c

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upon a Matter of fo great Impor

tance.

I did alfo expect, that fome Friends would have difcover'd to us the Wicked Defigns you fufpected to lie hid under the Advice to the Queen, to Invite the • Electoress over into England, and fhew'd us better Reasons, than I have yet seen, why they were not for it.

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'But I must own, that I am hitherto at a Lofs in this Matter, and not a little furpriz'd to fee them act fo contrary to the Opinion they were formerly of.

The Occafion of my laft Letter to your Lordship, was to communicate to you, A Letter writ by the Electorefs to my Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, in Anfwer to one that her Royal Highness had receiv'd from his Grace; wherein fhe thought fit to declare her Refpe& for the Queen's Majefty, and the Good Intentions fhe hath always had for the Good of England.

Her Royal Highness being inform'd, from feveral Perfons of Credit, That her good Inclinations for the Queen and the Nation, were mif-reprefented; fome having reported, That fhe might give a Rife to Intrigues against the Queen and the Publick, if fhe came thither:

She thought herself therefore obliged to declare to my Lord Archbishop and others fhe wrote to; and alfo to tell the Duke of Marlborough, and the Earl · of

'ceffòrs round about it, whose Intereft is always to defend the Poffeffor from any Danger, and prevent any Attempt against him, and Revenge any Injury done him. Is there any Man,

my

Lords, who doubts that if the Duke of Glocefter had been now alive, Her Majesty had not been more Secure than 'fhe is? We cannot think of that Mif• fortune without the greatest Grief, but yet we are not to Neglect our own Safety; and though a Succeffor be not the Child of the Prince, yet he is the • Child of the Queen and People.

Befides, my Lords, the Heats and • Differences which are amongst us, make it very neceflary that we should have the Prefumptive Heir refiding here: The Duty and Refpe&t we pay Her Majefty, and the Authority of the Law, can hardly keep us in Peace and Union amongst our Selves at prefent; what then may we not fear, when these Bonds 'fhall ever happen to be broken?

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And would it not be a great Advantage to the Church, for the prefumptive Heir to be perfonally acquainted with the Reverend the Prelates? Nay, would it not be an Advantage to all England, < that whenever the Succeflor comes over, ' he should not bring a Flood of Foreigners along with him, to eat up and devour the Good of the Land?

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I will fay no more to your Lordships, • but conclude with this Motion;

That

That an Humble Addrefs be prefent'ed to Her Majefty by this Houfe, That Her Majefty will be graciously pleafed ⚫ to invite the Prefumptive Heir to the "Crown of England, according to the A&ts of Parliament made for Settling the Succeffion of the Crown in the Proteftant Line, into this Kingdom, to refide here.

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The Lord Haversham being feconded by fome others, the Queftion was put, Whether the Houfe of Hanover fhould be sent for over into England, or not? The previous Queftion being put, it pafs'd in the Negative: Notwithstanding which their Lordships were extreamly zealous for the Security of the Hanover Succeffion by an A&t of Naturalization, and Regency on the 21ft, the Judges, according to Bill order, brought in a Bill to Nominate brought in, thefe following Commiffioners to A&t upon the Decease of Her Majefty for the better Security of the Hanover Succeffion, viz. Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord High Admiral, Lord Keeper, Lord Treafurer, Lord Privy-Seal, Lord Prefident of the Council, Lord Steward of the Houfhold, and Lord Chief Juftice of England for the time being.

On the 24th, they refolved, That Thanks fhould be given to Her Majefty for Her great Care touching Scotland, and for Her good Intentions, and for Her Care in promoting the Intereft of Scotland by the Ha

nover Succeffion in the Proteftant Line; Naturali- which Succeffion was now farther Congation Bill. firm'd by Her Majefty, who was pleased to give the Royal Affent to an Ã& for exhibiting a Bill for Naturalizing the most Excellent Princefs Sophia, Ele&orefs and Dutchefs Dowager of Hanover, and the Iffue of her Body.

Debates

1

The High flyers having failed to gain their Point this Way, they had amused the People for fome time by Pamphlets, and otherwise with the Danger of about the the Church; which put a Noble Lord Church's upon moving, That a Day might be apDanger. pointed to enquire into this frightful Scene of Danger: The Lord Rochefter began the Debate, and amongst the Reasons he gave for his Fear of the Church's Danger, the Heir of the Houfe of Hanover not being fent for over was one. To this the Lord Hallifax reply'd, That that was a Danger of but eight Days ftanding; for he durft say a Fortnight ago, no Body made the Abfence of the Princess Sophia, a Danger to the Church; and as for her Abfence upon the Queen's Death, that was now fo well to be provided for by the A&t for Lords Juftices, that he thought no Evil could poffibly happen to the Church before her Arrival. That he wonder'd the House of Hanover fhould be now efteem'd fuch a Security to the Church, whereas when the Laws were made for the Security of that Succeffion, it was generally reckon'd a Hardship upon the Church, and a Clergy-man

gy-man in a Company of ConvocationMen, had openly call'd her an unbaptized Lutheran, the Truth of which he could prove.

Now the Lords and Commons having Carry'd it by a great Majority, That the Church was out of Danger, the diffentient Lords among other Reasons gave this for one.

We humbly conceive the Church in Danger from a Neighbouring Kingdom, which, tho' under Her Majefty's Sovereignty during Her Life, (which God long Preferve) hath not, by any means, yet been induced to fettle the fame Succeffion to the Crown, as is establish'd by Law in this Kingdom in the Proteftant Line; but, on the contrary, that Succeffion has been abrogated by the Act of Security, which, with feveral other A&s, pafs'd in that Kingdom, has been judged by this Houfe in the laft Parliament, to be dangerous to the present and future Peace of this Kingdom; and therefore we may juftly fear there are Dangers from hence both to Church and State,

In the mean time, the Houfe of Hano ver being very intent upon every Motion that was made relating to the Succeffion, there was now publish'd in Print, A Letter from Her Royal Highness, the Princess Sophia, Electoress of Brunswick and Lunenburg, to His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury; which runs thus: