accommodated to the queen's intire fatisfaction (2). During the feffion of parliament, on the 18th of February, 1708. died a very eminent member of it, Sir Edward Seymour, at Death and his feat at Maiden-Bradley in Wiltshire. Nobility of de- character fcent, eminency of parts, great popularity, and a leading of Sir Edinfluence in the house of commons, were the diftinguishing ward Seycircumstances of his life. Whether they were attended mour. in the city, who inveigled and perfuaded two of my boatmen to go on board a fhip, and load from it fome cloth, which is prohibited here. It is well known, that the boat of an ambaffador is fo facred, that it is not to be vifited or flopped on any account what foever, tho' there was a prifoner of ftate in it. This made B-conclude, that his cloth was fecure, tho' my honour and reputation muft have fuffered; for it could not but be known here, though this had not happened. The circumftances of the affront are thus related in the earl of Manchefter's memorial, prefented on the 29th of March, 1708: On Monday last my Gondola, with two of my boatmen, dreffed in my ordinary and wellknown livery, was attacked in coming from Malamocco by the officers of this moft ferene republic, armed with fire-arms and feel-weapons. Thefe officers entered the boat by main force; and, after having done what they thought fit, they fuffered the Gondola to row away.' (2) The earl of Manchester, in a letter to the earl of Sunder. land from Venice, July 6, 1708, printed in Cole's memoirs, p. 540, obferves, that the fenate of Venice had confented to restore the cloth in the manner with the earl had defired; to condemn the men into the gallies; and, in lieu of the pillory, to bring them at the hour of justice from the prifon through the place of St. Mark into the galley, and the chief of them to have a paper prefixed to him, denoting their crime and punifhment, &c.' The conclufion of this affair will appear from the following paffage of the earl of Mancheiter's letter to the earl of Sunderland from Venice, September 7, 1708: I can now acquaint your lordship, that yesterday the men were brought thro' the place of St. Mark to the galley, The chief of them had a paper on his breaft and back with the inscription, as it was agreed on. There were great numbers of people. This day they delivered the cloth to my boat, in the place where they took it. I fent it immediately to the four hofpitals, fo all is paffed to our intire fatiffaction, and much to the honour of the queen; and I have the good fortune to have the approbation of all people here in this affair. As foon as the men have made their fubmiffion, I intend to go to the college to get them released. One of the men being lame of the gout, he was carried in a chair, which made it more remarkable. They were eleven in all.' 1708. with real virtue and merit, cannot be deemed an improper inquiry; fince, without thefe, outward appearances are infignificant and offenfive. In the reign of king Charles II. he laboured with uncommon diligence to promote the meafures of the court, for the deftruction of civil and religious liberty; and was neither afraid nor afhamed of any fort of management. His contemptuous behaviour towards the house of commons, while he was in the chair, was aftonishing and scarce credible. He acted there as the marshal of the court, and, agreeably to his inftructions from thence, allowed the house a long or fhort day for business. He feemed to affect to be remembered by a series of words and ac tions, full of indignity and infolence; nor did he escape the public reproaches of many members for the licentioufnefs of his morals, which they declared to be a difgrace to the ftation, which he bore in their house. In order to bring him under proper difcipline and correction, the next house of commons chofe him their speaker; but his royal master, to preserve him from difgrace and vexation, refused his approbation in an unusual manner. His concurrence in the revolution, and directing the affociation, are to be afcribed to a refentment of what he efteemed ill ufage under king James. To the establishment, eafe, and fuccefs of king William's government, no one ever gave ftronger proofs of an utter averfion. When that king had full evidence of his treasonable practices, fuch was his majesty's generous regard to his first appearances, that he gave him his choice of taking a place or his trial. Tho' he had often profeffed a contempt for the mafter and the fervice, prudence and guilt difpofed him to a place. His conduct in this fituation was a very ungrateful return for the favour, which he had received. In pursuance of his counfels, early and feasonable remedies were neglected; every thing was to wait the attention of parliament. Thus the coin was reduced to a ruinous ftate, which proved the occafion of infinite mischief to affairs both at home and abroad. Whilft he declaimed against and profecuted real or imaginary corruptions in others, he was a conftant and most able practitioner this way. Rival companies and rival projectors fuccefsfully employed the fure method of procuring his protection. Foreign powers were very fenfible of the certain way of affuring to themfelves fo fignificant and daring an advocate. Much of this kind was fufpected, and many things well known; yet with an amazing fufficiency he continued to fupport his authority and influence. The regards of his party were fecured by his unwearied fin cere cere hatred of king William. In this reign, he, who in a former had betrayed and trampled on the privileges of a houfe of commons, commenced