at their pleasure. The party in the commons put their 1704. whole ftrength on the carrying this point. They went farthet in their defign; that, which was truly aimed at by those in the fecret, was to break the war, and to force a peace. They knew, that a bill with this tack could not pass in the houfe of peers; for fome lords even of their own party confeffed, that they would never pass it in that manner. By this means money would be ftopped; and this would throw all matters into great confufion both at home and abroad, and difpofe the allies, as defpairing of any help from England, to accept of fuch terms as France would offer them. Thus an artful defign was formed, to break, or at leaft to shake, the whole alliance. The court was very apprehenfive of this, and the lord treasurer Godolphin oppofed it with much zeal. The party difowned the defign for fome time, till they had brought up their whole ftrength, and thought they were fure of a majority. The debate held long: Thofe, who opposed the tacking, urged, that it was a change of the whole conftitution, and was in effect turning it into a commonwealth, for it imported the denying, not only to the lords, but to the crown, the free use of their negative in the legislature. If this was once fettled, then, as often as the public occafions made a money-bill neceffary, every thing, which the majority in the commons had a mind to, would be tacked to it. It is true, fome tacks had been made to money-bills in king Charles's time; but even those had ftill fome relation to the money which was given. But in this cafe a bill, whofe operation was only for one year, and which determined as foon as the four fhillings in the pound were paid, was to have a perpetual law tacked to it, which muft continue in force, after the greatest part of the act was expired. Befides these arguments, Mr. Secretary Hedges and the Lord Cutts represented to the house, that the duke of Marlborough had lately concluded a treaty with the king of Pruffia for eight thoufand of his men, to be employed towards the relief of the duke of Sayoy, who was in most imminent danger. That these troops were actually on their march, upon the credit of a vote of that houfe, that they would make good her majefty's treaties: And that the obfructing the money-bills, which the tacking would infallibly do, would put an immediate ftop to the march of thofe troops, and thereby occafion the intire ruin of the duke of Savoy. The lord Cutts urged, That the English nation "was now in the highest confideration abroad: That all "Europe was attentive to the refolutions of this parliament; E 2 s and 704. "and that, if any divifions fhould happen between the two "houfes, it would caft a damp upon the whole confederacy, "and give the French king almoft as great advantage, as cr we had gained over him at Blenheim." Mr. Boyle, chancellor of the Exchequer, fpoke on the fame fide, and asked, "Whether any wife man amongst them would venture his "whole eftate upon a vote?" And, anfwering himself in the negative, Then, added he, fhall we now venture the safety of all England, nay, of all Europe, upon this vote? Sir John Hollis perceiving, that many members had left the high-church party, obferved, "That for his own part, he "had been against this bill from the beginning, but he won"déred, that thofe gentlemen, who had all along pretend ed, that the church of England was on the brink of ruin, "unlefs fuch a bill fhould pafs, did not pursue the only "method, that might fecure the paffing of that bill. I put "it (added he) to the confcience of thofe gentlemen, who "are come over to us, whether they were before fatif«fied, as to the reasonableness and neceffity: of this bill, "fince now they desert their own friends? I wish they had "voted on our fide two years ago, for it would have faved us a great deal of trouble, the greatest part of the nation a great deal of uneafinefs, and themfelves the confufion "of abandoning their party at a pinch." Sir Thomas Littleton fpoke on the fame fide, and faid, "By the tacking of this bill, we mean to throw a neceffity "upon the lords to pass it. But fuppofe the lords think "fit to untack what we have tacked, and to acquaint us "that they are ready to pafs the money-bill, but will con fider of the other; whofe fault will the nation account it "to be, that the queen's business is retarded? In answer to all thefe objections, fome precedents were alledged, and the neceffity of the bill for the prefervation of the church was urged, which they faw was not like to pafs, unless sent to the lords fo accompanied; which fome thought was very wittily expreffed by calling it a portion annexed to the church, as in a marriage; and they faid they did not doubt but thofe of the court would exert themselves to get it paffed, when it was accompanied with two millions as its price, Upon the divifion, the tack was rejected by a majority of two hundred and fifty one voices against one hundred and thirty-four. Thus that defign was loft by those who had built all their hopes upon it, and were now highly offended with fome of their own party, who had, by their oppofition, wrought wrought themselves into good places, and forfook that in- 1704. tereft to which they owed their advancement. Thefe, to redeem themselves with their old friends, feemed ftill zealous That is debated for the bill, which afterwards went on coldly and flowly in The occathe house of commons, for they loft all hopes of carrying it fional-bill in the house of lords, now that the mine they had laid was: fet up to fprung. However, it was fent up on the 14th of Decem- the lords, ber; and the next day it was read for the first time. If the and requeen had not been prefent, there would have been no long jected by debate on that head, for it was fcarce poffible to fay much, them.. that had not been formerly faid; but to give her majefty Burnet. full information, fince it was fuppofed that fhe had heard Pr. H. C. that matter only on one fide, it was refolved to open the III. whole in her hearing. The topics moft infifted on were, the quiet that the nation enjoyed by the toleration, on which head the feverities of former reigns were laid open, both in their injuftice, cruelty, and their being managed only to advance popery, and other bad defigns. The peaceable behaviour of the diffenters, and the zeal they expreffed for the queen and her government, were likewife