1708. "the reverend Mr. Benjamin Hoadly, rector of St. Peter's "Poor, London, for having often juftified the principles, "on which her majefty and the nation proceeded in the late "happy revolution, had juftly merited the favour and re"commendation of this house. 2. That an humble address "be presented to her majefty, that she would be graciously "pleased to beftow fome dignity in the church on Mr. "Hoadly, for his eminent fervices both to the church and "ftate." This address having been presented to the queen, fhe answered," that fhe would take a proper opportunity to comply with their defires:" which, however, fhe never did. When Mr. Dolben carried up the impeachment against Dr. Sacheverel, the lord Haverfham made a fhort speech, importing, "that it seemed fomewhat ftrange to see a divine "impeached for preaching a doctrine, for which he would ❝heretofore have been rewarded, and might, if times "changed, be made a bishop. However, added his lord"fhip, fince he is impeached, I hope a day will come for "the calling to account other criminals; for, which way "foever I caft my eyes, I fee matter for impeachments." Dr. Sacheverel having petitioned the commons to admit him to bail, that he might have an opportunity of making his defence, the committee, who were to draw up the articles of impeachment, were ordered to search for precedents concerning the taking bail in case of perfons committed for high crimes and mifdemeanors, and Mr. Dolben reporting they could find none, it was put to the vote, whether he fhould be admitted to bail, and carried in the negative by a majority of an hundred and fourteen against fixty-four. The proceeding against Dr. Sacheverel occafioned great jealoufies and animofities between the two parties of highchurch and low-church; the former gave it out boldly, and in all places, that a defign was formed by the whigs to pull down the church; and that this profecution was only fet on foot to try their strength; and that, upon their success in it, they would proceed more openly. Though this was all falfhood and forgery, yet it was propagated with fo much application and zeal, and the tools employed in it were so well fupplied with money (from whom, was not then known) 1709. that it is scarce credible how generally it was believed. Some things concurred to put the vulgar in an ill humour; it was a time of dearth and scarcity, fo that the poor were much diftreffed. The coming over of the Palatines, and the relieving of them, both by the queen, and by the voluntary contributions of private people, filled our poor likewife with indignation, who thought those charities, to which they had a better right, were thus intercepted by strangers. And all, who were ill affected, studied to heighten these their refentments. The clergy generally efpoufed Dr. Sacheverel as their champion, who had stood in the breach, and reckoned his caufe as their own. Many fermons were preached, both in London and other places, to provoke the people, in which they fucceeded beyond expectation. Sacheverel. In the mean time the committee fat feveral times at Sir Articles aJofeph Jekyll's houfe, in order to draw up the articles of gainft Dr. impeachment; fo that, the parliament being met again after Pr. H. C. Christmas, Mr. Dolben reported, that the articles were ready, which were read paragraph by paragraph. The preamble to the articles being read, a motion was made by the doctor's friends, that the report fhould be recommitted, which occafioned a very warm debate, wherein Mr. Robert Harding, Mr. Bromley, Mr. Ward, and fome others, made feveral exceptions to the matter and form of the articles. Mr. Harley, in particular, infifted on the leaving out the word feditious, alledging a precedent in the reign of king Charles the First in the profecution of Prynn, Bastwick, and Burton. But all objections were answered by Mr. fecretary Boyle, Mr. Smith chancellor of the exchequer, lieutenantgeneral Mordaunt, Mr. Lechmere, Mr. Thompson, and fome others: fo, the question for recommitting being put, it paffed in the negative by a majority of two hundred and thirty-two against an hundred and thirty-one; and the articles of impeachment were agreed to, and ordered to be carried up to the lords. Then the laft paragraph or recapitulation were also read and agreed to, and the whole ordered to be ingroffed. The next day, January 12, the ingroffed articles being read, Mr. Dolben was ordered to carry the fame to the lords; which he did accordingly, accompanied by a great number of members. The faid articles imported in fubftance, that Dr. Henry Sacheverel, in his fermons and books, did falfly and maliciously suggest and maintain, "I. That the neceflary means ufed to bring about the hap"py revolution were odious and unjustifiable: that his late VOL. XVII. majefty, P 66 • 1709-01." majefty, in his declaration, difclaimed the least imputation "of refiftance; and that to impute resistance to the said re"volution, was to caft black and odious colours upon his late majefty and the faid revolution. 2. That the toleration "granted by law to diffenters, was unreasonable, and the "allowance of it unwarrantable: and that he was a falfe brother with relation to God, religion, or the church, "who defended the toleration or liberty of confcience. "That queen Elizabeth was deluded by archbishop Grindal "(whom he fcurriloufly called a falfe fon of the church, " and a perfidious prelate) to the toleration of the Genevian difcipline: and that it was the duty of superior pastors to "thunder out their ecclefiaftical anathema's against perfons "intitled to the benefit of the toleration, and infolently "dared or defied any power on earth to reverse such sentence. 