a majority of a hundred and nineteen against fifty-four, vo- 1712, ted the preface to be malicious and fictious, highly reflecting upon the present administration of public affairs under her majefty, and tending to create difcord and sedition amongft her fubjects, and condemned it to be burnt by the hands of the common hangman. It was obferved, that, when the bishop's friends brought him the news of the Vote, far from appearing disturbed at it, he faid, That he esteemed himself very happy to fuffer with the duke of Marlborough, the earl of Godolphin, and fo many other illuftrious patriots, whofe reputation their enviers endeavoured to • blast (f).' On the other hand, this treatment of a prelate (f) The bishop wrote the following letter to bishop Burnet, this occafion : upon My lord, June 17, 1712. I received the favour of your lordship's letter, and took it, as I knew it was intended, very kindly. The manner of my receiving the indignity put upon my Preface was neither like a chriftian, nor philofopher, but like a very worldly man. I knew the whole procefs, and knew it to be a piece of revenge taken by a wicked party, that found themfelves forely ftung; and it affected me accordingly, i. e. very little. I am not one, that love to be the talk of the town? and in this part, I confefs, I was uneafy, although I think the talk was very much in my favour. The complaint was made by Hungerford, and feconded by Manley (people that fhould indeed have been ordered to have burnt it) and thirded by what we call the court, and carried by numbers, without a wife word faid againft it. Sir Peter King, Sir Jofeph Jekyll, Mr. Lechmere, and others of the robe, were very ftrenuous advo. cates in its behalf; and fo were fo If other gentlemen, but to no great purpofe; for the court divided one-hundred and nineteen, and my friends but fifty-four. their defign was to intimidate me, they loft it utterly; or, if to fupprefs the book, it happened much otherwife; for every body's curiofity is awakened by the ufage, and the bookfeller finds his account in it above any one elfe. The Spectator has conveyed above four thousand of them into other people's hands, that would otherwife have never seen nor heard of it, In a word, my lord, when I confider, that these gentlemen have ufed me no worse, than, I think, they have used their own country, the emperor, the ftates, the house of Hanover, and all our allies abroad, as well as all the braveft, and wifeft, and the honefteft men we have at home; I am more inclined to become vain, than any ways depreffed at what has befallen me, and intend to fet up for a man of merit upon this very flock. But, pleafantries apart, my heart is wounded within me, when I confider ferioufly 'whereabouts we are, and whither we are tending. The court party do now own publicly, that, except the 1712. fo univerfally esteemed, particularly by the queen herself, who was used to call him her bifhop,' was highly resented even by many zealous churchmen. But the commons carRefolution ried ftill further their obfequioufnefs to the miniftry; for, the against the fame day, the letter from the ftates to the queen, in vindiletter from the ftafes. cation of their conduct, being complained of and read, it Pr. H. C. was refolved, To addrefs her majefty, to affure her of the juft fenfe this houfe had of the indignity offered to her, by printing and publishing a letter from the ftates-general to to her majefty; and to defire her, that she would so far refent fuch indignities, as to give no answer for the future to any letters or memorials that should be printed and publifhed.' But, the day before, the queen had thought fit to answer this letter. And it was obferved, that a censure was paffed upon it merely to gratify Mr. fecretary St. John; though, on the other hand, feveral speeches were made, particularly by Mr. Lechmere, to justify the states-general; which gave occafion to fome people to fay, That a vote of the commons was the only anfwer, that could be returned to their high mightineffes letter.' : allies accept of the conditions, : 2 On What a change has two years made your lordship may now imagine you are growing young again; for we are fallen, methinks, into the very dregs of Charles the fecond's politics; faving, that then they were more reasonable, because our enemy was then in fo full power and luftre, as might both terrify and dazzle a poor luxurious prince, that would not be disturbed, nor feemed to care much what became of England after he was gone. The prefent Times may put you in mind of those, with this bad difference still, that now the ruinous effects of thofe advices feem to be taking place after an interval of five or fix and twenty years; and after fuch an interruption, as one would have thought should have quite baffled and destroyed them. Hampden On the 17th of June, Mr. Hampden made a motion, 1712. That an addrefs be made to the queen, that fhe would be pleafed to give particular inftructions to her plenipoten-motion for tiaries, that in the conclufion of the treaty of peace, the the allies to feveral powers in alliance with her majefty might be gua- guarantee the protef⚫rantees for the proteftant fucceffion to the crown of these tant fuccefrealms, as fettled by act of parliament in the illuftrious fion rejected. houfe of Hanover." Endeavours were used to have this Pr. H. C. motion dropped; but, Mr. Hampden and some of his friends infifting to have the quueftion put, it was carried in the negative by a majority of one hundred and thirty-three voices against thirty-eight. After which it was refolved, 1. That this houfe had fuch an intire confidence, in the repeated ⚫ declarations her majefty had been pleased to make of her concern for affuring to thefe kingdoms the proteftant fucceffion, as by law established, that they could never doubt ⚫ her taking the proper measures for the fecurity thereof : and