"6 My Lords; "Having never trespassed on your patience before, I may hope for the readier excuse, if I trouble you for once, and I give you my word, that no indulgence shall encourage me to make a custom of it. "I always understood that the toleration was meant as an ease to tender consciences, and not an indulgence to hardened ones. The act to prevent Occasional Conformity corrects only a particular crime of particular men; it concerns no other set of Dissenters, but those followers of Judas, who came to the Lord's Supper to sell and betray him; this crime, how ever palliated or defended, even by some reverend fathers of the church, is no less than making the God of Truth, as it were in person subservient to acts of hypocrisy; no less than sacrificing the mystical body and blood of our Saviour to worldly and sinister purposes. An impiety of the highest nature, which in justice calls for correction, and in charity for prevention. "The bare receiving the Holy Eucharist could never be intended simply as a qualifica. place of sir Robert Walpole. In 1711 he was created baron Lansdown, and afterwards appointed comptroller and treasurer of the house hold to queen Anne. On the accession of George the 1st he was removed from his of fices, and his Tory connexions prevented his being employed in that or the succeeding reign. Having protested against the bill for attainting Ormond and Bolingbroke, he fell under the suspicion of plotting against the government, was seized and sent to the Tower in Sept. 1715, where he was confined 17 months and then discharged, without being brought to trial. In 1719 he made an ardent speech against the practice of occasional conformity, part of which is given by Cibber. In 1722 he is thought to have been driven abroad by his profusion, though on a pretence of retrieving his health rather than his circumstances. During his absence from England he composed most of his prose pieces. In 1732 he published the haudsome edition of his works mentioned by lord Orford. He now appeared at court, where he was well received by queen Caroline, to whom and to the princess Anne he presented his splendid volumes, with verses on the blank leaves, which concluded his poetical labours. He died in Hanover Square, Jan. 30, 1735, in the 68th year of his age."-Lord Orford's Royal and Noble Authors, Park's Edit. vol. 4, p. 155. Pope inscribed his early poem of Windsor Forest to "Granville the Polite;" and flatteringly said: "Tis yours, my lord, to bless our soft retreats, tion for an office, but as an open declaration, and indubitable proof of being a sincere member of the church. Whoever presumes to receive it with any other view profanes it, and may be said to seek his preferment in this world, by eating and drinking to his own damnation in the next. "It is very surprizing to hear the merit of Dissenters so highly extolled and magnified within these walls; for who is he amongst us, that cannot tell of some ancestor either sequestered or murdered by them. It is notoriously known, that they brought the Royal Martyr to the block; but to extenuate that guilt in favour of the Presbyterians, it seems to be insinuated by a very learned lord, that they performed good offices at last, and were instruments of the Restoration. What offices, what instruments, upon what terms did they resort to the king? Upon no better than their brethren the Scots had invited him before, to have an insignificant tool of a king, a cypher of a king, to walk in their leading-strings. To restore themselves, not him to dominion, was their only aim: they groaned under the oppression of other sectaries, after having been themselves the greatest oppressors of mankind: nor had they any other means of arriving at deliverance (or revenge rather) but by recovering royal power under a nominal king. This, general Monk well knew, who was privy to their intrigues, and hence arose all the difficulties that incumbered him in the prosecution of his own scheme: he was under a necessity of making use of their discontent, and could neither intirely trust or throw them off: but that the monarchy was restored free and independent, the Church re-established pure and undefiled, was owing to his virtue and good conduct: no thanks to the Presbyterians. "Nor was king Charles scarce warm in his throne, before they broke out into a new rebellion, and continuef incessant disturbers of his whole reign, sometimes with sham plots, and sometimes with real ones. "It was likewise observed by the same learned lord, that they were hardly used, fined, banished, and imprisoned. Be it so, but it was not upon a religious account; they might be punished for breach of the law, disturbing the public peace, for illegal meetings and assemblies, and