Bv62 11821r THE ROAD TO RUIN; OR, %n Historical ^Uc^ttnt OP THE DOLEFUL TERMINATION OP TWO ROYAL VISITS TO IRELAND!!! WITH INTERESTING REMARKS, NOTES, AND ANNOTATIONS. Q.UEM DECS VU1T PERDERE, PRIUS DEMENTAT." " Whom God intends to destroy, he first makes mad!" Slotttrott : PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY BENBOW, 9, CASTLE STREET, LEICESTER SQUARE. 1831. TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. -*z^7%e- SlRE, In thus presuming- to address your Majesty, I trust you will rest assured of the very sincere and due estimation I enter tain for the many excellencies of your Majesty's heart and mind, which, in the tender regard you have (upon numerous occasions) so eminently displayed, for the honour, happiness, and prosperity of the country, and for the preservation of the lives and property of your loyal subjects, cannot fail to hand down your name to posterity with the most lively remem brance, and indelible glory. Virtues so conspicuous, actions so exemplary, are rare at tributes of potent kings, but when they predominate, who shall say the nation is not happy, and the people fortunate, where divine providence has blessed them with such per fection in a mortal ruler. Public report, and the courtly newspapers, have repre sented that your Majesty, in addition to the royal visit to Ire land, is also about to visit Hanover, which affords the pro bability oflosing your propitious presence in this kingdom for, at least, some time; It certainly is not for me to offer advice to your Majesty, being merely an humble individual of the "swinish multitude;" but having read a little of past affairs, I most respectfully submit the. subsequent pages to your attention, as the parts therein cited may not hitherto have come into the common reading, or the recollection of your confidential servants. IV. If it be notorious that your Majesty has a disloyal subject in your English dominions, the example of Richard the Second may be worthy a minute's reflection, on the danger of leav ing a kingdom filled with malcontents. He went to Ireland a King — he returned to be .'/ .' — History relates the sequel- King James the Second v/ent to Ireland — he was said to have abdicated, but that vacancy led to the suc cession of your illustrious House, and to the expenditure of an immensity of blood and treasure, to support and retain that most joyful occurrence. Is then such a valuable ac quisition to be put to hazard? I merely mean to remark, that provided discontent at home really prevails, there is much to be thought of, weighed, and considered. If ho dis orders actually prevails, the Gagging Bills, as they are term ed, ought to be repealed, for they are then an insult, con trary to truth, cast upon a loyal people. Violence and re striction beget hatred and revenge, but never yet obtained affection and attachment. I have the honour to remain, Your Majesty's Most devoted Subject, An Englishman. London, September 12th,18%l. TO THE 'READER. Tueue is an old adage, which says, " It is an ill wind which blows no one any good." This seems well exemplified in the introduction of our Sunday Schools and Lancasterian system of education ; for bad not that class of persons who are so elegantly .designated by the pensioned writer of the (sublime and beautiful to be tbe " swinish multitude," been assisted by these admirable public institutions, it is possible they might have. remained in their native ignorance, and by being unable to spell their own names, or read their Bibles, might not have known " a great B from a bull's foot," or that George Guelph did not mean a certain portion of the national burthen, whereby the industrious are. reduced from a full bally to starvation ; the indolent are prevented the enjoy ment of sloth and luxury ; and all ranks have the savings of their frugality, or parsimony, put in jeopardy. But the Bible Society, in its liberal endeavours to promote Christian knowledge and enlighten the Heathens, deserves great praise, inasmuch as that precious book, so sedulously distributed, contains the never-to-be-forgotten account, that Saul was not king over Israel by divine right, but was con stituted king by the ELECTION OF THE PEOPLE ! ! ! whence originated the social compact, and its concomitant attribute of reciprocal duties, — and henpe becomes explained what in after ages was written by Bracton, viz. — " The KING ¦hath a superior, namely GOD, and the Law by which he was made King, Sfc." The same Divine History also shows, that they who had the right of election also had the power of deprivation, for Samuel, who was the principal instrument of Saul's elevation, was likewise the principal instrument in taking the Crown from Saul's family, and transferring it to David, whom he even annointed king in the lifetime of Saul: Had the laws of the Guelph s then existed, such conduct might have been denominated Treason, or Sedition, but it ¦was fortunate for Samuel, those laws were not inthe code of the Jews, though they have subsequently had enrolment among the statutes of the Gentiles. " Nunc stat prolege, Voluntas." VI. The pious Book of Martyrs has furnished numerous ex amples of a noble firmness of suffering with calm resignation under the persecution of bloody laws: those laws, never theless, were then the laws of England, and however severe they might be, they were exercised in an age of blindness, bigotry, and superstition. Nothing like apology, however, cannot at this day be tendered for tbe wanton immolation of an unarmed multitude, assembled to exercise a privilege secured to them by the Constitution and the B'H of Rights. If the flames of Smithfield are a story to be handed down to pos terity with execration, what must be tbe recollections due to the slayinifs of the Field of Manchester. — A writer hath said, " Vengeance divine, to pnnisli sin, comes slow " More slow the pace — more certain is the blow !" Another pious author, Walker, in his sufferings of the Clergy during the Civil War, has energetically recorded what many endured for loyally and for conscience-sake. The un happy fate of those who have fallen martyrs for religion, loy alty, or conscience, may truly deserve commemoration: still the names of Hampden, who died in tbe " bed of honour," and of Sydney and Russel, who perished on tbe scaffold in the support of the cause of Liberty, and of their country, are equally worthy of note and admiration; for all parties acting from principle, have alike suffered for conscience-sake: prin ciple and conscience are like soul and body — they are as closely united as place, pension, sinecure, taxation, and cor ruption ! The thirst of knowledge having been endeavoured to be inculcated in the human mind by the National Schools ; and the facilities of reading promoted (as before observed) by the distribution of good books, there can be no surprise that the caisethes legendi should extend to the reading of novels and of the newspapers. A novel is a mirror of human life, plot, and intrigue. A newspaper embraces general information ; but allayed with too much party spirit. From the one, ema nate impressions on the mind ; from the other, public and political opinions. Thus, on one hand, the kingdom is inundated with So cieties to circulate books, and excite the people to read • while, on the other hand, the legislature is employed in enacting laws to repress the productions of human under standing. These paradoxical proceedings to improve the ignorant by the advancement of learning ; and to check the learned by statutory restrictions, in some respect may be assimilated to the story of .id lo have made an open declaration, after be had Mib- ;tril»ed the opinion, that ne'-'er any action more richly de served the gallows than what he bad just been doing. X This has no reference to any official circulars within the period of our recollection ; and, as such, requires no com parison with any ministerial instructions during the iaid pe riod of time. to come. into his moasures. He added^ that he would raise an anny to enable him to punish such of his subjects as offered to oppose his will and pleasure ; and asked them, what number of forces every County was able to furnish. The Sheriffs, rather a spirited and independent race of per sons at that day, made answer, " Thai he commanded them such things as were not in their power to perform; that the common people would never bear to be- deprived of the FREE DOM OF ELECTIONS ; " and that as td the army he proposed to raise, there %ms not the least likelihood that any body would take arms to oppress those Lords, of ichom the people in general had so good an opinion" The Sheriffs answer having convinced the King that it would be a difficult matter to bring his project to pass, he prudently, though reluc tantly desisted for the present. Still the besotted conduct of his Majesty, like that of his great-grandfather, Edward the Se cond, impelled him on to the'most intcleralb acts of illegality, insult, and oppression.* As the end of these two Sovereigns were nearly si milar, so their public measures were parallel causes ; — they are thus noticed by Sir Robert Howard, viz.: — " They never appeared men, 'till they were to " be so no more. They never appeared able to "judge, but wholly submitted to the interested * Edward the Second was first deposed, end ;>fVr-vr. ardum ©ccidere nolite tinrere bonum est." 8 u opinions of others. Their promises were no4 "security, and dissimulation was their policy. •" They always abused the tenderness of others, " and seldom shewed any of their own : never " forgiving where they had opportunity to pu- " nish : they neither had power nor design to- ", conquer enemies, but used both to overcome Xi their friendjs : they never seemed inclined to " make good laws, and were always contriving " to violate those that were made: they shewed " little skill how to gain, and as little -how to "' preserve, being advised to the mistaken policy " of neglectiqg love, and to the folly of abusing " trust : they feared the greatness of their sub- " jects more than their enemies, and. shewed " they would rather have conquered at home " than abroad — as if they would choose to make " their own people slaves rather than others : " they apprehended the effect of good laws, and " were most pleased with those that debauched " the trust. of justice— and the judges were es- " teemed the most loyal that were most readily "wicked — those were the greatest 'favourite's " that the people most hated— and; the greatest "enemies to men were reputed the best friends ". to them : as they divided their, interest from " their subjects, their complaint of, grievances " rather procured, punishment than redress : " they thought the people's good was inconsist- " ent with their power — and that to be sensible " of oppression was to be rebellious.'.' _. ^ Mr. Rapin observes — " that the cbiefihing in which the two princes -differed, was this, that Richard was more harsh and inflexible', and usurped more absolute power than Edward which made him only the more hated in life' 'and less lamented at his death.'- 9 It is to be hoped that every free-born Eng lishman will excuse the taking so much of the character of these two Kings from Sir Robert Howard, when he considers it was the manifest design of that author to give a prospect of the hazard and madness of a Prince following the misguiding meteor (as Bishop Nicholson calls it) of arbitrary power, and by comparing the mis adventures of those two unhappy Kings with the triumphs of their prosperous predecessors, to shew " what glory .and safety wise and virtuous Princes have obtained ; and what ruin the cruelty and folly of others have brought upon themselves and subjects.,, With respect to King Richard, Sir Robert Howard, relates, that in his troubles he was in structed, by the want of power, to lament the attempting too much, and felt severely the want of that trust and confidence he had destroyed. He had forced all his people to be in the nature of traitors, while those who needed pardon most, were such as had counselled him to the ruin that was fallen upon him.* He perceived his own YiEtues when the vices of others could no longer hide them • and he, who once could have been go easily persuaded that he was shot at threugh his wounded ministers, now saw, that it was from $hewi he had received his wounds. But as there is no intention to give either the history or the character of King Richard in full detail, it may be sufficient briefly to state, that * Could any one only reflect for a few moments, and be inclined to see his own portrait, he might exclaim with the p0et— " mutato nomine, de me " Fabula najrratur." 10 having thoroughly disgusted his subjects, and rendered himself odious to the greater part of his principal nobility, there merely wanted a favourable opportunity to remove him from the throne. The execution of the Earl of Arundel, the condemnation of the Earl of Warwick, the tragical death of his uncle, the Duke of Glou cester, and the banishment of his cousin, the Duke of Hereford, all contributed to constitute this event an object of anxious solicitude. While thus surrounded with an host of mal contents, his evil star led the KING to make a VISIT TO IRELAND. The Embarkation o/Riehard II. mith his Ministers and Courtiers for Ireland. — See Rapik. During his absence, the Lords, who remained in England, invited over the Duke of Hereford who, by the death of his father, was become* 11 Duke of Lancaster. The circumstances and glory of this invitation are thus narrated in the life of Archbishop Arundel, and, are to be found in the Biographia Britanniea, viz. : — " Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, (brother to Richard, Earl of Arundel, who was beheaded as before observed) having been im peached and banished the kingdom for being concerned in his brother's (pretended) treason, retired into France, where he was, when the no bility and others, tired with the oppressions of Richard, solicited the Duke to take the Crown. This, their request, they drew up in a letter; and .sent over by