their abettors, if they would expect our acquiefcence, to prove that fome particular privilege, or, if you will, prerogative was granted to our monarchs in this refpect. But where is the con ftitation, or act, which diftinguishes the Royal Family in this? matter from an ordinary fubject? I have confulted the grand opinion, and 1 can find none. Our history gives very little fanction to the courtly doctrine held forth in that vaunted de cifion. Nor is it reafonable it hould. When men come to the years of difcretion, to the legal age of marriage, it is juft ando proper that they, fhould be at their own difpofal, and not fubi jected in a country which calls itself free, to the caprice of any man. Law, pofitive law, not the arbitrary will of an individuals fhould be the only reftraint. Men, who are by law allowed at one and twenty to be fit fuppofed capable of chor governing the realm, may well be and a wife. and twenty is the legal age of marriage for ordinary mortals. Why fhould a different rule hold with refpect to the Royal Family Do their underflandings ripen more flowly, or are they latery men? In the fucceffion to the crown we have adopted a differ ent rule. We fuppofe them at eighteen equal to the arducus talk of fwaying the fcepter, and at one and twenty they may be regents. Why then eftablish fuch oppofite and contradictory maxims? Is it the intention of the minister to prove by making us adopt the most abfurd and contradictory doctrines that we are in his hands but as a potters veffel which he may fashion and mould as he pleafes? I fhould be forry to find this aflembly treated with fuch contempt, and ftill more forry to deferve it. For this and various other reafons I move that That it does not appear that the propofition affirmed in his majefty's meflage, to this houfe, viz. that the right of approving all marriages in the royal family, has ever belonged to the kings of this realm, is founded in law, or warranted by the opinion of the judges of England." H. Semour Efqr. feccnded this motion. Wellbore Ellis, Efq; moved the order of the day (ie. the reading of the bill.) H. Herbert feconded the motion. The fpeakers then were, For Mr. Dowdeswell's motion. Hon. T. Pitt, (extremely £3 C. W. Cornwall Against it. 2 Lord Clare 4 A. Wedderburne (the best on this fide 6 T. Lockhart wal qurd bes R. Sutton 10 Sir G. Elliot 11 E. Burke (extremely well) 12 E. Thurlow Kk 14 H. Her 14 Hi Herbert (tho' he fe- 13 Lord North sconded Mr. Ellis's mo - tion) 15 Sir William Meredith, (very hoarfe) 16 General Conway The houfe divided upon the queftion of the order of the day; for it 268, against it 140.. Sir William Meredith then moved to adjourn, it being half an -hour past two o'clock, and several of the members retired thro fatigue the houfe divided upon the queftion, 134 for it, and 266 against it. Colonel Barre, then addressed the speaker in the following terms. Mr. Speaker, THE fpirit of adminiftration and the ductility of this affemb ly have for fome years paft been fuch that as even a minifterial member the other day faid, Ifhould not be furprifed to. fee the majority of the house, if ordered by a certain noble perfonage whom I have in my eye, attempt to come hither upon their heads. Let but the cabinet adopt the moft abfurd, the moft monftrous propofition, and it will be cordially received, and eagerly forwarded in St. Stephen's Chapel. The most deformed and ungainly brats of the minifter are fure to be here nurtured and reared up to maturity; a circumftance which puts me in mind of the Indians, who, when they find a monster of a very extraordinary and uncommon appearance, immediately adopt him as their fupreme God, as their Jupiter optimus maximus. The more abfurd and deteftable any of the premier's plans appear, the greater devotion his worshippers difcover. The doctrine propagated by him in the affair of the Middlefex election was pregnant with ruin and difgrace. What was the confequence? The zeal of his adherents encreafed in proportion; and they endeavoured to cover the uglinefs of the idol by the intenseness of their idolatry. Methinks the fame fymptoms are visible upon this occafion. What is wanted in argument gentlemen attempt to fupply by vehemence. Hence, had I not other authentick intelligence, I could trace the origin of this bill, which is evidently a King's measure. Who then wonders that the whole kingdom is fet in motion, and that members, who feldom honour thefe walls with their prefence, are preffed into their service? I have no doubt but we fhall foon feel the effects of fuch an extraordinary effort in the arrears of the civil lift. The final decifion of the Middlefex election was foon followed by a demand of more than half a million of money; and the reafon why it was immediately granted without any previous enquiry into the manner, in which the debt was contracted, can 望 be 2 be as little problematical in this affembly as it is throughout the whole nation. I therefore congratulate the abettors of the bill upon the profpect of the fine harvest, which lies before them. The crown will certainly fhew its gratitude for fo great an acceffion of prerogative, what though this violent act tears away the brightest jewel in his Majelty's diadem, the affection of the people, and in its place fubftitutes fear and jealoufy? Such a confideration is in thefe days no moment. Oderint dum metuant seems now to be the favourite maxim inculcated by those whom the king delighteth to honour. Having fapped the foundations of the conftitution, having in their own opinion impofed the yoke, and riveted the chains of the people, they would, in order to make every thing fure and folid, reduce every branch, every individual of the royal family to the fame abject ftate of fervitude. Obferving that the divifions of the regal line frequently contributed in ancient times to the preservation of liberty, because the difcontented princes threw themselves into the fcale of the people, and thus formed a balance to the exceffive weight of the crown; obferving, I fay, this circumftance, they will not even leave the femblance of liberty ton these devoted victims, but render them totally dependent upon