity, to Frederic William, King of Pruflia. 
 If this Prince was not diftinguiihed for mining 
 talents or heroic virtues, much lefs can we difcern, 
 on a general review of his character, any remarka- 
 ble deficiency of understanding or propenfity to 
 
 S 4 vice. 
 
2 6 + K. GEORGE I. 
 
 vice. Acceding to the Crown of Great Britain 
 when far advanced in life, he feemed ever to con- 
 fider hinifelf rather as Elector than as King : 
 And the influence and power of Great Britain were 
 of little eftimation in his eyes, when directed to 
 any other end than the aggrandizement of his 
 native country. With refpect to the internal 
 government of his kingdoms, the rectitude and 
 benevolence of his intentions were always appa- 
 rent ; but he was, from the nature of his fituation, 
 compelled to throw himfelf into the hands of a 
 party, and from the eafmels of his difpofition he 
 was too often perfuaded to acquiefce in meafures, 
 which a more perfect acquaintance with the real 
 ftate of facts and opinions would have fliewn to 
 be as contrary to his interefts, as there is reafon to 
 believe they frequently were to his inclination. 
 In the view of Europe at large, he fuflained the 
 character of a prudent, an able, and a fortunate 
 prince. And if, in contemplating the hiftory of 
 this reign, we have ju(t caufe to lament the weak. 
 nefles and defects of the external fyftcm of policy 
 by which its counfels were influenced ; we have 
 ample reafon, on the other hand, to exprefs our 
 ardent wifhes, that the noble fpeculativc prin- 
 ciples of government, and of liberty civil and reli- 
 gious, whuh this Monarch was not only ready, 
 but anxious, on all occafions to avow, and by 
 which the general tenor of his conduct was regu- 
 lated, 
 
K. GEORGE I. 265 
 
 Iated, may never ceafe to be the diftinguifhing and 
 favorite characferiftics of the royal and electoral* 
 Houfe of Brunswic. 
 
 Wirh refpecr. to the general date of literature 
 and the arts during this reign, it may fuffice to 
 obferve, that notwithftanding the total neglect of 
 the Court, and the violence of party rage, 
 defcriptive of this as well as of the former reign, 
 they continued to flourifh in a very high degree ; 
 and we view with furprize, amidfl fcenes of con- 
 tention and turbulence, a conftellation of geniufes, 
 fhedding a peculiar luflre over this period of 
 Britifh hiflory. Scarcely had Locke, Temple, 
 and Dr. yd en, the departing luminaries of the 
 former age, funk below the weflern fky ; when 
 Addison, Swift, Pope, Shaftesbury, and Bo- 
 ling broke, arofe in the eaft. The writings of 
 Addifon, in particular, merit a moil diftinguiihed 
 and honorable mention. Amidft the din of hoftile 
 and malignant factions, they exhibit an almoft. 
 cloudlefs picture of urbanity, candor, good-fenfe, 
 and beneficence. The advantage which the com- 
 munity has reaped from the wide and almoft 
 boundlefs diffufion of them, no power of calcula- 
 tion can afcertain. And exclufive of their moral 
 and political merit, his exquiiite delineations of 
 life and manners will charm as long as our nation 
 and language exift. In poetry, Pope rofe far fupe- 
 rior to all his cotemporaries j and if inferior to 
 
 any 
 
266 K. GEORGE I. 
 
 any in that mode of verification which he chofe 
 to adopt, he is inferior to Dryden alone. In the 
 province of architecture, Gibbs and Kent, with 
 unequal fteps and at almoft viewlefs diftance, fol- 
 lowed the celebrated Sir Chriftopher Wren ; of 
 whom the magnificent plan for rebuilding the city of 
 London in 1 666 — an effort of genius which can never 
 be contemplated without admiration and indignant 
 regret — would have alone fufficed to perpetuate the 
 memory. And at this period the Englifh fchool of 
 painting could produce, a Thornhill excepted, 
 no greater artifl than Jervas, whofe name is indeed 
 immortalized — not by the " warmth divine " of 
 his own performances, but of " the verfe eternal 
 which embalms the dead." During the courfe of 
 this reign, Sir Isaac Newton terminated his 
 long career of life ; but his career of fame and 
 glory will be coeval only with that of the world 
 itfclf, whofe laws he has developed and explained, 
 v in energy and fagacity wholly ftupendous, 
 and approaching, perhaps, the limits of fuper, 
 natural intelligence. 
 
K. GEORGE II. 
 
 ( N the arrival of an exprefs from Ofnaburg, 
 with the intelligence of the death of the 
 King, the new Monarch, affembling the Privy 
 Council, commanded the members to be fworn 
 anew ; and declared to them his firm purpofe to 
 preferve inviolate the Conftitution in Church and 
 State, and to cultivate thofe alliances which his 
 father had made with foreign Princes. All the 
 great officers of State were continued in their 
 places ; and it was at once apparent that the poli- 
 tical fyftem, eftablifhed by the late King, would 
 furfer no effential alteration. The Prime Minifter, 
 Sir Robert Walpole, feemed even to poifefs art 
 higher and more exclufive mare of favor and con- 
 fidence than before. Lord Townfhend, Secretary 
 of State for foreign affairs, a nobleman not defti- 
 tute of knowlege or talents — open, generous, and 
 fmcere — was alone able for a time to preferve fome 
 degree of independent political confequence : But 
 finding the competition too unequal, and his power 
 
 an4 
 
268 K. G E O R G E U. 
 
 and Influence rapidly on the wane, he retired— a 
 flatefman cured of ambition — to cultivate his 
 paternal acres *. The Duke of Newcaftle, his 
 colleague, was a man illuflrious by his birth, affa- 
 ble and popular in his addrefs, liberal in his fenti- 
 ments, and magnificent in his expences. But 
 his capacity was very inadequate to his elevated 
 ftation. With intentions difinterefted and upright, 
 his zeal and attachment to the Houfe of Hanover 
 too frequently prompted him to inconfiderate 
 compliances. And to oppofe the meafures of the 
 Court, however contrary to the interefts of the 
 nation, argued in his eftimation criminal difaffec- 
 tion to the King's perfon and government. Mr. 
 Pelham, Secretary at War, and brother to the 
 Duke, was efteemed for his probity, refpected for 
 his talents, and beloved for his candor. The Earl 
 of Chefterfield, Ambafiador at the Hague, and 
 foon afterwards appointed Lord Steward, who 
 feemed ambitious to form himfelf upon the model 
 
 * A cotemporary poet of no ignoble fame, has celebrated the 
 praifes of this refpe&able nobleman in the following elegant 
 lines: 
 
 " Townsmen!), whom all the world admires, 
 
 From all the world illurlrioufly retires ; 
 And calmly wand'ring in his Raynham roves, 
 By lake, or fpring, by thicket, lawn, or groTCS ; 
 Where perdant hills, or vales, where fountains llr:iy, 
 
 ling each thought of idle pomp awa] : 
 Unajvied views the fplendid to;ls of State, 
 happy! as \-\ public, great,*' 
 
 •f 
 
K. GEORGE II. 269 
 
 of Lord Bolingbroke, though he rofe not to an 
 equality with that great and unrivalled original, 
 was at once a man of wit, of pleafure, and of 
 bufmefs. The high polifli of his manners, ap- 
 proaching perhaps the verge of frivolity, indicated 
 rather the accomplished courtier, than the com- 
 manding ftatefman ; and left an impremon fome- 
 what unfavorable to the folidity of his judgment, 
 though his political opinions appear to have been 
 uniformly clear and juft. As a fpeaker, his elo- 
 cution was elegant, and his ftyle flowing and 
 chafte j and his capacity, naturally excellent, was 
 improved by diligent literary cultivation *. John 
 
 * The chara&er of this nobleman — " Stanhope in wifdom 
 as in wit divine" — has been thought greatly to relemble that of 
 his maternal grandfather, the celebrated Marquis of Halifax. 
 Amongft the " State Maxims " of the latter, is an obferva- 
 tion, which alone might ferve as a proof that he has not been 
 applauded without reaibn for his fagacity : " The Prince is to 
 take care that the greater part of the pecjle may not be angry 
 at the fame time — for though the firil beginning of their ill- 
 humour fhould be againft one another, it will naturally end in 
 anger againft him." And of his wit we have the following 
 excellent fpecimen : After the Revolution, in which the 
 Marquis had borne a diftiiiguifhed part, many abfurd applica- 
 tions were made to him from perfons pretending great fervices, 
 for his recommendation to pofts and placesAmderthe government, 
 which they were for the moll part utterly unqualified to fill. Being 
 at laft wearied with their importunities, he faid " that he had fre- 
 quently been told that the Roman republic had been faved by 
 geefe, but he never heard that thofe geefe were made Confuls." 
 
 Duke 
 
i 7 o k. GEORGE II. 
 
 Duke of Argyle was diftinguifhed beyond all hfo 
 cotemporaries, by an uncommon union of civil 
 and military talents. He had fignalized himfelf 
 in the wars of Flanders under the late Duke of 
 Marlborough, whilft yet in early youth, by a faga- 
 city of conduct furpaffing his years, and by a fpirit 
 of gallantry which rofe to heroifm. As Com- 
 mander in Chief of the forces in North Britain, 
 he was eminently inflrumental in quelling the 
 rebellion of 1715. And the firrn and hereditary 
 attachment of his family to the principles of 
 liberty and whiggifm, rendered the name of 
 Argyle dear to the majority of the people of Scot- 
 land, where his influence and popularity were 
 almoft boundlefs. His fpeeches in Parliament 
 were characterized by a vehemence and energy, 
 which rendered him, as a political adverfary, very 
 formidable. He was not wanting in a very 
 exalted idea of the importance of his fervices 
 and the luflre of his talents. The high and lucra- 
 tive offices which he held under the Crown, he 
 fecmed to regard rather as what it were injuftice to 
 withhold, than favor to confer. He was imperious, 
 palTionate, and capricious, but honeft, undifguifed, 
 and magnanimous — troublefome as a friend, but 
 dangerous as an enemy. Lord Carteret was however, 
 unqueltionably, the only man connected with this 
 adminiftration, of whole abilities the Premier could 
 entertain any reafonable jealoufy or apprehenfion. 
 
 Dignified 
 
K. GEORGE II. 271 
 
 Dignified and even {lately in his deportment, the 
 habitual fuperiority he appeared to afiume was 
 fuftained by an extraordinary energy of genius 
 and extent of knowlege. Deeply verfed in the 
 labyrinths of foreign politics, he at once difcerned 
 and defpifed all the littlenelfes of that fyflem by 
 which the Englifh Court had been governed, from 
 the period of her connection with Hanover. 
 Afpiring in his views, refolute in his temper, and 
 diverted by no inferior or collateral objecL from 
 the purfuits of his ambition, he feemed by the 
 potency of his alliance to menace the minifter 
 whom he deigned to honor with his fupport. 
 
 The entire produce of the Civil Lift revenues, 
 eftimated at £ 800,000, was, on the motion of Sir 
 Robert Walpole, fettled on the King for life, 
 inftead of the clear annual revenue of £ 700,000 
 granted to the late Monarch — not, however, with- 
 out fome debate and oppofition. The incorrupt 
 and inflexible Shippen obferved, " That the fum 
 of £ 700,000 was, at the acceffion of his late 
 Majefly, confidered by all as an ample royal reve- 
 nue ; and it was to be hoped that in this reign 
 many perfonal expences, particularly thofe in- 
 curred in the frequent journeys to Hanover, would 
 ceafe. He affirmed, that the Civil Lift revenue in 
 the reign of the late Queen did not in general 
 exceed the fum of £550,000, and that the Par- 
 liament was called upon only once in a reign of 
 
 thirteen 
 
272 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 thirteen years, to pay the debts contracted in her 
 civil government, and thefe were occafioned by 
 the unparalleled inflances of her piety and gene- 
 rofity — efpecially by her devoting £ 100,000 per 
 annum to the public fervice during the war. 
 But in the late reign, £ 500,000 had been twice 
 voted for the difcharge of the Civil Lift debts ; 
 and laft feihon, he faid, a fum of £125,000 
 was granted for purpofes not yet explained, not- 
 withftanding which there was yet a debt of 
 £ 600,000 unaccounted for, and therefore he fup- 
 pofed contracted in a manner not fit to be owned, 
 or fwailowed up in the bottomlefs gulph of fecret 
 fervice. This amazing extravagance, he faid, had 
 happened under the conduct, of perfons pretending 
 to furpafs all their predeceilbrs in the knowlege 
 and care of the public revenue. But, inftead of 
 granting any addition to the Civil Lift, he fhould 
 move that the duties appropriated to this purpofe 
 fhould be continued to his Majefty, fo as to make 
 up the cle^r yearly fum of £ 700,000.'* The 
 amendment, however, was rejected by a great 
 majority ; and in lieu of it, a refolution founded 
 upon a royal menage delivered to the Houfe by 
 Sir Paul Methuen, for fettling the fum of £ ioc,coo 
 per ami. as a jointure upon the Queen, palled 
 without difficulty. 
 
 The Parliament being diftolved in Auguft, a 
 new Parliament was convened in January of 172S, 
 
 which 
 
K, GEORGE II. a 73 
 
 which Arthur Onflow, Efq. was chofen Speaker* 
 and Which feemed to vie, in all exprefiions of 
 duty and loyalty, with the mod loyal of its pre- 
 deceffors. The King allured them, in his fpeech 
 from the throne, of the abfolute neceffity of 
 continuing thofe preparations which had hither- 
 to fecured the nation^ the execution of the prelimi- 
 naries, actually figned, having been retarded by 
 unexpected difficulties, raifed chiefly by the obfti- 
 nate oppofition of the Court of Madrid, although 
 the ratifications had been actually exchanged with 
 the Emperor. The fum of^ 280,000 was therefore 
 voted for the maintenance of the Heflian and Swedifh 
 auxiliaries, and a fubfidy of £ 100,000 payable in 
 four years to the Duke of Wolfenbuttie ; who in 
 return, took upon him to guarantee, by a formal 
 treaty, to his Britannic Majefly the pofleflion of 
 his three kingdoms, and to keep in readinefs for 
 his fervice a corps of 5000 men during the fame 
 term. This notable alliance occafioned, however, 
 fome fevere animadverfions j and Sir Jofeph Jekyl, 
 Mailer of the Rolls, a firm and zealous Whig, 
 but one who carried not his complaifance to the 
 Court fo far as to abandon on any occafion what 
 he conceived to be the true intereit of his country, 
 in reply to Sir Robert Walpole, who had launched 
 out into the higheft praifes of the Treaty of Hano- 
 ver, affirmed, " That whatever glofs might be 
 put Upon fuch meafures, they were repugnant to 
 Vol, I. T the 
 
274 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 the maxims by which England in former times had 
 fleered, and fquared its conduct with relation to 
 its interefts abroad — that the navy was the natural 
 flrength of Great Britain, its bed defence and 
 fecurity ; but if, in order to avoid a war, they 
 mould be fo free-hearted as to buy and maintain the 
 forces of foreign princes, they were never like to 
 fee an end of fuch extravagant expenfes # ." The 
 Houfe was even prevailed upon, during the fufpen- 
 fion of its good humour, to addrefs the King for 
 a particular and diftinc~t account of the fum of 
 £ 250,000, charged in the general ftatement of na- 
 tional expenditure to have been iflued " for preferv- 
 ing and reftoring the peace of Europe.'' His Ma- 
 jetty, neverthelefs, declined to comply with their re- 
 queft; but informed them in general terms, that part 
 of the money had been difburfed by his late Majefty, 
 
 * It may deferve mention, that the Lord Chancellor King 
 was fo llruck with the inexpreflible abfurdity of this provi/ional 
 treaty with the Duke of Wolfenbuttle, that he abfolutely refufed 
 to affix the Great Seal to it, till ratified by Parliament, and the 
 money actually voted. " What, fays an able political writer 
 of the laft reign, our hiftories may hereafter fay of this tranf- 
 aftion I know not ; but the perfons then at the head of the 
 oppofition took the liberty to declare upon that occafion, " that 
 we paid for a great many forces to be in readinefs on account of 
 the Hanover Treaty; and la ft of all the good will of his 
 Highnefs the Duke of Wolfenbuttle was obtained, who engaged 
 to guarantee all his Majefty's dominions with a body of 5000 
 men, not to be moved out of Holland or Germany, at fo final] 
 an expenfe as £ 25,000 per ann. for four years." — Cafe of the 
 Iltriover Forces. 
 
 conform- 
 
K. GEORGE 1L &ft 
 
 comformably to the powers vefred in him by Par- 
 liament ; and the remainder by himfelf, for carrying 
 on neceflary and important fervices, which required 
 the greateft fecrefy. And he hoped that the 
 Houfe would repofe the fame confidence in him, 
 and be aifured that the money had been neceifarily 
 expended, agreably to the ends for which it was 
 granted. This anfwer, the Houfe, upon calmer 
 confideration, thought fit to approve ; Sir Robert 
 Walpole affirming it to be " impoflible that pub- 
 lic fervices mould be carried on, confidering the 
 great complication of interefts on the Continent, 
 if every /hilling that was expended for the advance- 
 ment of the common caufe, and for maintaining 
 the balance of Europe, was known to all the 
 world :" Though Mr. Pulteney, now in openoppo- 
 fition to the Court, inveighed againfl this vague 
 and loofe mode of accounting for the expenditure 
 of the public money, as tending to render Par- 
 liaments altogether inhgnificant ; to encourage and 
 invite the moft fhameful embezzlements ; and to 
 fcreen corrupt and rapacions minifters from even 
 the poffibility of detection and punifhment. No 
 impreflion, however, was made by thefe reafonings, 
 as too plainly appeared by the difcretionary vote of 
 credit, paffed at the requifition of the Court, by 
 237 voices againfl 101, previous to the clofe of 
 the Seflion. 
 
 T 2 In 
 
276 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 In the courfe of the prefent year arrived in 
 England Frederic Prince of Wales, who had 
 hitherto refided at Hanover, as if it were deter- 
 mined to perpetuate the Hanoverian fyilem, by 
 fullering no interruption of the original aflbcia- 
 tions and attachments of the reigning family. 
 About this time died Erneft Auguflus, Bifhop of 
 Ofnaburg, only brother of the late King, and 
 created by him Duke of York, but never refident 
 in England. He was fucceeded in the bifhopric 
 by the Elector of Cologne, agreably to the paftum 
 by which Ofnaburg is alternately poffeiTed by a 
 Prince of the Houfe of Brunfwic and that 
 Elector. 
 
 The Congrefs at Soiflbns made little progrefs 
 in the bufinefs of pacification. France and Spain 
 were now perfectly reconciled ; and the Court of 
 Madrid, confiding in the ftrength of her ally, 
 though her fhort-lived friendfhip with the Emperor 
 was now at an end, became lefs folicitous for an 
 accommodation with England. Loud and general 
 exclamations were raifed, and petitions prefented 
 from the great mercantile towns to the Houfe of 
 Commons, at the meeting of Parliament early in 
 the year 1729, complaining of the loiTes and 
 obftru&ions they had fuftained in their commerce, 
 through the depredations of the Spaniards in the 
 Weft Indies, The Houfe, in a grand committee, 
 
 after 
 
K. GEORGE II. 277 
 
 after an ample inveftigation of the fubject, paffed 
 a refolution, juftificatory of the inftructions given 
 to Admiral Hofier, to feize the flota and galleons ; 
 and another, declaring that the Spaniards had 
 violated the treaties fubfifting between the two 
 Crowns. And an addrefs was prefented to the 
 King, defiring " that his Majefty would be graci- 
 oufly pleafed to ufe his utmoft endeavors to pro- 
 cure juft and reafonable fatisfaclion for thefe in- 
 juries, and for fecuring to his Majefty's fubjects 
 the free exercife of commerce and navigation to 
 and from the Britifh colonies in America $" which 
 his Majefty allured them he would not fail to do. 
 The Houfe of Peers alfo refolving itfelf into a 
 committee on the ftate of the nation, and the let- 
 ter of the late King to the King of Spain, touching 
 the reftitution of Gibraltar, among other ftate> 
 papers, being laid before them, a refolution was 
 moved, " That for the honor of his Majefty, and 
 the prefervation and fecurity of the trade and 
 commerce of the kingdom, effectual care mould 
 be taken in the prefent treaty, that the King of 
 Spain fhould renounce, in explicit terms, all claim 
 and pretenfion to Minorca and Gibraltar." After 
 a violent debate the motion was negatived, but 
 not without a ftrong proteft ; and a fecond motion, 
 " That the Houfe did entirely rely upon his Ma- 
 jefty, that he would, for maintaining the honor 
 and fecuring the trade of this kingdom, take 
 T 3 efte&ual 
 
3 7 8 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 effectual care in the prefent treaty to preferve 
 his undoubted right to Gibraltar and Minorca," 
 parted in the affirmative. It is lingular, that an 
 addrefs was again prefented to the throne by the 
 Commons, defrring to be informed in what man- 
 ner a large funs, dated to have been expended for 
 reftoring the peace of Europe, was difpoied of; 
 to which an anfwer, fimilar to that returned to 
 the former addrefs, was given, in which the 
 Houl had again the complaifance to acquiefce. 
 Previous to the recefs, the King declared his 
 intention of vinting his German dominions, 
 leaving the Queen fole regent, under whofe mild 
 and equitable administration no caufe of difcontent 
 or difaffe&ion arofe. But Ireland had been for 
 fome time pad convulfed with folly and faction, 
 in confequence of a patent granted to one Wood 
 by the late King, for coining a certain quantity of 
 copper for the ufe of that kingdom ; and which was 
 confeffedly much wanted, for the purpofes of com- 
 mercial intercourfe. The coinage being found of a 
 bale and inferior quality, the famous Swift, Dean of 
 St. Patrick, feized with eagernefs the opportunity of 
 venting his fpleen and rancor againfl the govern- 
 ment, by p'ublifhing a feries of tracts, in which 
 he attempted to prove, that the ruin of the king- 
 dom mud be the inevitable confequence of this 
 abufe. Lord Carteret being now appointed to the 
 government of Ireland, was compelled to iffue, 
 
 in 
 
K. GEORGE II. 279 
 
 in his official capacity, a proclamation offering 
 a reward for the difcovery of the author of thefe 
 feditious and libellous publications : Notwithftand- 
 ing which, this haughty and factious pried ven- 
 tured to appear at all places of public refort as 
 ufual, and had even, in the prefence-chamber of 
 the Caftle of Dublin, the boldnefs to expoftulate 
 with the Lord Lieutenant upon the pretended ty- 
 ranny and iniquity of this proclamation, and pre- 
 fumed to afk, " how it was poflible that his Excel- 
 lency could fuffer it to be iflued ?" To which 
 Lord Carteret, indulging the fympathies of friend- 
 fhip and genius, with equal elegance and magni- 
 nimity replied, Res dura, et regni novitas, me talia 
 cogunt molir'u Under the adminiftration of this 
 nobleman peace and order were reftored and efla- 
 blifhed, various excellent laws were enacted foif 
 the encouragement of manufactures, commerce, 
 and agriculture, and many falutary regulations 
 adopted in the civil departments of government. 
 The beneficial effects of a liberal and enlightened 
 policy were univerfally felt ; and the Parliament 
 of that kingdom, in their unanimous approval of 
 the meafures of their prefent Governor, paid that 
 homage to wildom which it had frequently been 
 known to refufe to power. 
 