faithful messengers to the Arch bishop. He being a fellow-sufferer, gladly ac cepted the offer, and went with the messengers to the Duke, at Paris, where they delivered the letters from the Nobles and Commoners of Eng land, and the Archbishop seconded them with the best arguments he could invent. He repre sented the miserable state of the English nation, that it was utterly ruined by the mismanager rnent of public affairs; in which, though the King himself was not actually concerned, yet so long as he trusted, employed, and supported un fit ministers, he could not be thought fit to go vern ; that it was far more intolerable to be slaves to ignoble persons than to the. King — and therefore, so long as the King continued to maintain the pride and tyranny of such persons over his subjects, it would be no crime to de pose him. That the present disordered state of the nation was such, that nothing but immediate help could preserve it — for the ancient courage of the English was sunk into effeminacy ; the men of bravery and conduct put to death, or banish ed; the nobility contemned: Pr slighted; the 12 gentry abused; the commons oppressed with heavy taxes, not to support the government, but the pride and avarice of their fellow subjects. The Archbishop added, that the nation placed all their hopes on him, (the Duke) and expected the redress of their grievances only at his hands, both on account of his personal courage and achievements, and the near relation he stood in to the Crown." The Duke did not immediately agree with this inviting offer, but objected to the unlawfulness of the design : — to which, Arundel replied, viz. : — "Examples of casting a King out of his state, are not rare, (as you affirm) nor long since put in prac tice, nor far hence to be fetched — the Kings of Denmark and Sweden are often banished by their subjects, oftentimes imprisoned, and put to their fines. The princes of Germany, about one hundred years ago, deposed the Emperor Adolphus, and are now in hand to depose their Emperor We nceslaus. The ancient Britons chased away their King, Caractacus,: for the lewdness of his life, and cruelty of his rule, in the time of the Saxon Heptarchy. Benredus,KingofMercia, for his pride and stoutness towards his people, was deposed by them. Likewise, Aleredus arid Ethelburtus^ kings of Northumberland, were for their disorders expelled by their subjects. Since the Norman Conquest,, the Lords endea voured to expel Henry III. but were not able : yet they were able to depose Edward II. and constitute his young son Edward in his stead. These are not all, and yet enough to clear this action of rareness in other countries, and of no velty in ours." The result of this advlpe and invitation was, that the Duke of Lancaster, without delay, set 13 out from Bretagne, and in July, 1399, landed at Ravenspur, in Yorkshire, where, although he had but fourscore persons in his retinue, he was soon joined by numerous of .the Nobility and Commons ;• and indeed, so great was the impa tience of the people to shake off their yoke, that in a few days he had an army of 60,000 men. It was some time before King Richard heard of the landing of the Duke, and the defection of the nation — he hastened back to England^ — but too late to retrieve his affairs; and fearing to be betrayed by his own troops, he put himself vo luntarily into the Duke of Lancaster's hands, and offered to resign his Crown for life. Being thus a prisoner, he was brought from Chester to London, in which long journey he The Return of King Richard from Ireland ; and his miserable progress to London. — See Rapin. was not suffered to change his apparel, but was compelled to ride in one sorry suit of raiment, which must have been a great mortification, as 14 he was extremely sumptuous in his vestments, and is said to have had one coat which was va lued at thirty thousand marks.* On his arrival in town, he was cbjnmitted to the Tower, and a parliament being called, he was therein charged with many heinous points of misgo- vernment. The articles of impeachment were S3, some authors say 35. t The number is im material — the chief were, viz. : — That he had waslefully spent the treasure of the realm. That he had said the laws of the realm were in his head and breast — by reason of which fan tastical opinion, he destroyed noblemen, and impoverished the commons. That most tyrannously he said that the lives and goods of all his subjects were in his hands, and at his disposition. That by force and threats, he enforced the judges of the realm at Shrewsbury, to conde scend to his way for the destruction of divers of the Lords. That he caused his father's own brother, the Duke of Gloucester, without law, to be attack ed and sent to Calais, and there, without reason, secretly murdered. * Itis not a little singular, that the King's brother-in-law, the Emperor Wenceslaus, (whose sister, Anne, he married,) should have been also deposed. This marriage brought into England a multitude of insatiate Bavarians, who drained abundance.of wealth out of the kingdom; but it is not said whether among them there were any Tailors of note. The rage for Hungarian and Dandy Tailors appears to have been: of more modern introduction. Probably the K — g, and Prince Esterhazy could settle this point. t Vide Acta Regia.