3. That the church of England was in a condition of great peril and adverfity, under her majefty's adminiftra“tion; and, in order to arraign and blacken the vote or "refolution of both houses of parliament, approved by her "majefty (mentioned in the preamble, and importing, that "the church of England was in a fafe and flourishing con"dition under the queen's administration) he did fuggeft the "church to be in danger; and, as a parallel, mentioned, "that the perfon of king Charles was voted to be out of "danger, at the fame time that his murderers were confpir"ing his death; thereby wickedly and maliciously infinuat"ing, that the members of both houses, who passed the said "vote, were then confpiring the ruin of the church. 4. "That her majesty's administration, both in ecclefiaftical and "civil affairs, tended to the deftruction of the conftitution; " and that, there were men of characters and stations, in "church and ftate, who were false brethren, and did them"felves weaken, undermine, betray, and did encourage and put it in the power of others, who were profeffed ene"mies, to overturn and deftroy the conftitution and esta"blishment and charged her majefty, and thofe in autho"rity under her, both in church and ftate, with a general "male-adminiftration and, as a public incendiary, he "perfuaded her majefty's fubjects to keep up a diftinction of factions and parties; inftilled groundless jealoufies, fo"mented deftructive diftin&tions among them, and excited 66 and stirred them up to arms and violence. And, that his "malicious and feditious fuggeftions might make the ftronger "impreffions upon the minds of her majefty's fubjects, he • did did wickedly wreft and pervert divers texts and paffages of 1709-10. 36 holy fcripture." After the exhibiting of these articles, the ferjeant at arms The doctor's attending, the commons delivered Dr. Sacheverel to the answer. deputy-ufher of the black-rod; and the lords, having read the articles, ordered, that a copy of them fhould be given to the doctor, who was admitted to bail; Dr. Lancaster, vice-chancellor of Oxford, and Dr. Bowes, being his fureties: and, being now at liberty, he confulted fome eminent lawyers and divines, and, with their affistance, drew up an anfwer, wherein he either denied the falfe, malicious, and feditious pofitions and fuggeftions, charged upon him in the articles, or endeavoured to juftify, palliate, and extenuate what he had advanced in his fermons; concluding with the expreffions: "Hard is the lot of the minifters of the gof"pel, if, when they cite the word of God in their general "exhortations to piety and virtue, or in their reproofs of "men's tranfgreffions, or where they are lamenting the "difficulty and conflicts, with which the church of Christ, "whilft militant here on earth, muft always ftruggle; the "several paffages, by them cited, shall be faid to have been by them meant of particular persons and things, and shall "be conftrued in the moft criminal fenfe, and made, by "fuch conftruction, one ground of an impeachment of high "crimes and mifdemeanors." This answer being fent from the lords to the commons, and referred to the committee, Mr. Dolben, in a few days, reported, that it was in many things foreign to the charge, unbecoming a perfon impeached, and plainly defigned to reflect upon the honour of the house. A replication being ordered to be drawn, a debate arofe at the fecond reading, wherein the doctor's friends infinuated, "That it was ad"vifeable to leave the offender to the ordinary courfe of jus"tice." But this was rejected by a great majority; and the replication fent up to the lords, averring their charge, and declaring they would be ready to prove it, at fuch convenient time as fhould be appointed for that purpose. tried in The lords appointed the 9th of March for the trial at the The doctor bar of their houfe; and the commons ordered, that the Weftmincommittee, who had drawn up the articles, fhould be the fter-hall. managers to make good the impeachment (k). Then it (k) There were, Sir John Holland, comptroller of her majesty's houfhold, was Mr. fecretary Boyle, Sir 1709-10. was debated, whether the houfe fhould attend in a body, or in a committee of the whole houfe; and it was carried for a committee by a majority of an hundred and ninetytwo against an hundred and eighty. This was done by the doctor's friends, who found, that, by gaining more time, the people were ftill more inflamed; and therefore it was they moved, that the trial might be public in Westminsterhall, where the whole houfe of commons might be prefent. They knew the preparing of that place would be a work of fome weeks. Unthinking people were fo taken with this, that it could not be withflood, though the effects it would have were well forefeen. Accordingly, upon the commons requeft, which was brought up by Mr. Bromley, one of the doctor's chief friends, the lords addreffed the queen for a place to be prepared in Westminster-hall for the trial. In the mean time the doctor's friends in town and country were extremely bufy, and in their private meetings drank to his happy deliverance. At length the lords fent a meffage to the commons to acquaint them, they had appointed the 27th of February for the trial. On that day (all things being prepared) the lords, in their formalities, went down to the court in Westminfter-hall, where vaft numbers of spectators had been admitted. The managers of the commons, and the cominittee of the whole houfe, having taken their respective places, and Dr. Sacheverel, who was lodged in the Temple, and came every day with great folemnity in a coach to the hall, being brought to the bar, the trial began, and lafted three weeks; in which all other bufinefs was at a stand, for this took up all men's thoughts. The queen herself was prefent every day of the trial in a private manner. The managers for the commons opened the matter very folemnly. Their performances were very much and justly commended. Sir Jofeph Jekyll, Mr. follicitor-general Eyre, Sir James Mountague, attorney general, Mr. Robert Walpole, treasurer Sir Thomas Parker, Sir Peter King, recorder of the city of London, The lord William Pawlet, lieutenant |