 The Congrefs of SohTons proving finally abor- 
 tive, conferences were opened at Seville be- 
 tween the Minifters of France, Spain, and Eng- 
 
 T 4 land, 
 
sSo K. GEORGE IT. 
 
 land, to the exclufion of the Emperor, who con- 
 ceived much refentment at this affront ; and a 
 treaty was figned in the month of May 1729, of 
 which his Imperial Majefty openly and heavily 
 complained to the Diet aifembled at Ratifbon, as 
 contrary to the exprefs flipulations of the Quadru- 
 ple Alliance. In the courfe of this year Victor 
 Amadeus, King of Sardinia, refigned his crown 
 to his fon Charles Emanuel, and, retiring to the 
 cattle of Chamberri, efpoufed the Countefs of St. 
 Seballian, who refufed with difdain the title, as 
 me could not participate in the power, of royalty. 
 In October (1729) died Peter II. Czar of Muf- 
 covy, and grandfon of Peter the Great, by the un- 
 fortunate Alexiowitz. He was fucceeded on the 
 throne of Ruffia by the Princefs Anne Iwanowna, 
 Dutchefs of Courland, fecond daughter of the 
 Czar Iwan, elder brother to Peter the Great. 
 Early in the following year died Pope Benedict 
 XIII., and was fucceeded by Cardinal Corfini, 
 already near 80 years of age, who neverthelefs 
 filled the Papal chair ten years under the name of 
 Clement XII. 
 
 At this eventful period alfo a fudden and furpri- 
 fing revolution, if under fo defpotic a govern- 
 ment any revolution can furprize, took place 
 at Conftantinople, by the depofition of the Grand 
 Seignor Achmetlll. and the elevation of his nephew 
 JVIahmout or Mahomet V. From the aera of the 
 
 memo- 
 
K. GEORGE II. 281 
 
 memorable victory obtained by the illuftrious Sobi- 
 efki under the walls of Vienna, the Ottoman power 
 had fuffered a great and rapid decline ; and Maho- 
 met IV. who had fucceeded when an infant to the 
 throne, on the depofition of his father the Sul- 
 tan Ibrahim (A. D. 1648), was himfelf, in confe- 
 quenceof the general rage excited by the misfortunes 
 of that difaftrous war, compelled to fubmit to the 
 fame fate. During the fhort and feeble reigns of his 
 brothers Solyman II. and Achmetll., the triumphs 
 of the Imperialifts continued. The reign of the 
 fucceeding Emperor Muftapha II., fon of Maho- 
 met IV., was diftinguifhed by the famous battle of 
 Zenta won by Prince Eugene, and the confequent 
 treaty of Carlowitz. After a reign of feven years, 
 the Sultan Muftapha was, by another revolution, 
 hurled from his throne, and his brother Achmet 
 III. raifed to the fame high and dangerous pre-emi- 
 nence. This Prince is well known by his hofpita-f 
 ble and generous reception of the King of Sweden, 
 after the defeat of that monarch at Pultowa. Being 
 afterwards involved in a war with the Emperor 
 Charles VI., his armies were repeatedly defeated 
 by Prince Eugene, and the war was terminated, 
 greatly to the difadvantage of the Turks, by a 
 treaty concluded at PafTarowitz, A. D. 1718, 
 The avarice and oppreffion of his fubfequent 
 government, together with the war carried on, 
 negligently and unfuccefsfully againfl the Perfians, 
 
 made 
 
282 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 made the reign of Achmet odious to the people. 
 Recourfe being had to a very unufual and danger- 
 ous expedient in Turkey, the impofition of a new 
 tax called the Bedead, a fpecies of excife very ar- 
 bitrary in the collection, in order to defray the 
 expence of this war, three Janifaries, named Ca- 
 lil, Muflu, and Ali, very obfeure men, fancying 
 themfelves particularly aggrieved by it, affembled, 
 in the abfence of the Grand Seignor and Grand Vi- 
 zier then at Scutari, a confiderable number of their 
 comrades in the Atmeidan, where they prefented to 
 them a naked fword on which they had themfelves 
 fworn, and required of all who engaged with them to 
 fwear the death of the Grand Vizier, the Caima- 
 can, and the Reis Effendi. The Aga of the Jani- 
 faries repairing in hafle to the Atmeidan, Calil de- 
 manded if he were come to join the brave Mufful- 
 men who were refolved on a reformation in the 
 flate, and the punifhment of the tyrants ? The 
 Aga being deftitute of force to fupprefs the revolt* 
 ers, retired in filence. The Sultan, attended by 
 thfc 1 -' Vizier, returned with precipitation on the fir ft 
 intelligence of this infurrection to Conftantinople, 
 where they arrived at midnight. On the next 
 morning, by order of the Emperor, the flandard 
 of Mahomet was difplayed, but without effect; and 
 the number of revolters continually increafing, the 
 Seraglio was on the day following formally in- 
 verted. Meafures being now in preparation to 
 i force 
 

 K. GEORGE II, 2S3 
 
 force the gates of the palace, their afton'fhment 
 was great to fee the dead bodies of the profcribed 
 minifters brought out on litters, preceded by an 
 officer of the Boflangis, who announced the con- 
 defcenfion of the Emperor, and commanded them 
 in his name to feparate. The three leaders of the 
 revolt, fully aware of the danger of their fituation, 
 expreffed their diffatisfaClion at this conceffion, 
 and declaring the Sultan Achmet unworthy of 
 the throne, boldly exclaimed, that they would have 
 Sultan Mahmoud for their fovereign. The name of 
 Mahmoud was repeated with loud acclamations, 
 refounding even to the inmoit receffes of the Sera- 
 glio. The Sultan Achmet haftily affembling a 
 Divan, afked, with a faltering voice, what the re- 
 bels had yet to defire ; on which an Iman 
 replied, " My Lord, thy reign is at an end— thy re- 
 volted fubjects will no longer have thee for a maf- 
 ter— They demand with fhouts thy nephew Mah- 
 moud — it is in vain for thee to flatter thyfelf that 
 they will return to their allegiance.'* At thefe 
 words the Sultan turned pale, but foon recovering 
 himfelf, faid, " Why was I not informed of this 
 fooner ? Follow me." Immediately he went to 
 the prifon of Mahmoud attended by all the mem- 
 bers of the Divan, and having taken that Prince by 
 the hand, " The wheel has turned for you as for 
 me," faid he to him, conducting him to the Divan 
 chamber ; il I refign to you the throne which Muf- 
 
 tapha 
 
284 K. GEORGE IT. 
 
 tapha my brother reflgned to me." After which 
 he returned to the apartment from whence he had 
 taken Mahmoud, there to end his life. Thus in 
 the fpace of about eighty years no lefs than four 
 Emperors had been fucceffively dethroned at Con- 
 flantinople by lawlefs and popular violence. A 
 demonfhration fo (Inking of the inflability and infe- 
 curity of military and defpotic governments might 
 furely fuffice to reconcile the proudeft defpot to 
 the eltablifhment of a regular and permanent fyftem 
 of liberty *. 
 
 The Parliament of England aflembling in Janu- 
 ary 1730, the King, in his fpeech from the throne, 
 declared the peace of Europe to be firmly eftabliih- 
 ed by the treaty of Seville, which was built, as he 
 alferted, on the foundation of the Quadruple Alli- 
 ance. He affirmed, that Spain had agreed to an 
 ample reftitution and reparation for all unlawful fei- 
 zures and depredations ; that the free and uninter- 
 
 * It is faid that a Grand Vizier of Turkey once inquiring of 
 Mr. Montague, the Englifii Ambafiador at Conftantinoplc, 
 whether it were really true, as he had been informed, that the 
 Englifli nation had ftruck off the head of one of their kings on 
 a public fcaffbld : the Ambafiador anfwered, that it was : And 
 the Vizier farther inquiring at what diftance of time this incre- 
 dible a& of wickednefs and rebellion had been committed, the 
 Ambafiador told the Vizier, with great coolnefs, that, to the 
 beft of his recolle&ion, it was in the very fame year In which the 
 Grand Seignor Ibrahim was depofed, and iUangkd by the Jani- 
 faries. 
 
 rupteel 
 
K. GEORGE II 28^ 
 
 mptedexerclfeof Britim commerce wasfullyfecured, 
 and that all rights, privileges, and poneffions be- 
 longing to him and his allies were confirmed and fo- 
 lemnly guaranteed. Violent oppofition was made to 
 the terms of this treaty when fubmitted to the invefti- 
 gation of Parliament; though it mult be acknowleg- 
 ed that fome of the objections urged by the pa- 
 triots, when viewed through the long villa of years 
 which has now intervened, appear rather minute 
 and captious. They affirmed that the article by 
 which the Britiih merchants were required to make 
 proof of their lofies at the Court of Madrid was 
 injurious to them, and difhonorable to the nation; 
 and that there was little probability of obtaining 
 that redrefs by means of commiffaries, which was 
 refufed to plenipotentiaries : They complained that 
 the right of Great Britain to Gibraltar and Minorca 
 was not acknowleged in this treaty ; they difliked 
 the guarantee of Tufcany, Parma, and Placentia, 
 to Don Carlos and his fucceffors, as a concemon 
 which might involve Great Britain in future quar- 
 rels about a country with which we had no con- 
 cern. But the principal objection, and that which 
 conflituted the chief ground of the high offence 
 taken by the Emperor, was founded upon that ar- 
 ticle of the treaty by which England not only gua- 
 ranteed the fucceffion of thefe Dutchies to the In- 
 fant, but engaged to convey a body of Spanifh 
 troops to Italy, in order to fecure tho'e poffeffions 
 
 without 
 
*S6 K. GEORGE It 
 
 ■without waiting for the Imperial inveftiture ; which 
 was not only an open and flagrant affront offered to 
 the Imperial dignity, but likewife a palpable devia- 
 tion from the letter of the Quadruple Alliance, by 
 which neutral troops only were to be admitted, till 
 the inveflitures were granted. And if any obfta- 
 cles arofe in carrying this article of the Convention 
 of Seville into execution, the contracting parties, 
 in conjunction with France, under whofe mediation 
 it was concluded, agreed by force of arms to ob- 
 tain the accomplifhment of it. So much incenfed 
 was the Court of Vienna at the infult, ftill more 
 perhaps than the injury, offered in the treaty of 
 Seville, that his Imperial Majefty iffued an edict, 
 prohibiting the fubjects of Great Britain from trad- 
 ing in his dominions ; and made great military 
 preparations and demonftrations of a determination 
 to affert his rights by a declaration of war. In the 
 courfe of this feffioiij and while things remained 
 in this pofture, a very warm debate arofe in confe- ' 
 quence of a bill introduced by the Minifter to pre- 
 vent any fubject of Great Britain from advancing 
 money by way of loan to foreign Princes or 
 States, without licenfe firft obtained from his Ma- 
 jefty under his privy feal. This bill was ably oppof- 
 ed by Sir John Bernard, one of the reprefentatives 
 of the city of London, a man of ftrict integrity 
 and extenfive commercial knowlege, as " a mea- 
 sure which would render Holland the mart of 
 
 money 
 
K. GEORGE II. 287 
 
 money to the nations of the Continent : He faid, 
 that by this general prohibition the Englifh were 
 difabled from aflifting their bed allies ; that the 
 King of Portugal frequently borrowed money of 
 the EngiifTi merchants refiding within his domini- 
 ons ; that the licenfmg power was liable to dan- 
 gerous abufe, and that the claufe which empower- 
 ed tke Attorney General to compel the difcovery 
 on oath of fuch loans, would convert the Court of 
 Exchequer into a Court of Inquifition." In con- 
 fequence of thefe arguments the bill was modi- 
 fied in fuch a manner as to render it much lefs 
 exceptionable ; and it was declared, " that the 
 object of it was merely to prevent the fubjects of 
 the State from aflifting the enemies of the State. 
 It was well known that at this very time the Empe- 
 ror was negotiating a loan in the metropolis, and 
 it was manifeftly impolitic and abfurd to permit 
 individuals to enrich themfelves by any mode of 
 traffic detrimental to the general interefts of the 
 kingdom." The Bill at length pafled ; and it mull 
 be acknowleged, that the principle on which it is 
 founded appears perfectly equitable, and that no 
 inconvenience has, in fact, been found to refult 
 from it. A Bill palled by the Commons in the 
 courfe of this feflion " for making more effectual 
 the laws in being for di fabling perfons from being 
 chofen Members of Parliament, who enjoyed any 
 penfion during pleafure, or for any number of 
 
 years, 
 
683 K. GEORGE If. 
 
 years, or any office holden in truft for thern,*' 
 was rejected on the fecond reading by the Lords ; 
 and on the 15th of May 1730, the King went 
 to the Houfe of Peers, and clofed the feflion with 
 a fpeech, in which very harfh and angry mention 
 was made of " thofe incendiaries who^ by fcandal- 
 ous libels, laboured to alienate the affections of 
 his people, to fill their minds with groundlefs jea- 
 losies and unjuft complaints, in difhonor of him 
 and his government, and in defiance of the fenfe of 
 both Houfes of Parliament *." 
 
 Early in the year 1731, the Parliament wa3 
 again convened, and the feflion opened by a re- 
 markable fpeech from the throne, indicating a 
 very extraordinary and alarming fituation of af- 
 fairs. The King declared, " that in confequence of 
 the meafures formerly taken, and the conclufion 
 of the treaty of Seville, the dangerous confequen- 
 ces fo juftiy apprehended from the treaty of Vien- 
 na were entirely obviated ; and that union which 
 had alarmed all Europe not only diffolved, but the 
 
 * The feandalous libels mentioned in the King's fpeech were 
 fuppofed chiefly to allude to the periodical papers entitled " The 
 CraftfmatV fupported by the able 11 political writers of the age, 
 Lord Bolingbroke and Mr. Pulteney being themfelves of the 
 number, and in which the meafures of the administration were 
 attacked with equal animofity, wit, and argument. So tran- 
 fier.t, however, is the fame attached to controveriial politics, 
 that this publication, fo admired and celebrated in its day, is 
 already configned to Dbfcurityand almoft to oblivion. 
 
 treaty 
 

 K. GEORGE ft. 2S9 
 
 treaty of Hanover flrengthened by the additional 
 power of the Crown of Spain. His Majefty ob- 
 served, that from this fituation of affairs, juft hopes 
 were entertained that the conditions of the treaty 
 of Seville would have been complied with without 
 the neceihty of coming to extremities;, but that 
 this defirable event had been hitherto delayed : 
 And as the treaty impofed an obligation upon all 
 the contracting parties to prepare for the execution 
 of it, we muff be in readinefs to perform our 
 part, in order to procure the Satisfaction due to 
 our allies. The refolutions of Parliament were ex- 
 pected by foreign Powers with impatience, and 
 the great event of peace or war would be very much 
 affected by their firft decifions. He faid, that 
 the plan of operations for the execution of the treaty of 
 Seville by* force was now wider confideration ; 
 that their juft concern for the true intereft of their 
 country would, he doubted not, induce them to 
 grant the fupplies necefTary to make good his en- 
 gagements with that cheerfulnefs and affection 
 which became a Britifh Houfe of Commons, ten- 
 der of the honor of the Crown, careful and foil- 
 citous for the glory and profperity of the king- 
 dom.' ' Never was the truth more apparent than 
 at the prefent moment, of the memorable obferv- 
 ation of Lord Molefworth on a former occafion, 
 and which well deferves the repetition, " that to 
 a man acquainted only with the fituation of Great 
 Vol, I. U Britain., 
 
z 9 o K. GEORGE If. 
 
 Britain, and imapprized of the feveral petty inte- 
 relts of the Electorate of Hanover, the conduct: of 
 the Englifli Court would appear not only fluctuating 
 and capricious, but abfolutely unintelligible and 
 incomprehensible." For what fhadow of pretence, 
 connected with the intereft of Great Britain, could 
 be devifed to juftify or palliate an outrage upon 
 the Emperor, fo flagrant as the forcible introduc- 
 tion of foreign troops into Parma and Placentia 
 by a Britifh fleet, for the purpofe of transferring 
 thofe Dutchies, which were acknowleged fiefs of 
 the Empire, to the King of Spain, previous to the 
 inveftiture of his Imperial Majesty, and in direct: 
 contradiction to the laws and constitutions of the 
 Empire ; by this means wantonly and voluntarily 
 incurring the eventual rifque of a war with the 
 Houfe of Auftria, the antient, natural, and faith- 
 ful ally of Great Britain ? The key to this appa- 
 rently unaccountable and extravagant conduct is, 
 however, perfectly eafy. The two Imperial 
 Courts of Vienna and Peterfburg had not yet re- 
 linquifhed their defigns in favor of the Duke of 
 Holltein ; and (till flattered that Prince with the 
 hope of procuring, either by amicable or hoftile 
 means, the reftitution of the Dutchy of Slefvic, 
 guaranteed originally by Hanover, and after- 
 wards by England to the King of Denmark. So 
 long, therefore, as this project was entertained, fo 
 long did the Ele&or-kings of England confider 
 
 their 
 
K. GEORGE II. 291 
 
 their favorite acquifitions of Bremen and Verden> 
 which were the price and reward of that guarantee* 
 as in the molt imminent danger. For the fole 
 purpofe of counteracting this project was the Trea- 
 ty of Hanover concluded ; for this purpofe was 
 the infidious policy of France countenanced and 
 encouraged by a continued refufal, on the part of 
 England, to aflent to the edict of the Pragmatic 
 Sanction ; for this purpofe was the ambition of 
 Spain gratified by the forcible introduction of 
 troops into the Parmefam In vain was it alleged, 
 in oppofition to the propofed addrefs of approba- 
 tion and fupport, " that our ancestors were never 
 fo ccmplaifant as to declare their approval of 
 meafures without full and regular information re- 
 fpecting them. Why was it that the Houfe pledg- 
 ed itfelf for the fupport of any meafures of the ex- 
 ecutive government ? Doubtlefs, on the ground 
 of their being jufl and reafonable. But who 
 could pronounce the meafures in contemplation 
 juit, when no one could fay what they were, or 
 what they might ultimately prove to be ? Every 
 one, indeed, knew the enormous expence which 
 this nation had incurred in their endeavours to 
 reduce the exorbitant power of France, which, by 
 a fatal negligence, had been fufFered to arife to a 
 height which menaced the general liberties of Eu- 
 rope. But by joining the Houfe of Bourbon in 
 this war againft the Houfe of Auftria, France 
 
 U 2 might 
 
292 R GEORGE II. 
 
 might be enabled to extend her conquefts beyond 
 the Rhine, or, perhaps, to annex the Low Countries 
 to her empire, and become more formidable 
 than ever. It was affirmed, that French alliances 
 had ever been fatal to England ; that our Kings, 
 by a connection with France, had been led to im- 
 bibe the love of arbitrary power, and encouraged 
 to entertain defigns againft the liberty of their fub- 
 jefts ; and that Gallic faith was to be depended 
 upon no farther than their intereft was concerned 
 in adhering to it ; that their enmity to England 
 w r as inveterate ; and that we mould, in the end, 
 pay dear for any temporary favors which they may 
 feem to confer. And an amendment to the ad- 
 drefs was offered, that his Majefty fhould be defir- 
 ed not to concur in a war againft the Emperor 
 either -in Flanders or upon the Rhine. " 
 
 The Walpoles, and the courtiers in general who 
 took part in the debate, maintained, in oppofition to 
 thefe objections, " that his Majefty's prudence 
 was fo great, and had been fo ftrikingly manifeft- 
 ed in his whole conduct fmcc his happy acceflion, 
 that no fufpicion could reasonably be entertained 
 of the propriety of his prcfent or future meafurcs ; 
 that the amendment now propofed was an en- 
 croachment on his Majefty's prerogative. They 
 acknowleged that France ought not to extend the 
 bounds of her empire, and his Majefty would, 
 no doubt, take proper precautions to prevent the in- 
 conveniences 
 
K. GEORGE II. 293 
 
 conveniences apprehended from the weight of the 
 confederacy againft the Houfe of Auftria ; that 
 the defign of the potent alliance formed againft the 
 Emperor was to convince him of the impoilibility 
 of a fuccefsful refiflance j it would be grofsly 
 impolitic, therefore, if the allies were reftrained 
 from attacking him in Flanders, or on the Rhine, 
 where he was mod vulnerable : By enfeebling the 
 operations of the war, fuch reftraint would virtu- 
 ally and proportionally add to the ftrength of the 
 Emperor, and thereby make a pacification hopelefs 
 and impracticable." Another amendment was 
 then propofed, far more judicious and comprehen- 
 five : " That the Houfe would fupport his Majefty's 
 engagements fo far as they related to the intereft 
 of Great Britain;" and it was urged by Mr. 
 Wyndham, the mover of it, " that the act of fet- 
 tlement, by virtue of which his Majefty held the 
 Crown of thefe realms, exprefsly provided that this 
 nation mall not be obliged to enter into a war for 
 the defence of any dominions not belonging to the 
 Crown of Great Britain ; and that the Houfe could 
 not therefore, agreably to this act, go farther than 
 the amendment imported." To this the Minifter 
 and the courtiers replied, " that the adoption of 
 this amendment would feem to infinuate that his 
 Majefty had entered into engagements that did not 
 relate to the interefts of Great Britain ; which 
 would be the higheft difrefpect and ingratitude, 
 
 U 3 when 
 
294 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 when thofewho had the honor to ferve his Majefty 
 could teftify that the intereft of Great Britain was 
 the fole object of his Majefty's folicitude. They 
 faid that every member of the Houfe was, they 
 hoped, convinced that his Majefty never would 
 enter into any engagement that was not abfolutely 
 neceflary for the happinefs and fafety of his 
 people, and therefore it was wholly unneceflary to 
 narrow the aflurances of fupport in the addrefs by 
 any fuch limitation. " The Houfe feeming, how- 
 ever, to paufe upon the validity of thefe arguments, 
 more fit indeed for a'Turkifh Divan than a Britifh 
 Senate, Mr. Heathcote arofe, and declared, " that 
 the offering of advice to his Majefty could never 
 be regarded by him as an encroachment on the 
 prerogative, fince it was the proper bufinefs of 
 Parliament, which was the King's Great Council, 
 to advife the Crown in all matters of importance 
 — it was what many Parliaments had done, and 
 what they were obliged in duty to do ; that to 
 fupport any hoftile operations againft the Emperor 
 in Flanders or upon the Rhine, was abfolutely 
 deftru&ive to the intereft of England, tending 
 evidently to the total fubverfion of the balance of 
 power ; and the Houfe had, therefore, good rea- 
 fon to believe that no Miniflcr would dare to 
 advife his Maje'ly to concur in fuch a meafure. 
 Upon that account only he confidered it as fu- 
 perfluous to advife his Majefty againft it ; that 
 
 unani- 
 
K. GEORGE II. 295 
 
 unanimity in their refolves was certainly defirable, 
 and would undoubtedly add great weight to his 
 Majefty's endeavors to effect a general accommo- 
 dation of differences ; that for his part he looked 
 upon all addreffes, containing affurances of fup- 
 port, as in their nature general, and no farther 
 obligatory than the meafures to be fupported 
 mail be found conducive to the public intereft ; 
 that he, therefore, willingly concurred in the 
 addrefs as originally moved, taking it at prefentfor 
 granted, that the engagements alluded to were 
 fuch as the interefls of Great Britain required A - 
 but leaving himfelf at full liberty to object to any 
 fpecific meafures which mould be moved by the 
 Minifters of the Crown in purfuance of this ad- 
 drefs, if they appeared to him, in any refpecl:, 
 inconfiftent with the public welfare. He was fure 
 that his Majefty could mean nothing but what was 
 for the advantage of the nation ; and if the en- 
 gagements in queftion proved otherwife, he mould 
 confider them as the engagements of the Minifler, 
 not of the King." Sir Jofeph Jekyl and feveral 
 other refpeclable and independent members declar- 
 ing, that they regarded addreffes precifely in the 
 fame light, and agreably to the explanation now 
 given, the oppofition acquiefced, and the queftion 
 paffed in the affirmative without a divifion. But 
 it could not efcape the penetration of the Minifler, 
 how repugnant to the feelings of the Houfe was 
 
 U4 the 
 
3 9 6 K, GEORGE IT. 
 
 the idea now fuggefted, of carrying on an offenfive 
 war againft the Houfe of Auftria, in concert with 
 the two branches of the Houfe of Bourbon. Ever 
 fince the conclufion of the Treaty of Hanover, 
 a very large body of auxiliaries had been kept, at 
 an immenfe expence, in conftant pay, from the 
 inceflant apprehenfion of a war. But when the efti- 
 mate for the charge of maintaining 1 2,000 KeiTians 
 came before the Houfe, it was objected againft as 
 entirely fuperfluous : It was faid, that if fears and 
 apprehenfions would juftify the wafte of money, 
 thus lavifhed in ftibfidies, we mould never be free 
 from thefe burdens ; that it was time enough to 
 hire troops when we were actually involved in 
 war, and there was no doubt, from the difpofition 
 of the European princes, that men might be always 
 had for money. Thefe objections, however, were 
 over-ruled, and the troops continued in pay, under 
 the idea that to difmifs them at the prefent crifis, 
 though their actual fervices might not be called 
 for, would tend to encourage the Emperor in his 
 contumacy. 
 