the patron and enlarger of its rights. His highest pretenfions to public spirit and public virtue were owing to oppofite motives. His zeal in the impeachment of the earl of Clarendon, was not the effect of offences fuggefted in the articles, but flowed from a defire of recommending himself to a corrupt court. Malevolence had been long working there, on the account of that earl's having joined with the earl of Southampton, in preventing profufe and deftructive fettlements of parliament. The profecution of lord Sommers arofe from that lord's ability and fidelity in the fervice of his prince and the public; for neither Sir Edward's obligation nor inclination would have urged him to purfue a real enemy of France. After he had been the terror of his enemies, and lived amongst his friends with a haughty fuperiority, a mean wretch hurried him out of the world, its moft imperious disturber. When infirmities had confined him to his chair, his house was deferted by the fervants on the account of fome new diverfions; and, in the mean time, an old female beggar of the maddish tribe happened to wander into the apartments. Finding the great man thus alone, she reproached him for all his cruelty and oppreffions, threatened, terrified, and handled him in a manner, the effects of which foon put an end to a life, through the whole course of which he seemed equally infenfible of crimes and punishments. 1708. The removal of Mr. fecretary Harley having occafioned Promofome other vacancies, Robert Walpole, a gentleman of tions. quick parts and masterly eloquence, was, in Mr. St. John's room, made fecretary at war; and the place of fecretary to the marines, which had been likewife held by Mr. St. . John, was given to Mr. Jofiah Burchet. Some time after, the queen delivered to the earl of Cholmondley the staff of comtproller of her houfhold; and, about the middle of April, her majefty made a promotion of general officers, by which the earl of Rivers was advanced to the poft of general of the horse (1). Some (1) Henry Withers, Corne- niel Harvey, lord Raby, earl lius Wood, Charles Rofs, Da- of Effex, earl of Arran, Maine, 1708. The first Privycouncil of Great- Some time before, orders and commiffions were delivered for new-raifing the regiments of Montjoy, Gorges, Alnut, Mordaunt, Wade, Maccartney, and Lord Mark Kerr, which fuffered most at the battle of Almanza; and their officers, who were prifoners in France, were fupplied by others. About the fame time, the earl of Wemys and Sir John Leake were added to the lord high-admiral's council. On the 22d of April, her majefty nominated Dr. William Fleetwood to the bifhoprick of St. Afaph, vacant by the death of Dr. Beveridge, and Sir William Giffard was ap pointed governor of Greenwich hofpital; and Hugh Bofcawen warden of the ftannaries. The Scotch privy-council being diffolved by virtue of the late act, entitled, An act for rendering the union of the two kingdoms more intire and complete, the queen, on the 10th of May, appointed the first privy-council of GreatBritain (1). Maine, William Seymour, Hut- (1) Confifting of, chancellor of Great-Britain, I On the 15th of May, the lord Griffin, one of the pri- 178. foners taken on board the Salisbury, being attainted, by outlawry for high-treafon, committed in the reign of king Wil- Lord liam, was brought to the bar of the Queen's bench, and, Grilo after reading of the outlawry, being afked, What he had greened to fay, why execution fhould not be awarded against him? He faid, in his defence, "That he was neither in arms, nor in council with the enemy; but was forced by the French Europe. "court upon the expedition, intirely against his judgment for eve cution. Fin. of and inclination, notwithstanding he had exprefied his diflike "of it, as a rash and foolish attempt;" adding, "That he "threw himself at the queen's feet for mercy, and hoped the favour of the court." His defence being judged intirely foreign to the outlawry upon which he was brought to the bar, the court made a rule for his execution, as is ufual in fuch cafes: But though the queen was prevailed with to fign He is rethe warrant for fentence to pafs upon him, a reprieve, how- prieved ever, for a fortnight, was fent the night before to the till he dies Tower; and that, expiring the last day of June, was then in the renewed, and afterwards continued from month to month, Tower. till he died a natural death in the Tower, about two years after. On the 20th of May, Meinhard, duke of Schomberg, and John Smith, late fpeaker of the houfe of commons, who, about this time, was conftituted under-treasurer and chancellor of the Exchequer, in the room of Mr. fecretary Boyle, were fworn of the privy-council, as was the duke of Somerset a week after; and, towards the latter end of the fame month, the duke of Queenfberry was made a peer of Great-Britain by the title of baron of Rippon, and marquis of Beverley in the county of York, and duke of Dover in the county of Kent. An act had paffed the laft feffion for the better fecurity Proclato our trade by cruizers and convoys, and for the encoura- mation ging privateers, particularly in the Weft-Indies and South- for the Seas. They were to have all they could take, intirely to diftributhemfelves; the fame encouragement alfo was given to the tion of captains of the queen's fhips, with this difference, that the prizes. captains of the privateers were to divide their captures, according to agreements made among themselves, but the diftribution John Howe, vey, Edward Southwell, and At the fame time John Po- fworn clerks of the council. VOL. XVI. N n |