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management, and the fcoffs and jeers wherewith they were infulted by their neighbours.

But

Or if the reader likes it better in rhyme, it is given
in English, thus:

While Elizabeth was England's King,
That dreadful name through Spain did ring.
How alter'd is the cafe,ad fa' me!

Thefe jugling days of gude Queen Jamie! (f)

(f) Rapin, Vol. II. p. 236. and Morgan's And that it may not be imagined that libellers and fatyphænix Bri- rifts only contemned James, and reprefented him in a tannicus, P. more ridiculous light than they ought, I will add, that the grave and knowing duke of Sully tells us, that Henry, in derifion, called James captain of arts and clark of (g) Sully's arms; (g) and that he himself and his brother, had fpoken in terms not very refpectful of him.

324.

memoirs,

Vol. I. p. 209. Edict

452.

Nor did his own people come behind in ridiculing and of Nantz, cenfuring his conduct. "They mouthed out that Vol. I. P. "Great Britain was become lefs than little England; "that they had loft ftrength by changing fexes, and "that he was no king but a fidler's fon, otherwise he "would not suffer such disorders at home, and so much "difhonor abroad.- And they fay further, why "fhould he affume to himself the title of defender of "the faith, that fuffers the proteftants of Germany "and France to be extirpated. That he might almost "have purchased such a country as the Palatinate, with "the money spent on ambaffages; and that his promif

ing the French proteftants affiftance (by their agents "that interceded for them) made them the more re"folute, and confident to their ruin: So that they "might well call England the land of promife. And "all that he got by his lip-labour affiftance from the "French king was, that his ambaffador, Sir Edward Herbert, was fnapt up by Luynes the young conftable, and favourite there, with what hath your mafter to do with us and our business? Whereas the English

3

"Aeets,

But however weak and pufillanimous James's conduct was abroad, at home he behaved

very

haugh

"fleets, the glory of the world, (if employed) would "have taught the French pride to know, that a looker66 on fees more than the gamefter, and he that ftrikes "with paffion, will many times thank them that také "him off by friendly admonition, fuch difcourfes as "these flew up and down from lip to lip, that it was al"moft treason to hear, much more to fpeak. "(b)-How (6) Wilfons weakly, how imprudently muft a prince have behaved p. 190. to have drawn on himself fuch bitter reflections,. and cutting sarcasms both at home and abroad? how mean a figure must he have made, and with what contempt muft his promises and threatnings be received? It could not be ill-will, it could not be malice, or the love of flander alone, which could bring on a regal character fo much contempt when living: There must have been foolish wretched management, as we have feen there was, to render it paffable. But of all things, princes fhould dread falling into contempt: seeing that thereby their reputation, and confequently their power ceafes, and they are rendered incapable of executing any great defign. For as cardinal Richlieu has well obferved," re"putation is the more neceffary in princes, in that

those we have a good opinion of, do more by their "bare words, than those who are not esteemed with "armies. They are obliged to value it beyond life; " and they ought fooner to venture their fortune and "grandeur, than to fuffer the leaft breach to be made "in the fame, fince it is most certain that the least di"minution a prince receives, tho' never fo flight, is "the ftep which is of moft dangerous confequence for ❝his ruin. In confideration of which I declare freely, "that princes ought never to efteem any profit advan"tageous, when it reflects the leaft upon their honour; " and they are either blinded or infenfible to their true "interefts, if they receive any of this nature. And in"deed history teaches us, that in all times and in all "States, princes of great reputation are always happier

N 2

than

(i) Richlieu's political tefta

ment, part

haughtily. He valued himself much on his hereditary right, and lineal defcent, [RRR]

to

"than those, who being inferior to them in that point, "have furpaffed them in force and riches, and in all "other power." (i) Pity it is but princes knew what was faid of them! if they had any thirft after fame, any defire of real glory, it would excite them to direct their zd. p. 46. actions to the good of the public, and it would make them weigh and confider things fo, as that their refolutions might appear to be the refult of prudence and difcretion. If they will not act thus, but blindly follow their own whims and humours, or fubmit to be led by weak, ignorant, felf feeking men, as was the cafe of James; they may depend on it, that tho' flattery mounts up their imaginary excellencies to the clouds, and reprefents them as demi-gods for power and wisdom, standers-by will laugh at them, and pofterity expose and condemn them.

(a) King James's works, P. 485. (6) Id. p.

