With Sacheverel's. fermons, the famous decree of the uni- 1710. verfity of Oxford paffed in their convocation, July 21, 1683,'. The Oxford was, at the fame time, voted by the lords to be burnt, as decree voted containing feveral pofitions contrary to the conftitution of to be burnt the kingdom, and deftructive to the proteftant fucceffion. Pr. H. L. This decree had been given in evidence by the doctor at his trial, in which the absolute authority of princes, and unalterableness of the hereditary right of fucceeding to the crown, were afferted in a very high strain. and other The commons alfo, upon a complaint made to them of a Sacheverel's book intitled, collections of paffages referred to by Dr. collections, Sacheverel, in his anfwer to the articles of his impeach- books burnt. < ment,' ordered the fame to be burnt. On the other hand, Pr. H. C. the doctor's friends complained to the house, of a book intitled, the rights of the chriftian church, &c.' and a defence of it, in two parts, with a letter from a country attorney to a country parfon, concerning the rights of the church; and Le Clerc's judgment of that book in his bibliotheque choifie. All which were condemned to the flames; as was also a treatise of the word perfon, by John Clendon of the Inner-Temple. Not content with this, the tories moved for an address for a fast, to deprecate the divine vengeance, which there was just reason to fear, on account of the horrid blafphemies lately published in the kingdom. Those who supported this motion, thought not only to caft a reflection on the whigs, as encouragers of fuch writings, but alfo to juftify what the doctor had advanced in his fermon about the danger of the church, which he had ascribed to the heretical and blafphemous pofitions lately printed. But their defign was eafily feen through, and therefore the majority added to the addrefs, "many of which blafphe"mies have again, in a moft irregular, extraordinary, and "infolent manner been printed, published, and difperfed, "throughout the kingdom, to the fcandal of good chrifti"ans, by Dr. Henry Sacheverel," Upon this addition the tories would have dropped the addrefs, but it was presented to the queen, who, probably, on that account answered, "that, a faft having lately been obferved, fhe did not "think proper to appoint another so soon, but would con"fider of it at a more convenient time." the house was informed what anfwer the lord-mayor had returned to the fheriffs, when they fhould demand of him, whether As 17101 As foon as it was known what a mild sentence the lords had paffed upon Dr. Sacheverel, thofe, who fupported him during his trial, expreffed an inconceivable gladness, as if they had got a victory; bone-fires, illuminations, and other marks of joy, appeared not only in London, but over the whole kingdom. However, much greater effects than these rejoicings were produced by it, as will hereafter be feen. The parlia- This affair being over, and the fupplies all granted, ment proro- befides which little more was done this feffion (p), the gmed. April 5. Pi, H. C. (p) During the trial a bill was ordered to be brought in for limiting the number of officers, military or civil, in the houfe of commons. Mr. Wortley Montague was chairman of the grand committee, and general Stanhope, and other leading men of the whig party, promoted it. It paffed the house of commons, but was rejected by the houfe of lords; where not only the earl of Wharton, but the earl of Scarborough, and the lord North and Grey spoke against it. The houfe of commons, having examined the fubject-matter of the petition of the creditors of the mine-adventure, refolved unanimoufly, March 31, that Sir Humphrey Mackworth, deputy-governor of the Mine-Adventurers, was guilty of many notorious and fcandalous ◄ frauds, and indirect practices, in violation of the charter granted to the faid company, in ⚫ breach of his truft, and to the ⚫ manifeft wrong and oppreffion of the proprietors and credi<tors of the faid company:' and, that he might not run away, a bill was ordered to be brought in, to prevent Sir Humphrey Mackworth leaving this kingdom, and alienating his eftate till the end of the next feffion ⚫ of parliament. This gentle man had written feveral polemi cal as well as devotional tracts, and was for many years of great note with the high-party. For which reafon, on the change of the ministry, nothing more was heard of his proceedings. A bill was alfo brought in for fettling the African trade, but was not brought to perfection. Some of the French refugees, fettled in England, petitioned the house of commons, that as the French proteftants were by the French king declared to be outlawed and excluded from claiming any inheritance in France, and as, on the contrary, many perfons living in France, did frequently claim here and inherit the eftates of their deceafed relations, to the prejudice of the remoter relations fettled in her majesty's deminions; they begged leave for a bill to preclude the fubjects of the French king, refiding in his dominions, from claiming any eftates of their relations dying in her majesty's dominions." Mr. Hampden brought in a bill for this purpose; but upon the private fuggeflions of fome eminent French proteftants, that it would be prejudicial to themselves and other refugees, who from time to time received confiderable remittances from their relations in France, the bill was dropped. queen queen, on the 5th of April, came to the house of peers, and made the following fpeech to both houfes : My lords and gentlemen, IT is with great fatisfaction, that I come hither at this time, to return you my hearty thanks for the marks of <duty and affection, which you have given me through "the whole course of this feffion. "And I am to thank you, gentlemen of the house of commons, in a very particular manner for the great dif"patch, which you have made in providing, fo early in the "year, fuch great and effectual fupplies for the public fer vice. This cannot but make me very defirous to repeat "the affurances I gave you at the opening of the feffion, "that they should be very carefully applied to the uses, for "which you have defigned them. My lords and gentlemen, "I cannot fufficiently exprefs to you my great concern, **that you have had fo neceffary an occafion of taking up a great part of your time towards the latter end of this ❝ feffion. 