that any should affert its being liable to be contradicted or controuled. He treated

his

fhall fee how they agree in the perfon of a king, "God hath power to create or destroy, make or un"make at his pleasure, to give life or fend death, to • judge all, and to be judged, nor accomptable to none: "to raise low things, and to make high things low at

his pleasure, and to God are both foul and body due: " and the like power have kings: they make and un"make their subjects; they have power of raifing, and "cafting down; of life and of death; judges over all "their fubjects, and in all causes; and yet accomptable "to none but God only. They have power to exalt low "things, and abase high things, and make of their fubjects like men at chefs; a pawne to take a bishop or "a knight, and to cry up or down any of their fub"jects, as they do their money. And to the king is "due both the affection of the foul, and the service of (d) K. Jam. the body of his fubjects." (d) And in the fame fpeech are the following words: "I conclude then this point "touching the power of kings, with this axiom of divi"nity, that as to difpute what God may do, is blaf"phemie; but quid vult Deus, that divines may law"fully, and do ordinarily dispute and difcuffe; for to "difpute a poffe ad effe is both against logicke and divi"nitie: fo is it sedition in subjects, to difpute what a ❝king may do in the height of his power." (e) Thefe paffages fhall fuffice to fhew James's notions of the regal power; their oppofition to thofe of his preceptor; and that lord Bolingbroke was very much mistaken in

works, P.

$29.

(e) Id. p. 531.

of patriotifm P. 216.

faying that " James retailed the scraps of Buchanan.” (f) Letters (f) I thought to have concluded this note here, but I find on the fpirit it proper to add that James had the utmost indignation against thofe who held that princes were accountable, or controulable. This appeared from his citing a preacher before him from Oxford, who had afferted that the inferiour majestrate had a lawful power to order and cor

re&

his parliaments in many cases moft contemptuously [TTT] both by words and actions; giving

rect the king if he did amifs; and who for the illuftration of his doctrine, had ufed that speech of Trajan's unto the captain of his guard; Accipe hunc 'gladium, quem pro me fi bene imperavero diftringes; fin minus. contra me; i. e. receive this fword, which I would have thee ufe for my defence if I govern well; but if I rule the empire ill, to be turned against me. The preacher of this doctrine being ftrictly examined by the king concerning it, laid the blame on Pareus, who in his commentary on the Romans, had pofitively delivered all which he had vented in his fermon, even to that very faying of the emperor Trajan. Whereupon the king, tho' he dismissed the preacher, on account of his youth, and the authority he had produced, gave order to have the book of -Pareus burnt in Oxford, London and Cambridge; which was done accordingly. (g) So (g) Heyhigh was James's opinion of regal power, fo ill could he lin's life of bear oppofition to it, tho' in a foreigner, and one with Laud, p. whom he had nothing to do!

95.

[TTT] He treated his parliaments in many cafes most contemptuoufly] Here follow my proofs. In his fpeech to the parliament in 1605, speaking of the house of commons, he tells them, that" that was not a place "for every rafh and hair-brained fellow to propofe new "laws of his own invention." That " they should be "warie not to propofe any bitter or feditious laws, "which could produce nothing but grudges and dif" contents between the prince and his people; and that "it was no place for particular men to utter their pri"vate conceits, nor for fatisfaction of their curiofities, "and leaft of all to make fhew of their eloquence, by "tyning the time with long ftudied and eloquent ora"tions." (a) And he adds juft afterwards, that (a) K. Jam. "men fhould be ashamed to make fhew of the quicknefs works, p. "of their wits here, either in taunting, fcoffing, or 506, 507•

"detracting

giving himself extraordinary airs of wisdom

and

"detracting the prince or state in any point, or yet in "breaking jefts upon their fellows, for which the or"dinaries or ale-houses are fitter places, than this ho"nourable and high court of parliament."

In his fpeech to the parliament at Whitehall, in the year 1609, he "wishes the commons to avoid three things in matters of grievances.

"First, fays he, that you do not meddle with the "main points of government; that is my craft: trac"tent fabrilia fabri; to meddle with that were to ❝leffon me: I am now an old king; for fix and thirty

years have I governed in Scotland perfonally, and now "have I accomplished my apprenticeship of seven years "here; and seven years is a great time for a king's "experience in government. Therefore there would "be too many Phormios to teach Hannibal: I must "not be taught my office.

"Secondly, I would not have you meddle with fuch. "antient rights of mine, as I have received from my predeceffors, poffeffing them, more majorum: fuch "things I would be forrie fhould be accounted for "grievances.

"And lastly, I pray you to beware to exhibit for "grievance, any thing that is eftablished by a fettled "law, and whereunto (as you have already had a "proof) you know I will never give a plausible an

fwer: for it is an undutiful part in fubjects to prefs "their king, wherein they know before-hand he will (6) K. Jam.“ refuse them." (b)

works, P.

537.

Townf

Had James ftopped here he might have been excused. (c) See HeyElizabeth had fet him an example of directing the comwood mons to be cautious in making ufe of their liberty of hend's hif. fpeech; and they complained not of it. (c) But he torical col- went farther. For in the year 1621, the commons havlections, p. ing drawn up a petition and remonftrance to the king, 37, 53, 63 concerning the danger of the proteftant religion at home 1080. and abroad, and advised him to aid the proteftants in

fol. Lond.

the

and authority, and undervaluing their power, fkill

the wars in which they were engaged; break with the king of Spain, and marry his fon to a princess of the reformed religion, with fome other things: the commons having drawn up this petition and remonstrance, and it coming to the king's ears that they were about to prefent it, the following letter was written by him to the fpeaker, from New-Market:

Mr. Speaker,

"We have heard, by divers reports, to our great "grief, that our diftance from the houfes of parliament "caused by our indisposition of health, hath embold"ned fome fiery and popular fpirits of fome of the "house of commons, to argue and debate publickly of "the matters far above their reach and capacity, "tending to our high difhonor, and breach of preroga❝tive royal. These are therefore to command you, "to make known, in our name, unto the house, that "none therein fhall prefume henceforth to meddle with "any thing concerning our government, or deep mat"ters of ftate, and namely not to deal with our dearest "fon's match with the daughter of Spain, nor to touch "the honour of that king, or any other our friends and "confederates: and alfo not to meddle with any man's 66 particulars, which have their due motion in our or"dinary courts of juftice. And whereas we hear, "that they have fent a meffage to Sir Edward Sandys, "to know the reasons of his late restraint, you fhall in ❝our name resolve them, that it was not for any mif" demeanor of his in parliament. But to put them out "of doubt of any question of that nature that may arise "among them hereafter, you fhall refolve them in our

66

name, that we think ourselves very free and able to "punish any man's misdemeanors in parliament, as "well during their fitting as after: which we mean "not to fpare hereafter, upon any occafion of any "man's infolent behaviour there, that shall be minis

"tred

skill and capacity.

(d) Frank lin's annals of King

James's, p.

Co. and

Rushworth,

Vol. I. P.

43.

And not contented here

with

"tred unto us; and if they have already touched any of thefe points, which we have forbidden, in any "petition of theirs, which is to be fent unto us, it is

our pleasure that you shall tell them, that except they "reform it before it come to our hands we will not deign the hearing, nor anfwering of it." (d) Hereupon the Commons drew up another petition, which they fent accompanied with the former remonstrance; to which the king anfwered among other things, "that "he muft ufe the first words which queen Elizabeth "had used, is an anfwer to an infolent propofition, "made by a Polonian ambaffador unto her; that is "legatum expectabamus heraldum accippimus; that he "wished them to remember that he was an old and ex"perienced king, needed no fuch leffons as they had "given him; that they had ufurped upon the prero"gative royal, and meddled with things far above their "reach, and then in the conclufion protefted the con"trary; as if a robber, fays he, would take a man's "purfe, and then proteft he meant not to rob him.

After this he afks them how they could have prefumed "to determine about his fon's match, without com"mitting of high treafon? These are unfit things, "(the breaking of the match with Spain, and conclud❝ing one with a proteftant) to be handled in parlia❝ment, except your king fhould require it of you: for "who can have wifdom to judge of things of that na"ture, but fuch as are daily acquainted with the par"ticulars of treaties, and of the variable and fixed ❝connexion of affairs of ftate, together with the know"ledge of the fecret ways, ends, and intentions of

princes in their feveral negotiations? otherwise a "fmall mistaking of matters of this nature may pro"duce more effects than can be imagined: and there"fore, ne futor ultra crepidam." He concludes with faying, "we cannot allow of the ftyle (in the petition and remonftrance) calling it your antient and un

“doubted