lord chancellor Cowper, who refumed all the arguments that Geo. I. had been urged in the debate; rectified fome mistakes as to 1716. the constitution and nature of the parliaments; gave a clear account of the triennial act; and vindicated the king and the government, as to the prefent difaffection; appealing to the Jords and commons, Whether the leaft provocation had been given either by his majesty or his minifters?' and afferting, That, if there was any fault on the king's fide, it was too much lenity; and that the only crime that could be charged on his minifters, was their zeal and vigilance in defence of his majefty's perfon and government. The earl of Aylesford having anfwered part of the lord chancellor's fpeech, the bishop of London faid, That, when he came to the houfe, he knew not which way he fhould give his vote, and hoped to be guided and determined by what fhould be offered on both fides on this important fubject: But now he owned he was confounded between dangers and inconveniencies on one fide, and deftruction on the other.' The earl of Anglesea spoke next with great vehemence against the bill; and the duke of Bucks clofed the debate with faying, That he was for the bill, but did not think it seasonable. At last, the question, That the bill be committed,' being put, it was carried in the affirmative by ninetyfix voices againft fixty-one. But thirty lords entered their protests (d). (d) They were as follow: Diffentient. I. Because, we conceive, that frequent and new parliaments are required by the fundamental conftitution of the kingdom, and the practice thereof, for many ages (which manifeftly appears by our records) is a fufficient evidence and proof of this conftitution. II. Because it is agreed, that the house of commons must be chofen by the people; and, when fo chofen, they are truly the reprefentatives of the people, which they cannot be so properly faid to be, when continued for a longer time than that, Two for which they were chosen ; III. Because the reasons given 1. For, as to the argument, that this will encourage the princes and states of Europe to enter Geo. I. Two days after the lords confidered of the bill in a grand 1716. committee, and moft of the former fpeakers exerted them— enter into alliances with us, we have not heard any one minifter affert, that any one prince or ftate has afked, or fo much as infinuated, that they wished fuch an alteration. Nor is it reasonable to imagine it; for it cannot be expected, that any prince or ftate can rely upon a people to defend their liberties and interefts, who shall be thought to have given up fo great a part of their own; nor can it be prudent for them to wish fuch an experiment, after the experience that Europe has had of the great things this nation has done for them, under the conflitution which is to be altered by this bill. But, on the other hand, they may be deterred from entering into measures with us, when they shall be informed by the preamble of this bill, that the Popish faction is fo dangerous, as that it may be destructive to the peace and fecurity of the government; and may apprehend, from this bill, that the government is fo weak, as to want fo extraordinary a provifion for its fafety; which feems to imply, that the gentlemen of Britain are not to be trufted or relied upon; and that the good affections of the people are restrained to fo fmall a number, as that, of which the prefent houfe of commons confifts. 7. We conceive, this bill is fo far from preventing expences and corruptions, that it will rather increase them, for the felves longer a parliament is to laff, the more valuable to be purchafed is a station in it, and the greater alfois the danger of corrupting the members of it. For, if there fhould be a miniftry, who fhall want a parliament to fcreen them from the juft refentment of the people, or from a difcovery of their ill practices to the king, who cannot otherwife, or fo truly, be informed of them, as by a free parliament, it is fo much the intereft of fuch a miniftry to influence the elections, (which, by their authority, and the difpofal of the public money, they, of all others, have the best means of doing) that, it is to be feared, they will be tempted, and not fail to make use of them; and, even when the members are chofen, they have a greater opportunity of inducing very many to comply with them, than they could have, if not only the feffions of parliament, but the parliament itfelf were reduced to the ancient and primitive conftitution and practice of frequent and new parliaments; for, as a good ministry will neither practife, nor need corruption, fo it cannot be any lord's intent to provide for the fecurity of a bad one. 3. We conceive, that whatever reafons may induce the lords to país this bill, to continue this parliament for feven years, will be, at leaft, as ftrong, and may, by the conduct of the miniftry, be made much stronger before the end of feven years, for kives for and against it; and, among others, a bishop, who Geo. I. had not yet spoken on the subject, faid, If this bill was ne- 1716. ver fo good in itself, it was very unfeasonable, because