 Notwithstanding the recent convention of 
 Seville, complaints were renewed from all parts, 
 of the depredations and cruelties committed by 
 the Spaniards in the Welt Indies : And the Houfe 
 of Commons, fatisfied of the truth of thefe allega- 
 tions, prefented an addrefs to the King, detiring 
 :t that his Majefty would be gracioufly pleafed to 
 
 continue 
 
K G E O R G E II. 297 
 
 continue his endeavor to prevent fuch depredations 
 for the future ; to procure full fatisfaclion for the 
 damages already fuftained ; and to fecure to the 
 Britifh fubjects the full and uninterrupted exercife 
 of their trade and navigation, to and from the 
 Britifh colonies in America." 
 
 A very judicious Bill was at this period introduced 
 into Parliament, and palTed into a law, for prevent- 
 ing delays of juftice, occafioned by the ufe of the 
 Latin tongue in proceedings at law, and enacting that 
 all thoie procefles and pleadings mould be entered in. 
 the Englifli language. There are not wanting, how- 
 ever, at all times many inveterate enemies of inno- 
 vation, " who cherifh old prejudices becaufe 
 they are prejudices," and who have in all ages 
 been found equally eager and obftinate in oppofmg 
 the mod falutary reforms ; and it was urged by 
 this clafs of men, on the prefent occafion, that this 
 Bill would render ufelefs the antient records, which 
 were written in that language — and far from ex- 
 pediting, would introduce confufion and delay of 
 juftice, by altering the established form and 
 method of judicial proceedings. Thefe reafonings, 
 however, did not prevail ; and this law remains 
 an incontrovertible proof that — innovation may 
 pojfibly be the medium of improvement. In the 
 debate on the Penfion Bill, now for the fecond 
 time paiTed by the Commons and rejected by the 
 Lords, Dr. Sherlock, Bilhop of Bangor, gave high 
 1 ' offence, 
 
198 K. GEORGE II, 
 
 offence, by declaring " that an independent Houfe 
 of Commons, or an independent Houfe of Lords, 
 is as inconfiftent with our conftitution — as an 
 independent, that is abfolute, King ; and that a 
 lover of his country will no more defire to fee the 
 one than the other." This proportion, neverthelefs, 
 underftood in a fober and qualified fenfe, cannot 
 be juftly controverted. For a Parliament, abfo- 
 lutely independent of the Crown, would in a fhort 
 time infallibly reduce the Crown to a (late of 
 abfolute and abjecl dependence upon itfclf. And, 
 unqueftionably, it is not by the perpetual confli&s 
 of authority, but by the reciprocal dependence of 
 the different branches of Government, that the 
 balance of the Conftitution, and the harmony of 
 its movements, is mod advantageoufly and effectu- 
 ally preferved. And a total annihilation of that 
 influence, the prodigious and dangerous preponde- 
 rance of which, this Bill was wifely calculated to 
 check, would be attended with a train of new 
 and alarming political evils. Lord Carteret, who 
 had now joined the oppofition, defended the prin- 
 ciple and practical operation of this Bill with great 
 eloquence and energy. In confequence of theBifhop 
 of Bangor's invidious oppofition to it, a motion was 
 made for leavetobring a Bill into the Houfe of Com- 
 mons, to prevent the tranflation ofBifliops; which, 
 the utmoft influence of the Court being exerted 
 againfl it, palled, on a divifion, in the negative. 
 
 On 
 
K. GEORGE II. 299 
 
 On the 7th May 173 1, the Seflion was 
 terminated by a fpeech, in which his Majefty 
 informed the two Houfes " that a treaty of peace 
 had been figned at Vienna # , and the ratifica- 
 tions exchanged between him and the Emperor. 
 As this Treaty, he faid, principally regarded the 
 execution of the Treaty of Seville, it was commu- 
 nicated to the Courts of France and Spain, as 
 parties to that Treaty ; and it was now under the 
 confideration of the States-General, who had been 
 invited to accede to it. He added, that the new 
 engagements entered into by him on this occafion, 
 were agreable to the neceflary concern which this 
 nation muff always have, for the fecurity and pre- 
 fervation of the balance of power in Europe : And 
 he exprefied his aflurance, that all malicious infi- 
 nuations to the prejudice of his meafures muil 
 vanifh, when it fo evidently appeared that his firft 
 and principal care had been for the intereft and 
 honor of this kingdom." By this Treaty his 
 Imperial Majefty agreed that Spain mould take 
 pofleflion of the Dutchies of Parma and Placentia 
 for the Infant Don Carlos, in the mode prefcribed 
 by the Treaty of Seville ; and that the Oftend 
 Company, which had given fuch umbrage to the 
 maritime powers, mould be totally diffolved, on 
 condition that England, and the other contracting 
 powers of the Treaty of Seville, mould become 
 
 * March 16, 173 1. 
 
 guarantees 
 
3 oo K. GEORGE II. 
 
 guarantees of the Pragmatic Sanction. And the 
 Duke of Parma dying at this juncture, an Englifh 
 fleet under Sir Charles Wager was fitted out, 
 which having joined the Spanifh fleet at Barcelona, 
 convoyed the Spanifh troops deftined for Italy to 
 Leghorn, Don Carlos himfelf taking the route of 
 France ; when the Imperial forces which had 
 marched into Parma being withdrawn, the Infant 
 took peaceable pofTeffion of his new territories. 
 
 Thus at length was terminated the violent and 
 acrimonious conteft, which for more than feven 
 years had divided the Houfe of Auftria from Great 
 Britain, its antient and faithful ally. And no- 
 thing can be more clear and evident, from an im- 
 partial review and fummary of facts, than that the 
 quarrel originated folely in the unfortunate con- 
 nection formed by this nation, at the accefTion of 
 the prefent royal family, with the Electorate of 
 Hanover, whole interefls flood almofl; conflantly 
 and diametrically oppoled to that of England. 
 Jealous of the afpiring views of the Houfe of 
 Lunenburg in the Empire, the Emperor could 
 never be brought cordially to concur in the mea- 
 fures concerted for the fecurity of the new acquifi- 
 tions of Bremen and Verden, and ftill lefs in the 
 inddious defigns of the Court of Herenhaufen 
 upon the Dutchy of Mecklenburg ; although, to 
 merit the favor of the Court of Vienna, the King 
 of England fcrupled not to engage in a war with 
 
 Spajnj 
 
L GEORGE II. 301 
 
 Spain, with whom Great Britain had then no 
 imaginable pretence of difpute, and actually 
 effected the transfer of the ifland of Sicily from 
 the Houfe of Savoy to the Houfe of Auftria. Find- 
 ing the Emperor Hill cold and intractable, it was 
 thought neceflary to enter into ftricter connections 
 with France, who readily gave her countenance 
 and fupport to the petty fchemes of electoral ag- 
 grandizement, fo long as the Houfe of Auftria was 
 deprived, by this artful policy, of the ftrength fhe 
 derived from the powerful alliance of Great 
 Britain. By the Treaty figned at Madrid, there- 
 fore, A. D. I72I, a SECRET DEFENSIVE ALLIANCE 
 
 was, by a separate article, concluded between 
 England, France, and Spain, to which the Dutch 
 were left at liberty to accede, and all the late 
 acquifitions of Hanover fe cured by an explicit 
 guarantee : And in return, Spain was artfully 
 and infidioufly flattered with the hope of the 
 reftitution of Gibraltar. After the conclufion of 
 this Treaty, the Court of London was very little 
 folicitous to obtain for the Emperor advantageous 
 or fatisfactory terms of pacification with Spain ; 
 and the Congrefs of Cambray, which was convened 
 under the pretended mediation of England and 
 France, after a long and tedious negotiation, 
 broke up re infecld. But the Court of Spain in 
 procefs of time, finding her expectation of recover- 
 ing Gibraltar wholly deluuve, and enraged at the 
 
 affront 
 
3<5? K. GEORGE If. 
 
 affront offered to the Infanta by France, became: 
 anxious to eftablifh a real and permanent amity 
 with the Emperor — not, however, without inviting 
 the King of England to become the fole arbitrator 
 of their differences. Though nothing, certainly, 
 could be more favorable to the interefts of Great 
 Britain, than this happy occafion of detaching 
 Spain for ever from her connection with France ; 
 it was rejected, from the apprehenfion of giving 
 umbrage to that power, upon whom Hanover at 
 this period relied for the fupport of her new acqui- 
 fitions and farther fchemes of aggrandizement. 
 A treaty of peace and alliance, neverthelefs, 
 between Spain and the Emperor, being quickly 
 figned at Vienna, without the intervention of any 
 foreign power, the memorable Treaty of Hanover 
 was concluded between England and France, to 
 which all the powers of Europe under their influ- 
 ence were urged to accede. In order to give a 
 plaufible color to this treaty, fo contrary to the 
 interefts of Great Britain, much was faid on the 
 neceffity of reducing the exorbitant power of the 
 Houfe of Auftiia, which England had lately been 
 at fuch an immenfe expenfe of blood and treafure 
 to eftablim. And a violent and abfurd clamor 
 was raifed againft the Imperial Eaft-India Com- 
 pany of O fiend, as creating a rivalfhip fatal to the 
 commercial interefts of Great Britain. But the 
 real object of the Treaty of Hanover, on the part 
 
 of 
 
K. GEORGE II. 303 
 
 of the King of England, was evidently no other 
 than to counterbalance the defigns of the two 
 Imperial Courts, now in Uriel alliance with Spain, 
 for the relloration ofSlefwic, Bremen, and Verden, 
 the evacuation of Mecklenburg, and the final 
 annihilation of the ambitious projects of Hanover. 
 The views by which France was actuated were, 
 however, of a far more elevated and comprehen- 
 five nature. For the great object of the policy of 
 the Court of Vienna, at this period, being to fecure 
 to the eldeft daughter of the Emperor the un- 
 divided fucceflion of the Houfe of Auitria, France 
 could difcover no other method lb certain to defeat 
 that defign, and to lay the foundation of the ruin. 
 of that Houfe, and its own confequent unrivalled 
 pre-eminence, by the difmemberment of its 
 vail poiTefhons, whenever the diffoiution of the 
 Emperor, now in the decline of life, fhould take 
 place, than to detach Great Britain entirely from 
 its antient and natural ally. The treaties of Vienna 
 and Hanover, A. D. 1725, in which almoft all 
 the powers of Europe were parties, had nearly 
 given rife to a general war; which, however, was 
 with much difficulty averted, by the preliminaries 
 figned at Aix-la-Chapelle, A. D. 1727. At the 
 enfuing conferences for a final pacification at 
 Soiffons, France having found means to efFe£t a 
 reconciliation with Spain, the Court of Vienna, 
 which ftill efpoufed the interefts of the Dukes of 
 
 Holftein 
 
3 d 4 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 Holftein and Mecklenburg, found itfelf greatly 
 overbalanced and almofl deferted. The Imperial 
 Miniiter's demand of the guarantee of the Prag- 
 matic Sanction was treated with neglect and con- 
 tempt; and the Englifh Miniflers, after having 
 conferred with thofe of France ; anfwered, that the 
 Pragmatic Sanction was not the point in queftioii 
 — that not being the object of the preient difputes, 
 it ought not to be a fubject of the prefent negotia- 
 tions, and that the proportion was not traitable. 
 The plenipotentiaries of Holland, however, who 
 were not under the fame artificial and extrinfic bias, 
 refufed to join in this anfwer — declaring, on the 
 contrary, that they thought it a point which might 
 hereafter fo highly affect the tranquillity of Europe, 
 that it deferved confiderarion at lead, and an inquiry 
 what the Emperor would do in exchange for it. 
 Thus the Congrefs of SoifTons broke up, like the 
 former Congrefs of Cambray, to the mutual fatif- 
 faction of France and Hanover, leaving the fecurity 
 of the Auftrian fucceffion to the decifion of chance 
 and fortune. It was now the policy of France, to 
 accommodate the differences fubfiiting between the 
 Courts of Madrid and London, and to unite them 
 both in a firm oppofition to the Emperor. For 
 this purpofe the Treaty of Seville was concluded, 
 under the mediation of France, and mortal offence 
 given to the Emperor, by the stipulated introduc- 
 tion of Spanish troops into the Dutcliics of Parma 
 
 and 
 
K. GEORGE IL 30$ 
 
 and Placentia, previous to the granting the Impe- 
 rial inveftiture. Upon fuch high ground did the 
 Court of London, or rather of Herenhaufen, now 
 conceive itfelf to ftand, that it prefumed to infult 
 the Emperor by an offer, made (1730), in con- 
 junction with her high allies, France and Spain, 
 to guarantee the fucceffion of the Auftrian domi- 
 nions — in Italy only — to the Arch-dutchefs Maria 
 Therefa, elded daughter of the Emperor, on the 
 condition that the affairs of Sleswic and Meck- 
 lenburg were regulated to their joint Satisfaction. 
 This proposition, however, was rejected with 
 difdain ; and his Imperial Majefty appearing deter- 
 mined to rifque a war with the Houfe of Bourbon, 
 — a war in which England had with the groffefb 
 and mod culpable inattention to her interefts and 
 even to her fafetv, and the extreme hazard of 
 entirely Subverting the balance of power in 
 Europe, involved herfelf as a principal,— the 
 ministers of the Crown, who had ventured 
 to the edge of the precipice, as the crifis ap- 
 proached, recoiled at the view of the gulph into 
 which they were about to plunge. Apparently 
 alarmed at the raihnefs and abfurdity of their own 
 projects, they Suddenly refolved to Set on foot a 
 negotiation at Vienna ; as the baSis of which, an 
 offer was made of the guarantee of the Pragmatic 
 Sanction, including the whole Auftrian SucceiFion, 
 by Great Britain. This the Emperor readily and 
 Vol. I. X gladly 
 
3 o6 K. GEORGE IT. 
 
 gladly embraced. In return, the inveftitures of 
 Bremen and Verden were conceded ; Hanover was 
 to receive a flipulated fum in lieu of all its claims 
 upon Mecklenburg ; and, " to preferve the fence of 
 Lower Saxony, and to put an end to the cause of 
 troubles in the North ;" the Emperor and Ruffia 
 guaranteed Sleswic to the King of Denmark, 
 upon condition that one million of rix-dollars were 
 paid to the Duke of Holftein as an equivalent — 
 5.00,000 down, and 100,000 per ann. till the 
 whole was completed *. And however reluctant 
 the Duke of Holftein might be to part with Slef- 
 wic upon fuch terms, he was compelled to accept 
 of this pretended equivalent, or feek elfewhere for 
 protectors. The Treaty of Vienna being con- 
 cluded without the participation of France, in 
 direct contravention of an article of the Treaty of 
 
 * It is a curious circumftanee, that Denmark declared itfelf 
 under no obligation to make good this equivalent — having beeir 
 long in aftual poffeffion of Slefwic under the guarantee of 
 Hanover. And though his Danifh Majefty afterwards confented 
 to the payment of this fum, it will be found, conformably to the 
 accounts delivered in to Parliament, Feb. 10 and 12, 1735, 
 that the fums paid, or to be paid, on different pretences to 
 Denmark within a certain fpecilicd time, amount t» the com- 
 plete fum of one million of rix-dollars .• So that there exi 
 ftrong prefumption that the Dutchy of Slefwic, thus bought and 
 fold by contract of two foreign potentates, was at latt paid for 
 out of the pockets of the fimple and unfufpecting people of 
 Great Britain. 
 
 Hanover, 
 
K. GEORGE II. 307 
 
 tlanover, all real amity between the two Courts 
 of London and Verfailles was now at an end; 
 and a cold exterior civility fucceeded to that con- 
 fidence which had fubfifted without interruption 
 for the fpace of fifteen years. The Treaty of 
 Hanover was confidered on both fides as virtually 
 renounced by the late Treaty of Vienna, to which 
 the States-General foon acceded, and which 
 feemed to eftablifh, by the guarantee of the mari- 
 time powers, the Pragmatic Sanction, fo much the 
 object of Gallic jealoufy and averfion, on a firm 
 and folid bans'. The politics of Europe now 
 reverted to their antient and regular order. But 
 it is obvious that England and Holland had under- 
 taken this guarantee, at a period far lefs favorable 
 than that which had occurred at the former Treaty 
 of Vienna, fix years before ; and that through a 
 prepofterous predilection and attachment to the 
 views and interefts of Hanover, a moll propitious 
 opportunity of difTolving for ever the political con- 
 nection of Spain and France was irretrievably loft ; 
 and that by the re-union of thofe powers, France 
 was encouraged to perfifl in profecuting thofe 
 fchemes of ambition which fhe had long cherimed 
 fer the future humiliation of the Houfe of Auftria, 
 and which, in the fequel, England thought it 
 neceflary to employ fuch mighty efforts to oppofe 
 and defeat. " Truth, fays a noble cotemporary 
 writer, mould be made known ; and it mould be 
 X 2 known 
 
3 o8 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 knc wa to thofe whom it mod imports to know it — 
 thofe are the bed friends to the King and King- 
 dom, who, by mewing how incompatible the in- 
 terefls of the Electorate are with thofe of Great 
 Britain, may fugged the prudent and neceffary 
 meafure of feparating the dominions themfelves, 
 and fupplying that great defect in the Act of 
 Settlement, which every body now willies had been 
 done, and wonders was not *.'* 
 
 Cn the regular return of the Seffion, Jan. 1732, 
 the King made an elaborate fpeech to both Houfes, 
 containing a very high eulogium upon his own 
 conduct. " He congratulated the Parliament on 
 the reftoration of the general tranquillity ; and he 
 affirmed, that the part taken in the late tranfactions 
 by the Crown of Great Britain, had redounded 
 much to the honor and interefl of the nation. By 
 the Treaty of Seville, he faid, that union of the 
 Imperial and Catholic Crowns, which had given 
 
 * Vide a feries of Tracts ftylcd, " Cafe of tlie Hanover 
 Forces," with a full and fecond " Vindication " of the fame, af- 
 cribed to the Earl of Chetlerheld. The firft of thefe tracts was 
 anfu-ered by Mr. Horace Walpole, afterwards Lord Walpole, 
 b'ochcr to the Miniiter, in a publication ftyled, " The Interefts 
 of Great Britain fteadily purfued.'' Lord Chefterfield, in his 
 Vindication, fhrewdly remarks, " that the three years in which 
 the writer of the pamphlet declared himfclf fo violently againft 
 Hanover-proje&s, ought at lead to be excepted out of the 
 Britifh fdbeme of politics, which he undertakes to demonflratc 
 bath been f tied" 
 
 fuch 
 
K. GEORGE II. 309 
 
 fuch univerfal alarm, had been diflblved ; and the 
 execution of that treaty, fuppofed to be attended 
 with infurmountable difficulties, was at length hap- 
 pily accomplifhed. Parma and Placentia were in the 
 actual pofTeffion of Don Carlos, and the reverfion 
 of Tufcany fecured by an exprefs convention with 
 the Great Duke. Parliament had feen, he faid, 
 the happy effects of their zeal and refolution — and 
 now reaped the fruits of the confidence which they 
 had repofed in him ; and it mud be a great fatif- 
 faction to them to reflect that the expenfe incurred 
 had been fo amply recompenfed." It is obferva- 
 ble, that in the whole feries of royal fpeeches and 
 meflages in this and the preceding reign, not a, 
 fy liable is mentioned of Bremen, Slefwic, or 
 Mecklenburg, the fecret fprings of every refolu- 
 tion taken by the Englifh Court refpecting the 
 affairs of the Continent for almofl twenty years 
 pad. And with a firm reliance on the complai- 
 fance of the Parliament, and the ignorance of the 
 people, a bold — for a harfher epithet would be 
 indecorous— r-a bold attempt was now made to 
 eftablifh the idea that the quarrel between Great 
 Britain and the Emperor, reflected folcly the 
 inveftiture of the Dutchies of Tufcany, Parma, 
 and Placentia : — Although, had this indeed been 
 the fact, fcarcely would it have amounted to an 
 extenuation of the folly. For to whom thefe 
 Dutchies mould belong, was an object wholly 
 X 3 beneath 
 
3i© K. GEORGE II. 
 
 beneath the attention of Great Britain : And 
 admitting the neceflity of preferving the equipoize 
 of power, they could be confidered as little more 
 than duft in the balance. If King William has 
 incurred juft cenfure for involving this nation too 
 deeply in continental politics — : if the blood and 
 1 reafure of Great Britain were in his reign lavifhed 
 with a too unfparing hand — at leaft it muft be 
 acknowleged, that the ends he had in view were 
 in the higheft degree noble, juft, and difmterefted. 
 The Grand Alliance was not projected by that 
 renowned monarch, in order to procure the ceffion 
 of a diftrict, to be added to his principality of 
 Orange ; but for the glorious purpofe of aflerting 
 the liberty and independency of Chriftendom, in 
 oppofition to the afpiring aims of an haughty 
 tyrant ; and of fixing an infurmountable barrier to 
 the farther progrefs of his triumphs. Abforbed 
 in the contemplation of this great objeft, his Ideas 
 rofe infinitely above all thofe miferable artifices of 
 petty aggrandizement, which had, for fo many 
 years previous to this period, perplexed the coun- 
 sels, and interrupted the repofe, of nations. When 
 an addrefs was moved by Lord Hervey *, in the 
 
 ufual 
 
 * This nobleman long occupied a place in the foremoft rank 
 of courtiers, and was a frequent fpeaker in Parliament, though 
 •with little claim to hifloric notice. His endowments appear to 
 have1)ecn very fuperficial, and his manners effeminately frivolous ; 
 
 (hough.. 
 