other state crimes; but what was there more in that than the present case of the Nonjurors? "The clemency of that reign, even to Dissenters, has been sufficiently vindicated by a noble earl, (the earl of Nottingham) who was called up, by some reflections which fell from a reverend prelate, to give an account of the intended comprehension. The Church opened her arms, the clergy and prelates, the king condescended to invite them with all the temptations of indulgence and Christian charity; but what was the return? Nothing but a morose haughty deportment, severe contradictions or sullen evasions; they scorned to enter our churches as brethren and fellow-Christians, 2 P but as conquerors and plunderers; they have no grace but what is founded in dominion. Their behaviour in the subsequent reign of king James, is fresh in every one's memory; that unhappy prince was undone by giving attention to their Addresses, and depending upon their promises. "But it is said they have been not only quiet since, but have appeared zealous for the present establishment, and no wonder: for who but themselves or their favourers, have been thought worthy to be countenanced. "A noble lord inquiring into the reason of the present universal discontent (for such I find it is agreed to be on all hands) has been pleased to impute it to misconduct in the adninistration; a little unluckily, I confess, since it was answered, That at the time when that discontent most flamed, his lordship himself was at the head of the administration. the Protestant persuasion, France, Savoy, and the Emperor? And have not the ministers, one after another, assured us, that these mortal enemies to our souls in another world, are our only guarantees for our salvation in this? "Our Protestant brethren, the States, were neither consulted nor intrusted, but seem to have been left like slaves to follow the dictates of Great Britain and France, and to accede implicitly at their peril; they have however thought fit hitherto to continue Dissenters, though perhaps they may in time occasionally conform, as circumstances may happen to press. But till then, our only trusty allies are our good Catholic friends. "If any man can say as much for the Dis senters, let him speak; the reverend prelates who have exerted in this debate, having been prepared to fulminate against the Test, without being admitted into the secret of withdrawing the question, have unfortunately employed their quivers in the air. "One indeed there is, who must not be forgot, who wandering beyond the rest in a long historical collection, from pamphlets and libels, of the royal Martyr; he has accused him, if not of all popery, of half popery, very near popery, almost all popery; why would he not speak out? For what means this] school distinction, betwixt almost all a papist, and quite. Hard fate of the best of men and of kings! "Another noble lord very deservedly in a high station, charged it upon fate, the malignity of the stars, a certain unaccountable disposition in the heavens, for which there is no apparent reason nor remedy. "But the reason is plain, flagrant and noto-has let himself loose against the sacred memory rious; the early impatience and presumption of Dissenters, their insolent and undissembled expectations, their open insults of the clergy, their fixing bills on our churches with this scandalous Inscription, A House to be Lett:' Their public vindication of the murder of king Charles; their vile reflections on the memory "He who renounced the purple to preserve of queen Anne, for ever dear to the people of the lawn, who died for the Church, and who is England; besides many other indecent arro- commemorated as a martyr for the Church, is gant provocations (too many to enumerate) yet exposed within an age after his descent from was too much to bear, so that the violences that the scaffold to the grave, to be murdered over ensued let the aggressors answer for: but then again in fame, even in the supreme court of ju their acting all this not only with impunity, dicature, by a successor in that venerable but with a reward out of the public treasure, order, that very episcopacy, for which he sacriwas more than a sufficient ground for jealousy.ficed his liberty, his life, his crown! "A noble duke seems with some warmth to have taken offence, that the Roman Catholics and Dissenters have been mentioned in the debate upon the same level, whereas their religion is high treason. But I never yet understood that their religion was high treason; indeed I have heard that it might be high treason to make converts to it; and by the same reason the reformed religion may be high treason in Popish countries. But if we may compare them with the Dissenters, upon a foot of merit with