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In confequence hereof he entertained high

notions

Thus Edward the first fucceeded his father Henry the third; but his father Henry the third, and his grand"father John, had both been raised to the throne, in plain defiance of hereditary right: the right of Ar"thur, nephew to John, and the right of Arthur's

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fifter, coufin-german to Henry.- -Edward the "fecond fucceeded his father Edward the firft; but "Edward the third depofed Edward the fecond; the "parliament renounced all allegiance to him; and "Edward the third held the crown by a parliamentary "title, as much as William the third.--If we go 66 up higher than this æra, or defcend lower, we shall "find the examples uniform. Examples, fufficient to "countenance this pretenfion of hereditary right to the "crown of England, are no where to be found."The British race began in Henry the feventh; and "from him alone king James derived that right, which he afferted in fuch pompous terms. Now furely, if ever any prince came to the crown without the least colour of hereditary right, it was Henry the feventh. "He had no pretence to it, even as heir to the house of "Lancaster. His wife might have fome as heir of the "houfe of York; but the title of his wife had no re"gard paid to it either by him or the parliament, in "making this new fettlement. He gained the crown "by the good will of the people. He kept it by the "confirmation of parliament, and by his own ability. "The notional union of the two rofes was a much bet"ter expedient for quiet than foundation of right. It "took place in Henry the eighth; it was continued in "his fucceffors; and this nation was willing it fhould "continue in James and his family. But neither

"Henry the eighth, nor his fon Edward the fixth, who "might have done fo with much better grace, laid the "fame ftrefs on hereditary right, as king James did. "One of them had recourfe to parliament on every "occafion, where the fucceffion to the crown was "concerned; and the other made no fcruple of giving

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(e) Old

241.

of the fuc

notions of the prerogative, and carried the doctrine

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"the crown by will to his coufin, in prejudice of his fifters right. This right however, fuch as it was, "prevailed; but the authority of parliament was called "in aid by Mary, to remove the objection of illegitimacy, which lay against it. Elizabeth had fo little "concern about hereditary right, that the neither held, nor defired to hold her crown by any other tenure "than the ftatute of the 35 of her father's reign. In "the 13th of her own reign the declared it by law "high treafon, during her life, and a Præmunire, af"ter her deceafe, to deny the power of parliament, in "limiting and binding the defcent and inheritance of "the crown, or the claims to it; and whatever private. "motives there were for putting to death Mary, queen of Scotland, her claiming a right, in oppofi"tion to an act of parliament, was the foundation of "the public proceedings against her.

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"Such examples as we have quoted, ought to have "fome weight with king James. A prince who had "worn the crown of Scotland, under fo many restraints,

and in fo great penury, might have contented him"felf, one would think, to hold that of England, "whofe penfioner he had been, by the fame tenure, "and to establish his authority on the fame principles, cafle's Re-as had contented the beft and greatest of his Predecef marks, p. 66 fors; but his defigns were as bad as thofe of the very See alfo the worst princes, who went before him." (e) The good brief history fenfe and unanswerable reafoning in this quotation will ceffion, in make ample amends for the length of it, and therefore needs no apology. But 'tis amazing to confider that notwithstanding fuch facts and reafonings there the times of fhould yet be found people weak enough to hold this Charles the doctrine of hereditary right, a doctrine abfurd in itself, 2d. and Sir and big with mifchief. Did men but think and conles's fpeech fider, did they weigh and examine, were they honest at the tryai and impartial, they foon would fee its folly and ridicule it. But fuch is the lazinefs of mankind, that they are

the State

tracts, relating to

John Haw

of Sache

veral.

at

doctrine of the regal power, [sss] to a pitch

was

at all times inclined more to believe on truft, than to take the pains to confider; and therefore run into the moft whimfical and ridiculous opinions. Princes may think it their intereft to have fuch a doctrine as this inculcated; but the teachers of it ought to be looked upon as the foes of mankind, and had in abhorrence by those to whom liberty and virtue are amiable.