L GEORGE II. 31 r 
 
 ufual ftyle of courtly adulation and fubmiflion, 
 the indignation of the Patriots feemed uncommon- 
 ly excited; and the incoherency, and abfurdity, of 
 thewhole political fyflem of the Court were ably and 
 vigoroufly expofed. Sir Wilfred Lawfon, who firft 
 rofe, obferved, " that the treaties, refpecling which fo 
 much had been faid, were not yet before the Houfe ; 
 therefore he was not prepared to join in the appro- 
 val of them. It appeared, however, fumciently 
 plain, that notwithstanding the great things we 
 had done for Spain, very little fatisfaclion had as 
 yet been received for the injuries done to us. He 
 knew of nothing, a vague order of his Catholic 
 Majefty to the governors of his ports in the Wed 
 Indies againft illegal depredations excepted, upon 
 which any conftruction they thought proper might 
 be put ; but this furely could not be confidered 
 as a fufficient reparation of pad injuries." Mr. 
 Shippen " confefled himfelf fo unfafhionable, that 
 he neither pretended to judge without information, 
 
 though, by a duel with Mr. Pulteney, he fufficiently eftablifhed 
 his character for perfbnal courage. Lord Hervey's quarrel with 
 Pope is well known. The portrait drawn by that vindictive 
 Satirift of this nobleman under the name of Sporus, is replete 
 with malignity and diftortion ; though, had it been peifedlly 
 jufl, the poet ftands defervedly condemned by his own previous 
 acknowlegement : 
 
 Satire or fenfe, alas ! can Sporus feel ? 
 Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel ? 
 
 X 4 or 
 
3 i2 K. GEORGE It. 
 
 or to applaud without reafon. The fervile and 
 flattering addreffes now in vogue, he faid, were 
 unknown in former times ; — in oppofing them, 
 he (hewed his regard for the honor and dignity 
 of that Houfe ; and for his reputation as a courtier, 
 he felt little concern. He moved, therefore, to 
 leave out the complimentary paragraphs, and to 
 reftrain the addrefs to a general exprefhon of 
 thanks to his Majefty, and of fatisfa£tion at the 
 eftablimment of general tranquillity. But the 
 mod interefting and eloquent fpeech on this occa- 
 fion was made by Mr. Pulteney, who declared, 
 that if we were now right, he was certain that the 
 time had long ago elapfed, when we might have 
 been as right, with infinitely lefs expenfe and trou- 
 ble. But at the period to which he alluded, the 
 guarantee of the Pragmatic Sanction was repre- 
 sented as inconfiftent with the intereft and happinefs 
 of the nation, by the very perfons who now plume 
 themfelves, and demand the applaufe of the Houfe 
 for affenting to it. For his part, he faid, he neither 
 confidered the Pragmatic Sanction in fo formida- 
 ble, or in fo favorable a light, as the prefent Mini- 
 iters had, at different times, done. Admitting it 
 to be agreable to the general interefts of England, 
 that the Auitrian fucceflion mould be transmitted 
 whole and undivided, he greatly doubted the poli- 
 cy of our obliging ourfelves, by an explicit and po- 
 utive guarantee, to maintain this fucceilion at a 
 
 future 
 
K. GEORGE II. 313 
 
 future and indeterminate period, when England 
 might- for reafons impoflible to forefee, find it 
 very incompatible with her intereft to engage ia. 
 a foreign war upon any account : And no alterna- 
 tive would be then left us, but to violate our faith, 
 or to rifque our fafety. To violate the national 
 faith, indeed, he obferved, was no new thing with 
 the prefent Minifters ; for the Treaty of Vienna 
 itfeif was concluded in violation of the Treaty of 
 Hanover, to the conditions of which, though 
 Pruffia had withdrawn herfelf, France and Holland 
 had ftrictly adhered. He could not, therefore, 
 allow, that in the late tranfa&ions either the intercjl 
 or the honor of the nation had been confulted. 
 With regard to the forcible introduction of Don 
 Carlos into Italy, that Prince, whofe name had, 
 for feveral years paft, been converted to fuch 
 commodious ufes, and who, according to a ludi- 
 crous obfervation in the courfe of this debate, was 
 either a giant or an infant as it fuited the purpofe 
 of the Court — Mr. Pulteney declared that he 
 thought it very likely to prove the origin of frefli 
 troubles. But if, upon" the whole, our affairs 
 abroad were now wifely adjufted, and our domeflic 
 grievances were to be, at the fame time, complete- 
 ly redreffed, the Mini tier at the helm of govern- 
 ment might be compared to a pilot who, though 
 there was a clear, fafe, and ftrait channel into 
 harbor, took it into his head to navigate the mip 
 
 through 
 
31+ K. GEORGE II. 
 
 through rocks, fands, and fhallows, and after 
 much danger and much damage, at laft, by chance, 
 hits the port, and triumphs in his good conduct." 
 In reply to Mr. Pulteney, Mr. Horace Walpole, 
 upon whom the Minifter -willingly devolved the 
 talk of defending his fyftem of foreign politics, un- 
 dertook to demonftrate " the wifdom and rectitude 
 of thofe meafures of adminiftration, fo contempt- 
 uoully derided and fo injurioufly arraigned. 
 — He wifhed, he faid, to be informed to what pe- 
 riod of time the obfervations of the laft fpeaker 
 were intended to refer. He knew that the guaran- 
 tee of the Pragmatic Sanction had been propofed 
 to us fome years ago ; but then it was in a ftyle fo 
 dogmatic, that it was inconfiflent with the honor 
 of his Majefly and of the nation to pay the flightefl 
 attention to it. Befides, there was juft reafon to 
 fear that Don Carlos was the perfon fixed upon 
 by his Imperial Majefty as his fucceflbr ; and it 
 was manifeftly againft the interefls of Great Bri- 
 tain to contribute to the eftablifhment of a Prince 
 in the entire polfeflion of the Auftrian fucceflion, 
 who held in his own right dominions fo confider- 
 able in Italy, and who was fo nearly related to the 
 Crowns both of Spain and France. This gua- 
 rantee was again offered when the Treaty of Seville 
 was in agitation, but it was again rejected, be- 
 caufe it was well known to be intended only to 
 diflurb the negotiation. But as foon as the Treaty 
 
 of 
 
K. GEORGE H. 3 i S 
 
 of Seville was concluded, and the Emperor became 
 reafonable in his propofals, we embraced the op- 
 portunity, and joined without referve in the gua- 
 rantee. As to any inconvenience which might 
 arife from a fuppofed eventual inability to main- 
 tain our engagements, he would take upon him to 
 aflert, that were the Imperial Houfe in danger 
 pf fubverfion, we mtift engage in their refcue, let 
 our circumftances be at the time what they will ; 
 for our own ruin was clofely and inevitably con- 
 nected with theirs. This guarantee he affirmed 
 it would have been highly defirable to have enter- 
 ed into fooner, on account of the fatal confequen- 
 ces which might have enfued in cafe of the demife 
 of the Emperor. But it was impoffible to agree 
 to it, till his Imperial Majefty had given fatisfaftion 
 to Spain refpe&ing the Italian Dutchies, and to 
 England and Holland in regard to the Oftend 
 Company, which his Majefty, by the wifdom, 
 vigor, and Jieadinefs of his meafures, had at 
 laft procured. He begged leave to repeat the ex- 
 preffion, the Jieadinefs of his Majefty's meafures ; 
 for, he faid, though the means were various, the 
 objects of thofe meafures were uniform — the pre- 
 fervation of the balance of power, and the affertion 
 of our commercial rights. We had engaged by 
 the Quadruple Alliance to fee the Infant Don 
 Carlos fettled in the fuccefiion of the Italian Dut- 
 phies j and Spain ccald not be eafy till this was 
 
 effect- 
 
316 K. GEORGE IT. 
 
 effectuated, nor could we or our allies, the Dutch, 
 be eafy, till we faw the Oftend Company abfolutely 
 demolifhed. As foon as thefe two grand points 
 were conceded by the Imperial Court, we began 
 to think ferioufly of eftablifhing the future tranquil- 
 lity of Europe, and the balance of power, on a folid 
 foundation ; for which purpofe we had at length 
 agreed to the formal guarantee of the Pragmatic 
 Sanction. How then could it be affirmed that the 
 honor and intereft of the nation had not been con- 
 fulted in our foreign negotiations, or that our en- 
 gagements had not been fulfilled ? France had no 
 reafon to be diffatisfied, having declared that her 
 fole object was the prefervation of the general tran- 
 quillity, agreably to the terms of the Quadruple 
 Alliance, which was accomplifhed by the Treaty of 
 Vienna: And the fact was, that the Court of 
 Verfailles had declared itfelf fatisfied *. As to the 
 commercial differences between England and 
 Spain, they were referred to the decifion of com- 
 miffaries, who, there was every reafon to believe, 
 would fettle all points in dilpute in an amicable 
 manner." This fpeech was no lefs favorably re- 
 ceived by the majority of the Houfe, than the 
 
 • Upon the fame principle, doubtlefs, on which Shylock, 
 after " recording a gift of all his wealth," declares, in anfwer to 
 the qneftion, " Art thou contented, Jew :"— "I am content ;" 
 though a cataflrophe not very pleafing certainly in itfelf, and 
 little to be expe&ed from the tenor of the exilling pond. 
 
 harangue 
 
K. GEORGE II. 317 
 
 harangue formerly made by this Minifter in vindi- 
 cation of the Treaty of Hanover ; and the addrefs, 
 as originally moved, was prefented to his Majefty, 
 who declared in reply, " that he had no doubt of 
 the continuance of the affe&ion and confidence 
 of the Houfe, and that they mould ever find his 
 views tending to the honor, intereft, and fecurity, 
 of his Crown and People." 
 
 The nation being at length allowed, and affert- 
 ed on the higheft authority, to be in a (late of 
 actual and perfect fecurity, a grand effort was 
 thought advifable by the patriots in oppofition, or 
 the Country-party, as they were now generally 
 fly led, to effect a reduction of the (landing army. 
 This rooted and habitual grievance the Courtiers 
 endeavoured to difguife and foften, by bellowing 
 upon it the appellation of a -parliamentary army, 
 as voted and maintained by parliamentary autho- 
 rity. They pleaded, that this force was necef- 
 fary to fecure the interior tranquillity of the king- 
 dom, and to overawe malcontents, though too 
 inconfiderable to excite the jealoufy of the people 
 even under an ambitious Monarch, and much lefs 
 under a Prince who could not be accufed, or even 
 fufpected, of entertaining the remotefl wifh of 
 infringing upon the liberties of his fubjects. In 
 favor of the reduction it was argued, " that a (land- 
 ing military force in time of peace had, previous 
 to the sera of the Revolution, always been account- 
 ed noi only fuperfluous, but unconditional and 
 
 danger- 
 
3i8 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 dangerous ; that the internal tranquillity of the 
 country might be fecured, as heretofore it had 
 been, by the civil power aided by the militia, 
 which, under proper regulation, was as capable of 
 discipline, and as active in exertion, as a {landing 
 army ; that the number of malcontents was alto- 
 gether contemptible ; but that the mod effectual 
 means of increafmg it was, the obflinate perfeve- 
 ranee in meafures odious and arbitrary ; that 
 though they had all imaginable confidence in 
 his Majeity's regard for the liberty of his fubjects, 
 mould a Handing army be ingrafted into the con- 
 ilitution, another Prince might arife of more dan* 
 gerous talents and of deeper defigns, and employ 
 it for the worft purpofes of ambition : That other 
 nations had been enflaved by {landing armies ; and 
 though the officers were at prefent men of honor 
 and probity, thefe might be eafily difcarded, and 
 the army new-modelled, in order to effect the 
 fubverfion of the Conflitutiom The expenfe of 
 this great military force was alfo infilled upon as 
 extremely burdenfome and oppreflive to the na- 
 tion ; and it was alferted that the money raifed 
 for the fubfiftence of 18 or 20,000 men in 3ing- 
 land, would maintain 60,000 French or Germans. 
 Previous to the Revolution it was well known 
 that the people of England did not raife above 
 two millions for the whole of the public charge; 
 but now the current expenfe far exceeded that 
 fum, and the civil lift, the interefl due to the 
 
 public 
 
K. GEORGE II. 5£9 
 
 public creditors and the finking fund, added toge- 
 ther, compofed a burden of fix millions yearly ; 
 and though at fo recent a period as the acceffion of 
 the late King, the army did not exceed 6000 men, 
 it v/as now augmented, on various pretences, to 
 more than three times that number. And farther 
 pretences would never be wanting, were Parliament 
 willing to liften to them for farther augmentations." 
 Thefe arguments, however, proved wholly fruit- 
 lefs and unavailing *, and in proportion to the fre- 
 quency of their repetition, the impreffion feems to 
 have been impaired and weakened ; for it is un- 
 happily, though unqueflionably, certain, that, for 
 almoft a century pall, the Jlanding army has been a 
 progrejjive army, and that every effort for its reduc- 
 tion has terminated in its increafe and enlargement. 
 Such was the offence given by Mr. Pulteney to the 
 Court by the zealous part he took in this and other 
 political queftions at this period, that the King, 
 calling for the council-book, with his own hand 
 {truck out his name from the lift of Privy Coun- 
 fellors, which, however, only ferved to extend 
 his fame, and eftablifh his popularity. 
 
 * The numbers on the divifion were 241 againft: 171 voices. 
 Lord Hervey urging the multiplicity of feditious writings, as 
 an argument againit any reduction of the military force ; Mr. 
 Plumer replied, " that iifcribblers gave the government uneafi- 
 nefs, they ought to employ fcribblers, and not foldiers, to defend 
 them from the danger," 
 
 Not- 
 
320 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 Notwithftandingthe indifcriminate fapport given 
 by Sir Robert Walpole, after the example of his 
 predeceffors, to the long-eftablifhed royal fyftem of 
 continental politics, and without which hewell knew 
 the impoffibility of maintaining poiTeffion, even for 
 a day, of his high and precarious office, it ought 
 not to be fuppofed that this Minifter was abfo- 
 lutely indifferent to the intereft and welfare of 
 the kingdom over whofe councils he prefided. 
 This it would be flagrant injuflice to affirm. His 
 fituation was, in many refpeds, critical and ha- 
 zardous ; and if juft allowance be made for the 
 difficulties and embarrauments which he perpetu- 
 ally experienced from the prevalence of Hanove- 
 rian prejudices on the one fide, and Jacobite pre- 
 judices on the other, it will not perhaps be too 
 much to affert, that a man, upon the whole, bet- 
 ter adapted to the ftation which he occupied, or 
 better qualified to difcharge the various and com- 
 plicated duties of it, could no-where be found. 
 To change the Minifter would have availed nothing 
 without a radical change of fyftem ; and fo long as 
 the nation at large mall continue to approve, or ac- 
 quiefce in, this corrupt and defective fyftem, where 
 is the Minifter to be found, who mall with fincerity 
 and earneftnefs labor to accomplifh any compre- 
 henfive plan of political reform ? Or, indeed, 
 what right have we to expect from any man fuch 
 an heroic and, at the fame time, ufelefs effort of 
 2 virtue? 
 
K. GEORGE Hi 321 
 
 virtue. The celebrated ftatefman whofe character 
 and conduct we have now been contemplating — 
 and whofe actions have been brought to the teft 
 of that fiery ordeal of relentlefs truth and juftice 
 which human frailty is fo incompetent to abide, 
 and over whofe burning plough-mares no man ever 
 yet with impunity pafied — was poffefied, neverthe- 
 Iefs, of talents admirably calculated for public life. 
 An underftanding clear, mafculine, and vigorous-, 
 was in him combined with a temper mild, equable, 
 and difpaffionate. And by the moft perfect accu- 
 racy and regularity of method, the toils of govern- 
 ment were rendered apparently eafy and pleafant* 
 He was fully fenfible of the folly of that warlike 
 fpirit, which had predominated in the Britifh 
 councils fince the asra of the Revolution. The 
 favorite object of his adminiftration, was to pre- 
 ferve and maintain the general tranquillity; and 
 the Treaty of Vienna, recently concluded at a 
 moment fo critical, flrongly indicated his extreme 
 folicitude for the continuance of peace. He con- 
 ceived the profperity of the nation to be mofl 
 effectually advanced by the encouragement of 
 manufactures and commerce, the true principles 
 of which he perfectly comprehended and fleadily 
 purfued. His return to office had been diftin- 
 guifhed by a moft beneficial alteration of the com- 
 mercial fyftem of Great Britain, in the abrogation 
 of a multiplicity of duties payable on the irnporta- 
 Vol. I. Y lion 
 
522 & GEORGE II. 
 
 tion of raw materials, and the exportation of 
 wrought goods. And it has been affirmed, that 
 he found the Englifli book of rates almoft the 
 worft, and left it the verybeft, in Europe. At this 
 period he had formed a project, to which he ap- 
 pears to have been incited by the cleared: convic- 
 tion of its utility, for effecting a radical alteration 
 in the national fyftem of taxation. The principal 
 branches of the revenue might at this time be 
 divided into port-duties or cufloms — duties of 
 excife — and taxes levied on immoveable pro- 
 perty, fuch as the duties on land, houfes, hearths, 
 and windows. This latter defcription of duties 
 the Minifter confidered as of a nature highly 
 oppreflive, partial, and inequitable. And the 
 various taxes on confumable commodities, to which 
 every citizen contributes in an exact proportion to 
 his confumption ; and which, being included in 
 the price of the commodity, are eafily and infenfi- 
 bly paid ; conftituted, in his opinion, incomparably 
 the moft eligible mode of raifing the fupplies necef- 
 fary for the public fervice. He alfo well knew 
 the grofs and fhamelefs frauds daily pradtifed in 
 the collection of the cuftoms ; and which, from the 
 very nature of thofe frauds, and the extreme faci- 
 lity of committing them, he had no hope to remedy. 
 He thought, therefore, that to convert the greater 
 part of the cufloms into duties of excife, would 
 be equally advantageous to government, and to 
 
 the 
 
K. GEORGE II. 323 
 
 the fair trader ; and that the laws of excife might 
 be fo ameliorated, that, notwithstanding the odium 
 generally attached to them as opprefiive and 
 arbitrary, no juft or real ground of complaint 
 mould remain. With a view, therefore, to an 
 effential change in the fir ft fpecies of taxation, and 
 to the eventual annihilation of the laft, he brought 
 into the Houfe, in the month of February 1732, 
 a bill for the revival of the fait duties, which had 
 been repealed fome years back, as a fubftitute for 
 one milling in the pound of the land-tax — and if 
 this propofal met the approbation of the Houfe, 
 he fignified his intention — the land-tax being at 
 this time two (hillings only in the pound — altogether 
 to abolifh that tax in the courfe of the enfuing 
 feffion ; in which he declared he mould rejoice, 
 as the annihilation of a mod grievous and intolera- 
 ble burden. " The duty on fait, he faid, affected, 
 it was true, all claffes of citizens, the poor as well 
 as the rich ; but the burden of this tax being fo 
 equally and generally diffufed, the fum contributed 
 by the lower claffes of the people would be found, 
 on computation, fo trifling, as fcarcely to deferve 
 the mention. This tax, while it exifted, was 
 never the fubjecr. of complaint ; and when it was 
 repealed, no one feemed to think himfelf bene- 
 fited. He knew, he faid, the reproaches he had 
 to expecl on this occafion ; but he had been long 
 accuftomed to be affronted and infulted, both 
 Y 2 within 
 
3H K. GEORGE IL 
 
 within the walls of that place, and without : And 
 while he knew his intentions to be upright, and 
 his only aim to ferve his country to the belt of his 
 knowlege, and the utmoft of his power, he mould 
 continue to difregard thofe reflections which he 
 was confeious he did not deferve." After very 
 vehement and obftinate debates, in which the 
 Minifter was repeatedly charged with deep and 
 malignant defigns againft the liberties of his coun- 
 try, and the welfare and happinefs of his fellow- 
 citizens, which no one perhaps ferioufly fufpected 
 him to harbor, the bill paffed by a majority of 
 207 voices againft 135. And it muft be acknow- 
 leged, that the oppofition againft the meafures of 
 Sir Robert Walpole's adminiftration was fo in- 
 variable, and at times fo intemperate, that the 
 bounds of patriotifm and faction feem to have 
 been divided by a very {lender partition. In the 
 courfe of the prefent feflion, the Penfion Bill was 
 a third time paffed by the Commons and rejected 
 by the Lords. And on the id June 1732, the 
 King terminated the fellion with a fpeech, in which 
 he informed the Parliament of the formal acceflion 
 of the States-General to the Treaty of Vienna ; 
 and declared his intention of vifiting his Electoral 
 dominions, and of leaving the Queen, as before, 
 fole Regent during his abfence. On his arrival in 
 Germany, he had the fatisfactionat length to receive 
 the inveftitures of the Dutchies of Bremen and Ver- 
 
 den, 
 
K. GEORGE II. 325 
 
 den, fo long folicited, and fo long delayed by the 
 policy, pride, or refentment of the Emperor. 
 
