Geo. I. diers were quartered there, to keep the scholars and town(1716. men within bounds. Nor were thefe riotous proceedings confined to England; for the pretender's friends at Edinburgh had like to have freed a great number of lords and gentlemen imprisoned there, on account of the rebellion(c). ecclefiaftical benefit, or promo. tion; and if he affume any, his institution is void. It makes the whole adminftration of his ministerial office ineffectual. You can expect no return of prayers with him, with whom you ought not to communicate. He cannot, authoritatively, blefs the people of God, who is, him felf, under a curfe, and excluded from being a part of them. And here, I think, all thofe, who have joined with fuch clergymen, ought to confider what they have done, in communicating with them hitherto, and, whether they think they can, with fafety, continue therein; for, in communicating with them, as fchifmatics, they make themselves fchifmatics; and, in communicating with them, as excommunicates, not only all their labour is loft, but, inftead of a bleffing, they get a curfe.' Mr. Howel was apprehended in Bull-Head-Court, JewinStreet, and, with him, was feized a large impreffion of his pamphlet. Among his papers, was found an original inftrument, of his being ordained a priest, by Dr. Hicks, who ftiles himself fuffragan bishop of Thetford; and alfo, the form of abfolution and reception of converts to Jacobitifm. He was committed to Newgate for hightreafon. Npon the publication of this charge of fchifm, on the Church of England, a contro Few verfy arofe between the members of that Church and the Nonjurors. Howel being brought to his trial, and the pamphlet proved to be his, he was fined 500l. and three years imprisonment, and fentenced to be twice whipped. Upon which, he afked if they would whip a clergyman? And was answered by the court, They paid no deference to his cloth, because he was a difgrace to it, and had no right to wear it; and they did not look upon him as a clergyman, in that he had produced no proof of his ordination, but from Dr. Hicks, under the denomination of the bishop of Thetford; which was illegal, and not according to the conftitution of this kingdom, which knows no fuch bishop.' As he received his fentence with an air of haughtiness, and behaved himfelf contemptuously to the court, he was ordered to be degraded, and ftripped of the gown, he had no title to wear ; which was done, in the court, by the executioner. But, a few days after, upon his petition to the king, the corporal punishment was remitted. (c) The most remarkable riot was that in London in the month of July. Some time before the breaking out of the rebellion, many of the well affected to the government, in order to be ready on any proper occafion to quell the outragious mob Few occurrences happened during the king's abfence Geo. I. worth noting. The prince of Wales, in September, took a 1716. mob, that difturbed the peace of the city of London, met in feveral public houfes, which, from the veffel in which the drink was fold, were called Mug-houfes. The two moft noted of these focieties were the Mug-house in Long-Acre, and the Roe-buck in Cheapfide, being fet up before the king's acceffion. Their example produced feveral others of the like houfes, in Salisbury-Court, Tavistock-Street, Southwark-Park, Covent-Garden, and other places. As these focieties were a terror and mortification to the difaffected, fo were they the object of their fury, of which they gave many inftances. The day before Mr. Paul the clergyman was hanged, they fell upon the Mug-houfe in Southwark-Park, with their ufual cry of High-Church and Ormond'; but the fociety fallying out upon them after the windows of the house had been all broke, the mob retired. The execution of Mr. Paul, who declared himself at the gallows to be their martyr, exafperated them yet more, and the fociety at Mr. Read's, in Salisbury-court, having diftinguished themfelves by demonstrations of duty and refpect to the prince and princefs of Wales, at their return from Greenwich; the Jacobites took fo much offence at it, that on the 20th of July they attacked Mr. Read's houfe, and would have demolished it, had not the company within fent for a reinforcement from Tavistock-street, with which being joined, the the prince. mob fled with great precipitation. But they continued hovering about the house the following days; and, hearing that Mr. Archibald Butler, a young Scots