66 "I am confident no prince, that ever fat on the throne, << has been more really and fincerely kind to the church than "myself, nor ever had a more true and tender concern for "its welfare and prosperity than I have, and always fhall ❝ continue to have. "The fuppreffing immorality, and profane and other "wicked and malicious libels, is what I have always ear"neftly recommended, and fhall be glad of the first oppor❝tunity to give my consent to any laws, that might effec"tually conduce to that end. But, this being an evil com"plained of in all times, it is very injurious to take a pre"tence from thence to infinuate, that the church is in any "danger from my adminiftration. "I could heartily wifh, that men would ftudy to be "quiet, and do their own business, rather than buẩy them"felves in reviving questions and difputes of a very high "nature, which must be with an ill intention, fince they can "only tend to foment, but not to heal our divifions and ❝ animofities. "For my own part, as it has pleafed God to give fuccefs 1719. 1710. The queen great freedom by bishop Burnet. 66 which I muft efteem one of the greatest bleffings of my "reign; fo I hope his divine goodness will still continue fa"vourable, and make me the happy inftrument of that yet more defirable union of the hearts of all my people in the "bonds of mutual affection, that fo there may remain no "other contention among you, but who fhall exceed the "other in contributing to advance our prefent happiness, "and fecure the proteftant fucceffion. "Finding by the advices from abroad, that our army has "not yet taken the field, and that the plenipotentiaries of "France are ftill in Holland, I think it proper at present to "make the prorogation but for a very short time." Accordingly the lord-chancellor prorogued the parliament only to the 18th of April, when it was farther prorogued. The queen's expreffing thus her concern, that there was a cause given for what had taken up so much time, and her wishing that all her people would be quiet and mind their own business, rather than employ themselves in reviving such difputes, feemed to look a different way from what had been whispered about. But foon after her proceedings (as will be feen) revived those whispers again. As the bishop of Sarum had been encouraged, this winter fpoke to with by the queen, to fpeak more freely to her of her affairs, than he had formerly ventured to do, he told her what reports were fecretly fpread of her through the nation, as if the favoured the defign of bringing the pretender to fucceed to the crown, upon a bargain that she should hold it during her life he was fure thefe reports were spread about by perfons, who were in the confidence of those, that were believed to know her mind: he was well affured, the jacobites of Scotland had, upon her coming to the crown, fent up one Ogilby of Boyne, who was in great efteem among them, to propofe the bargain to her; he, when he went back, gave the party full affurances that she accepted of it: this, he faid, he had from fome of the lords of Scotland, who were then in the fecret with the profeffed jacobites. The earl of Cromarty made a fpeech in parliament contradicting this, and, alluding, to the diftinction of the Calvinifts, made between the fecret and the revealed will of God; he affured them, the queen had no fecret will contrary to that she declared: yet, at the fame time, his brother gave the party affurances to the contrary. The bifhop told the queen all this, and faid, if he was capable of making fuch a bargain for for herself, by which her people were to be delivered up and facrificed after her death, as it would darken all the glory of her reign, fo it must fet all her people to consider of the moft proper ways of fecuring themselves, by bringing over the proteftant fucceffors, in which he told her plainly he would concur, if she did not take effectual means to extinguifh those jealoufies. He faid, her minifters had served her with that fidelity, and fuch fuccefs, that her making a change among them would amaze all the world. The glory of queen Elizabeth's reign arofe from the firmnefs of her councils, and the continuance of her minifters, as the three laft reigns, in which the miniftry was often changed, had fuffered extremely by it. He alfo fhewed her, that, if fhe fuffered the pretender's party to prepare the nation for his fucceeding her, fhe ought not to imagine, that, when they thought they had fixed that matter, they would stay for the natural end of her life, but that they would find ways to fhorten it: nor did he think, it was to be doubted, but that in 1708, when the pretender was upon the fea, they had fome affaffinates here, who, upon the news of his landing, would have tried to dispatch her. It was certain, that their interest led them to it, as it was known that their principles did allow of it. This, with a great deal more to the fame pur→ pofe, the bifhop laid before the queen, who heard him. patiently, and, for the moft part, filently; however, by what the faid, fhe feemed defirous to make him think, she agreed to what he had represented to her; but he found afterwards it had no effect upon her; for fhe foon began the change of the miniftry, by the introduction of the duke of Shrewsbury, and difmiffion of the earl of Sunderland, as will be related. It is now time to take a view of the transactions abroad, particularly in relation to the negotiations for peace, which feemed to be profecuted with warmth. 1710. by France. The treaty at the Hague the last year having proved fruit- New overlefs, the French court thought proper to make new overtures of peace tures of peace. In the beginning of January 1710, the Hare. marquis de Torcy fent another project to Mr. Petkum, Burnet. refident of Holftein, confifting of the five following articles: I. Immediately after the figning of the peace, the French king would acknowledge king Charles as king of the whole monarchy of Spain; and not only withdraw all the fuccours he had given his grandfon, but also forbear fending him any affiftance Hift. of Eur. |