As to Church prizes. yard. tions that had fo been laid upon the members of that House. To Dering's remark against the fuggeftion of a more equal provifion for minifters of the Church, that it would interfere with the great prizes, he replied that he held it beft that learning fhould be better provided for in the general than extravagantly rewarded in Remarks the particular. Another learned knight on the on Rud- oppofite benches (Sir Benjamin Rudyard) had objected to what he termed the prophetical part of the Declaration; but he would remind the worthy member that the Declaration did not prophefy, but faid fimply that which it believed to be fit, and might eafily be done. The member who followed him (Mr. Bagfhaw) had Replies to queftioned the propriety of afferting that the Bagfhaw. Court of Chancery had grown arbitrary and unjust in their jurifdiction, but to this he replied that not the Chancery alone but every English court had of late years ufurped unjust and arbitrary jurifdiction. To the worthy knight oppofite (Sir John Culpeper) who averred that a declaration going from this Oppofes Houfe alone, without having defired the lords to join, went but upon one leg, he answered share in that the matter of this particular Declaration was in no respect fit for the lords. Many of the lords were accused in it. It alfo dealt throughout with fubjects which had been agitated only in that Houfe. The affertions made by the fame honourable perfon, that all remonftrances should be addreffed to the King, and that their writs of election did not warrant them to fend any declarations to the people, were not borne out by the practice. Remonftrances Lords' claim to Remon ftrance. mons, not were not in truth directed either to the King An act of or the people, but showed the acts of the Houfe. ComIf it were defired to present the Declaration of Lords now before them to the King, it must be done or King. by Petition prefixed to it; and for his own part he inclined that such should be the course. Honourable speakers had complained of a direction to the people in this cafe, but where was it? Such had not been the purpose, nor was it neceffary. It would fuffice that its con- Appeal to tents should reach the people, and be read by people them. And when, by means of the Declara- from reprefentation, it became known throughout England tives. how matters ftood, and how the members of the House had been flandered, it would bind and fecure to them the people's hearts. fpeaks. It was late in that November evening before Pym refumed his feat, but candles had been brought long ago, and the debate still went on. Orlando Bridgman, member for Wigan, fo Orlando foon to be Sir Orlando and law dignitary to Bridgman the King, rose next from among the group of lawyers feated near Hyde, and questioned Pym's view of the House's right to remonftrate or declare alone. They could only confent, counsel, and petition; and it was expreffly faid, in the indemnity of the Lords. and Commons, that nothing fhould be reported out of either House, without consent of both Houses. As for what had been faid of the Replies to Pym. separatists driven beyond fea, he thought them a condition of men to be taken away, being they were not at all moderate. To the right of approval fought by the House for ever over all counsellors felected by the King, he ob X Edmund Waller fpeaks. jected; and he thought the temporary ground alleged, of the neceffity fo to obtain fecurity for a proper use of the money to be voted for the affairs of Ireland, a reafon too particular to justify so general a demand. It was He Edmund Waller started up and spoke after Bridgman, and with ingenious and lively turns of expreffion, as his custom was. He thought the Declaration ill-named, he said. aimed more at the future than the past, and expoftulated lefs with what had been done than with what was expected to be done. thought it should be called, not a Remonftrance, but a Premonftrance. And how unnatural were all fuch expedients for expreffing the will Laws not of that Houfe. Laws were the children of to yield to the parliament, and it did not become them to deftroy their offspring by means of orders and declarations. By what authority, too, did they claim the right to control the King in the choice of his counsellors? Freeholders had power to choose freely the members of the House of Commons to make laws, and yet the King must not choose counsellors to advise according to law without the approbation of the House. In one fense it might indeed be a Remonftrance, but it was a Remonftrance against the laws. Orders. Why control the King? John John Hampden now rofe. Little remains Hampden of what he faid, but fufficient proof that he fpeaks. must have spoken, as he did ever, with calm decifion, yet with that rare temper univerfally attributed to him in debate, and which even to a difcuffion fo angry and paffionate as this, could bring its portion of affability and cour Declara tefy. What were the objections, he asked, to this Declaration? When that Houfe difcovered ill counsels, might it not fay there were ill counsellors, and complain of them? When Why any man was accused, might he not fay he had object to done his endeavour? "And," continued the tion? member for Bucks, "we fay no more in this." The party oppofed to the members of the House was prevalent, and it was therefore neceffary for them to fay openly that they had given their best advice. That was declared in the Remonftrance, and no counter remonftrance could come against them, being it was wholly true. Quiet and merely fuggeftive, however, as Hampden's general tone in this fpeech feems to have been, yet, once at least, in the course of it, he rose to a higher ftrain. We have seen that Dering enforced his argu- Replies to ment against using the power and revenues of Dering. the bishops in any attempt to ftrengthen the Church by fo giving influence and increase to the general body of the clergy, by remarking that if any man could cut the moon out all into little stars, although the fame amount of moon might still remain in fmall pieces, both light and influence would be gone. Taking up this extravagant illuftration, Hampden claimed to apply it differently. He asked the Quotes House to remember what authority they had and applies for believing that the stars were more useful to Revelathe Church than the moon. And then he tions. quoted from the Book of Revelations the paffage under which the perfect Church, the * "And there appeared a great wonder in Heaven: A "Woman clothed with the fun, and the moon under her feat: 9 P.M. spouse of Christ, is figured, and warned them that when the woman fhould be clothed with the fun, the moon would be under her feet, and her head would be circled with ftars. S XVI. THE SPEECHES UP TO MIDNIGHT. Hampden THE Houfe had now been fitting, without refumes interval or reft, for a length of time unexo'clock, ampled in any one's experience. It was nearly nine o'clock before Hampden refumed his feat, yet still the cries for adjournment were refisted amid excitement and agitation visibly increafing. D'Ewes had himself left the House foon after four in the afternoon. He forefaw, as he tells us, that the debate in the iffue would be long and vehement; and having been informed. by Sir Chriftopher Yelverton, member for Boffiney, that those who wished well to the Declaration did intend to have it paffed without the alteration of any one word, he did the rather absent himself ("being alfo fomewhat at ill of a cold taken yesterday") because there were fome particulars therein which he had formerly spoken against, and could not in his confcience affent unto, although otherwise his heart and vote went with it in the main. His relation of what followed in his abfence, therefore, was derived by him from other members of the House. Why D'Ewes had left 4 o'clock. Attempts at com promife refifted. The refolution of which Yelverton informed D'Ewes, though relaxed upon a few points, appears to have been in the main steadily "feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”—Revelations, xii. 1. |