-^-Vol. II. Edit. 8vo. 15 That notwithstanding the Earl of Arundel, at his arraignment, pleaded his charter of par don, yet he could not be heard, but was shame fully and suddenly put to death. That without the assent of the Peers, he car ried the jewels, and plate of this kingdom into Ireland. 1 hat he had privie espials* in every shire, to hear who had of him any communication; and if he communed of his lascivious living, or outrageous doings, he straitway was appre hended, and put to a grievous fine. Upon these, and other alleged causes, he was by Parliament adjudged to be deposed, and thereupon making a virtue of necessity, he pre tended to make a voluntary resignation of the Crown to the Duke of Lancaster. This resigna tion being shewn to the Parliament, both Houses gave their consent, and then,Commissioners were appointed to pronounce openly the sentence of deposition, and all further allegiance was re nounced to him. Thus terminated the unhappy reign of Rich ard II. — but a still further degree of wretched ness was behind, for having been committed to Pontefract Castle, in Yorkshire, to drag out the remainder of his life, he was there assassinated shortly after, leaving to posterity * In the 19 th century, divers persons were taken up in England, and committed to various prisons. Many were retained a very considerable time, without knowing the charge on which they were apprehended, and after endnring1 most severe hardships, were at length liberated, upon enter-: ing into recognizances, but were never brought to trial. 16 A MEMORABLE EXAMPLE OF THE MISERABLE END OF DESPOTIC POWER!! King Richard murdered in Ponfret Castle. — See Rapix. In reverting to the particular circumsiances which brought about the King's dethronement, it may be readily perceived, that his GOING TO IRELAND was a most fatal error, for as he, and his minions of government, must have known from previous experience, that they were all uni versally execrated, so there could not have been a greater act of mistaken policy, than the with drawing from the kingdom, and leaving the field 17 open, as it were, to the great mass of malcontents, eager for change,, and burning with resentment. In " Baker's Chronicles," some singular cir cumstances are remarked, which, for those who believe in presages, shall be here noticed, viz. — " In the 6th year of his reign, while the King was at Shene, there swarmed in his Court such a multitude of flies and gnats, skirmishing with one another, that inthe end, they were swept away with brooms in heaps, and bushel measures were filled with them." . " In his 18th year, an exhalation, in likeness of fire, appeared in the night in many places of England, which, when a mamvent alone, went as he went, and stayed as he stayed ; sometimes like awheel, sometimes like a barrel, sometimes like a timber-log ; but ivhen many went together, it appeared to be far off." Also, in a Parliament time, there was a cer- The Image of Wax, which is said to have forewarned King Richard of his End 18 tain image of wax, made (as said) by necro mancy, which, at a particular hour, uttered these words, viz. : — " The head shall be cut off; the head shall be lift up aloft ; the feet shall be lifted up above the head" — and then spoke no more. " In his 21st year, a river, not far from Bed ford, suddenly ceased its course, so that the chan nel remained dry by the space of three miles ; which was interpreted to signify the revolting of the subjects from their prince. END OF RICHARD II. THE OF JAMES II. One would almost be inclined to judge that there was a fatality inseparable from the fall of Princes, which made them either blind to the example of their unhappy predecessors ; or, so hardened, (like Pharoah) that nothing can pre vent the destruction they are doomed to undergo. James the II. had before him, the mistaken ideas of his father, Charles the I., who paid the forfeit, of straining the Royal prerogative be yond the bounds of toleration, by his head, upon the block. That disastrous day is observed, as one of humiliation and prayer, while the day which brought