tereft in Ireland. And propofing that for the An- 1683. fwering those great Ends, fuch a Sum of Money fhould be advanc'd by the City, by way of Loan, as they could conveniently fpare, which would be fecur'd, and repaid with full Interest at the end of. fix Months; an Unanimous Vote immediately tt The City paft, That they would fupply his Highness with lends Two hundred thoufand Pounds, which was the 200000 !. Sum demanded, and which was rais'd in four days, of Orange one fingle_Man * having Subscrib❜d 60000 Pounds Jan. 8.

towards it.

to the Pr.

Sir

bout the

Orange

King or

The Sitting of the Convention drawing near, Samuel and the Major part of the Members being by this Dashtime come up to London, it was no difficult matter wood. to foresee that there would be more than one Party Different in the lower Houfe : 'Tis true, the Generality,if not Parties a all, agreed on the neceflity of Re-establishing the Fundamentals of the Government, and of bring; prince of making the ing back the English Constitution to its firft and :: pureft Original, as the only means to fecure the Nation against Popery, Slavery and Oppreffion; Protector, but yet they differ'd not a little in the Methods of compaffing thofe great Ends. Again, though all concurr'd to lodge the Government in the Hands of the Prince of Orange, yet various were their Opinions as to the Title they fhould confer upon him; fome being for making him Regent or Protector, and others King. The firft feem'd to be ftrengthen'd by the numerous Party of the Republicans, who hop'd thereby to make a great step towards introducing a Common-wealth. As for those who were for a King, they appear'd divided into two Parties, fome maintaining that the Prin† Propofals cefs of Orange being the next Heir, the ought therefore to be Crown'd, and the Prince to manage the the Conven offer'd to Affairs as King only by his Wife's Title: But the tion con Majority, who were for making his Highness King taining fingly, afferted, "That the Supreme Power Reasons to "Perfonal of England is in King, Lords and place the "Commons, which are the three Effential Parts Prince of "of the English Conftitution; That that Supreme Orange "Power was diffolv'd by the failure of two Effen-Singly on "tial Parts of it,viz. Of the King by his Subjecti

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the Throne.

1683. on to the Bishop of Rome, his ufurping an Arbitrary Power, and afterwards by his Perfonal "withdrawing of himself; and of the Houfe of Commons, which could not fo be call'd accord"ing to the Conftitution, the King being gone, "and the Freedom of Election being deftroy'd by "the King's Encroachments; That the Supreme "Power Real remain'd in the Community, who "might Act by their Original Power; That tho' every particular Perfon was, notwithstanding "fuch Diffolution, fubject to the Laws which

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were made by the Supreme Power Perfonal, when "in Being; yet the Community's Power was not "bound by them, but was Paramount to all Laws "made by the Supreme Power Perfonal: and had a "full Right to take fuch Measures for fettling the "Government as they should think most fure and effectual,for the lafting Security and Peace of the "Nation; lince it was the Community of England, which firft gave Being to both King and Parliament, and to all the Parts of the Conftitution, They urg'd, "That the A&ts done and executed by "the Supreme Power Perfonal had fo modelled the "Parts and Perfons of the Community, that the

Original Conftitution was the beft, jufteft.and the "moft defirable: That the Royal Family afforded a "* Perfon that both Heaven and Earth pointed 66 out for King, That there were Lords whofe NoPrince of "bility was not affected by the Diffolution of the Orange. "Government, and were the fubject matter of a

• The

"Houfe of Lords; And that there were Places, "which by Cuftom or Charter, had Right to chufe "Reprefentatives of the Conimons; That there "were inextricable Difficulties in all other Me"thods, for there being no Demife of the King, "neither Civil nor Natural, there was confequent"ly no Defcent, and the Community only had a "Right to take advantage of the King's Forfeiture "or Defertion; That whatever other Power might "be imagin'd in the two Houfes, as Houfes of "Parliament, it could juftifie ir felf to the Reafon "of any who understood the bottom of the Eng"life Conftitution; That by this Method all Popish “Succeffors