respect to the government, the Catholics, as far as has been yet made to appear, have infinitely the advantage. To whom do we owe our Magna Charta? To our ancient barons unreformed; and were there not as many struggles for liberty before the Reformation as since "To whom do we owe the Revolution but to Catholic powers? Even the Pope himself united to encourage and support the prince of Orange in his undertaking. "To whom do we owe our present security in the Frotestant establishment, but to the most potent, the most arbitrary, the most famous for persecution of all the Popish powers, the most inveterate and implacable enemies of "The execrable wretch who severed his head from his body, performed the inhuman office in a mask; but this holy executioner, who cuts what the axe could not hurt, what the regicides could not take from him, his good name, has not been ashamed to attempt it bare-faced. It grieves me that this animadversion should fall to my lot, to the lot of any private lord: I was in hopes a general indignation would have warmed this noble assembly, to have made it their own act to reprehend such irreverend slanders, as would have much better become a descendent from Bradshaw, than a successor of Laud: but I ask pardon, this unlucky reflec tion may have transported me too far. In a word, that I may not appear prejudiced to merit in any man, I will conclude, with this mo tion, that a list be laid before us of such Dissenters by name, as bave in any kind merited from the public, and I will most readily come into any measures that may distinguish them and their particular service. God forbid but that they should all have their deserts." A little past six in the evening, the question was called for, and as some other Temporal Lords were going to speak to it, the earl of Aylesford moved for adjourning the debate till the next day, which was agreed to. member for Sudbury, but Mr. Shippen, Mr' Freeman, sir Thomas Hanmer, and some others' excepted either against the motion or against some expressions in it, which occasioned a warm debate. Some members alledging," That they did not see the necessity of declaring war against Spain, and that they rather were inof by our merchants might have been redressed clined to believe that the grievances complained in an amicable manner," Dec. 19. The Lords resumed the adjourned debate; and the House being cleared of all strangers, the earls of Aylesford, Nottingham and Cowper, the duke of Devonshire, the lord viscount Townshend, the lord Trevor, the lord archbishop of Canterbury, the lord bishop of Rochester, and some others, made speeches against the bill; but were answered by the earls the House, that he had had the honour to serve Colonel Stanhope, member for Derby, told of Sunderland and Stanhope, dukes of New- his majesty as his envoy to the king of Spain, castle, Kent, and Roxburgh, the lord Cholmon- and he could assure them, that he had presentdeley, the bishop of Norwich; and the ques-ed at least five and twenty Memorials to that tion being at last put, whether the Bill be committed, it was carried in the affirmative by a majority of 86 voices against 68, viz. Content .67 court, in relation to the complaints of our merchants, without any success. Hereupon Mr. Methuen, member for Brackley, interposed, and accounted for the dilatoriness of the court of Madrid in the dispatch of commerlations and judicatories in the several kingdoms, cial affairs, occasioned by the different reguprovinces, and ports of Spain; which might be the reason why the grievances complained of by our traders had not been redressed so soon as might have been expected. Not Content, 50 19-86 Proxies - 18-68 Dec. 20. The Lords, in a grand committee examined and went through the Bill, paragraph by paragraph, and the reasons offered by earl Cowper, and some other peers, had so much weight, that some clauses derogatory to the Test and Corporation acts were agreed to be left out. Then the question being put, That had shewn no great concern for the trade and A member having hinted that the ministers this Bill, thus amended, be reported the Mon-interest of the nation, since it appeared by the day following; it was carried in the affirmative by 55 voices against 33. Accordingly, on the 22d, the said amendments were reported, agreed to, and the Bill ordered to be engrossed; and the next day it was read the third time, passed, and sent down to the Commons, after which the Lords adjourned to the 7th of January. The King's Message on declaring War with Spain.] Dec. 17. Mr. Boscawen, by his majesty's command, acquainted the House, " That all his majesty's endeavours, and those of the most Christian king, to procure redress of the many injuries done to the subjects of GreatBritain