the Prince of Orange to England to dethrone his father-in-law, is commemorated with bon-fires, bell-ringing, and rejoicings ; and even perpetuated by the fraternization of Orange Lodges. This monarch came to the Crown with great applause, and gave such assurances of protect ing our religion and properties at his accession^ that even the Dissenters almost run mad in the 20 language of their addresses of congratulation ; while the Parliament appeared as loyal and af fectionate as any which had been assembled of late years. As to the impolitic and illegal acts of his reign, it is not necessary to dwell on them here — they are most fully set forth in the Decla ration and Bill of Rights : suffice it, therefore, to say, the Prince of Orange, being invited over by some of the principal persons in the king dom, found no opposition on the part of the people, but was hailed as their deliverer; on which occasion, he probably owed more of his success to the cry of " No Popery," than to any sanguine belief that he was come for the pur pose of maintaining our liberties, and setting them upon a basis against any future violations. Deserted by his pretended friends — by his own family — and by his army, the King had only to look to his personal safety, by a temporary re tirement from the country. This step he ac cordingly took; and with a view to setting up his standard in Ireland, he took the way of France, where, having received a friendly re ception, he remained there to obtain powers, with which he afterwards went to Ireland, and placed himself at the head of his army. Previous to leaving England, he drew up, and left behind him, an appeal to his subjects, sta ting the cause of his withdrawing himself. But this declaration was little attended to; for he was no sooner gone off, than the Parliament ad dressed the Prince of Orange, to take upon him the administration, and to summon a convention. This accordingly met ; the King was declared to have abdicated ; and the Crown was thereby vacant 21 Thus concluded the reign of James the Se cond,* of which it may be said, that, notwith standing his violent and unconstitutional pro ceedings, he (like Richard the Second) lost his Throne more by the indiscretion of his going out of England, than by the abandonment of the whole nation. His friends were panic- struck by his departure, and were left without a rallying head to look up to. The reasons which led to the decision made by the Convention, may be found detailed at large in the parliamentary proceedings of that period.t They specially asserted, that the ori ginal compact between King and People had been broken, and that James had, by the advice of wicked persons, violated the fundamental laws. Hereupon, the Lords and Commons, being assembled in a parliament purposely summoned, made a declaration of their ancient rights and li berties, asserting, claiming, and insisting, among other things, viz. : — " That it is the right of the subjects to petition the King ; and all commitments and prosecu tions for such petitioning are illegal." " That the election of Members of Parliament Ought to be free ; and that for redress of all grievances, and for the amending, strengthen- * Different opinions, and different grounds of judgment prevail at difTerent times: — Thus; by the temporary retire ment of King James from one part of his dominions to hoist his standard in another, he was declared to have abdicated his Crown, While in later times, a King of France, who had abandoned his realm for upwards of 20 years, and had been residing in England, has been declared to have been ruling all that time. t Amm. Journals, 1688. 22 ing, and preserving of the laws, Parliaments ought to be held frequently"* " That expensive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel or unusual punishments inflicted." " That the pretended power of dispensing with laws, or the execution of laws by regal authority, as it hath been assumed and exer cised of late, is illegal."t " And where it hath been found, by expe rience, that it is inconsistent with the safety and welfare of this Protestant kingdom to be go verned by a Popish Prince, or by any King or Queen marrying a Papist: the said Lords, Spi ritual and Temporal, and Commons, do further pray, that it may be enacted, that all and every person and persons that is, are, or shall be re conciled to, or shall hold communion with the See, or Church of Rome, or shall profess the Popish religion, or shall marry a Papist, shgll be excluded, and be for ever incapable to inhe rit, possess, or enjoy the Crown and Govern ment of this realm, and Ireland, &c. or to have, use, or exercise any regal power, authority, or jurisdiction within the same; and in all and every such cases, the people of these realms * The articles might have been more clearly expressed, had it said chosen, instead of held frequently: but none of the articles appear to have been drawn up with that true spirit which the occasion offered : nor are the charges against King James so emphatically set forth as those against his predecessor, Richard. the II. ¦f Quere : — Has any one ever read the Sid-circular to the County Magistrates, some time ago ; or, the Proclamation, dated Carlton House, 10th of July, 1814? — If so, pray Mr. Bull, you who pay for every thing, and suffer for all things, what js your opinion on the construction of a knotty point ? 