[sss] He entertained high notions of the prerogative, and carried the doctrine of the regal power to a very great pitch.] James, as I have obferved, was bred up under Buchanan, whofe hatred of tyranny is well known, and who, like a very honeft mar, endeavoured to infpire his pupil with a deteftation of it; and he seemed to have had fome hopes, that his labours would not have been wholly vain. For in the conclufion of his fhort dedication to James, of his Baptiftes, five calumni tragedia, among his poetical works, there are the following expreffions:" Illuda utem peculiarius ad te videri po

teft fpectare, quod tyrannorum cruciatus, & cum "florere maxime videntur, miferias dilucide exponat. "Quod te nunc intelligere non conducibile modo, fed "etiam neceffariam exiftimo : ut mature odiffe incipias, "quod tibi femper eft fugiendum. Volo etiam hunc "libellum apud pofteros teftem fore, fi quid aliquando "pravis confultoribus impulfus vel regni licentia rectam "educationem fuperante fecus committas, non præcep"toribus, fed tibi, qui eis recte monentibus non fis "obfecutus, id vitio vertendum effe. Det dominus"meliora, & quod eft apud tuum Saluftium, tibi bene "facere ex confuetudine in naturam vertat. Quod e"quidem cum multis & fpero, & opto. Sterlino, ad "Calend. Novembris, 1576." i. e. "But this more

efpecially feems to belong to you, which explains the "torments and miferies of tyrants, even when they "feem to be in the moft flourishing ftate, which I "efteem not only advantageous, but even neceflary for

was amazingly great, and bordering on im

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piety.

you now to underftand: that you may begin early to "hate, what you should always avoid. I defire also "that this book may be a witness to pofterity, that if "at any time you act otherwife, by the influence of "wicked counfellors, or the wantonnefs of power "getting the better of education, you may impute it not to your preceptors, but to yourself that flighted "their good advice.-God grant you a better fate, "and (as your favourite Salluft has it) render benefi"cence natural to you by cuftom. Which I fincerely "wish, and hope with many others."

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James was little more than ten years of age when this was written to him. Two years afterwards Buchanan dedicated his celebrated piece, intitled, De jure Regni apud Scotos, to James, in which he tells him, "that "he thought good to publish it, that it might be a

ftanding witnefs of his affection towards him, and "admonith him of his duty towards his fubjects. Now "many things, adds he, perfuaded me that this my en

deavour fhould not be in vain: efpecially your age "not yet corrupted by prave opinions, and inclina"tion far above your years for undertaking all heroi"cal and noble attempts, fpontaneously making hafte "thereunto; and not only your promptitude in obey"ing your inftructors and governors, but all fuch as ""give you found admonition; and your judgment and diligence in examining affairs, fo that no man's "authority can have much weight with you, unless it

be confirmed by probable reafon. I do perceive also "that you by a certain natural inftinct do so much ab"hor Aattery, which is the nurse of tyranny, and a "moft grievous plague of a kingdom; fo as you do hate "the court folecifims and barbarifms, no less than those "that feem to cenfure all elegancy, do love and affect "fuch things, and every where in difcourfe fpread "abroad, as the fauce thereof those titles of majesty, “highness, and many other unfavoury compellations.

"Now

piety. Nor could he with any patience bear

that

"Now albeit your good natural difpofition, and found

inftructions, wherein you have been principled, may "at prefent draw you away from falling into this error, "yet I am forced to be fomething jealous of you, lest "bad company, the fawning fofter-mother of all vices, "draw afide your foft and tender mind into the worst part; especially seeing I am not ignorant, how easily "our other fenfes yield to feduction. This book there"fore I have fent unto you, to be not only your moni

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tor, but also an importunate and bold exactor which, "in this your flexible and tender years, may conduct "you in fafety from the rocks of flattery, and not only

may admonish you, but also keep you in the way you ❝are once entered into: and if at any time you deviate, "it may reprehend and draw you back, the which if

you obey, you shall for yourself and for all your fub"jects, acquire tranquillity and peace in this life, and "eternal glory in the life to come. Farewel, from Sterveling, Jan. 10, 1579." (a)

(a) Dedi

Buchanan

4to. Lond.

1689.

I have been forced to give this in the words of a tranf- cation of lation, for want of an opportunity of turning to the de jure regni original; which the good-natured reader, I hope, will apud Scotos, pardon. In these dedications we may fee the endeavors in English, and hopes of Buchanan, which I have just mentioned, of infpiring his pupil with a deteftation of tyranny. But his hopes were ill-founded, his endeavours were ineffectual. James hated the man who counselled him, and spoke a doctrine directly contrary unto that taught by him. (b) What he writ on this fubject when in (b) See note Scotland, we have before mentioned. (c) He there in- [B] culcated the doctrine of tyranny, and in England he (c) In note continued to avow it, and that even before the parliament itself. In his speech to the lords and commons at Whitehall, Anno 1609, we have the following paffage: Kings are juftly called Gods, for that they exercise a manner or resemblance of divine power upon earth: for if you will confider the attributes of God, you

"fhall

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