 During this fummer, Victor Amadeus, the 
 abdicated monarch of Sardinia, was difcovered to 
 be deeply engaged, at the inftigation of his wife, 
 the Marchionefs of St. Sebaflian, in intrigues for 
 the refumption of the Crown — upon which, his 
 perfon was feized by order of his fon, the reigning 
 King, and conveyed to Rivoli j and the Marchio- 
 nefs committed clofe prifoner to the Caftle of Seva. 
 And the world had a new proof, little wanted 
 indeed, how weak are the ties of gratitude and 
 affection, when placed in competition with the 
 iuggeftions of ambition and intereft. 
 
 At this period, a royal charter was granted for 
 the fettlement of a new colony to the fouthward of 
 the Carolinas, to which the name of Georgia was 
 given : And General Oglethorpe, a man diftin- 
 guifhed for the activity and ardor of his benevo- 
 lence, was appointed Governor # , and embarked 
 at Greenwich with a number of families, who 
 founded a town called Savannah on the river of 
 that name. This enterprize excited the jealoufy 
 and apprehenfion of the Spaniards j and as it was 
 difficult, or rather impoffible, to afcertain the 
 precife limits of the Englifh colony of Georgia 
 and the Spanifh fettlement of Florida, a founda- 
 
 * " One — driven by ftrong benevolence of foul— 
 
 Shall fly like Oclethorpe, from pole to pole." Pope. 
 
 Y 3 tion 
 
3 i6 L GEORGE II. 
 
 tion of future difpute and contention between the 
 two nations was unavoidably laid. Previous to 
 the final decifion of government refpe&ing this 
 meafure, feven chiefs of the Cherokee and other 
 fouthern Indian tribes, were conveyed to England ; 
 and being introduced to the King, furrendered, 
 by a formal deed, in the name of their country- 
 men, all right of property and dominion in the 
 lands now about to be occupied by the new colo- 
 nifts. And in amazement at the riches and mag- 
 nificence of the Britifh Court, they are faid to have 
 laid their crowns and enfigns of dignity at the 
 King's feet, requefling to be received in the num- 
 ber of his fubjects. 
 
 Parliament being convened as ufual, early in the 
 year 1733, a motion was framed and approved for 
 an addrefs to the King, to know what fatisfaclion 
 had been made by Spain, for the depredations 
 committed on the Britifh merchants — to which 
 the King replied, " that the meetings of the 
 commiifaries of the two Crowns had been delayed 
 by unforefeen accidents, and that a perfect account 
 of their proceedings could not as yet be laid before 
 the Houfe of Commons." On the motion relative 
 to the army eftimates in the Committee of Supply, 
 which differed not materially from thofe of the 
 lad year, a violent debate arofe ; and the argu- 
 ments formerly urged were again repeated and 
 anew enforced, Mr. Horace Walpc-le, in reply, 
 
 hefitated 
 
K. GEORGE II. 327 
 
 hefitated not to affert, " that the number of troops- 
 then propofed was abfolutely neceffary to fupport 
 his Majefty's government, and would be neceffary 
 fo long as the nation enjoyed the happinefs of 
 having the prefent illuftrious family on the throne." 
 Mr. Shippen remarked upon this affertion, " that 
 the queftion feemed at length to have taken a new 
 turn — for, in former debates, the continuance of 
 the army for one year only had been contended 
 for ; but now the mafque was thrown off, and the 
 Houfe was given to underftand that it was intended 
 to be perpetual. This he would not believe could 
 come from his Majefty. His Majefty knew how 
 much the nation was loaded with debts and taxes — ■ 
 and how inconfijlent it was with our conjiitution 
 to keep up a Jianding army in time of peace." 
 Mr. Shippen, being called vehemently to order 
 for thefe lafl words, declared himfelf " peculiarly 
 unfortunate; for that, in a former Parliament, 
 he had incurred the fevere difpleafure and cenfure 
 of that Houfe, for afferting that the late Monarch 
 ivas unacquainted with the conftitution ; and he 
 now gave high offence, by declaring that his pre- 
 fent Majefty was not unacquainted with the confti- 
 tution. " On a divifion, the motion was carried 
 by 239 votes againfl 171. 
 
 In deliberating upon the fupplies to be granted 
 for the enfuing year, Sir Robert Walpole moved 
 that the fum of £ 500,000 mould be iflued out of 
 
 Y 4 the 
 
3i 8 R GEORGE, II. 
 
 the Sinking Fund for current fervices. This was 
 the firft open and direct attack upon the Sinking 
 Fund * ; and it produced a moll animated and 
 indignant remonftrance from the patriotic party, 
 who warned the Minifter, though in vain, that he 
 was drawing down the curfes of pofterity upon his 
 head — and expatiated upon the iniquity of pil- 
 laging, in a time of profound peace, this facred 
 depofit, and demonftrated the folly of facrificing 
 the ineftimable advantages arifmg from the undif- 
 turbed and progreilive operation of this fund, to a 
 little temporary eafe ; and conjured him not to 
 demolifh with his own hand, the faireft monument 
 of his fame. Sir William Wyndham acknow- 
 leged, " that he had never been without apprehen- 
 fion that violence might be offered to this fund, 
 by an enterprizing Minifter, in cafe of exigency 
 and in a time of war : But to fee attempts made 
 upon it in a feafon of perfect tranquillity, was 
 what he never expected. Is the public expendi- 
 ture, exclaimed this patriotic fpeaker, never to be 
 leflened ? Are the people of England always to 
 groan under the fame heavy and grievous taxes ? 
 Surely, if there is any intention of diminifhing 
 the prefent enormous debt of the nation, now is 
 
 * Between the years 1727 and 1732, various new loans were 
 made, the interefts of which were charged upon different fur- 
 plufles, appertaining, conformably to the original plan of re- 
 4emptio8j to the Sinking Fund. 
 
 11 the 
 
K. GEORGE II. 329 
 
 the time for doing it. What can be faid in vindi- 
 cation of thofe who are thus loading pofterity? 
 Can they imagine that there will ever be lefs occa- 
 fion for public expenfe— or can they imagine that 
 our defcendants will poflefs greater ability for dis- 
 charging thefe incumbrances, thanourfelves? Surely 
 no t — unlefs far other and wifer meafures of govern- 
 ment mould be adopted, than any which have yet 
 originated from the prefent Miniiters." No im- 
 preffion, however, could be made upon the pre- 
 determined purpofe of the Minifler ; and the mea- 
 fure received without difficulty the fanction of the 
 Houfe of Commons : And though, in the Houfe 
 of Lords, it was again attacked, with the united 
 powers of argument, wit, and eloquence, by the 
 Lords Bathurfl, Cheflerfield, and Carteret, it finally 
 received the royal aflent. 
 
 The compliant difpofition of Parliament now 
 encouraged the Minifler to bring forward, in pur- 
 fuance of the grand plan of revenue reform before 
 mentioned, his famous bill for Subjecting the 
 duties on wine and tobacco to the laws of excife. 
 But probably to the furprize, certainly to the 
 chagrin, of the Minifter, on moving his primary 
 refolution, " that the duties on tobacco do from 
 the 24th June 1733 cea f e an d determine," no 
 lefs than 205 members divided againfl it — the 
 majority, in a houfe of 471 members, being 
 only 61. 
 
 No 
 
33 o K. GEORGE II. 
 
 No man, perhaps, at this time, flood higher in 
 public or parliamentary eftimation, than Sir Paul 
 Methuen. His long experience, his extenfive 
 political and commercial knowlege. the high offices 
 he had fucceffively occupied, the refpectabiiity of 
 his private, with the moderation and equanimity 
 of his public character, and the dignified candor 
 ■with which he always oppofed, when he deemed it 
 neceffary to oppofe, the meafures of adminiftration, 
 though long removed from power by the fuperior 
 afcendancy of Walpole, all combined to give the 
 decided part which he took on this occafion, as an 
 opponent of the bill, the greateft weight ; and his 
 opinion was fuppofed materially to have influenced 
 very many of the mod refpectable members who 
 voted in this formidable minority. 
 
 A prodigious clamor, mitigated, without doubt, 
 in a great degree by thofe perfons whofe fraudulent 
 pra&ifes this plan was intended to counteract, was 
 artfully and induftriouflyraifed againftthe bill, which 
 was indeed deemed dangeroufly inimical to the 
 conftitution, by many very intelligent and impartial 
 perfons, to whofe judgment much deference is 
 due ; though it has in our own times been carried 
 fubftantially into effect without caufing any public 
 alarm, or even exciting any very uncommon (hare 
 of attention — juftifying in its operation the ideas 
 and expectations of the Minifters with whom it 
 originated. On this occafion, however, the oppo- 
 
 fition 
 
K. GEORGE II. 331 
 
 fition againft the bill might with propriety be 
 ftyled national ; and Sir Robert Walpole perfifling 
 to urge this favorite project with a very improper, 
 and with him a very unufual degree of heat and 
 paffion — applying the contumelious expreffion of 
 " fturdy beggars," to the merchants who attended 
 in the lobby of the Houfe of Commons, with peti- 
 tions againft the bill, the public difcontent was 
 heightened into rage. The avenues to Weft- 
 minder Hall were occupied by immenfe crowds oi 
 people ; and the perfons of thofe members who 
 voted in favor of the Bill, were grofsly infulted, 
 and even their lives endangered. At length Sir 
 Robert Walpole thought proper to move that the 
 fecond reading of the bill might be poftponed to 
 a diftant day. The defeat of the fcheme was cele- 
 brated with general rejoicings ; and the Minifler 
 was burned in effigy, and loaded with execrations, 
 though his conduct appears no otherwife cenfurable 
 in this bufmefs, than as it exhibits fome fymp- 
 toms of pride and obdinacy. It is related, never- 
 thelefs, to his praife, that, on the evening previous 
 to the report, a meeting was convened by the 
 Minifter, of the members who had fupported this 
 obnoxious meafure. Their unanimous opinion was, 
 to perfevere : But Sir Robert Walpole declared, 
 lc that in the prefent inflamed temper of the people, 
 the aft could not be carried into execution without 
 an armed force, and he would not be the Minilter 
 
 to 
 
$$t K. GEORGE II. 
 
 to enforce any fyftem of taxation at the expenfe of 
 blood ; for if fupplies were to be raifed by the 
 fword, there is an end of Britifh liberty. He was 
 therefore refolved to adjourn the report for fix 
 months ; or, fhould his opinion be over-ruled, 
 to make an immediate refignation of his office." 
 The unfortunate Penfion Bill, paffed for the fourth 
 time, in four fucceflive years, by the Houfe of Com- 
 mons, was for the fourth time thrown out by the 
 Houfe of Peers ; although, as a meafure which 
 folely regarded the purity and integrity of the 
 national reprefentation, thefe repeated rejections 
 appeared particularly harm and invidious on the 
 part of the Lords. On the nth June 1733, the 
 King clofed the feffion with a fpeech, in which 
 fevere notice was taken of " the wicked endeavors 
 that had been lately ufed to inflame the minds of 
 the people, by the mod unjuft reprefentations." 
 
 Europe was now deftined to be involved in 
 frefti troubles. Thefe were occafioned by the 
 death of Auguftus, King of Poland and Elector of 
 Saxony, January 1733. The candidates for the 
 vacant Crown were, Auguftus fon to the late King, 
 and Staniflaus, whom Charles XII. in the zenith 
 of his profperity had elevated to the throne, and 
 which, on the decline of that monarch's fortune, 
 he had been compelled to relinquish. Louis XV. 
 King of France, having married the daughter of 
 Staniflaus, fupported the pretenfions of this Prince 
 
 with 
 
K. GEORGE II. 333 
 
 with all his power ; and the Polifh Primate, and a 
 majority of the Diet, being gained over by the 
 intrigues of the French AmbafTador, proceeded to 
 the election, and Staniflaus was unanimoufly 
 chofen King at Warfaw, and proclaimed with 
 loud acclamations. The Imperial Courts of Vienna 
 and Petersburg, however, between Whom it is re- 
 markable that a Uriel: and almoft uninterrupted har- 
 mony has fubfifted, from the period that Ruffia 
 aflumed her proper rank as a European power, 
 efpoufed with warmth the interefts of the Houfe of 
 Saxony : And protefting, by their refpective mi- 
 nisters, againft the election of Staniflaus as null 
 and void, an army of Auftrians was aflembled on 
 the frontiers of Silefia ; and 50,000 Ruffians under 
 General Lafci, actually entered Poland, on the fide 
 of Lithuania. Being quickly joined by a body of 
 Saxons and Poles of the Electoral party, the 
 Elector of Saxony was proclaimed King of Poland, 
 by the Bifhop of Cracow. King Staniflaus, finding 
 himfelf wholly unable to refill fo great a force, 
 abandoned Warfaw to his rival, and retired to 
 Dantzic, where he was purfued and clofely befieged 
 by the Ruffians and Saxons. This Ppince, how- 
 ever, found means to efcape, previous to the fur- 
 render of the city, which was followed by a general 
 fubmiffion to the authority of Auguftus, and a 
 general amnefty was in return granted to the par- 
 tizans of Staniflaus. Though the Court of Ver- 
 
 failles 
 
334 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 failles failed in their grand object in Poland, in 
 order to be fully avenged upon the Emperor, who 
 had been the principal obftacle to its accomplifh- 
 ment, and whofe dominions lay much more open 
 to attack than Ruffia, the Duke of Berwick re- 
 ceived orders to pafs the Rhine at the head of a 
 numerous army in October, and Fort Kehl was in 
 a fhort time compelled to capitulate. The winter 
 months having palled over, he renewed his opera- 
 tions with great vigor. After the reduction of 
 Traerbach, the Duke invented the important town 
 of Philipfburg ; and vifiting the trenches was killed 
 on the 1 2th June * by a cannon-ball, leaving behind 
 him an high reputation for valor and military i~k.il!. 
 The French General had beenoppofed, duiing the 
 whole of this campaign, by the celebrated Prince 
 Eugene, now far advanced into the vale of years, 
 in a ftate of languifhment and infirmity, and 
 retaining little refcmblance of the hero of Blein- 
 heim and Belgrade. Notwithftanding the lols 
 fuftained by the French in the death of their com- 
 mander, Philipfburg was obliged, after a brave 
 defence, to iurrender, though upon the molt 
 honorable terms. During thefe tranfaclions, the 
 French King had concluded a treaty with Spain 
 and Sardinia, in conformity to which, thole powers 
 declared war againft the Emperor. And the 
 Marechal Due de Villars, the antient rival of 
 .Marlborough and Eugene, was prevailed upon to 
 
 • 1734. , 
 
 take 
 
K. GEORGE II. 33 j 
 
 take the command of the French army in Italy * ; 
 which, being joined by the forces of Savoy, ex- 
 pelled the Imperialifts from the Milanefe. He 
 furvived, however, but a fhort time the fatigues 
 of the campaign, in which he fully fuftained the 
 glory of his name and nation, dying at Turin early 
 in the enfuing fpring, at the age of eighty. After 
 the death of this great man, the command devolved 
 upon the Marechal de Coigne ; between whom, 
 and the Imperial Generals, the Count de Merci 
 and Marechal Konigfeg, various fierce and bloody, 
 but indecifive encounters, took place, into the 
 particular narration of which it is not necefTary to 
 enter. Whilft the Auftrians were thus driven from 
 the Milanefe, and with difficulty maintained their 
 ground in the Mantuan, the Neapolitan nobility, 
 irritated and oppreffed under the government of 
 the Count de Vifconti, the Imperial Viceroy, 
 joined in an invitation to Don Carlos, the Infant 
 Duke of Parma, to attempt an invafion of that king- 
 dom. He accordingly entered the Neapolitan 
 
 * M. Voltaire tells us, that the Marechal de Villars, on being 
 iolicited to refume his military honors, and to place himfelf at 
 the head of the army deftined for Italy, repeated with energy 
 and enthufiafm the following lines, from Racine'a tragedy of 
 Bajazet : 
 
 Quoi ! tu crois cher Ofmin que ma gloire pafTee 
 Flatte encore leur valeur & vit dans leur penfec ! 
 Tu crois qu'ils me fuivroient encore avec plaifir 
 Et qu'ils reconno'troient la voix de leur Viiir ? 
 
 2 terri- 
 
336 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 territories at the head of a confiderable army, and 
 was received in the metropolis with loud acclama- 
 tions, as the national deliverer. The Count de 
 Vifconti, having retreated into Apulia, was fol- 
 lowed thither by the Spanim General, the Count 
 de Montemar ; who, attacking the Auftrians at 
 Bitonto, May 25, 1734, gained a moll complete 
 victory. Don Carlos, being now proclaimed and 
 acknowleged King of Naples, immediately deter- 
 mined upon the reduction of Sicily : And the 
 Count de Montemar, landing in that ifland in the 
 month of Auguft, proceeded with great rapidity 
 in his conquefts, the natives difplaying every-where 
 a difpofition rather to afiift than to oppofe the pro- 
 grefs of his arms ; and on the arrival of Don 
 Carlos in perfon, the Imperialists were compelled 
 finally to evacuate the ifland. The Emperor, 
 finding hiinfelf unable to cope with his adversaries, 
 applied for fuccour in this emergency to his power- 
 ful ally, the Czarina, who immediately ordered a 
 body of thirty thoufand men to march to his 
 afliflance. But, before they could arrive at the 
 fcene of action, a general treaty of peace was con- 
 cluded in the fpring of 1735, nearly on the terms 
 propcfed by the maritime powers ; and, agreably 
 to which, Naples and Sicily were yielded to the 
 Infant Don Carlos ; and Parma and Placentia, the 
 patrimonial poflfeflions of the Infant, were ceded to 
 the Houfe of Auftria, to whom alio the other 
 
 conquefts 
 
K. GEORGE II. 337 
 
 conquefts of the allies in Italy and Germany were 
 reftored. The reverfion of the Grand Dutchy of 
 Tufcany, now formally relinquished by Spain, was 
 conferred as a fief of the Empire, at the demife of 
 the Grand Duke, lad of the illuftrious Houfe 
 of Medicis, upon the Duke of Lorraine, who 
 was deftined for the future hufband of the eldefl 
 Arch-dutchefs Maria Therefa, a princefs diilinguifh- 
 ed for her perfonal and mental accomplishments, 
 and fole heirefs, under the Pragmatic Sanction, of the 
 vafl dominions of the Houfe of Auftria. The Elector 
 of Saxony was acknowleged as King of Poland, 
 and the Dutchy of Lorraine was ceded to Staniflaus, 
 who was permitted to retain the title of King ; and 
 after the death of the titular monarch, to be for 
 ever united to the Crown of France, which thus 
 made, under the unambitious and pacific admi- 
 niflration of Cardinal Fleury, an acquifition of far 
 greater importance and value than any which had 
 refulted from the moft fplendid fuccelTes of Riche- 
 lieu, Mazarine, or Louvois. The King of Sardinia 
 was gratified by the ceiTion of fome fmall diilricts 
 of the Milanefe ; which is faid to have been com- 
 pared, by one of the anceftors of this monarch, to 
 an artichoke, which from its magnitude not being 
 digeftible at once, muft be devoured leaf by leaf. 
 
 On reverting to the regular progreffion of 
 domeilic events, we find the feflion of 1734 dif- 
 tinguifhed by a very vigorous effort to repeal the 
 
 Vol. T. Z A& 
 
338 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 Act for Septennial Parliaments — as a flagrant 
 encroachment upon the rights of the people — as 
 having a dangerous tendency to increafe the influ- 
 ence of the Crown, and as being actually produc- 
 tive of very pernicious effects. The Minifter 
 having defied the oppofition to adduce a fingle 
 inftance, in which the interefls of the nation had 
 been injured by the operation of this bill, or by 
 any undue exercife of the royal prerogative as 
 connected with it, Sir William Wyndham ob- 
 ferved, Sfc that it was reafonable and juft to argue 
 again!!, the continuance of a bill of this nature ; 
 not merely from what had happened, but from 
 what might happen. Let us fuppofe then (faid he) 
 a man of mean fortune and obfcure origin, aban- 
 doned to all notions of virtue and honor, and pur- 
 fuing no object but his own aggrandizement, raifed 
 by the caprice of fortune to the ftation of firft 
 Minifter : Let us fuppofe him palpably deficient 
 in the know.lege of the interefls of his country ; 
 and employing, in all tranfaclions with foreign 
 powers, men ftill more ignorant than himfell : 
 Let us fuppofe the honor of the nation tarnifhed, 
 her political confequence loft, her commerce in- 
 iulted, her merchants plundered, her feamea 
 perifhing in the depths of dungeons — and all thele 
 circumftances palliated or overlooked, left his 
 adminiilration mould be endangered : Suppofe 
 him poffefled of immenfe wealth, the fpoils of an 
 
 knpove- 
 
K. GEORGE II. 33? 
 
 impoverimed nation ; and fuppofe this wealth 
 employed to purchafe feats in the national fenate, 
 for his confidential friends and favorites. — In fuch 
 a Parliament, fuppofe all attempts to inquire 
 into his conduct, conftantly over-ruled by a cor- 
 rupt majority, who are rewarded for their treache- 
 ry to the public by a profufc diftribution of pen- 
 fions, polls, and places under the Minifter. — Let 
 hs fuppofe this Miniller infolently domineering 
 over ail men of fenfe, figure, and fortune, in the 
 nation ; and having no virtuous principle of his 
 own, ridiculing it in others, and endeavoring to 
 deftroy or contaminate it in all. With fuch a 
 Minifter, and fuch a Parliament, let us fuppofe a 
 Prince upon the throne — uninformed, and unac- 
 quainted either with the interefts or inclinations of 
 his people — Weak, capricious, and actuated at once 
 by the paftions of ambition and avarice : Should 
 fuch a cafe ever occur, could any greater curfe 
 happen to a nation, than fuch a Prince, advifed by 
 fuch a Minifter, and that Minifter fupported by 
 fuch a Parliament. The exiftence of fuch a Prince, 
 and fuch a Minifter, no human laws may indeed 
 be adequate to prevent ; but the exiftence of fuch 
 a Parliament may, and ought to be prevented ; 
 and the repeal of the law in queftion, I conceive 
 to be a mod: obvious, necefTary, and indifpenfable 
 means for the accomplishment of that purpofe." 
 Notwithftanding the admiration excited by this 
 Z 2 fudden 
 
34o K. GEORGE II. 
 
 fudden bur ft of eloquence, and the ability with 
 which the motion of repeal was fupported, by 
 various other fpeakers, it was negatived on the 
 divifion, though not by the accuftomed minifterial 
 majority, the numbers being 247 againlt 184. 
 
 The Duke of Bolton and Lord Cobham being 
 about this time arbitrarily diverted of their military 
 commifficns, on account of their parliamentary 
 oppofition to the meafures of the Court, a very 
 dangerous — the more dangerous indeed, becaufe 
 a very plaufible — motion was made by Lord Mor- 
 peth, elded fon of the Earl of Carlifle, for leave to 
 bring in a bill for fecuring the constitution, by 
 preventing the removal of officers not above the 
 rank of Colonels, otherwife than by judgment of 
 a Court Martial, or by an addrefs of either Houfe 
 of Parliament. The Court, alarmed in the higheft 
 degree by this motion, exerted the whole force of 
 minifterial ability and eloquence in the Houfe of 
 Commons, in order to defeat it. It was ftrongly 
 urged, " that the great danger to be guarded 
 againft in all armies, is the railing them to a ftate 
 of independency. The molt important of all 
 reitraints on the military in this country, is the 
 prerogative veiled in the Crown, of difplacing 
 officers on fufpicion, or even at pleafure. But 
 mould this power once be transferred to the army, 
 a time may come, nor may the period be far dif- 
 tant, when the whole of our conftitution fhall be 
 
 at 
 
K. GEORGE II. 341 
 
 at its mercy. At prefent the army itfelf depends 
 upon the King and Parliament for its very dura- 
 tion and exigence. But give the officers a perma- 
 nent intereft in their commiffions, by the adoption 
 of a meafure which would convert them as it were 
 into freeholds, and the King and Parliament would 
 foon find themfelves dependent upon the army. 
 By this bill a door would be opened for the un- 
 controlled and uncontrollable commiftion of every 
 fpecies of military licenfe and oppreflion. And 
 fhould a reduction of the army at any future period 
 be determined upon, is it to be imagined that 
 thefe military chieftains, with fwords in their 
 hands, would contentedly lay them down, and 
 retire to their refpective homes, at the requifition 
 of the civil power ? No : They would exclaim, 
 Where are our accufers ? We are by law amenable 
 to our own Courts Martial onlv, and to them 
 alone will we fubmit. The Minifter remarked, 
 that the two noblemen lately removed, were fuc- 
 ceeded by others — the Duke of Argyle and Lord 
 Pembroke — in no refpeel inferior. And mould 
 the motion pafs into a law, the government of 
 England would have an irrefiftible tendency to a 
 Stratocracy, or a military conftitution. Suppofmg, 
 faid this fagacious ftatefman, the charges fo often 
 urged by the zealous partizans of this motion 
 againfl a late celebrated General, to be well- 
 founded — that he cherifhed views of ambition, 
 contrary to the fpirit of the Conftitution — that he 
 Z 3 afpired 
 
34 3 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 afpired to perpetuate his authority, and to rife 
 above all control, by obtaining a commiflion confti- 
 tuting him General for life, how would the ex- 
 igence of a law, fuch as is now recommended, 
 have facilitated thefuccefs of thofe daring projects ? 
 And how would fuch a motion have been received 
 by the gentlemen who now urge it as equitable and 
 wife, had it been brought forward under the 
 aufuices of the Duke of Marlborough ? And what 
 mould induce us to believe that meafure to be now 
 beneficial, which would then have been univerfally 
 reprobated as pernicious and unconftitutional I" 
 The queftion, being put, was carried in the nega- 
 tive, without a divifion. A far more reasonable 
 and moderate motion was then made by Mr. 
 Sandys, " for prefenting an humble addrefs to his 
 
 jelly, that he would be graciously pleafed to 
 inform the Koufe by whofe advice it was that his 
 Majefty was pleafed to difcharge his Grace Charles 
 Duke of Bolton, and the Right Honourable Lord 
 Vifcount Cobham, from the regiments lately under 
 their command, and what offences were alleged 
 
 'lift them as the occahon of their diimiiTion.'* 
 All the arguments being now on the other fide, 
 the Minifter contented himfelf with calling 
 for the queftion ; and on a diviiion the motion 
 was ne; , by a majority of 252 againfl 
 
 The very fame day on which Lord Morpeth 
 .^c his famous motion in the Houfe of Com- 
 mons, 
 
K. GEORGE II. 343 
 
 mons, the Duke of Marlborough prefented a Bill 
 of fimilar import to the Houfe of Lords. The 
 debate which enfued, was rendered memorable by 
 the eloquent fpeeches of the Lords Cheflerfield and 
 Scarborough — the former in fupport, the latter in 
 oppofition to the Bill. Thefe two noblemen, who 
 ranked amongft the mod diftinguifhed ornaments 
 of the Englifh Court, had long maintained a 
 mutual and inviolable friendfhip. To the accom- 
 plifhments of the courtier, Lord Scarborough 
 joined the ardour of patriotifm and- the enthufiafm 
 of virttMi He might with propriety be regarded 
 as the Falkland of the age — and the great quali- 
 ties he pofiefled, were unfortunately clouded by 
 the fame dark tinge of melancholy. Such was 
 his high fenfe of honor, that thinking it necefTary 
 to take a decided part in oppofirion to the Bill in 
 queftion, he previoufly refigned his place cf 
 Mafter of the Horfe, left, by an injurious imputa- 
 tion, he mould be fuppofed actuated by any inter- 
 efted motive. Not fatisfied with the negative put 
 upon the motion for the fecond reading of the 
 Bill, he urged the rejection of it by the Houfe, 
 
 which was agreed to without a divifion *. 
 
 In 
 
 * " When I ccmfefs there is who feels for fame, 
 
 And melts to goodnefs, need I Scarborough name :"'* 
 
 Pope. 
 
 The character of this nobleman has been delineated by Lord 
 
 Chefterneld, with the glowing pencil of fenfibility and affection. 
 
 Z 4 Accord- 
 
344 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 In the fame feffion a very important Bill, which 
 had at various times been propofed and rejefted, 
 was revived by Mr. Sandys, entitled, " a Bill for 
 fecuring the freedom of Parliament, by limiting 
 the number of officers, civil and military, in the 
 Houfe of Commons." In oppofition to this Bill, 
 the Minifter contended, " that the conflitution 
 was already fufficiently fecured, by the provifion 
 which orders a re-eleclion when a member accepts 
 
 According to this Jin'i/IoeJ ^0r/r#//— confirmed indeed by the 
 general voice of his cotemporaries — Lord ScarborarfTh poffefftd 
 in the higheft degree the air, manners, and addrefs of a man of 
 quality — politenefs with eafe, and dignity without pride. He 
 had the advantage of a fine perfon ; and when cheerful, the mod 
 engaging countenance imaginable. His knowlege, claffical and 
 historical, was very txtenfive ; and it wa6 accompanied with a 
 juft and delicate tafte. In his common expenfes he was liberal ; 
 but in his charities and bounties, his generofity was unlimited. 
 In Parliament, though not an ambitious or florid fpeaker, truth 
 and virtue, which never want and feldom wear ornaments, 
 feemed only to borrow his voice. He was a true conftitutional, 
 and yet practicable patriot : A fincere lover, and a zealous 
 affertor of the natural, the civil, and the religious rights of his 
 country. Though bred in camps and courts, his moral charadter 
 was io unftillied, that what a celebrated hiftorian formerly laid of 
 Scipio, might, ahnoft without any allowance for the imperfections 
 of humanity, be applied to him : " Nil non laudandum, aut 
 dixit, aut fecit, autfenfit." — "This fmall tribute of praife, fays 
 the noble writer, I owe to the memory of the belt man 1 ever 
 knew, and the dearefl friend I ever had. If he had any 
 enemies— for I proteft I never knew one — they could only be 
 fuch as were weary of always hearing of Ariitidcs the JuftV > 
 
 Of 
 
K. GEORGE II. 345 
 
 of a place ; that to difable any gentleman or citi- 
 zen from fitting in Parliament merely becaufe he 
 has the honor to ferve the Crown, was really taking 
 from the people their inherent right of chufing 
 fuch reprefentatives as they deemed befl qualified 
 to exercife the functions of their delegation ; and 
 that the State would be divided by it into factions, 
 thole acting under the executive power not coaief- 
 cing with, but conftituting a formidable phalanx 
 againft thofe who compofed the legiflative ; and 
 that it argued an hoftile dift ruft of the Crown not 
 compatible with the genius of the Conftitution." 
 The motion was, however, in itfelf plaufible and 
 popular, and it received additional weight from 
 the near approach of a diifolution of Parliament, 
 fo that on the queflion of commitment it was nega- 
 tived by a majority of 39 voices only in a Houfe 
 of 426 members. 
 
 Although a very large addition to the naval force 
 of the nation had, in the early part of the feffion, 
 beenunanimoufly voted, on the 28th of March, a pro- 
 rogation being now almoft daily expected, a meffage 
 was delivered by Sir Robert WalpolefromtheCrown, 
 acknowleging the zeal and affection fliewn bythePar- 
 liament, and dehring that his Majefty might be ena- 
 bled, during the recefa or interval of Parliaments, to 
 make good fuch engagements with foreign powers 
 as honor, juftice, and prudence may call upon him 
 to fulfil or contract, and fuch augmentation of his 
 
 forces 
 
346 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 forces by fea and land as might be neceffary for the 
 honor and defence of his kingdoms, and as the 
 exigency of affairs may require, the war on the 
 Continent frill unhappily continuing/' On this 
 occafion all the patriotic ardor was again awaken- 
 ed, and the impolicy, the folly, and the danger of 
 entrufting fuch dictatorial powers in the hands of 
 the Monarch, were expofed with all the energy of 
 truth and'eloquence. Mr. Shippen in particular 
 diilinguifhed himfelf by a fpeech worthy of the 
 Englifli Cato. He faid, " that when the addrefs 
 was moved in reply to his Majefty's fpeech at the 
 commencement of the feiTion, he had expreffed 
 his fears and fufpicions, from certain exprelTions in 
 both, that a vote of credit was in contemplation j, 
 but he had then been aifured that there was not 
 the leaft ground even to imagine fo improbable a 
 thing, although we were now told that, from his 
 MajePty's manner of expreffing himfelf upon that 
 occafion, every gentleman in the Houfe mud have 
 expected a demand of this nature — a demand for 
 no lefs than a total furrender of all the rights of 
 Parliament ; for we are now called upon to give 
 the King a power of raifing what money he pleafes, 
 and alfo what military force he pleafes, which 
 are the rights on which all other rights depend ; 
 and all this without any neceffity, or even any 
 plaufible reafon alleged to us. Is invafion by a 
 foreign enemy to be apprehended ? Is any danger- 
 ous 
 
K. GEORGE II. 34T 
 
 ous domeftic confpiracy difcovered ? No : The 
 Right Honourable Gentleman himfelf fays that 
 he believes the nation to be in fafety, but does not 
 defire that its fafety mould depend on his belief. 
 God forbid that it mould ; and happy would it be 
 for us that it did not depend upon his adminiftra- 
 tion. But this unlimited delegation of power is, 
 it feems, defigncd to guard againfl new counfels, 
 againfl any fudden alteration of meafures. Surely, 
 Sir, this is not meant to be ferioufly urged ; for can 
 this plea ever be wanting ? Are we not in as great 
 danger of fudden and alarming changes in a time 
 of profound peace, as when the powers of Europe 
 are engaged in a bloody war, and courting with 
 eagernefs our affiftance, or at lead our neutrality ? 
 If we now, therefore, agree to grant fuch powers, 
 we may expect in future the demand regularly re-» 
 peated, and never refufed. Never can fuch requ^- 
 fitions on the part of the Crown be made with lefs 
 color of neceiTity, never can compliance on our 
 part be yielded more unconflitutionally. When 
 not only an expiring feffion, but an expiring Par^ 
 liament, grants fuch powers, how eafily may they 
 be extended, before the next Parliament is fuffered 
 to meet, beyond all pofiibility of controul ! The 
 precedents that have been adduced to juftify the 
 prefent demand are wholly inapplicable. In the 
 year 1 702 a vote of credit pafTed the Houfe in coiv 
 fequence of a meifage from the late Queen ; but 
 
 this 
 
348 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 this meflage contained no fuch demand or requifi- 
 tion as the prefent. It fimply flated the danger to 
 which our allies, the States-General, were at that 
 period expofed from France ; and this danger was 
 not only aflferted, but proved by papers laid before 
 the Houfe : We were then ourfelves actually enga- 
 ged in a war, and it was not merely pretended that 
 we might be eventually endangered by a change of 
 counfels. Even in this fituation the Queen was 
 far from afking fuch powers as were now demand- 
 ed. She did not in fact afk any thing, faying only 
 in general terms, that me doubted not but the 
 Houfe would adopt fuch meafures as would moll 
 conduce to the honor of her Crown, the fafety of 
 her kingdoms, and the fupport of her allies. On 
 the other hand, the Houfe were far from granting 
 fuch powers as are now afked. The vote was re- 
 trained to a power ofincreafmg the forces deftined 
 to a& with thofe of the States-General, and limit- 
 ed by the condition that England mould not be 
 charged with the pay of fuch additional troops, 
 but from the day that all commerce and correfpond- 
 ence between the fubjecls of the States, and thofe 
 of France and Spain, mould be totally prohibited. 
 As to the menage in the year 17 15, it was fent 
 to the Houfe at a time of actual rebellion and ex- 
 pected invafion ; and it was not granted at the 
 termination of a fellion, and much lefs at the expir- 
 ation of a Parliament. The meflage in 1719 was 
 
 fimilarly 
 
K. GEORGE II. 349 
 
 fimilarly circumftanced : The nation was in danger 
 of being invaded, and would have been invaded, 
 had it not been for the difafters which the Spanifh 
 fleet met with after leaving their ports. The laft 
 precedent of the year 1725, it muff be allowed, ap- 
 proaches nearefl to the prefent cafe. "We then did 
 as we are now defired to do— grant away millions 
 in the dark without any caufe or reafon affigned ; 
 but then this was a precedent of the Right Ho- 
 nourable Gentleman's own making, which may be 
 thought perhaps fomewhat to diminifii its autho- 
 rity. The Right Honourable Gentleman has, 
 however, improved upon his own precedent ; for 
 the nation was not, at the period alluded to, in a 
 (fate of abfolute tranquillity, nor did the meffage 
 aik for a difcretion fo unlimited as the prefent ; 
 but merely for an indefinite power to add to the 
 naval force, and to negotiate treaties. But if his 
 Majefty is invefted with the powers now demanded, 
 nothing will remain for the Crown to aik but a 
 Parliamentary refolve, impowering his Majefty 
 to make, repeal, fufpend, or alter, fuch laws, and 
 in fuch manner, as he fhall judge neceffary for the 
 public fafety. And where indeed is the difference 
 between granting this power at once, and putting 
 the Crown in a capacity to affume it whenever it 
 may chufe fo to do ? Such complaifance as this 
 mull furely render us mod defpicable in his Majes- 
 ty's eyes : He might juftly fay of us as the Roman 
 
 Emperor 
 
$ S o K. GEORGE II. 
 
 Emperor of the Roman Senate, " homines 
 fervire paratos /" But we are told that an account 
 is to be rendered to the next Parliament of what- 
 ever may be done in purfuance of thefe powers : 
 Sir, I have been fo often deceived by minifterial 
 promifes, that I am afhamed ever to have placed 
 any degree of faith in them. How often, when I 
 and others have called for fuch accounts, have we 
 been told that the matters were not ripe for laying 
 them before Parliament, or that it would be dan- 
 gerous to the State to reveal the fecrets of govern- 
 ment ? and the higheft fatisfa&ion we could ever 
 obtain was to be told that the expenfes incurred 
 were neceflarily incurred for foreign and fecret 
 fervices. Whence that necefhty arofe was ever 
 kept from the knowlege of Parliament : We had 
 the word of the Minifter to reft our faith upon ; 
 and the fame implicit resignation will be required, 
 doubtlefs, from every fucceedingParliament. When, 
 at the termination of the feflion, we return to our 
 feveral counties, and are requefted to affign our 
 reafons for this very extraordinary vote — a vote by 
 which fuch vafl: additional burdens may beimpofed 
 on the nation — how fatisfaclory mud it be to our 
 conftituents to be informed that, though we are 
 at prefent in amity or aclual alliance with all the 
 powers of Europe, military preparations, by fea 
 and land, muft be made in order to guard againft 
 a -variation of foreign counfels ! Sir, in my opi- 
 nion, 
 
K. GEORGE II. 351 
 
 nion, the refolution now moved is neither necefiary, 
 nor fafe, nor founded upon precedent. Prece- 
 dents, indeed, there may be, which referable it in 
 a certain degree ; but were they ever fo numerous, 
 and in all refpects analogous, it would be no argu- 
 ment with me for agreeing to what is propofed. 
 Whatever may have been the duration or extent 
 of the practife, it is now high time to put a flop to 
 it, and to eftabliih a precedent of refusal ; 
 otherwife Parliaments will become wholly ufelefs, 
 or ferve, by a fanction fo pernicious, to make Mi- 
 nifters the more daring, and the oppreffions of the 
 people the more grievous." 
 
 In anfwer to this eloquent and patriotic fpeaker, 
 Mr. Horace Walpole ventured to attempt a vindi- 
 cation of the meafure thus indignantly arraigned. 
 He faid, " that after all the pains taken to point 
 out a diffimilarity between the cafe now under dif- 
 cuffion and the precedents adduced in fupport of it, 
 he could difcern no material difference. It had 
 been evidently the praclife of Parliament, in times 
 of danger, to grant extraordinary powers to the 
 Crown, and in this particular way. For his part 
 he acknowleged he thought the precedent of 1702 
 a bad one ; becaufe the Parliament difcovered fo 
 much diffidence and diftrufl ; and the ill effects of 
 their flow and lukewarm proceedings ought to in- 
 duce us to ftrengthen the hands of his Majefty at 
 the prefent juncture. It was furprifmg, he faid, to 
 3 him 
 
552 L GEORGE It 
 
 him to hear It afferted by Gentlemen, that nothia^ 
 had been laid before the Houfe to mew the necef- 
 fity of granting the powers now afked for. Did 
 not his Majefty, in his fpeech at the opening of the 
 feflion, inform us of the war then begun in Eu- 
 rope ? Does he not by the prefent meflage acquaint 
 us that the war flill continues ? And is not every 
 gentleman convinced, by what he knows of ths 
 fituation of Europe, that the balance of power in 
 Europe entirely depends on the event of that war ? 
 Suppofing either fide to prevail too far, the balance 
 of power mud be overturned ; and this nation will 
 be under an obligation to interpofe, in order to 
 prevent fo fatal an effect. Befides, does not every 
 gentleman know that the French have lately fitted 
 out a very powerful naval armament, which, with 
 more probability, threatened Great Britain than 
 any other place in the world, unlefs we excepted 
 the city of Dantzic ? He believed, indeed, he faid, 
 that it was defigned againft Dantzic ; but if that 
 affair mould blow over, can we imagine ourfelves 
 in fecurity, while fo large a fquadron lies within a 
 few hours fail of the Englilh coaft ? Our allies, 
 the Dutch, he faid, were in a very critical ilate : 
 Their barrier in Flanders was in a very weak and 
 defencelefs condition, and if we mould fit flill and 
 do nothing, they might be tempted to throw them- 
 felves entirely into the arms of France. They had 
 not indeed, he acknowleged, done any thing as 
 
 yet 
 
K. GEORGE II. 553 
 
 yet themfelves by way of augmentation of their 
 forces, but then they had poftponed that reduction 
 of 10,000 men, which, previous to the war, they 
 had meditated ; and they were now defirous to go 
 hand in hand with us. Gentlemen, he faid, might, 
 if they pleafed, call this a vote of credit j but his 
 Majefty having exprefsly promifed an account of 
 the expenditure, it was in his opinion only a vote 
 of confidence, which, by (hewing the entire reli- 
 ance we place on the wifdom of his Majefty's mea- 
 fures, will give his inftances with foreign powers 
 that weight which is fo neceflary to the preferva- 
 tion of the balance of power in Europe, without 
 which this nation can never be in any fafety or fecu- 
 rity." The debate was unufually prolonged by a 
 fucceffion of very able fpeeches ; and Sir John Ber- 
 nard particularly attracted the attention of theHoufe, 
 by declaring " that the aflertions hazarded in 
 royal fpeeches or meflages were not to be implicitly 
 depended upon, for that the Crown might affert, 
 and in fact had aflerted, in confequence of hafty or 
 treacherous information, what afterwards proved 
 not to be true. Parliament had, he faid, been 
 afiured by a folemn fpeech from the throne, that 
 an alliance had been entered into between the Em- 
 peror and Spain, in conformity to the fecret arti- 
 cles of which, Gibraltar was to have been wrefted 
 from us, and the Pretender placed by force on the 
 throne of Great Britain. Confidering the fituation 
 and circumftances of the contracting powers at 
 Vol. I. A a that 
 
3 54 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 that period, this intelligence appeared to many at 
 the time romantic and incredible ; and it was 
 now known to be falfe, though it was then repre- 
 fented as highly difrefpectful to the Crown, fo 
 much as to doubt it. We were now called upon, 
 in a manner flill more extraordinary, to give credit 
 to a furmife of danger from France, which the Right 
 Honorable Gentleman himfelf does not profefs 
 to believe ; and in confequence of this groundlefs 
 apprehenfion, to devolve for fix months the whole 
 power of Parliament upon the Crown — a demand 
 which deferved to be treated with ridicule, and 
 rejected with indignation." Sir Robert Walpole 
 immediately rofe, and protefled, " that while he 
 had the honor to ferve the Crown, he could not 
 fit flill and hear it fo injurioufly reflected upon. 
 His late Majefty's affertion, relative to the fecret 
 articles of the Treaty of Vienna, he faid, was as 
 true and as well-founded as any that ever came 
 from the throne. It was indeed infolently contra- 
 dicted by M. Palm, the Imperial Ambaffador ; 
 but the King received his information from thofe 
 who could not be deceived — and the Minifler de- 
 clared himfelf to be as certain that there were fuch 
 articles, as if he had been prefent at the framing 
 of them * : And however indifcreet this declara- 
 
 * Loid Townfhend, Secretary of State at the period alluded 
 to, made a fimilar declaration in the Houfe of Peers ; without, 
 however, being able to remove the obllinate incredulity of * 
 gieat part ot his noble auditors. 
 
 tion 
 
K. GEORGE II. 355 
 
 tion might be thought in actual circumftances —he 
 could not, in juftice to the memory of the late 
 King, fay lefs." In conclufion, the queftion being 
 put, upon the motion for the addrefr, it was carried 
 in the affirmative, by 248 voices againft 147 — 
 although Mr. Pulteney, who terminated the debate, 
 had given it as his opinion, that " the meffage 
 before the Houfe was of a nature fo extraordinary, 
 and involved in it fuch culpability, that if the fpirit 
 of liberty — that fpirit which brought about the 
 Revolution, and eftablilhed the prefent family 
 upon the throne — was not abfolutely extinguifhed 
 in the nation, we might expect to fee a future 
 Parliament not only cenfure, but condemn and 
 punifh, thofe who have been the chief advifers of 
 fuch a meafure." On the 1 6th April, the King 
 put an end to the Seffion by a fpeech, in which he 
 declared, that " he mould think himfelf inex- 
 cusable if he parted with this Parliament, without 
 doing them the juftice to acknowlege the many 
 fignal proofs they had given, through the courfe 
 of feven years, of their duty, fidelity, and attach- 
 ment to his perfon and government, and their 
 conftant regard to the true intereft of their 
 country." The Parliament having now fat nearly 
 the full term prefcribed by the feptennial acT, was 
 diflblved, April 18, 1734, and a new Parliament 
 immediately convoked by royal proclamation. 
 
 In the fpring of this year, the marriage of the 
 
 Princefs Royal with the Prince of Orange was 
 
 A a 2 ccle- 
 
$5 6 K. GEORGE IT. 
 
 celebrated with great magnificence and public 
 rejoicings ; and the Parliament, as a teftimony of 
 their entire approbation of this alliance, voted the 
 fum of £ 80,000 as a portion to the Princefs, and 
 an annuity for life of £5000 payable out of the 
 Civil Lift. His Serene Highnefs the Prince is thus 
 favorably defcribed, in a letter to Lord Townfhend, 
 Secretary of State, from the Earl of Chefterfield, 
 Ambaflador at the Hague : " The Prince of 
 Orange has extreme good parts ; is perfectly well- 
 bred ; with an eafe and freedom that is feldom 
 acquired, but by a long knowlege of the world. 
 The acclamations of the people are loud and 
 univerfal. He affumes not the leaft dignity, but 
 has all the affability and infmuation that is necef- 
 fary for a perfon who would raife himfelf in a 
 popular government/' 
 
 The new Parliament being convened in January 
 1735, quickly difcovered a difpofition to fupport, 
 with zeal not inferior to that of their predeceflbrs, 
 the meafures of the prefent adminiftration. The 
 King, in his fpeech, expreffed " his concern at the 
 prefent commotions on the Continent ; and though 
 he had hitherto refitted the prefhng felicitations 
 of the Court of Vienna for aid in this war, he 
 hoped that his good fubje&s would not repine at 
 the neceflary means of placing him in a fituation 
 to act that part which might eventually be incum- 
 bent upon him." The Houfe, in a grand Com- 
 mittee of Supply, voted, in confequence of this, 
 
 fuggeftion, 
 
K. GEORGE IT. 357 
 
 fuggeftion, near 60,000 men for the fea and land- 
 fervice of the year ; though not without the vehe- 
 ment oppofition of the patriots, who demonftrated 
 the folly of taking any part whatever, in thefe un- 
 intelligible and everlafting broils upon the Conti- 
 nent, upon pretence of v/hich this alarming aug- 
 mentation of our military force was founded : And 
 Sir William Wyndham remarked, " that notwith- 
 standing the long continuance of peace, fuch had 
 been the exorbitant charges and experrfes by fub- 
 iidies and armaments, that the people had not been 
 relieved from the burden of a fmgle tax impoled 
 during the preceding war/' 
 
 A claufe being inferted in the addrefs, allur- 
 ing his Majefty " that this Houfe will cheerfully 
 and effectually raife fuch fupplies as mail be necef- 
 fary for the honor and fecurity of his Majefty and 
 thefe kingdoms"— it was moved that the following 
 words be added, " fo foon as the proper informa- 
 tion of the (late of public affairs fhall be communi- 
 cated to this Houfe,. and in proportion to fuch 
 efforts as mall be made by fuch of the allies who 
 are under the fame engagements as this nation, 
 and who are not involved in the war." On the 
 divifion the amendment was rejected, by 265 votes 
 againft 185 — a minority plainly indicative of the 
 reluctance of the Houfe to engage as parties in the 
 prefent war; in which it appears that England 
 interfered fo far, as to give extreme umbrage to 
 A a 3 the 
 
55« K. GEORGE II. 
 
 the Courts of Verfailles and Madrid, though not 
 far enough to render any real fervice to the Em- 
 peror, who had flattered himfelf with the hope of 
 a revival of the grand alliance in his favor. 
 
 Mr. Horace Walpole was not difcouraged, 
 however, from almofl immediately moving for a 
 fubfidy to Denmark, purfuant to a treaty entered 
 into by his Majefly with the King of Denmark for 
 that purpofe ; and which originated, according to 
 the allegations of the mover, in a juft and proper 
 regard to the prefervation of the balance of power 
 in Europe * — an expreflion fo inceifantly in the 
 mouthof this Minifter, thathe was commonly known 
 under the ludicrous appellation of Balance-majler. 
 The leaders of oppofition treated the motion with 
 indignant contempt. All the powers of Europe, 
 
 * The fecret hiftory of this Danifh fubfidy has already been 
 tranfiently alluded to.— It is ^z myficry of State, involved in toomuch 
 obfcurity and perplexity to be fully and completely developed. 
 By this treaty, 80 crowns were allowed for each horfcman, and 
 30 for every foot-foldier : One half to be paid immediately on 
 figning the treaty, and the remainder when the troops fliall be 
 delivered. Befides this, his Majefty the King of Great Britain 
 engages to pay to his Majefty the King of Denmark the annual 
 fum of 250,000 crowns banco, till fuch time as the faid tronps 
 fliall be taken into full pay, and the fum of 1 50,000 crowns y< 
 afterwards. What a happinefs for Britain, that the equij 
 of the political balance, whenever difordered, may be fo eaiily 
 re-adjufted, by the judicious application of thefe golden weights ! 
 
 I :fa than 178 members of the Houfe of Commons d; 
 neVcrthelefs againfl this fo cbvioufly wile and falutary meafure. 
 
 it 
 
K. GEORGE II. 559 
 
 k was affirmed, were as much or more intereited 
 in the prefervation of this balance as England : 
 And mould it ever be really endangered, they 
 would certainly engage in its defence, without be- 
 ing hired to do fo by Britifh fubfidies. But were 
 England perpetually the flrfl to take the alarm, 
 and mould this practife of fubfidizing be eftablifh- 
 ed, every ftate would expect a gratification for 
 doing what it would otherwife be obliged to do 
 for its own prefervation, and the whole charge of 
 maintaining this balance would fall upon Great 
 Britain. Even our allies the States-General might 
 at lafh refufe to afiift in trimming this balance, un- 
 lets the Grand Penfionary of Holland were alfo to 
 become the Grand Penfionary of England." The 
 queftion being put, the motion was approved, and 
 the fubiidy granted by the Houfe. The Seffion 
 clofmg in May (1735), the King thanked his 
 faithful Commons for thefupplies they had granted* 
 with fuch cheerfulnefs and difpatch ; and imme- 
 diately after the prorogation, his Majefty em- 
 barked for the Continent, leaving the Queen, as 
 ufual, fole Regent during his abfence. 
 
 For feveral years paft, a ftricl: amity had fub- 
 fifted between the two Courts of Madrid and 
 Lifbon, which was in the year 1728 cemented by 
 a double marriage of the royal families — the 
 Prince of Afturias efpoufmg the eld eft Princefs of 
 Portugal, and the Prince of Brazil the Infanta of 
 A a 4 Spain, 
 
jfo K. GEORGE 11. 
 
 Spain, formerly affianced to Louis XV. King of 
 France — the Courts meeting in a temporary edifice 
 erected over the bed of the Coya, which divides 
 the two kingdoms, where the Princeflfes were ex- 
 changed. In the courfe of this year, however, the 
 good underflanding between them was unhappily 
 interrupted by a frivolous difpute, originating in a 
 real or pretended violation of the privileges of 
 the Ambaffador of Portugal refident at Madrid. 
 The quarrel ran fo high, that the Minifters of the 
 two Crowns were recalled, and warlike prepara- 
 tions made on each fide. The King of Portugal, 
 confcious of his inability to encounter the power 
 of Spain, nominated Don Antonio D'Alzeveda as 
 his Ambaffador Extraordinary to the Court of Lon- 
 don, to folicit the aid and protection of his ally 
 the King of Great Britain. By the efficacious 
 afiiftance of England had the independency of 
 Portugal and the rights of the ducal and royal 
 Houfe of Braganza been ultimately eflablifhed, 
 after a conteft of twenty-eight years : And as a 
 jufl compenfation for this great fervice, very im- 
 portant commercial privileges were conceded to 
 the Engliih nation by the Crown of Portugal ; and 
 thus the interests of that opulent but feeble king- 
 dom became infeparably connected with thofe of 
 Great Britain ; and upon this potent alliance fhe 
 chiefly depended, and fiill depends, for her ex- 
 iflence as a diftindt and fovereign power. Don 
 
 Pedro, 
 
K. GEORGE II. 361 
 
 Pedro, who fucceeded to the throne on the deposi- 
 tion of his brother Alphonfo, died A. D. 1 706, 
 after a reign of thirty years. His fon, Don Juan, 
 faithfully adhered to the political engagements entered 
 into by his father as a party in the grand alliance 
 againft the Houfe of Bourbon. But after the 
 conclufion of the Treaty of Utrecht, the Court of 
 Lifbon had cautioufly avoided involving herfelf in 
 the various contentions of the European powers. 
 Upon the prefent occafion the Court of London 
 adopted, without hefitation, meafures the moll 
 vigorous and decifive. A powerful fleet, under the 
 command of Sir John Norris, failed for the Tagus, 
 in order to protect the coafts and the commerce 
 of Portugal ; and particularly to convoy the Brazil 
 fleet, then fhortly expected richly laden, in fafety 
 to Lifbon. And Mr. Keene, the Britiih Envoy 
 at Madrid, was exprefsly commanded to communi- 
 cate to his Catholic Majefty the refolution of the 
 King of England to grant effectual fuccors to his 
 ally. Notwithstanding fome angry complaints on 
 the part of Spain, of the partial conduct of Eng- 
 land, this interpofition completely anfwered the 
 purpofe intended by it ; and an accommodation 
 took place between the Courts of Spain and Portu- 
 gal, before the conclufion of the year. 
 
 The fucceeding Seffion of Parliament was dif. 
 
 tinguifhed chiefly by a motion made in the Houfe 
 
 of Commons, March 1736, for the repeal of thofe 
 
 2 cLufcs 
 
36* K. GEORGE II. 
 
 claufesin the Teft Act, which barred or obftructed 
 the admiflion of Protejiani Diffenters to civil em- 
 ployments. This motion, though ably fupported, 
 feems to have been fo me what unadvifed and un- 
 feafonable — as being brought forward, not merely 
 without the concurrence, but contrary to the 
 inclination of the Court, and at a juncture in no 
 refpect favorable to its fuccefs. It is not, however, 
 to be inferred, that the Court was really adverfe 
 to the purport of the motion abflractedly con- 
 fidered ; but the Minifter well knew the rifque 
 and obloquy which might attend his open and 
 avowed fupport of this meafure. He recollected, 
 doubtlefs, that the utmoft influence of the Crown 
 had been unavailingly exerted in the late reign to 
 procure the repeal of thefe claufes, when a Bill 
 for that purpofe was moved by the late Earl 
 Stanhope. His popularity had lately fuftained a 
 rude fhock, in confequence of the attempt made to 
 extend and invigorate the operation of the laws of 
 revenue : And he dreaded left the cry of dan- 
 ger, to the Church, mould produce effects flill 
 more detrimental to his credit and fafety, than that 
 which flill vibrated in his ears, of Liberty, Pro. 
 i i rty, and no Excise. Although he had, pre- 
 vioufly to the late election, flattered the Diffenters 
 with the hope of relief, he thought proper, there- 
 fore, when the motion was actually made, to op- 
 pcie the repeal, as in prefent circumftances inex- 
 pedient, 
 
K. GEORGE II. 363 
 
 pedient, impolitic, and improper ; in confequence 
 of which it was rejected by a very great majority. 
 The motion was, by a fruitlefs and injudicious per- 
 feverance, revived in a fubfequent feflion of this 
 Parliament, when it was again negatived by the 
 fame miniderial majority. It is remarkable, how- 
 ever, that no conliderable or lading refentment 
 appears to have been exc'ted in the breads of the 
 Dilfenters in confequence of this difappointment : 
 So well was it underdood that the King was him- 
 felf drongly difpofed to favor the repeal, and that 
 the Minider was actuated by motives, not of 
 animofity, but of an urgent and over-ruling poli- 
 tical necedity. It mud not be omitted, that in this 
 Seiiion the Parliament repealed the antient ftatutes 
 againd conjuration and witchcraft, thereby reliev- 
 ing the Englidi judicial code from a fmallpart of 
 that heavy load of trumpery, abfurdity, and op- 
 predion, by which, in the worie than Egyptian 
 darknefs of pad ages, it has been fo unhappily and 
 dreadfully disgraced. 
 
 About this time a new feci of relicrionlds arofe. 
 didinguimed by the appellation of Methodi/l$ t who 
 foon appeared to be divided into two didincl clafles, 
 under their refpective leaders, Whitfield and 
 Wefley — priefts of the Englifh Church, regularly 
 educated and ordained— -the iirit of them adopting 
 the Calviniilic, the latter the Arminian dogmas in 
 theology $ c.orrefponding in this refpeCt to ihc 
 
 ieCtS 
 
3 6 4 K, GEORGE II. 
 
 lefts of Janfenifls and Molinifts, in the Gallican 
 Church. Profefling Hill to adhere to the com- 
 munion of the Church of England, of which they 
 boafted themfelves to be the only true and genuine 
 members, they yet indulged in the wildelT. flights 
 and extravagancies of feclarian fanaticifm — preach- 
 ing in the fields to vaft multitudes — fuffering with 
 patience every infult and outrage, and per filling, 
 at the extreme peril of their lives, in thofe fpiritual 
 labors, to which they conceived themfelves called 
 by a fort of fupernatural impulfe*. Many re- 
 fpectahle perfons were of opinion, that the Govern^ 
 ment ought in fome mode to interfere in order to 
 check thefe novel and dangerous ebullitions of 
 enthufiafm. But to the honor of the Govern- 
 ment, not only was the idea of perfecution in every 
 form rejected with abhorrence, but the protection 
 of the law was extended to them upon all occa- 
 (ions. And the wifdom of maintaining inviolate 
 
 • " God in the fcripture," fays one of the leaders of this fe&, 
 in very elevated language, " commands me, according to my 
 power, to inftiuct the ignorant, reform the wicked, and con- 
 firm the virtuous. A difpenfation of the gofpel is committed 
 to me, and woe is me if I preach not the golpel. In whatever 
 part of the world I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden 
 duty, to declare unto all that are willing to hear the glad tidings 
 of falvation. This is the work which I hnozv Goo hath called 
 me unto. And if it be his pleafure to throw down the walls of 
 Jericho, not by the enginesof war, butby the blaitfl of rams-horns; 
 who lhall fay unto him, What docftthou?" — WefUj** U'urls. 
 
 the 
 
K. GEORGE E 365 
 
 the grand principle of toleration, has rarely 
 appeared in a more finking point of view. In a 
 few years the fanatical fervors characteriftic of a 
 new feet, not being initated and inflamed by the 
 oppofition of the civil powers, gradually fubfided. 
 And though the number of profelytes was pro- 
 digious — part remaining in, and part feceding from 
 the Eftablifhed Church ; no injury to the com- 
 munity has refulted from this diftufion of Method- 
 iflic principles. On the contrary, the good effects 
 of their moral and religious inftructions, though 
 /till blended with much fpeculative abfurdity and 
 myfticifm, are at this time apparent in the orderly 
 and virtuous conduct, of thoufands in their com- 
 munities, who would otherwife have been funk in 
 the depths of ignorance, vice, and barbarifm. 
 And truth and juitice require the acknowlegement, 
 that many, both of the clergy and laity, who 
 now pafs under the vague and popular denomina- 
 tion of Methodifls, are perfons of the higheft 
 worth, talents, and refpettabiiity. 
 
 The tranquillity which prevailed throughout the 
 kingdom at this time, was unhappily interrupted bv 
 a tumult of a very fmgular nature, which took place 
 in the city of Edinburgh, during the abfence of the 
 King. It happened that, at the execution of a 
 man, convicted under circumftances of peculiar 
 hardfhip, by trial in the Court of Admiralty, as 
 a fmuggler, the military guard which attended 
 
 were 
 
355 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 were grofsly infulted by the populace ; in revenge 
 of which, Captain Porteous, the Commandant, 
 ■was provoked to order the foldiers to fire upon the 
 people, without the previous fanction of the 
 magistrate. In confequence of this rafh and pre- 
 cipitate order, feveral innocent perfons fuffering 
 the lofs of their lives, Porteous was tried for 
 murder, convicted, and received fentence of 
 death ; but the Queen, as Regent, thought fit to 
 grant him a reprieve. The populace of Edinburgh, 
 neverthelefs, exafperated in the higheft: degree at 
 the conduct of this officer, who was well known 
 to be a man of abandoned morals, determined that 
 lie fhould not efcape punifliment : And on the very 
 evening of the day on which, according to his 
 ienfence, he was deftined to fufFer, the prifon of 
 the Tolbooth was forced with fuch order and 
 deliberate refolution, as afforded a (hong pre- 
 emption that it was the refult of a plot formed 
 I v pci ions far above the rank of thofe ufually con- 
 cerried in fimilar outrages. Leaving the delinquent 
 fafpended by the neck from a dyer's pole, they 
 t . ckly and quietly difperfed ; nor was it ever di!- 
 c.ovcrcd who were the perpetrators of this daring 
 a6r. of violence, notwithftanding a reward of 
 £ 200 was oiTered by proclamation for fuch de- 
 * . x. 1 ion. The Government, inflamed with refent- 
 inent at this atrocious violation of the laws, infti- 
 tutcd a parliamentary inquiry into the circum- 
 
 ftances 
 
K. GEORGE II. 367 
 
 (lances of this extraordinary affair ; in the courfe 
 of which three Scottifh judges in their robes were 
 examined as witneffes, at the bar of the Houfe of 
 Lords. And though it did not appear that the 
 magiflrates had been anywife deficient in their 
 duty upon this occafion, a Bill was brought in for 
 difabling the Lord Provoft of Edinburgh from 
 holding any office of magiilracy in Great Britain — 
 for aboliihing the guard of that city, and for taking 
 away the gates of the Nether-bow-port, which 
 during this tranfadion had been (hut, in order to 
 prevent the troops quartered in the fuburbs from 
 entering the city. This Bill was oppofed by almoft 
 all the Scottifh reprefentatives, and many other 
 refpe&able members of bo:h Houfes, with great 
 vehemence : And the Duke of Argyle, in parti- 
 cular, arguing againft the principle of it, faid, that 
 11 he could not think of a meafure more harm or 
 unprecedented than the prefent Bill ; and he be- 
 lieved there was no inftance of the whole weight 
 of parliamentary indignation falling upon any 
 individual, and far lefs upon any community, for 
 crimes that were within the reach of the inferior 
 Courts of Juftice — that ihould the prefent Bill pafs 
 into a law, the Lord Provofl and citizens of Ed . 
 burgh would fuffer by a cruel, unjuft, and fantafli- 
 cal proceeding — a proceeding of which the won't 
 ufe might be made, if ever the nation mould have 
 the misfortune to fall under a vindictive, arbitrary, 
 
 and 
 
368 K. GEORGE IT. 
 
 and tyrannical adminiftration" — an obfervation 
 which fubfequent events forcibly recalled to public 
 recollection. Notwithstanding all oppofition, the 
 Bill patted, and was carried into rigorous execu- 
 tion, to the great and inexpreflible indignation of 
 the whole Scottifh nation. And this rafh and paf- 
 fionate attempt to vindicate the honor of the Crown 
 by infulting the majefty and wounding the feelings 
 of the people, afforded a new proof of the truth 
 and juftice of the obfervation of the celebrated 
 Chancellor Oxenflierne, " that it is wonderful 
 by how fmall a portion of wifdom the world is 
 governed.'* In the (lead of thefe impolitic mea- 
 sures of revenge and degradation, it would have- 
 given pieafure to every liberal mind, had occafion 
 been taken from this incident, fuppofing it to in- 
 dicate any want of energy in the executive power, 
 to reftore to Scotland thofe diitindtions of national 
 honor and authority of which that kingdom had 
 been unneceflarily and invidioufly diverted by the 
 Treaty of Union. There appears no juit reafon 
 why Scotland fhould not have its own refident 
 great Officers of State, why its Privy Council 
 ihould be annihilated, why the High Commifii- 
 6ner of the (Town (hould not, as in the times pre- 
 ceding the Union, be enabled to fupport his ele- 
 vated rank and itation in a manner fuitable to the 
 national dignity, and why the royal palace of the 
 Kings of Scotland ihould be fullered to exhibit a 
 
 picture 
 
K. GEORGE II. 369 
 
 pi&ure of melancholy and decay, fcarcely fo be 
 diftinguifhed from the ruins of Balclufha; " I 
 have feen, fays the antient bard of Caledonia, 
 the walls of Balclutha, but they were defolate. 
 The fire had refounded in the halls, but the voice 
 of the people is heard no more. The flream of 
 Clutha was removed from its place by the fall of 
 the walls. The thiftle fhook there its lonely head ; 
 the mofs whittled to the wind. The fox looked 
 out from the windows ; the rank grafs of the wall 
 waved round his head. Defolate is the dwelling 
 of Moina ; filence is in the houfe of her fathers." 
 
