that any fhould 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 deftroy, make or un"make at his pleafure, 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 pleafure, and to God are both foul and body due: "and the like power have kings: they make and un"make their fubjects; 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 abafe 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 fervice of (d) K. Jam. the body of his fubjects." (d) And in the same speech 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 difpute and difcuffe; for to works, p. 529. (e) Id. p. 53. difpute a poffe ad effe is both against logicke and divi"nitie: fo is it fedition in fubjects, to dispute what a "king may do in the height of his power." (e) These 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 faying that James retailed the fcraps of Buchanan." (f) Letters (f) I thought to have concluded this note here, but I find on the fairit it proper to add that James had the utmost indignation againft 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 majeftrate had a lawful power to order and cor of patriotifm P. 216. rea his parliaments in many cafes 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 fpeech 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 use for my defence if I govern well; but if Į rule the empire ill, to be turned againft me. The preacher of this doctrine being strictly 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 difmiffed 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 moft contemptuoufly] Here follow my proofs. In his fpeech to the parliament in 1605, fpeaking of the house of commons, he tells them, that "that was not a place "for every rash and hair-brained fellow to propofe new "laws of his own invention." That "they fhould 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 66 vate conceits, nor for fatisfaction of their curiofities, " and least of all to make fhew of their eloquence, by "tyning the time with long studied and eloquent ora"tions." (a) And he adds juft afterwards, that (a) K. Jam. "men should be afhamed to make fhew of the quickness works, p. "of their wits here, either in taunting, fcoffing, or 506, 507• "detracting (b) K. Jam: works, P. 537. Townf giving himself extraordinary airs of wisdom and "detracting the prince or ftate 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. "Firft, 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 feven 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. 1 "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 66 grievances. "And lastly, I pray you to beware to exhibit for grievance, any thing that is established by a fettled "law, and whereunto (as you have already had a "proof) you know I will never give a plaufible anfwer: for it is an undutiful part in fubjects to press "their king, wherein they know before-hand he will refufe them." (b) Had James stopped 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, ping drawn up a petition and remonftrance to the king, 37, 53, 63 concerning the danger of the proteftant religion at home 1680. and abroad, and advised him to aid the protestants 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 houses of parliament "caused by our indifpofition 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 state, 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 "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 shall in "our name refolve 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 હ among them hereafter, you shall refolve them in our "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 fkill and capacity. lin's annals of King Co. and Rushworth, 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 fhall tell them, that except they "reform it before it come to our hands we will not (Frank-deign the hearing, nor anfwering of it." (d) Hereupon the Commons drew up another petition, which James's, p. they fent accompanied with the former remonstrance; to which the king anfwered among other things," that he muft ufe the firft words which queen Elizabeth had ufed, in an anfwer to an infolent propofition, made by a Polonian ambaffador unto her; that is "legatum expectabamus heraldum accippimus; that he "wifhed them to remember that he was an old and experienced 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 contrary; as if a robber, fays he, would take a man's "purfe, and then proteft he meant not to rob him. 43. 66 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 protestant) to be handled in parlia"ment, exeept your king fhould require it of you: for "who can have wisdom 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 flate, together with the know ledge of the fecret ways, ends, and intentions of "princes in their feveral negotiations? otherwife a "small 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 |