[RRR] He valued himself much on his hereditary right and lineal defcent.] In his firft fpeech to the parliament, March 19, 1503, he tells them, that the first reafon of his calling them together was," that they "might with their own cars hear him deliver unto

them the affurance of his thankfulness, for their fo "joyful and general applause, to the declaring and re"ceiving of him in that feat, which God, by his birth"right and lineal defcent, had in the fulness of time "provided for him." (a) And in other parts of the fame speech, he fpeaks of his lineal defcent out of the "loins of Henry the seventh;" and of his being "li"neally defcended of both the crowns" (b) (of England 487, 488. and Scotland.) One fhould have thought an English parliament should have ftared at hearing fuch an unusual language from the throne. But fuch was the complaifance they had for their new king, and fo willing were they to make their court to him, that they fpoke in like terms with him, and ecchoed back, not as has fome

to the crown, and talked of it in most

pom

pous

fometimes been done in an addrefs, but in an act of parliament, his words and fentiments on this fubject. For in the first act of parliament paffed in this reign, intitled a" moft joyful and just recognition of the immediate, "lawful and undoubted fucceffion, defcent and right "of the crown," we find the following expreffions: "Your majefty's royal perfon, who is lineally, right"fully, and lawfully defcended of the body of the most "excellent lady Margaret, eldest daughter of the most "renowned king Henry the feventh, and they therein "defire it may be published and declared in the high "court of parliament, and enacted by authority of the "fame, that they (being bounden thereunto both by "the laws of God and man) do recognize and acknow

ledge that immediately upon the diffolution and de"ceafe of Elizabeth, late queen of England, the im"perial crown of the realm of England, and of all the "kingdoms, dominions and rights belonging to the "fame did by inherent Birthright, and lawful and un"doubted fucceffion, defcend and come unto his most "excellent majefty, as being lineally, juftly, and law"fully, next and fole heir of the blood royal of this "realm." (c) This was complaifance indeed! and (c) Vide this together with their afcribing to him in the fame act, ftat. anno "the rareft gifts of mind and body," and acknowled-primo Jaco ging "his great wifdom, knowledge, experience, and totum. dexterity," could hardly help rivetting in his mind his abfurd opinions, and high self-estimation.

66

I call his notions of hereditary right, and lineal defcent, abfurd. For I know of no right that any perfon has to fucceed another in wearing a crown, but what the laws give him; if he is by law appointed the next heir, his right to fucceed is built upon the most stable foundation. But the laws relating to the fucceffion may be changed, according as the exigencies of the ftate and the public good require; and if by fuch a change any perfon or family is fet afide from fucceeding, the right

N 3

they

bi c. I. per

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d) Spirit of

aws, Vol.

P. 218.

Lond. 1750.

pous terms, tho' nothing could be more abfurd and chimerical.

In

they might before have had vanishes, and without ufurpation cannot take place. When that political law (fays a juftly admired writer) which has established in "the kingdom a certain order of fucceffion, becomes deftructive to the body politic for whose fake it was established, there is not the leaft room to doubt but "another political law may be made to change this order; and fo far would this law be from oppofing the sfirft, it would in the main be entirely conformable to it, fince both would depend on this principle, that, the fafety of the people is the fupream law." (d)— And indeed this hereditary right to the crown, here boafted of by James, was "a meer chimera; contra"dicted by the general tenor of custom from the Nor"man invasion to his time; by the declared sense of "his immediate predeceffors; by many folemn proceed"ings of parliament, and by the exprefs terms of law, "Two families (for the race of Plantagenet was "grafted on the Norman race, and they may be rec"koned properly as one) had furnished, indeed, all "our kings; but this conftituted no hereditary right. "When a prince of the royal family, but in a degree "remote from the fucceffion, comes to the crown, in

prejudice to the next heir, hereditary right is violated, "as really as it would be if an abfolute stranger to this family fucceeded. Such a prince may have another, "and we think a better right, that for inftance, which

is derived from a fettlement of the crown, made by "the authority of parliament; but to fay he hath an "hereditary right, is the groffest abuse of words imagi"nable. This we think fo plain, that we should be "afhamed to go about to prove it.—Our kings of the "Norman race were fo far from fucceeding as next "heirs to one another, and in a regular course of de"fcent, that no inftance can be produced of the next "heirs fucceeding, which is not preceded and followed by inftances of the next heirs being set aside.

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Thus

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