by the king of Spain, to the unspeakable detriment of the trade of these kingdoms; or even to obtain a discontinuance of the unjust hostilities carrying on by that crown, having proved ineffectual, his majesty had found it necessary to declare War with Spain." Debate in the Commons on the War with Spain.] After the reading of this Message, Mr. Treby moved, "That an humble Address be presented to his majesty, to return his majesty the most unfeigned Thanks of the House for having communicated to them the necessary resolution of declaring War against Spain; and to assure his majesty, that this House will, with the greatest cheerfulness and with the utmost vigour, assist and support his majesty in the war with the king of Spain, until Spain is reduced to accept of reasonable terms of peace and to agree to such conditions of trade and commerce, as this nation is justly intitled to by their several treaties." Mr.. Treby was seconded by Mr. Western, Dr. Charles Trimnell. See vol. 6, p. 873.. Answer, from a Secretary of State, to the Marquis de Monteleone's Letter, that they would have passed by the violations of the Traties of Commerce, provided Spain had accepted the terms of the Quadruple Alliance: that his majesty did not seek to aggrandize himself by any new acquisition, but was rather inclined to sacrifice something of his own to procure the general quiet and tranquillity; that nobody could yet tell how far that sacrifice was to extend, but certainly it was a very uncommon piece of condescension; Mr. Shippen went yet farther, and insinuated that this war seemed to be calculated for another meridian. But wrapt up the innuendo so dextrously, that no exception was taken at it. Mr. Horatio Walpole also found fault with the Treaty of Quadruple Alliance, particularly as to the disposition of Sicily in favour of the emperor, which was a breach of the Treaty of Utrecht; and his brother Mr. Robert Walpole exclaimed against the injustice of attacking the Spanish fleet before the Declaration of War. They were answered by Mr. Craggs, Mr. Lechmere, Mr. Aislabie and Mr. T. Broderick. Sir Joseph Jekyll said, That some weeks before, when this affair was first mentioned in the House, he was shy of giving his opinion, because he had not then examined the several steps that had been taken in it; but that now he was fully convinced, that if there was any injustice, it was on the side of the king of Spain; and that the conduct of his majesty and his ministers was entirely agreeable to the. law of nations and the rules of justice and equity. Was it just, added he, in the king of Spain to attack the emperor's dominions [meaning Sardinia] while he was engaged in a war with the Turks, without any declaration of war? Was it just in the same prince to invade the dominions of one of our allies, the king of Sicily, without the least provocation? And was it not just in his majesty to vindicate the faith of his Treaties, and to defend and protect the trade of his subjects, which had been violently oppressed? Then the question being put upon Mr. Treby's motion, the same was carried in the Affirmative by 178 against 107; and it was resolved, That the said Resolution be laid before his majesty, by the whole House; which being done accordingly his majesty gave the following Answer: "Gentlemen; "This seasonable and loyal Address, will, I trust in God, contribute effectually to what you desire. I return you true Thanks for it." Dec. Debate in the Commons on the Bill for strengthening the Protestant Interest. 24. The engrossed Bil! from the Lords, intitled, An Act for strengthening the Protestant 'Interest in these Kingdoms,' was brought down to the Commons, who read it the first time, and ordered it to be read a second time, ou the 7th of January, to which day the House then adjourned. second time the engrossed Bill from the Lords, January 7, 1719. The Commons read a intitled, An Act for strengthening the Protes Mr. The Lords Address on the Declaration of War with Spain.] Dec. 16. Earl Stanhope, having communicated to the House of Peers the like Message, relating to the Declaration of War, and moved for an Address of tant Interest in these Kingdoms: And then Thanks to his majesty thereupon; he was seso much of the act, Against Occasional Conconded and backed by several lords. A noble peer only suggested, That before they gave the said Bill, as also of the act, To prevent the formity, as was intended to be repealed by sanction to a step of so nice a nature, and of so Growth of Schism,' &c. both which were great importance, it were proper to consider whether the same was consonant to treaties; passed in the 12th year of the late queen Aune, were read. After which, upon a motion made and therefore moved that