copiously fet forth, while others thewed a malignity to it. which was chiefly urged was, that every new law made in the matter, altered the ftate of things from what it was, when the act for toleration firft paffed. This gave the dif fenters an alarm: they might from thence juftly conclude, that one ftep would be made after another, till the whole effect of that act fhould be overturned. It did not appear, from the behaviour of any among them, that they were not contented with the toleration they enjoyed, or that they were carrying on defigns against the church. In that cafe it might be very reafonable to look for a further fecurity; but nothing tending that way was fo much as pretended: all went on jealoufies and fears, the common topics of fedition. On the other hand, to fupport the bill, all ftories were brought up to fhew how restlefs and unquiet that fort of men had been in former times. The archbishop of York declared, "That he was for fo much of the bill as con"cerned the church." Whereupon the earl of Peterborough faid, "That he was glad to hear that learned pre"late make a diftinction between the ecclefiaftical and poli"tical part of the bill; and he hoped, that all the lords, "who, in their confciences, were fatisfied, as his grace "feemed to be, that this bill was framed to ferve a tempo"ral, as well as a spiritual end, would vote against it." The question being put, whether the bill fhould be read a E 3 fecond 1704. land. fecond time, it was carried in the negative by a majority of seventy-one voices against fifty; fifty-one members prefent, and twenty proxies, being for rejecting it; and thirty-three peers in the house, and feventeen proxies, for giving it a fecond reading. Debate By this time the lords were engaged in an affair which concern- made no less noife than the conformity-bill, and was occaing Scot- fioned by a speech of lord Haverfham; his lordship having acquainted the peers, that he had matters of great importance to lay before them, but that he defired it fhould be in a full houfe; all the lords in town and in the neighbourhood were fummoned to attend three days after, when his lordship made a speech, of which these are the most remarkable paffages: Hift. of "I would be far from detracting or leffening any man's "just praise, and do really believe, that the wonderful "victory obtained over the French, under the conduct and "command of prince Eugene and the duke of Marlborough, "if confidered in all its circumftances, especially the unufual fecrecy with which the orders were executed, is the "greatest any hiftory can fhew us. "And, though our fuccefs at fea was not equal to what "it was at land, yet the English courage and bravery fhewed itself the fame. I cannot indeed congratulate Sir "George Rooke's intire victory over the French; but I can, " and do moft heartily, his fafe deliverance from them. "Let our victories be what they will afhore, while France is thus powerful at fea, and more fo daily, not only by "her new additions, but by our too eafy conceffions, as * were those of St. Chriftopher's, Newfoundland, and Hudfon's-bay; while our trade is thus neglected, and your lordfhips faithful and provident advice baffled by the dark counfels of no body knows who; England, in my opi"nion, can never be fafe. "Another thing that I fhall take notice of, is the prefent "state of the coin; and I dare venture to fay, that, if fuch " vaft exportations be much longer continued and allowed, we fhall have very little left at home. France may be "beaten, but England must be beggared. I know we are not fo fenfible of this, because there is a paper-money "now current; but, fhould there ever happen to be a ftop "there, I pray God preferve us from finking all at once. "The last thing that I fhall mention to your lordships, is in relation to Scotland. I think I need but lay before your lordships the true matter of fact to convince you how "much "much it deferves your confideration. A little before the laft fitting down of the parliament there, it was thought "neceffary to make fome alteration in that ministry; and "accordingly fome were displaced to make room for others, "taking fome from each party, who might influence the reit. Things being thus prepared, and a motly miniftry "fet up, the parliament met about the 6th of July laft. And, though the fucceffion to the crown in the proteftant "line was the main thing recommended with the greatest "earneftnefs by the queen in her letter to them, yet was it "fo poftponed and baffled, that at length it came to no"thing; partly, because the miniftry was fo weak and di"vided, that, inftead of doing every thing, they could do nothing; and partly from a received opinion, that the "fucceffion itself was never fincerely and cordially intended, "either by the miniftry there, or by thofe that managed the "Scots affairs here. This is very evident; for, at the opening of the feffion, "my lord fecretary himself diftinguishes between a fecret and revealed will. And not only that, but upon the "fourth Sederunt (as they call it) a motion was made for "a bill of exclufion; I take it formally to be fo, though it "bears the title of an act of fecurity, which was read the "firft time on the 7th, and ordered to lie on the table till "they heard from England; and, on the 10th, it paffed into a law. Now can any reasonable man believe, that "those who promoted a bill of exclufion there, or thofe "who here advised the paffing of it, could ever be really "and cordially for the English fucceffion. I know there is "an exception in the act itself; but it is fuch a one as "might have full as well been left out. For he that asks "what he knows before will never be granted, only afks "the denial. And yet this is not all, but in this very bill "of exclufion, as I call it, all the heretors and boroughs "are not only allowed, but ordained (as the word is) to "be armed, and to exercise their fencible men once every "month. "This being the fact (and, I think, I have stated it very "truly) furely, my lords, it is what deferves your confide❝ration; and I fhall make but one or two observations to "your lordships. There are two matters of all troubles; "much discontent, and great poverty; and whoever will "now look into Scotland, will find them both in that king"dom. It is certain, the nobility and gentry of Scotland << are as learned and as brave as any nation in Europe can 66 boaft E 4 1704. |