23 Shall be, and are hereby absolved of their alle giance, &c." In conformity to the Declaration, and Bill of Rights, aforesaid, the Crown and Dignity there of was tendered to, and accepted by, the Prince and Princess of Orange ; and the same Crown and Dignity, upon the like terms, was ultimately and finally settled, in succession, after the death of Queen Anne, upon the House of Hanover. Thus it is evident, there is both an original and a conditional contract between the King and People, the latter of which is expressly couched in the Coronation Oath, which, after the revolution, was so arranged, as to meet the exigency of the case, and by Statute of the First William and Mary, entitled, " An Act for Es tablishing the Coronation Oath," is to be adr ministered to every King, or Queen, by one of the Archbishops or Bishops of the realm, in pre sence of all the people, who, on their parts, are reciprocally to take the Oath of Allegiance.* — * By the particular words of this enactment, the Act of Coronation, appears to be imperative, and made a funda mental part of that law by .which the compact between King and People is consummated, and the, reciprocal duties of protection and subjection solemnly undertaken. The managers, however, who acted for the Lessors of the Crown, are not much entitled to thanks for any precautions taken by them, as they rendered treason, loss of life and property, a penalty attached to the breach of covenant on the part of the Lessors ; while the Lessee has no penalty (but by a condition tacitly annexed) to the non-perform ance of his or her engagement. The considerations are un equal — the Tenant is let into possession, while the Landlord has no power of ouster, or dispossession, (as in case of a de mise at common law) otherwise than by such a violation of the peace, as exposes him to be hanged, drawn, and quar tered for—— his own folly 1 24 The Coronation Oath is conceived in the fol lowing terms, viz. — The Archbishop, or Bishop, shall say — " Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of this kingdom of England, and the dominions thereunto belong ing, according to the Statutes in parliament agreed upon, and the laws and customs of the same." — The King, or Queen, shall say — " /so lemnly promise so to do." Furthermore, the Sacrament is to be adminis tered according to the rights of the Protestant Church of England, from which, and the whole ceremony prescribed for the Coronation, it may be concluded, that both the King and Queen Consort must join in the solemnity, in order that they may respectively take the test that they are neither of them Papists, and consequently, that the King is not married to a Roman Catholic. How far the nation has acquired any advan tage by changing the Dynasty of Stuart for that of Hanover, is not a matter of enquiry here. At the time when the retirement of King James, for his personal safety was decided to be an abdica tion, the whole revenue of the country did not amount to four millions annually, out of which, a great Navy, a considerable Army, a proportion ate Ordnance, the Ministers of State, Judges, &c. with the whole of the Royal Family, v/ere paid and maintained, and there was no national debt — but there was a yearly surplus of three hundred thousand pounds. History, in all ages, has produced the most useful lessons, and the most interesting informa tion. If, on the present occasion, any thing worthy notice has been selected, the object of this treatise is, answered. Yet, it still may re main for a brave and enlightened nation to bear 25 ii) mind, that the worst degree of infatuation* is self-conceit. The glorious Constitution of Eng land, may be called and deemed at home, " The acme of human happiness, and . the envy and 'admiration of the world; while no foreign nation has proved the truth of this high flown ^anageric, for in all their changes of late, none .'have adopted it; though the Constitution of '.Spain has been loudly and forcibly demanded m a variety of quarters. But