a day might be apto commit the said Bill, there arose a very pointed for that purpose. To this my lord warm debate, that lasted from one o'clock, till Stanhope answered, That he had five weeks before, by his majesty's command, laid the Hampden, treasurer of the navy, spoke first in half an hour past nine in the evening. several Treaties relating to this affair, before behalf of the Bill, and was seconded by Mr. the House, so that all the members of that Cartwright, member for Bossiney. The other noble assembly had sufficient time to peruse and examine the same: But, however, Bill, were Mr. J. Chetwynd, sir Tho. Palmer, members who spoke for the committing of the after the Address, which he had moved, had Mr. Yonge, Mr. Carter, sir William Thompson, been presented, he would readily give his Vote Mr. Boscawen, Mr. Barrington Shute, sir Wilfor appointing a day to consider of the said Treaties. And he durst answer before hand, Heathcote, Mr. Craggs, Mr. Lechmere, and liam Lowther, sir Joseph Jekyll, sir Gilbert that upon the strictest examination it would be the lord Castlecomer. Against the commitfound, that his majesty and his ministers had done nothing either against the faith of Treating of the Bill; Mr. Graham, Mr. Ward, Mr. ties, or the honour and interest of the nation. Hereupon, it was carried, without any further opposition, and without dividing, That an Address of thanks be presented to his majesty; which Address was, accordingly, immediately drawn up, and, the same day, presented to his majesty, as follows: "Most Gracious Sovereign; "We your majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in parliament assembled, do return your majesty our most humble Thanks, for having acquainted us with the Resolution your majesty has taken of declaring War against Spain: And as this House has already promised your majesty, that they would stand by and support you in the vigorous pursuit of those prudent and necessary measures, your majesty has taken to secure the trade and quiet of these kingdoms; and del, sir William Wyndham, Mr. Jefferies, Mr. Sir William Thompson urged, That the Schism Bill deprived parents of their natural right of educating their children as they think proper; to which Mr. Shippen answered, That it was somewhat strange to see so able a lawyer inconsistent with himself: For when the twelve judges were consulted, in a case relating to a great family, "It is impossible to relate all that was offered on both sides on this occasion; the rather because, excepting his royal highness the Prince of Wales, and some noble peers, no strangers were this day admitted into the House." Political State. (the Prince of Wales's children) he was of the opinion of ten of them, 'That children may be 'taken from their parents, and educated as the ' good of the nation required.' To this Sir William Thompson replied; That as he never was consulted, so had he never declared his thoughts in the nice case hinted by that gentleman, and therefore he could not, with any colour of justice, be said to have changed his opinion: but that the member who taxed him with it, and who thereby declared against the opinion of the ten Judges, if he would be consistent with himself, must now be for the Bill that repeals the Schism act, which restores parents to their natural rights. After some personal altercation between Mr. R. Walpole and Mr. Lechmere, the question being put upon the motion for committing the Bill, it was carried in the Affirmative by 243 votes against 202, and the Bill was committed to a committee of the whole House. The following is A LIST of the Members of the House of Commons who voted for and against the Bill for strengthening the Protestant Interest, January 7, 1719. For the Bill. Abercromby, Alexan der Campbell, sir James Campbell, John Campbell, John junr. Campbell, Daniel Carpenter, gen. George Coventry, William "It was observed, that the majority was mainly owing to the Scotch members, for of 37 of them that were in the House, 34 voted for the Bill, and 3 only against it." Political State, Daines, sir William Grenville, Richard Haldane, Mungo Haldane, Patrick Halsey, Edmund Hampden, Richard Harrison, Edward Heathcote, sir Gilbert | Heath, Thomas Heathcote, John Henley, John Hill, sir Roger Hillsborough, lord visc. Hillersden, William Hitche, Robert Hobart, sir John Honeywood, Robert Hopkins, Edward Hopkins, John Hoskins, sir Hungerford Hotham, sir Charles Hoghton, sir Henry Hucks, William Janssen, sir Theodore Jekyll, sir Joseph Jenkins, Tobias Jennings, sir John Jessop, William Ingram, Arthur Johnson, sir Thomas Johnston, sir William Ker, hon. William Lawson, sir Wilfred Lechmere, Nicholas Lee, sir Thomas Lennard, sir Samuel Lewis, Thomas (Rad nor) Pengelly, Thomas |