 In April 1736, the marriage of the Prince of 
 Wales, who was confidered as the determined 
 enemy of the Minifler, and the head of the oppo- 
 fition, with Augufta Princefs of Saxe-Gotha, was 
 celebrated ; and in the courfe of the enfuing Seflion, 
 a motion was made by Mr. Pulteney, and feconded 
 by Sir John Barnard, for an addrefs to the King, 
 that he would be pleafed to fettle £ 100,000 per 
 ann. out of the Civil Lift revenues upon the 
 Prince *. This was violently oppofed by the 
 
 courtiers, 
 
 * The Prince of Wales highly refented, and with great ap- 
 parent reafon, that out of a Civil Lift of £ 8oo ; coo, a revenue 
 of ^50,000 per ann. only fhould be allotted to him, although 
 his father, when Prince, had^ 100,000 out of a Civil Lift of 
 £ 700,000 — nor does the fum required by the Prince appear 
 more than adequate to the fuperiovity of his rank and ftation. 
 
 Vol. I. B b As 
 
37 o K. GEORGE II. 
 
 courtiers, as an encroachment upon the King's 
 prerogative, and it was finally negatived, by a 
 majority of 30 voices, the numbers being 234 
 to 204, though not without producing an entire 
 alienation between the two Courts of St. James's 
 and Leicefter Houfe ; and the Prince was not even 
 permitted, in the laft illnefs of the Queen, who 
 expired November - 1737, much efleemed and 
 lamented by the Englifh nation, to implore her 
 forgivenefs or to receive her departing benediction. 
 At this period, a war broke out between the 
 Ruffian and Ottoman empires, occafioned, as was 
 pretended, by certain incurfions of the Tartar 
 tribes into the Ruffian territories : But in reality 
 by the ambitious and eager defire of the Court of 
 Peterfburg to regain pofieflion of the important 
 maritime city of Afoph, which was one of the 
 
 As this refolution of the Prince embarraffed many who held 
 places under the Government, and were at the fame time de- 
 firous to keep on fair terms with the fucceflbr, he was advifcd 
 by Mr. Dcddington, afterwards Lord Meloon.be, whom he 
 admitted into his confidence, to apply to Parliament for an 
 additional grant of ^50,000 per ann. ; but the Prince replied, 
 with agenerofity truly noble, ic that the nation had done 
 
 ENOUGH FOR HIS FAMILY ALREADY) AND THAT HE WOULD 
 RATHER BEG HISjREAD FROM DOOR TO DOOR, TH AN V.E A FAR- 
 
 th'er charge to them." M the Tories, regarding 
 
 the motion as dangeroufly democratic, left the Houfe in a body 
 previous to the divifion, though Sir William Wyadfaam had 
 
 taken upon him to aniwer to the Prince for their concurrence. 
 
 earlicft 
 
K. GEORGE II. . 371 
 
 earlieft acquisitions of the Emperor Peter the 
 Great, but which that monarch was afterwards 
 compelled to facrifice, in order to extricate him- 
 felf from the perilous extremity to which, in his 
 lad war with Turkey, he found himfelf reduced, 
 on the banks of* the Pruth. Afoph was accord- 
 ingly befieged and taken j and when fatisfa&ion 
 and reparation were offered by the Porte, for the 
 injuries fuflained by Rufiia, the Czarina declared 
 her refolution not to relinquish her conquer!. And 
 the Emperor of Germany, being under obligation 
 by treaty to aflif! the Ruffians, became in a fhort 
 time a principal in the war, which proved to him 
 only a feries of difafters. A peace was at length 
 obtained at the expenfe of Orfova, Belgrade, and the 
 entire province or kingdom of Servia, which were 
 ceded by the Emperor to the Turks. The Ruffians, 
 who had, under the conduct of the famous Marefchal 
 Munich, made great progrefs in the reduction of the 
 provinces north cf the Danube, on their part reftor- 
 ed Oczakow, Choczim, and Bender, and the poffef- 
 fion of Afoph was confirmed to them by the Porte. 
 In the Seffion of Parliament, held A. D. 1737, 
 a motion being made for the continuance of the 
 fame number of land-forces as had been voted the 
 preceding year, a vehement debate arofe. For 
 though in our own more courtly days, a much 
 larger number is annually voted almofl as a matter 
 of courfe, it was considered as one of the mod 
 B b 2 important 
 
372 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 important and moft laudable objects of patriotifm 
 in thefe times to procure, if not an abolition, at 
 lead a reduction of a military force, deteded and 
 deprecated as ufelefs, expenfive, and dangerous. 
 In vindication of the motion, the minidry fcrupled 
 not to affirm, " that if the army was difbanded, 
 the Tory intereft would quickly predominate — that 
 the kingdom was filled with clamor and difcontent, 
 which a (landing military force only could effectu- 
 ally reprefs — that the fupport of the Whig inter eji 
 demanded the maintenance of this forces and it 
 was hoped and prefumed that the Houfe would 
 vote triple the number, if adjudged necefiary for 
 this purpofe." The members of the oppofition 
 replied, in their accustomed drain of n)ain reafon- 
 ing, " that this vindication contained in it a fen- 
 tence of felf-condemnation — for to what caufe 
 could the fpirit of clamor and difcontent be 
 afcribed, but to the mifconduct of the miniftry ? 
 and it was from their own acknowlegement clear, 
 that what they were pleafed to ftyle the Whig 
 intereft, was in fact: an inconfiderable party which 
 had engroiTed the power of Government by indi- 
 rect and unconftitutional methods — which acted 
 contrary to the fenfe of the nation, and which 
 depended for fupport upon that very military force 
 which was the grand fource of the national dif- 
 content, which perpetuated the national taxes, 
 and which menaced the national liberties with 
 
 deftruc- 
 
K. GEORGE II. 57i 
 
 deftruction. The claim of the miniffoy and their 
 adherents in the Houfe to the appellation of 
 Whigs, was warmly difputed ; and Sir John Hynde 
 Cotton declared, " that a genuine Whig could 
 never vote for a ftanding army in time of peace. 
 Whigs, faid this member, who are true to their 
 principles, will oppofe all unlimited votes of cre- 
 dit — will deprecate the corruption of the legiflative 
 power, as the greateft curfe that can befall a nation 
 — they will efteem the liberty of the prefs to be 
 the mod invaluable privilege of a free people ; and 
 frequent Parliaments to be the grand bulwark of 
 their liberties. A Whig adminiflration would never 
 fuffer injuries done to the Britifh commerce to pafs 
 unnoticed, or infults offered to the Britifh flag to 
 pafs unrevenged." It is remarkable, that Sir John 
 Hynde Cotton was himfelf educated in Tory prin- 
 ciples, and was in early life clofely connected with 
 the principal leaders of that once formidable 
 faction. But the panegyric now pronounced upon 
 Whig principles, clearly and infallibly indicated, 
 that the proper and peculiar tenets of Toryifm— 
 pailive obedience, non-refiftance, and the indefeafi- 
 bie rights of royalty — were now fallen into con- 
 tempt. The Tories were infenfibly led, in the 
 cour'e of their oppofitjon to the erroneous and 
 unconilituiional meafures of government, to adopt 
 confident and rational principles. The very name 
 of Tory began to be confidered as a term o£ 
 B b 3 reproach 3 
 
374 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 reproach, and as fuch was, in this debate, refent- 
 ed and repelled. Still, however 2 in a certain fenfe, 
 Whiggifm and Toryifm have never ceafed, and 
 will never ceafe to fubfift. Whatever tends to en- 
 large the power of princes or of magiftrates beyond 
 the precife line or limit of the general goo*.', what- 
 ever impofes oppreffive or even fuperfluous reflraints. 
 upon the liberty of the people, or introduces any 
 fpecies of civiL inequality, not founded on the bafis 
 of public utility, is of the eiTence of Toryifm. On 
 the other hand, genuine "Whiggifm is nothing more 
 than good temper and good fenfe, or, to adept 
 higher and more appropriate terms of expreffion, 
 benevolence and wifdom applied to the fcience of 
 Government. 
 
 The theatre in the metropolis of Britain having 
 been recently, in various instances, abufed, as in 
 antient times at Athens, to the purpofes of perfo- 
 nal and political fatire, a bill was at this period 
 introduced for the prevention of this great and 
 growing evil, agreably to the provisions of which, 
 no new dramatic pieces could be exhibited 
 without the exprefs iicenfe firft obtained of the 
 Lord Chamberlain. This B d through both 
 
 Houfes with little oppoiition, excepting that which 
 it met with from the Kail of Chefterfield, who 
 combated the principle of it with much animation 
 and eloquence. His Lordmip declared, " that 
 he regarded this meafure as of a very extraordinary 
 
 and 
 
K. GEORGE II. 375 
 
 and dangerous nature, as a reftraint not on the 
 licentioufnefs merely, but on the liberty of the 
 flage, and as tending to a flill more dangerous 
 reftraint on the liberty of the prefs, which was in- 
 timately and infeparably connected with the gene- 
 ral liberty of the fubject. He affirmed the laws, 
 as they at prefent flood, to be fufficient for the 
 purpofe of punilhing feditious or immoral perform- 
 ances. The bed, and indeed the only, mode of 
 avoiding public ridicule and cenfure was, he faid, 
 to avoid ridiculous and vicious actions ; for the 
 people will neither ridicule thofe they love and 
 efteem, nor fuller them to be ridiculed. An ad- 
 miniftration destitute of efteem or refpect among 
 the people will be cenfured and ridiculed, nor will 
 the fevered edicts be found of force to prevent it. 
 If we agree to the Bill now before us, what fhadow 
 of excufe can be fuggefted for refufing to proceed 
 a Hep farther, and to extend the prohibition to 
 printing and publifhing thofe dramas which are 
 deemed unfit for public exhibition ? Still political 
 fatires will appear under the title of Novels, Se- 
 cret Hiftory, Dialogues, &c. ; but will you allow, 
 my Lords, a libel to be printed and difperfed only 
 becaufe it does not bear the title of a play ? Thus, 
 from the precedent before us, we fhall be gradu- 
 ally prevailed upon to revive a general imprima- 
 tur, and then adieu to the liberties of Great 
 Britain. I admit, my Lords, that the flage ought 
 B b 4 not 
 
37<5 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 not to meddle with politics, but for this very rea- 
 fon among others I objecl: to the kill before us ; 
 for I fear it will be the occafion of its meddling 
 with nothing elfe— it will be made fubfervient to 
 the politics of the Court only. This we know 
 was actually the cafe in King Charles the Second's 
 days ; we know that Dryden, the Poet Laureat of 
 that reign, made his wit and genius thus fubferr 
 vient to the defigns of the Court. When the 
 fecond Dutch war was in contemplation, he wrote 
 his " Amboyna," in which he reprefents the people 
 of Holland as avaricious, cruel, and ungrateful. 
 "When the Exclufion Bill was moved for, he wrote 
 his " Duke of Guife," in which thofe who were 
 zealous for preferring and fecuring the liberties 
 and religion of their country, were expofed as a 
 faction leagued together for the purpofe of exclude 
 ing a virtuous and heroic Prince from that throne 
 which was his lawful right, on account of his 
 adopting a faith different from their own. The 
 peculiar province of the ftage, my Lords, is, to 
 expofe thofe vices and follies which the laws can- 
 not lay hold of ; but under the redraint of an ar- 
 bitrary Court licenie, it will be entirely perverted 
 from its proper ufe. To a man bred in the habits 
 of a Court, that may appear to be a libel againft 
 the Court which is only a jail and falutary fatire 
 upon its vices and follies. Courtiers, my Lords, 
 are too polite to reprove one another ; the only 
 
 place 
 
K. GEORGE II. 377 
 
 place where they can meet with any juft rebuke 
 is a free, though not a licentious ftage. But by 
 this Bill, inftead of leaving it what it now is, 
 and always ought to be — a fcourge for fafhionable 
 v i ces — it will be converted into a channel for pro- 
 pagating them throughout the kingdom. Let us 
 confider, my Lords, that arbitrary power has 
 feldom or never been introduced into any country 
 but by flow degrees, ftep by ftep, left the people 
 mould perceive its approach. When the prepara- 
 tory fteps are made, the people may then indeed 
 fee flavery and arbitrary power making huge and 
 hideous ftrides over the land, when it is too late to 
 avert the impending ruin. The Bill before us I con- 
 fider as a ftep very neceffary to this purpofe - r and 
 fhouldfuchdefign ever be formed by any ambitious 
 King or guilty Minifter, he would have reafon to 
 thank us for having fo far facilitated his attempt ; 
 though fuch thanks, I am convinced, every one of 
 your Lordfhips would blufh to receive, and fcorn 
 to deferve." The ill effects, apprehended by this 
 generous and patriotic nobleman, have not, how- 
 ever, been as yet very apparent : And it muft be 
 acknowleged that, in a very few inflances only, 
 does the invidious difcretion, veiled by this Bill in 
 the Lord Chamberlain, feem to have been caprici- 
 ouily or improperly exercifed # . 
 
 In 
 
 * The Gustavus Vasa of Brooke, the Mustapha of 
 Mallet, and the Edward and Eleonora of Thomfon, were 
 
378 K. GEOPGE II. 
 
 In the courfe of the fame fefHon the Houfe of 
 Commons having refoived itfelf into a grand com- 
 mittee 
 
 in the number of the Dramas rejected under the authority of 
 this act. The firft of thefe performances is animated through- 
 out by a noble and enthufiaftic fpirit of liberty ; but the writer 
 protefts in his prefatory remarks, " that he had nothing to fear 
 or hope from party or preferment — his attachments were only 
 to truth ; that he was confeious of no other principles, and was 
 far from apprehending that fuch could be offenfive." There 
 were, however, fome paffages in this Tragedy which could not 
 fail to be invidioufly applied, if they could be fuppofed not in- 
 vidioufly defigned. A fpecimen or two may fuffice : 
 
 " Are ye not mark'd, ye men of Dalecarlia, 
 
 Are ye not mark'd by all the circling world ? 
 
 —Say, is not Liberty the thirit, the food, 
 
 The fcope and bright ambition of your fouls ? 
 
 Why elfe have you and your renown'd foreiathers, 
 
 From the proud lummit of their glittering thrones, 
 
 Call down the mightieft of your lawful Kings 
 
 That dar'd the bold infringement ? What but Liberty, 
 
 Thro' the fam'd courfe of thirteen hundred years, 
 
 Aloof hath held invafion from your hills, 
 
 And fanctified their (hade ? And will ye, will ye 
 
 Shrink from the hopes of the expecting world ? 
 
 Bid your high honors ftoop to foreign insult? 
 
 And in one hour give up to infamy 
 
 The harveft of a thoufand years of glory ? 
 
 " Where is that power whofe engines are of force 
 To bend the brave and virtuous man to flavery ? 
 Bafe fear, the hfzinefs of luft, grofs appetil 
 Thefe are the ladders and the groveling footftool 
 From whence the tyrant riies on our wrongg. 
 
 Secure, 
 
K. GEORGE II. 379 
 
 mittee to take into confideration the ftate of the 
 national debt, Sir John Barnard, Member for the 
 City of London, a man whofe patriotifm was dig- 
 nified by the extent of his knowlege, the found- 
 nefs of his underilanding, and the benevolence of 
 his heart, moved for a bill to enable his Majefty to 
 raife money either by the fale of annuities, or by bor- 
 rowing at an interefl not exceeding ^per cent., which 
 funl fo raifed fhould be applied towards the redemp- 
 tion of the South-Sea Annuities, allowing the pre- 
 ference of fubfcription to the annuitants. Sir John 
 Barnard remarked, " that even thofe public fecu- 
 rities which bore an interefl of 3 per cent, only, 
 were now connderably above par ; therefore there 
 could be no room to doubt that the fubfcription 
 would immediately fill, were it a condition of the 
 contract that the principal fhould be made irre- 
 deemable for the term of fourteen years. When the 
 South-Sea Annuitants were thus reduced, the fame 
 plan might be adopted for redeeming the capital 
 of the other trading Companies, and, in. time, of 
 the whole public debt, without any violation of the 
 public faith ; that, by this means, the Sinking 
 Fund would be fo much increafed, that in a few 
 years the Parliament would be able to annihilate 
 
 Secure, and fccptered in the foul's fervi'ity, 
 He has debauch' d the Genius of our country , 
 And rides triumphant, while her captive fons 
 Await his nod— the filken Haves of pleafure." 
 
 1 ' thofe 
 
380 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 thofe taxes which lay heavieft upon the laboring 
 and manufacturing poor, and that the remaining 
 part of it, if faithfully applied, would, in a fhort 
 time, free the nation from all incumbrances. " 
 By this motion, at once fo popular, feafible, and 
 beneficial, the Minifter feemed much embarrafTed, 
 and it was clearly difcernible that the Executive 
 Government entertained no real wiih or intention 
 that the public debt, which fo materially added both 
 to its influence and its fecurity, mould ever be li- 
 quidated. In order, therefore, to counteract the 
 effect of a motion, which it would have been too 
 hazardous openly and directly to oppofe, Mr. 
 Winnington, a zealous partizan of the Minifter, 
 moved that all the public creditors, as well as the 
 South-Sea Annuitants, mould be comprehended. 
 To this Sir John Barnard objected " that it might 
 be eafy for the Government to borrow money at 
 3 per cent, fufficient for the redemption of a cer- 
 tain proportion of the public debt, though it might 
 be extremely difficult, or even impracticable, to 
 borrow money enough at once to liquidate the 
 whole, amounting at this time to almoft forty- 
 eight millions." A bill was, however, ordered in 
 in upon the bafis of Mr. Wilmington's proportion, 
 which, being in the fequel warmly attacked, and 
 faintlv defended, was finally poftponed to a diftant 
 day by motion of the Minifter ; though there is 
 great reafon to believe, from the fuccefs of a fimilar 
 and more recent attempt, that the patriots in op- 
 
 poiiiion 
 
K. GEORGE II. 3 Sr 
 
 pofition formed an erroneous judgment reflecting 
 the difficulties attending its execution *. 
 
 In recording the tranfaclions of the fucceeding 
 year (1738), it is unfortunately necenary to notice 
 
 the 
 
 * Jn the month of January (1737) died Dr. William Wake, 
 who had filled the metropolitan See of Canterbury twenty-one 
 years. Previous to his elevation to that high dignity, he had 
 very honorably diftinguifhed himfelf by the liberality of his fen- 
 timents, and the vigor of his exertions both in Convocation and 
 in Parliament, particularly in his conteft with Atterbury ott 
 the nature and extent of eceleiiaftical authority ; and in a moft 
 confpicuous manner at the ever-memorable trial of Sacheverel. 
 As one of the ableft and firmer!: champions of the Low Church 
 Party he was advanced, on the death of Dr. Tennifon, A. D. 
 1 7 16, to the Archiepifcopal chair ; but he foon made it vifiblc 
 that " Lowliness is young Ambition's ladder ; n ' and when he 
 had " attained the topmost round," be adopted, like his famous 
 predecefTor Becket, a totally new fyitem of principles and con- 
 duct. By the vehemence and pertinacity of his oppofition, he 
 eiTentially impeded on all occafions the meritorious endeavours 
 of the Court for the advancement, and fecurity, of the general 
 fyftem of civil and religious liberty. And in a more efpecial 
 manner he labored to counteract the grand effort made by that 
 generous and beneficent (tatefman, Lcrd Stanhope, under the 
 aufpices of the late King, for the annihilation of thofe odious 
 dillinftions which divided, and which continue to divide, the 
 nation, and to perpetuate the animofities of contending factions. 
 Dr. Wake was fucceeded by Dr. Potter, tranflated from the See 
 of Oxford — a man morofe in difpofkion, and in deportment 
 haughty; but ofextenfive learning and exemplary morals. After 
 filling the metropolitan throne ten years, this prelate was fuc- 
 ceeded by Dr. Herring, Archbiihcp of York, of whom it is dif- 
 ficult to be too profufe in the praife. Placed at the head of the 
 
 national 
 
382 K. GEORGE II. 
 
 the violent mifunderftanding which arofe between 
 the Regency of Hanover and the King of Den- 
 mark, refpefting the petty Lordfhip of Steinhorii, 
 the revenue of which fcarcely exceeded one thou- 
 fand pounds llerling per annum. The Caftle of 
 Steinhorfr., garrifoned by a flight detachment of 
 Danifh dragoons, was carried by affault, and the 
 King of Denmark made great warlike prepara- 
 tions in order to revenge this affront, which molt 
 alTuredly would never have been offered, had not 
 Hanover depended upon the aid and protection of 
 England. And the King of Denmark, confcious 
 of his inability to cope with Hanover, and her ally, 
 had the addrefs to convert this incident to his own 
 advantage, by concluding a convention with the 
 King of England, agreably to which he engaged 
 to hold in reddinefs a body of 6c 00 men for the 
 fervice of Great Britain. In return, Denmark, in 
 addition to the ftated pay of thefe troops, was to 
 receive afubfidyof 250,000 crowns perann.; and the 
 Lordjhip of Steinhorfl was ceded to Hanover, When 
 the Duke of Newcaftle produced this treaty in the 
 fuccecding Scilion for parliamentary ratification, 
 
 national communion, he appeared fcarcely lefs pre-eminent in 
 dignity of character, than of ftation ; and the various excellen- 
 cies afcribed by the poet to various contemporary ornaments of 
 the JZpifcopal bench were in him happily confolidated : 
 
 " Seeker is decent, Rundle has a heart, 
 Manners with candour are to Benfon gi< 
 To every virtue under heaven.*' Tors. 
 
 Lord 
 
K. GEORGE II. 383 
 
 Lord Carteret earnestly requeued to be informed 
 what ufe was intended to be made of tbefe troops, 
 as it was exprefsly ftipulated by the articles of the 
 treaty, that they mould neither be employed on 
 board the fleet, or be tranfported in whole or in 
 part beyond fea, or ferve againft France or Spain, 
 except in Germany or Flanders. His Grace, 
 however, not being at liberty to divulge the King's 
 secrets, the fubfidy was granted, and at the fame 
 time, in confequence of a meifage from the throne, 
 flating the exigency of public affairs, a vote 
 of credit conformable to a fimilar refolution of the 
 Commons, paffed the Houfe, notwithstanding 
 the animated remonftrances of Lord Carteret, who 
 declared that nothing could be more dangerous to 
 the Conftitution than this practife, which was but 
 of modern date in England ; it was never heard 
 of before the Revolution, and but rarely till the 
 nation was blefled with the prefent adminiilration. 
 Such a demand, he faid, our anceflors would 
 have heard with amazement, and rejected with 
 fcorn. If a general and unlimited vote of credit 
 and confidence, his Lordlhip affirmed, were to 
 become a cuflomary compliment at the end ;f 
 every Seffion, Parliaments would grow defpicable 
 in the eyes of the people ; and it might be depend- 
 ed upon as an infallible confequence, that when 
 Parliaments were once perceived to be ufelefs 
 and fervile, they would, by a rapid gradation, 
 become arbitrary and tyrannical. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOLU.ME. 
 
Jw 
 
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