gentleman, who had been in the rebellion, but had received the king's pardon, was in the Temple-Walks, they ran thither crying out, High-Church and Ormond. Mr. Butler got away from them as faft as he could; and presently one Vaughan, a fmallcoal-man, proposed to them to go and revenge the affront they had received three days before at the Mug-houfe in Salisbury-court. The mob, affenting to this propofal, followed him to Mr. Read's houfe, on which they fell furioufly; but, meeting with a vigorous refiftance, they gathered recruits from the multitudes, that crowded thither. Upon this alarm, and hearing they were determined to demolifh the houfe, Mr. Read appeared, and bid them keep off, otherwife he would fhoot amongst them. The Bridewellboys, of whom Vaughan had been one, and the rest of the mob, regardless of this fair warning, preffing forwards with great clubs and fticks, Mr. Read discharged a musket, and fhot Vaughan their leader, who died on the spot. The riot continuing, the fheriffs of London repaired to the place, who caufed the proclamation appointed by act of parliament against riots to be read; but, this not avail C3 Geo. I. progrefs into the country. He fet out the 24th from Hamp1716. ton-Court, and arrived at Knowle in Kent, the feat of the availing an the rioters being become rebels, a party of the horfe-guards was ordered by the privy-council to march to Salif bury-Court to fupprefs them; and, upon their appearance, the mob difperfed and fled from the purfuit of juftice; which, however, overtook fome of them; for John Love, Thomas Bean, a fervant to Caffills and Carnegie, two condemned rebels, then in Newgate, George Purchafe, Richard Price, and William Price, five of the most active of the rioters, were feized, imprisoned, and tried upon the ftatute, which makes it felony to demolish, or begin to demolish, any houfe. The evidence against them proved their breaking the windows with ftones and sticks, pulling down the fign, entering the houfe, fetching out the goods, treading upon them, and breaking them. It was fworn at their trial, that one of the mob brought three bottles out of Mr. Read's houfe, kneeled down by the Swan ale-house door, and drank the pretender's health, by the name of king James the Third. The evidence against thefe five rioters being very ftrong, they were all found guilty, and received fentence of death. The prince was very much inclined to fhew mercy to one or two of the youngest of them; but the dangerous confequences of riots and tumults, in the heart of the metropolis, and the neceffity of preventing the faine, by exemplary punish ment, being reprefented to the earl prince, he acquiefced in the courfe of juftice; which had the good effect that was forefeen and intended, the putting a ftop to the defperate outrages of an enthufiaftical multitude, The five rioters were executed on a gibbet, erected, on the 21ft of September, at the end of Salisbury-court, near the place where the crimes, for which they died, were commit ted. George Purchase acknowledged himself greatly guilty, and his fentence just; praying God to forgive him this and all other his fins. This, he faid, he rafhly committed, not confidering, then, the unlawfulness and difmal confequences of fuch a rebellious fedition, as that was, which fo much tended, not only to the ruin of private perfons, but to the great difturbance of, and difhonour to, the whole government.' However, fome party-zealots profecuted Mr. Read for the death of Vaughan, who had led on the mob to destroy his house, The witneffes against him, at his trial, fwore very strongly against him. John Bill depofed, That he believed, Vaughan did not belong to the mob in Salif bury-court, and had no stick in his hand. Charles Tuckey fwore, That Vaughan had no stick. The fame was fworn by Catherine Bennet. Jofeph Harris depofed, That Vaughan told him, He would not be con cerned, but go to work.' This being fo directly contrary to the fact, known to fo many hun dreds earl of Dorfet, before noon, and at Tunbridge-Wells about five in the evening. From thence he went to Haland, in Suffex, the feat of the duke of Newcastle, where he lay, and came to Lewes about ten the next morning; and, about nine in the evening to Stanfted, the earl of Scarborough's feat. The next morning he proceeded to Portfmouth, and, having viewed the fortifications, docks, yards, and magazines, reviewed the regiment there, and went on board the guard-fhip and bomb-ship; dined