very unpopular, and altogether useless, the rebellion being crushed, and the power of France not to be feared; now especially, when we have a glorious ftanding army, and a miniftry, that knows how effectually to engage the affections of the people.' The committee having gone through the bill, and ordered the blank before the word Years to be filled up with the word Séven, the question was put, Whether the fame fhould be reported, in order to be ingroffed, which was carried by feventy-four voices against thirty-nine. The next day the bill was reported, and, without dividing, ordered to be engroffed; and, being read the third time, on the 18th of April, there arofe a debate, which lafted about two hours. Near half of that time was taken up by the earl of Nottingham, who, among other things, by a long hiftorical detail, endeavoured to fhew, That couniels for enlarging the prerogative were ever pernicious to the crown.' To this the duke of Argyle anfwered, That, not being fo well read in hiftory as that noble lord, he would confine himself to what had happened in his own time; and that he had obferved, that his lordfhip had, by turns, oppofed all that had been offered, either for the intereft of the crown, or the liberties of the people; of which he might eafily produce feveral inftances:' adding, • That he did not much wonder there appeared already fo much joy among a certain party over a repenting finner,' Geo. I. Upon the whole matter, the question being put, Whether 1716. this bill fhould pafs?" It was carried in the affirmative by a majority of fixty-nine voices against thirty-fix; but twentyDebates of four lords protested against it. the commons on the The bill being fent down to the commons, the lord feptennial Guernsey moved for the rejecting of it without being read; bill. but his motion was declared to be unprecedented, and the Pr. H. C. bill read. Upon the queftion for the fecond reading, there arofe a debate, of which the most remarkable paffage was, In the mean time, feveral petitions were prepared in the country, and prefented to the house against the bill, particuJarly from Haftings, Marlborough, Cambridge, and Abingdon. Then, the bill being read the fecond time, there arose a warm debate, which lafted from about two in the afternoon till near eleven at night. Mr. Lyddal spoke a long fpeech for the bill, and, among other things, faid. If this opportunity be loft, you may poffibly never have another, or at leaft fo good a one, not only to conquer, but even to eradicate that fpirit of Jacobitifm, which has dwelt long amongst us, and has more than once brought this nation to the very brink of ruin and deftruction. Since therefore, with much danger and difficulty, we have at last secured our religion, laws, and liberties, when all was at stake from the treachery of the late ministry, and the unaccountable proceedings of the laft triennial parliament, why should you run the risk of having a new one fo foon, firft chofen by French money, and then voting by French Geo. I. directions, fince the king and his parliament exert their united 1716. power for the good of the public, and to retrieve the honour of the nation? Why fhould they not continue longer together, that they may finish what they have fo unanimoufly and happily begun? Upon the whole, the electors and people of all the boroughs in England having, for feveral years paft, been bribed and preached into the pretender's intereft, and a diflike of the Proteftant fucceffion, it becomes rather necefity than choice, to apply an extraordinary remedy to an extraor dinary disease.' After this and feveral other fpeeches, it was carried for committing the bill (a); and, the next day, a petition from the borough of Horfham was prefented to the house, setting forth, That they looked upon the bill as an overturning the conftitution, and an infringement of their liberties;' at which expreffions the houfe being offended, it was refolved, that the petition fhould be rejected. Then Mr. Lechmere moved, That the committee have leave to receive a claufe, to disable persons from being chofe members of either house of parliament, who have penfions during pleasure, or any number of years. But Mr. fecretary Stanhope having reprefented, that fuch a clause would but clog the bill, and endanger its mifcarriage, part of it being derogatory to the privileges of the house of lords; and that, if any jealousy were entertained of the members of the house of commons having penfions from the crown, a bill might be brought in to ex (a) Mr. Haddon, a Scotch member, having spoken for the bill, Mr. Snell, one of the reprefentatives for the city of Gloucefter, faid, It was no wonder that they who had betrayed the liberties of their own conntry, fhould be fo ready to give up theirs.' Mr. Smith animadverted upon this injurious reflection, and faid, "That the member, who made that fpeech, would not be fo bold as to utter those words any where elfe.' He was feconded by lord Coningsby; and, the difpute being like to grow warm, the fpeaker interpofed, and faid, That, all the members of the VOL. XIX. houfe having the privilege of B clude |