"Succeffors might be excluded, and the Govern- 161 ment fecur'd, in cafe all the Proteftants of the "Family died without Iffue; and this by the very "Conftitution of England: That it would be molt advisable, not only for the Security and Welfare "of the Nation, but for the Intereft of their Royal "Highneffes to limit the Crown as follows. To the Prince of Orange during his Life, (yet with ແ all poffible Honour and Refpect to the Princefsì "Remainder to the Princefs of Orange, and the "Heirs of her Body; Remainder to the Princefs of Denmark, and the Heirs of her Body Re"mainder to the Heirs of the Body of the Prince "of Orange; Remainder as an Act of Parliament "fhould appoint. In which Method they found thefe Conveniences among others, viz. That "Husband and Wife being but one Perfon in Law, 66 the Prince's Honour would be her Royal High"neffes; That it put the Kingly Power into the "beft Hand in the World; That it afferted the "Power of the Community; That it would be "fome Acknowledgement to the Prince for what "he had done for the Nation; Concluding, that "it was worthy Obfervation, that before the Theocracy of the Jews ceas'd, the manner of the Di"vine Defignation of their Judges, was by God's "giving the People fome Deliverance by the Hand "of the Perfon to whofe Government they ought "to fubmit; That fince that Theocracy ceas'd, there "was no Inftance of a Defignation of any Perfon to any Government, more visibly Divine and "Miraculous than that which they now admir'd; That if the Voice of the People be the Voice of God, "that Voice never fpoke louder; That if a Nation of various Opinions, Interefts and Factions, "from a turbulent and fluctuating State, fell into a ferene and quiet Calm, and Men's Minds "were ftrangely united on a fudden, it fhew'd "from whence they were Influenc'd: In a Word, "that if the Hand of God was to be feen in Hu"man Affairs, and his Voice to be heard upon Earth, they could not any where, fince the ceafing of Miracles, find out a clearer and more "remarkable

..

66

66

8

1683. "remarkable Inftance, than was to be obferv'd in "the prefent Revolution.

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Befides the foremention'd Reafons, they alledg'd, "That the placing the Prince of Orange fingly on "the Throne, would be a Caution to fucceeding Kings, of what fatal Confequence a general Derogation may be, when they found, by this Inftance, the Exercife of the Kingly Office in danger, not only with Reference to themfelves, but "likewife precarious to their Families. That the "Princefs of Orange would fhare in all the Glory of "a Crown, without the trouble of it, and would be "free from all Popish Reflections that the fate on her "Father's Throne whilft he liv'd; And that there "was no room for the Princess of Denmark to think "her felf neglected, the Exchange being attended "with many Advantages, by the Poftponing of "the Prince of Wales. That if the Prince of Orange were not King in his own Right, his In"tereft could not be entirely the Nation's; for tho' "his Bravery was an Affurance of his Sincerity

to us, yet if there remain'd any probability of "his returning to Holland, as upon the Death of "his Queen, if the only were Sovereign, his Inte"reft must be divided. That it was dangerous to "the Government it felf, to veft the Exercife of "the Soveraignty in both, for they might differ "in Sentiments of Things: That it was repug

nant to Grant the Crown to both, and fix the "Administration in one, fince the Administration "was an Incident infeparable from the Sovereign

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ty. Laftly, that it fupported the noble Maxim, "That a Neighbouring Nation may take Arms, to recue "a People opprefs'd by Tyranny; and that Foreign "Princes would be apt to look to themselves, when "they heard, by our Nation's Example of Gratitude, "That they are no longer fafe, than while juft to their "Subjects.

This Project being, in a great meafure, deroga tory to her Royal Highnefs the Princess of Denmark, 'twas fear'd her Highnefs, who had a confiderable Party in both Houfes, would hardly Confent to it: But however this Obftacle was foon after remov'd:

Her

Her Royal Highnefs preferring the Publick Good 168 before her private Intereft, both out of the great Concern the ever had for the Prefervation of the Proteftant Religion, and of the Laws and Liberties of England, and by the Mediation of the Lady Churchill, a Perfon no lefs diftinguifh'd by her prevailing Wit, than by thofe perfonal Accomplishments, on which principally the fair Sex value themselves, and for which they are generally admir'd. Befides this Difficulty, they were apprehenfive of another Party, which, 'twas fuppos'd, would be headed by a* Man of great Sway, and which confifted of Sir Ethose who defign'd to continue provifionally the S Adminiftration of Publick Affairs, Civil and Military, and the Difpofal of the Revenue in his Highnefs's hands; and to Impower him to make War against France, (a Point wherein all Parties concurr'd) to fee old Treaties executed, and, in cafe of need, to make new Alliances.

As for the Lords, tho' they were for keeping out the late King, yet there was a confiderable Party amongst 'em, who, to fave the Honour of the Church of England, and the Prerogatives of Monarchy, were for fending his Majefty an Invitation to return; but upon fuch hard Terms, as, in all probability, he would never condescend to; of which Party were the Earls of N, C, and R—, and most of the Bishops. As for the Affair of the Titular Prince of Wales, the Generality were of Opinion, that it ought to be left undecided, and not fo much as mention'd. Tho' it was still doubrful what Refolutions the Convocation would take, yet the Prince of Orange thought fit to fend for his Royal Confort, and order'd Admiral Herbert to attend her in her Paffage, with a Squadron of Durch Men of War, and fome English Yatchs.

The two and twentieth Day of January being The Coaves. come, both Houfes of the Convention met at Weft- tion meets, minfter, and immediately proceeded to the Choice Jan. 21. of their Speaker. In the Houfe of Peers, the Marquifs of Halifax carried it against the Earl of Danby; and in the Lower Houle Mr. Powle was urianimously Chofen, tho' 'twas thought that Sir El

ward