the caprice of a king; or rather of his minifter. But is this plan in fact calculated for making the royal line entirely fubfervient and obfequious to the fovereign, and for producing that defpotic calm, at which they aim? On the contrary. it will prove the fource of endless diffentions and quarrels as well among the royal family as among the people. Do you imagine that any man arrived at the age of maturity, much lefs a young fpirited prince, will fubmit with patience to the lofs of the rights of a man, to that power enjoyed by the meaneft fubject, to the right of difpofing of himself in marriage, when he has arrived at the legal age of maturity,, at the common years of difcretion, which entitle all but idiots and lunaticks to chufe a help meet for them, as their own fancy directs. Is it the intention of the minifter by this bill to make us infinuate that our royal family are but ideots or lunaticks? Though they have not fagacity to perceive it, this is the compliment which they pay to his majesty, when they fuppofe his family incapable of walking without leading ftrings till the age of twenty-five? Why do I say the age of twenty-five? T he bill continues their state of minority for ever, and leaves them pupils and wards of his majesty and the parliament all their life. In order, however, to make amends, his majelty, let him be ever fo young, ever fo ignorant an inexperienced, is fuppofed to be at eighteen endowed with e good quality both of head and heart, being invefted with to provide himfelf a proper confort, and to act asigurare? odis former guardian, to the man who was perhaps regent of the realm, fuperintended his education, and provided him with fwaddling cloaths. Sir, you need not fmile; Princes, like other mortals, muft be rocked in their cradles, and have their rattles and hoboy horfes. However much delfied upon the throne they were once but boys, I wifh they did not frequently continue fo, and prove themfelves not only lefs than men, but more mischievous than unlucky boys. Had this bill been calculated for confining their freaks and fallies within bounds, its object would be rational; becaufe, as the influence of the crown is now fo much extended, they are of all others most to be dreaded. You may give them what epithets you please; you may call them God's vicegerents and vicars-general upon earth.Names will not alter the nature of things. They will not prove lefs tyrannical and defpotic. Nay, the higher you exalt them, the more they will trample upon their fubjects. When this is the ftate of the cafe, why fhould I wonder that you have chofen this dark and midnight hour for fo black and attrocious a deed; This is the murderous feafon of the night, and you have with propriety pitched upon it, for giving a vital ftab to liberty, and for effecting a purpose much more hellish than the gunpowder-treafon. Kings, Lords, and Commons may foon be replaced, all blown up in the air; but a doft conftitution who can reftore? men are the offspring of a fingle generation; but a fyftem of wife laws is the work of #Agesien AM H. Herbert moved to adjourn: He was feconded by Mr. Stephen Fox, Efq; but this motion was withdrawn, upon an agreement, that the debate upon the principle of the bill, hould come on this day (Wednesday) upon the motion for the fpeaker's leaving the chair. Meid I The principles which the miniftry maintained throughout the whole debate, and in which they were fupported by their prostitute crown lawyers, were, that although this prerogative was undefined, both as to its power, and the objects of it, yet was abfolutely vefted in the crown by the conftitution, and the common law of the land, from time immemorial to this day; and that an act done contrary to, or in defiance of it, though in the exercife of the common rights of the fubject, was a contempt of this prerogative; a crime at common law, and was punishable by fine and imprisonment. On Wednesday March 11, upon the order of the day being read, for the houfe of commons to refolve itself into a committee of the whole houfe, on the royal marriage bill, a long deby bate enfuedolomi The question was whether the speaker fhould leave the chair? The 1 The following is a lift of the gentlemen who fpoke for and against the queftion, numbered in order that they rofesio bobong No. Hon. Stephen Fox 4 Lord Bellafyfe Captain Phipps Mr. Herbert 38 Mr. Hampden 9 Lord Folkftone 13 Col. Barre' ཛྫཱས་ 21 Mr. Cornwall 24 Sir W. Meredith wrumbo Ayoobswl dw wid 2 Mr. Hart dio salo 3 Mr. Stanley, isda svan ons 6 Mr. Cooper se mogu bit 10 Mr. Onflow vinenpool tom 11 Lord Jn. Cavendish 17 n 10 s 14 Mr. Jenkinson 2:1 od 9d FOX 16 Lord G. Germaine 29 to Lord Advocate of Scotland 18 Mr. Rufhout Boy: skolą 19 Mr. Dowdeswell noqu ler 20 Mr. W. Burke ved 22 Lord North,zs moy radgid 23 Mr. A. Powlett ant 25 Mr. T. Townshend bow. 27 Sr W. Meredith, to 26 Mr. E. Burke, une dosid of reply 28 Mr. E. Burke, to reply ad Upon the queftion, the Noes were 64, and the Ayes 300. They adjourned till Friday. bad stom On Friday came on, at half paft three o'clock in Da £ Commitee of the whole House the further confideration of the Royal marriage Bill, Welbore Ellis, Efq; in the Chair when there were again five divifions: The first was upon an amendment propofed by Mr. Dowdeswell, to leave out in the fecond page, line 20 of the Bill, the following words: perfift in his or her refolution to contract a marriage difaproved of, or diffented from, by the King, his heirs, or fucceffors, that then fuch defcendant fhall give notice to his Majesty's Privy Council;" and infert, intend to contract any marriage, fuch defcendant fhall give noticed to his Majefty's Privy Conucil of his or her intention, together with the name and addition of the party with whom he or 3 or the fhall intend to marry as aforesaid, 16 C 2 Queftion put, that the words propofed to be left out fhall Hand as part of the motion; Ayes 103; Noes 48 db te Second page, line 27, amendment was propofed to leave out twelve," and infert one.' The question was then put that the word twelve ftand part of the claufe; Ayes 127; Noes 60 and Page the fecond, line 31, leave, out, “ and fhall be good. |