This was the Way the Parliament took in the Reign of Edward the IId. when they wanted to get rid of a moft pernicious Favourite, Pierce Gavefton, a Frenchman, who had fo poffeffed the King, that he entirely neglected the Counfels of his Nobles, and the Affairs of State. In his first Parliament, they unanimously befought the King to advise and treat with his Nobles concerning the State of the Kingdom; and at the fame time falling themselves into a very ftrict Examination of Affairs on their Part; they urged the Matter with fuch good Succefs, that the King confented that they should reduce into Articles, all that was neceffary for the Good of the Nation, and took an Oath to ratify all their Refolutions. Amongst the e Articles, after requiring the Obfervation and Execution of Magna Charta, with all other neceffary Ordinances; They infift that, all Strangers should be banished the Court and Kingdom; and all ill Counsellors removed; That the King fhould not begin any War, or go any where out of the Kingdom, without the Common Council of his People. Walfingham fays upon. this Head, p. 99, That the Barons librato utrobique periculo, inveniunt, quod vivente Petro, esse non poterat Pax in Regno, nec Rex abundare Thefauro: So they never refted till he was banished the Kingdom.

It seems likewife, that in this Reign the Ladies were begging and intriguing at Court: For the Lady Vefcey. was accused of having procured to Sir Henry Beaumont, her Biother, and others, feveral Lands, Rents, Tenements, Franchises, and Offices, by which means the Kingdom came to be loaded with Taxes and Impofitions; for which fhe was ordered to leave the Court, without ever returning to make any Stay there.

The very Talk only of fuch an Enquiry into the State of the Nation, has made a Miniftry fometimes very wifely produce an Offender, give up one or more of their own Number, or redrefs fome Grievances chiefly complained of, left by not preventing fuch an Enquiry, they might run a Rifque of being obliged to redress more Grievances than perhaps at first were thought of. A principal Point fhall be yielded fometimes to avoid farther Trouble.

This

This has no relation to us at prefent. We all know how far our Great Men are fron fuch Apprehenfions; how little Reafon a Minifty have to fear any thing that might be trumped up upon fuch an Enquiry. I am fatisfied Gibraltar is ftill in our Hands; and I am as well fatisfied, notwithstanding the Expence of our Fleet, with fo many Thousands on board, there can be no Danger of a War with the Czar, which indeed can never be of any Service to England.

As for what is paft in the Mediterranean: If it has coft us Money, we have got Honour, by fhewing how well we can fight upon the leaft Oceafion. No, no, when those who are fufpected of having had Part in the late traiterous Defign, and the Gains of it, have acquitted themselves in that Point, to the Satisfaction of all honeit Men, I will venture them innocent of a hundred other Mi carriages, which fome peevish People pretend to charge them with.

Inftance happened referred to in their The Story is this:

In the Reign of Edward II. the which the Parliament of Richard II. Meffage, as we have cited it above. Hugh Spencer, being made Lord Chamberlain, and a Man of equal Infolence and Ambition with Gavistun, fo infinuated himself with the King, that he fucceeded to all that Favourite's Authority, and alfo to the Hatred of the People. Spencer the Father was, for his Son's Sake, taken into Play, and made Earl of Winchester, as he himself was Farl of Glocefter.

Upon which the Earls of Lancafler and Hereford, with many other Barons, affembled and fwore mutually to live and die in Maintenance of the Rights of the Kingdom; and in procuring the Banishment of the Spencers, whom they held as the Seducers of the King, and Oppreffors of the State, fuffering nothing to be obtained but by their Means, which was a Mifchief most intole rable to the State: "For that when all Graces and Dispatches were to pafs out but at one Door, the King's Benignity was diminished, and Corruption. was introduced to the Overthrow of Juftice and good "Order." In fhort, thefe Lords procured the Spencers to be banished in Parliament. May all Minifters, who exercise the fame Monopoly, meet with the fame Fate.

How

However, as the King was rather forced to this, than convinced of his Duty in it, Means were found to elude the Effect of the Sentence, and Spencer the Son made shift to hide himself in England, with the King's Connivance, till a fair Occafion fhould offer for his Return, which happened foon after, but to the utter Ruin of both; for the Queen being difgufted, as well as Lords and Commons, the ordered Matters fo, as to get a sufficient Power; who declaring that their Defign was only to deliver the Kingdom from evil Counsellors, they were easily successful. The Favourites were hanged with the utmoft Ignominy, and the unhappy King folemnly depofed, as unfit to govern, for these Reasons among others: "For that in all his Reign he had been mifled, and governed by others, who gave him evil "Counsel, to the Dishonour of himself and the Destruc"tion of his People, not confidering or knowing whe"ther it was good or evil; nor would remedy those

Things, when he was petitioned by the Chief Men "of his Kingdom, nor fuffer them to be redrefled.” So wrong is it to trifle with a Parliament, who by their Misfortunes are become seriously in earnest.