without referring to other countries, with which we have no right to interfere,, in the exercise of their own inde pendent notions, it might not be amiss to give a serious reflection upon our own state and con dition, in which . view, it may be asked, for what reason, the Commons of the United King dom, in Parliament assembled, should not pre sent ail humble and dutiful Address to his Majesty > praying, That his Majesty Will be pleased to make a declaration in Council,(similar to that made by King Charles, in the case of Mrs. Lucy Walters) that he never was married to Mrs. Maria Fitz- herbert. That his Majesty will cause the Septennial Act to be repealed ; and that proper measures be taken for a general Reform of Parliament. That his Majesty will cause an early enquiry to be made into the bloody transaction at Man chester, in order, that by a due and an impartial administration of justice^ it may not be for one . moment suspected, that the laws have been sus pended for any purpose contrary to the second article of the Bill of Rights. Lastly, that his Majesty will be graciously fdeased to cause a due explanation to be pub* icly given, of the speech made by his late E 26 Attorney-General, Sir Samuel Shepherd, at the Bar of the House of Lords, the 11th of May „ 1819, in which he said, that the Magna Charta of King John, signed at Runnemede, never was confirmed by any of the succeeding Kings, and is not now in force, whereby he contravened the claim of a British subject to an high here ditary honour, founded upon one of the principal articles of that Charter, which if never ratified by subsequent Monarchs, has hitherto been Vainly cited, and looked up to, as the Palladium of the rights of Englishmen, whereas, according to the aforesaid assertion, it is only a musty record, a mere mortuum caput ; the shadow of the spirit of our ancestors, and the opprobrium of degenerate man. FINIS. BOOKS, Printed and published by W. BENBOW. 1 . A FULL VIEW OF THE BRITISH COMMONS as constituted in the Nineteenth Century of the Christian Era, when the Debt of Geat Britain had reached to 1,206,159,466 Pounds Sterling, under " the gigantic sys tem of Swindling," called Paper Currency ; as denounced by William Pitt, in his best days: — being an excellent Companion to the Peep at the Peers, thereby shewing to the People, to whom they are indebted for the immense Sums of Money which are Yearly expended, and which are paid by them in Taxes, &c. &c. ; together with the great labour which is performed for those respective Sums. Is. 2. Preparing for the Press, price 6d. STRICTURES on Mr. Hazlett's celebrated character of WILLIAM COB- BETT, with Notes, Anecdotes, Glosses, Comments, and Illustrations, calculated to elucidate the real Character of that extraordinary Man. By Christopher Curry- Combe, Esq. 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Price 2d. *,* These works will be so arranged as to- form, ivith several others, of the same kind, a handsome volume in Yimo. 28 List of Books continued. . S. The RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE; containing the Principles and a Demonstration of the practicability or Universal Suffrage, without Ballot, without Oaths, Bri- bery^C^rruption, Vice, Riot, Tumult, Inconvenience, or Expense whatever: — by which plan, the Sense or Opinion of the whole Nation may be obtained, on any Subject, with the least possible Trouble, and without any Expense; with Notes from many Eminent Writers. 3 Nos. 8d. each. *„* The Editor of the above Work, being awaic that the Rights of the I'ee- jtfe are most grossly encroafched upon', and thai tbe Liberties of the Country are rn 'rhraldom; has endeavoured (with the assistance of. raarry Learned Write**) to pcing cut to his Keaders the real Power they onglit to possess, in the Election of the Repp** sentatlves of tho,ir Couul ry. 9.. A PEEP At THE PEERS; or, an Alphabetic*! List of all the Peers who sit in the House, including, th% Peers elect from Ireland and Scotland; and, also, including- the Bishops of England, arid the four Irish Bishops who sat during the- former' Session of 1820, showing the Offices, Grants, Church Preferment, ^and functions, services, anil matters and things, belonging or attached to the Peers and their Families. Dedicated to Her Majesty, price 6d. 10. Shortly will be published, QUEEN. MAB, aPhilo- jBOphital Poem, by Percy Byshe Shelley, price 3s.' 6d. 11. No. 7, of the PHILOSOPHICAL DICTIONARY js published, and may be had as above, and each sucr ceeding Number will be regularly continued until com* pleted. YALE BRITISH HISTORY PRESERVATIONS PROJECT Xi ,. SUPPORTED EYNEH >! U, / Printed by William Benbow, 9, Castle-street, Leicester-«quare. - ii