that this houfe would fupport her majefty against faction • at home, and her enemies abroad; and did humbly beseech her, that she would be pleased to discountenance all thofe, ⚫ who should endeavour to raise jealoufies between her majefty and her fubjects, especially by mifreprefenting her good intentions for the welfare of her people.' The commons having attended the queen on the 19th of June with this refolution, fhe returned the following answer: Gentlemen, "I return you my hearty thanks for this refolution, which " is very becoming you, who truly reprefent all my com "You have fhewn yourselves honeft affertors of the mo"narchy, zealous defenders of the conftitution, and real "friends of the proteftant fucceffion. "What I have faid and done, is fufficient to fatisfy any "perfon, who is in earneft for the fucceffion, as by law eftablished, in the house of Hanover, that I need not be "put in mind of doing any thing, which may contribute to "render that fucceffion fecure." Two days after, the queen came to the house of lords, and made the following fpeech to both houses: My lords and gentlemen, T HE laft time I was here, I fpoke fo fully, and af- The queen's speech to terwards received from both houses such fatisfactory both houfes addreffes 1712. • addreffes, that there remains little more for me to say at the clofe of this meeting of parliament, but to repeat my hearty thanks for your late folemn affurances. They will give me ftrength to ftruggle with any difficulties, which may yet be raised; and I hope, that neither they, who envy the making a good peace, nor who think it their in⚫ tereft to continue the war, will be able to defeat our joint endeavours for the honour and advantage of Great-Britain, and the fecurity of all our allies. Gentlemen of the house of commons, At the fame time that I thank you moft kindly for the fupplies you have chearfully granted, I cannot but let you know my fatisfaction in the near view I have of a peace, fince it will in fome measure recompenfe my fubjects for * their vaft expences, and also lighten that heavy burthen they have borne during the war. My lords and gentlemen, • You have expreffed how fenfible you are of the advantage and fecurity, which accrue to Great-Britain and our allies, by the terms proposed for a peace. And I need not ⚫ mention to you the mischiefs, which must follow from the breaking off this treaty. Our burthens would be at least • continued, if not increased; the prefent opportunity would be irrecoverably lost to Britain, establishing a real balance of power in Europe, and improving our own commerce; と and, if any of our allies fhould gain fomething by fuch a proceeding, the reft would fuffer in the common calamity. But I hope, by God's bleffing, fuch fatal defigns will be • disappointed. i You are now returning into your respective countries, • and I perfuade myself you will not be wanting in your en⚫deavours to obviate the designs of any ill-minded perfons; who may attempt to fow fedition amongst my fubjects, and, under fpecious pretences, carry on defigns they dare not own. I hope, at your next meeting, there will be an opportunity of perfecting what I recommended to you, which you • have left unfinished in this feffion. • I cannot conclude without affuring you that nothing fhall move me from steadily pursuing the true intereft of • fo dutiful and affectionate a people.'. After After this speech, both houses were adjourned to the 8th of 1712, July. This adjournment, inftead of a prorogation, occafioned various difcourfes, fome furmifing, it was intended as a further mortification to Mr. Walpole, who rather chofe to continue prisoner in the Tower, than to make his fubmiffion. Others imagined, it was intended, that, at the expiration of the adjournment, the house should fit again for the dispatch of bufinefs. But, whatever ground there was for the first of these conjectures, it appeared there was none for the latter; for at their next meeting, on the 8th of July, the parliament was prorogued to the 31ft of the fame month. Upon which Mr. Walpole, and the other perfons, who were under confinement by order of the commons, were of course set at liberty. Though the queen in her speech faid, they approved of her scheme of peace, yet that was not in any of the addreffes; many indeed, who intended to merit by their of ficious zeal, had magnified it in their speeches, but both houses had observed one caution, not to express their being fatisfied with the plan of the peace, tho' it was covertly infinuated. the city of London. On the 12th of June, at an assembly of the lord mayor, Addrefs of aldermen, and common-council of the city of London, a motion was made for addreffing the queen about the peace; against which fome objections were made by Sir Gilbert Heathcote and Sir Charles Peers, who alledged that, the • making peace or war being the prerogative of the crown, they ought not to meddle with it.' But, the majority, who knew, that fuch a ftep would be very acceptable to the court, being of a contrary opinion, it was carried for an address; which being, two days after, presented, with another from the lieutenancy, the queen knighted John Cafs and William Stuart, the fheriffs, and Samuel Clarke. Upon this a new set of addreffes were promoted every where, full of grofs flattery, magnifying the prefent conduct, with fevere reflections on the former miniftry, which fome carried back to king William's reign. Some of those addreffes mentioned the proteftant fucceffion, and the house of Hanover, with zeal; others did it more coldly, and fome made no mention at all of it. And it was univerfally believed, that no addreffes were fo acceptable to the minifters, as thofe of the last fort. But neither the number, nor the noife of addreffes, which, during the remaining part of the year, were prefented to the queen, were able to fupprefs the murmurings of the |