A late Great Man of the fame Name with those just mentioned, who was certainly a wife Man too, no fooner found he began to be pecked at, with fome Eagerness, by a House of Commons, but he came to the King and refigned his Staff, telling him he found he was not ablę to do him any Service in a public Post: He did not expose his Master for his own private Intereft, nor attempt to fcreen himself behind the Affection which the People might bear to the Perfon of the King. There ought to be no absenting for a little while, no laying down one Poft and keeping others. When a Nation is exafperated, and a Minifter is become heartily disagreeable, the only Way for an honest Servant to exprefs his Love to his Mafter, is to yield up all; and the most popular Thing a Prince can do, is, to give up thofe that are difguitful to his People.

Thus did Harry the Eighth, than whom certainly there never was a more pofitive Prince. Becaufe, fays the Hiftorian, the Authors of Oppreffion and Injustice are always moft odious; and nothing gives a People

more

*

more Satisfaction, than to fee their Perfecutors punished: He caused Empĵon and Dudley, the two chief Actors in the late rapacious Proceedings, to be committed to the Tower; and divers of the inferior Agents, called Aiders and Abettors, to be fet in the Pillory: Soon after this he calls a Parliament, where the principal Proceedings. were, with regard to Empfon's and Dudley's Extortions: Upon which the King, that he might enlarge the People's Confidence and Affection towards him, was willing to restrain fomething of his own Authority. In fhort, Empfon and Dudley were attainted of High Treafon; and the King, to fatisfy the importunate Clamours of his People, caused them both to be beheaded; by which he gained the Affection of the Nation, and was in perfect Peace and Safety with his People.

If a House of Commons cannot attack a Minifter, or even a Ministry, upon a popular Grievance, but immediately the King and Ministry must be blended together; and they are wicked enough to try to caft the Odium upon him, or to fcreen themselves by him; there is an End of our Conftitution. 'Tis indeed, a very true and a very juft Maxim with us, that the King can do no wrong, but it ought to be carried no farther; we must not add nor his Miniftry neither; for in that Cafe, none but the Tools of Minifters can ever be punished for the greatest Abuses; which would be a fad Cafe in the prefent Mifery and Poverty we are reduced to.

Let us fuppofe that Harry the Eighth had tacitly encouraged Empfon and Dudley in plundering the Subjects, and had had no inconfiderable Share of the Gains himfelf, as it is certain Harry the Seventh had; would it, or indeed ought it, to have availed them any Thing, (when the Parliament were enquiring into their Actions) to have told the King, "Sir, you have had your Share "of this Booty; they ftrike at you more than at us; you must screen us (happen what will) or elfe more may come out than is proper to be known.” Could any thing have raifed the Indignation of the whole Nation against them more than this, if it was known? And as for the Prince, he might well have anfwered them "I will not be accountable for this Mischief, by taking it upon myself; I was not let into the Secret; I un

"derstood

"derstood no Harm by it; You ought to have advised me better; but fince I now find that you only drew me in to hide your own Avarice, depend upon it, I fhall the more willingly give you up to the juft Re"fentment of my People, and I am juftified in it, both by the Laws of God and my Kingdom."

Having made a few Remarks upon fome Paffages in our English History; it may not be amifs to g ve fome Inftances of the good Oeconomy, and the steady and unbiaffed Virtue of the Romans, fince it was by the fe, and thefe alone, they became fo great and powerful.

Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, was very defirous to conclude a Peace with the Romans; in order to which, having got Fabricius alone, he tries in the following Speech to corrupt him.

"As I defire to have all the reft of the Romans for my Friends, so especially you C. Fabricius, who I "efteem as a Perfon that excels all others for your Conduct, as well in Civil as Military Affairs; yet I am forry to see you wanting in one Point, I mean of an "Eftate, that may enable you to live in that Port, "which becomes a Perfon of your Quality. But I will "not fuffer this Injury of Fortune to be any longer "troublesome to you, and I will beftow on you fo much "Gold and Silver, as fhall make you richer than any "of your Fellow-Citizens; for I reckon it becomes one in my Condition to relieve fuch great Men as are poor, who have always aimed more at getting Honour than Money: Yet I would not have made you "this Offer, if the Honour of this Benefit accrued to me with Dishonour to yourself; but now because you come not upon any perfidious Defign, or that which "is at all unworthy your Character, why fhould you "refuse a small Prefent offered you, out of Kindness,

by a Friend; for I ask nothing of you but what may, yea, and ought to be done by any honeft Man, that " is a Lover of his Country; that you will endeavour to carry it for making Peace with me in the Senate, who "have already gained a Battle, and bring them off from "their Obftinacy to a more moderate Temper."

Fabricius had too much Honesty to accept the Money, and too much good Senfe not to know he could not

long