at lieutenantgeneral Erle's, and returned in the evening to Stanfted, where archdeacon Boucher, one of the canons refidentiary of Chichester, accompanied by the prebendaries and vicars of that cathedral, with many of the neighbouring Clergy, were presented to him by the lord Lumley. On the 27th, about nine in the morning, the prince left Stanfted, and, on a common_near Rake, reviewed Wynn's dragoons. He came to Farnham about one, and near that place reviewed Evan's dragoons. In the evening, he arrived at Guilford; and, about eleven at night, returned to Hampton-Court. Two days after, the Venetian ambaffador had a private audience, to notify the fuccefs of the arms of that republic against the Turks, and the raifing the fiege of Corfu, owing chiefly to the conduct of general Schuylenberg, commander of their army, though a Proteftant, and brother to the duchefs of Kendal. In the beginning of November, the princess of Wales was in extreme danger, having been several days in labour, but at laft was delivered of a dead prince, who was privately depofited in a valt in Henry VIII's chapel. Geo. I, 1716. borough ta- About the fame time the duke of Marlborough was taken The duke ill at Blenheim houfe. His diftemper being apoplectic, the of Marlfit fo far impaired his health, that he never after could be said to be perfectly recovered. The ftate prifoners that were in Edinburgh caftle being Rebelstried, removed to Carlifle, a commiffion was iffued to try them at that place. The prifoners gave the court little trouble, al dreds of fpectators, and fully proved by feveral of them, the jury acquitted Mr. Read, who had 4001. paid him at the treafury, to make good his loffes and charges: And Mr. Gill, at the Roebuck in Cheapfide, had 2001. allowed him on the fame account, his houfe having been C4 moft and fome executed. 40 Geo. I. most all of them pleading guilty. Some were condemned, 1716. and the reft difchargeed; but, however, not one was executed. In December, brigadier Colin Campbel, the moft obnoxious of all the prifoners, made his efcape in disguise, The laft of the rebels who were executed at Lancaster and Prefton, were captain John Bruce, gentleman of the horse to the duke of Hamilton, Thomas Shuttleworth, John Minkley, George Hodgson, and William Charnley; these were hanged in October. Accident at the play house. Some chan miniftry. On the 6th of December, an accident happened, which gave occafion to various conjectures. The prince of Wales being in one of the ftage-boxes at the Theatre in DruryLane, to fee the Tragedy of Tamerlane, Mr. Freeman, a gentleman of Surrey, who had for fome years paft been troubled with fits of lunacy, came booted and fpurred, and would have preffed into the ftage-box, near the place where the prince was. Being in a mean riding habit, he was stopped by the box-keepers and a grenadier who was upon duty; whereupon he drew out a piftol, and fhot the centinel in the fhoulder. With great difficulty he was fecured; and, being fearched, two or three loaded piftols were found, upon him; which, together with his man's waiting for him with two horfes at the end of the play-houfe paffage, did not a little increase the fufpicion of a treasonable defign against the prince. The report of the piftol, and the difturbance that followed it, occafioned a great alarm within the house, particularly among the ladies; and, none rightly knowing the caule of the confufion, the gentlemen and Officers about the prince, and almoft throughout the houfe, drew their words; fo that the players were a confiderable time at a ftand. But Mr. Freeman being fent prifoner to the guard at St. James's, all was quiet again; the prince having all this while preferved a great prefence of mind, and appeared to be under no apprehenfion. The foldier's wound did not prove mortal; but, Mr. Freeman's attempt of forcing the prince of Wales's guard coming within the ftatute of treafon, after he had been examined before the council, he was committed to Newgate; the rather, because he was faid to have either killed, or mortally wounded a man two days before, in the country. A confiderable change began now to be made in the miges in the niftry. The carl of Sunderland, who had gone beyond fea, under pretence of travelling for his health, had taken the opportunity of waiting upon the king at Hanover, and by his intrigues with the German minifters there, particularly the barons Bothmar and Bernodorff, and monfieur de Ro bethon, |