Obedience, in their Return, to the Diocefan, the King Edward VI. Bishop certify'd the King what he had done purfuant to his Command: And of this we have an Inftance as low as the Reign of King Henry the Eighth.

The Clergy thus fummon'd to Parliament by the King and Diocefan, met for the Choice of their Proxies. For this Purpose, the Dean, or Prior, held his Chapter, and the Archdeacon his Synod: The Representatives being chofen in thefe Aflemblies, were fent up to the Parliament, with Procuratorial Letters from the Chapter and Clergy, to give them an Authority to act in their Names, and on the Behalf of their Electors.

• Thefe Letters were for the most part address'd to the King, tho' fometimes they began with a general Application, To all Perfons whom it might concern: But ftill the Subftance of them was to make, ordain, and appoint the Perfons, who were fent by them, Their Proctors to appear on their Behalf in Parliament; there to treat with the Prelates and great Men of the Realm, of the Things to be debated there for the Intereft of the King and Kingdom, and to confent to what 'fhould be agreed to on their Behalf; and to engage themfelves to ftand by what their Proctors fhould do, under the Caution or Forfeiture (ma6 ny Times) of all their Goods.

There were usually two Copies of thefe Procuratorial Letters deliver'd to every Proxy; one of thefe was to be kept by this Reprefentative, and the other put into the Hands of the Clerk of Parliament in order to be inroll'd.

That the Lower Clergy formerly fent their Reprefentatives to Parliament, may be prov'd by a famous Refolution in Bird and Smith's Cafe, in the Reign of King James the Firft. Here the Lord Chancellor Egerton, Popham Chief Juftice of Eng-land, Coke Chief Juftice of the Common Pleas, and Fleming Chief Baron, befides other Things, refolv’d that the Canons of the Church, made by the Convocation and the King, without a Parliament,

fhall

King Edward VI, fhall bind in all Ecclefiaftical Matters no less than an Act of Parliament. As a Medium to prove this, they affirm the Convocation was once Part of the Parliament. And fince the lower Clergy were parted from the House of Commons, they carried their Share of Legislature along with them into the Convocation. They founded their Refolution farther, upon a celebrated Precedent of both Houses of Parliament, Anno 21 Henry VIII. Where, after a full Debate in a Conference, it was retolv'd, that when the Convocation makes Canons concerning Matters within their Jurifdiction, they are binding to the whole Realm.

To proceed.

Records of the Procuratorial Letters above-mention'd, run up as high as King Edward the Firft. Through how many Reigns afterwards, the Representatives of the Lower Clergy acted with the Temporal Commons in Parliament, is not eafy to determine. 'Tis probably conjectur'd, that about the Time of King Henry the Sixth, this Ufage began to be discontinued, and quite dropp'd by Degrees. The Clergy themfelves are thought to have contributed towards the parting with this Privilege. It feems they look'd on their Parliamentary Attendance, as a Kind of Burthen, and therefore were not unwilling to be difengag'd.

But whether they were in the Right, or not, is another Question.

Tho' the Lower Clergy feem not to have come to Parliament for more than two hundred Years laft paft, the Kings, notwithstanding, have ftill continued to keep on their Right in the Writ of Summons, which has been executed by the Bifhops. The Premonitory Claufe is ftili the fame it was three hundred Years fince, except the Alteration of Priors into Deans. There are feveral Records to prove, that the Bishops Mandates were fent to the Deans and Archdeacons; that Proctors were chofen, and empower'd to act for their Electors, to the End of the Reign of King Henry the Seventh. There are likewife Inftances to prove that the fame Practice was kept on from the Period laft mention'd,

mentioned, to the Year 1640. This Præmonitory King Edward VI. Claufe being ftill inferted in the Bishops Writ of Summons, 'tis concluded they may legally execute it, pursuant to ancient Cuftom, if they think fit.

To proceed to another Branch of the Petition of the lower Houfe of Convocation. That is, that Matters of Religion may be debated in their Houfe; that by this Means the Cafe may be fully difcufs'd, the Controverfy clear'd, and the Confciences of People well fettled. They likewife defire, as hath been obferv'd, that no Statutes, in which Religion, or the Interest and Jurifdiction of the Clergy, are nearly concern'd, may be enacted, till the lower Houfe of Convocation have at leaft examin'd the Bill, and reported their Reasons upon it. To prove the lower Clergy not ill founded in this Request, I fhall infert a Paper in the Records, drawn up by a very learned Hand, and lodg'd in the Paper Office, from whence I tranfcrib'd it (p). The Defign of it is to prove, that Matters relating to the Doctrine and Government of the Church, ought to be determined by Ecclefiafticks: And here the Reader will find the Imperial Conftitutions, the Parliament Rolls, and other valuable Authorities cited to this Purpose."

Thus much for the Sentiments of Bishop Burnet and Mr. Collier, concerning this pretended Right of the Inferior Clergy to fit and vote in Parliament.Archbishop Wake (q) has treated this Matter more fully; but to give the whole Quotation would exceed the Limits of this Volume: We, therefore, refer the Reader to the Differtation at large, and particularly the two firft Chapters.

(p) This Paper is printed in Collier's Appendix of Records to his fecond Volume, p. 61.

(g) Archbishop Wake's State of the Church, Folio, 1703.

Queen

Queen Mary.

TH

Queen MARY.

HE laft King, Edward, dying in a State of Non-Age, after he had been a long Time in a great Inability of Body, was prevailed upon, by the Artifices and unbounded Ambition of the Duke of Northumberland, to fettle the Crown by Will, on the Lady Jane Grey, eldest Daughter to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, by Mary Queen Dowager of France, and Sifter to Henry the eighth. And to get the Reins of Government nearer his own Hand, the Duke had her married to the Lord Guilford Dudley, his fourth Son; the three firft being already in that State.

This was the boldest Step that ever was taken by a Subject; not only to fet afide King Henry's Will, but also a folemn Act of Parliament, which had fettled the Crown, in Failure of Iffue by King Edward, on the Princeffes Mary and Elizabeth, in Succeffion; the now only remaining Children of King Henry. But grafping at too much Power, this ambitious Man loft all; and, not only had his own Head taken off on a Scaffold, but involved his Son and the unfortunate Lady Jane in

the fame Ruin. ́ ́

It is not in the Scope of this Hiftory to defcant any more on a Subject, fo well known to every common Reader of our English Annals. Sufficient it is to fay, that Mary, after a fhort Struggle against her, was recognized Queen of England, and crowned as fuch, at Westminster, on the firft Day of October, in the Year 1553.

It is now we enter upon the Tranfactions of a Reign, fo variously described, fo praised or cenfured -by Authors of different Persuasions in Religion, that it is difficult to come at Truth, undisguised with -Flattery or Invectives. The Popish Writers of the Reformation, or, as they term it, the English Schifm,

are

are but few in Number, in Comparison of their An- Queen Mary. tagonists; amongst whom Nicholas Sanders is the boldest Champion for that Cause. John Foxe appears at the Head of the Reformers. To ftear fafely, between this Scylla and Charybdis, is an arduous. Task; but, to avoid all Imputation of Partiality, we shall confine ourselves, as much as poffible, from any Reflections of our own, unless where the Subject Matter requires fuch Explanation.

As the Acts in the Parliaments of this Reign are directly repugnant to those paffed in the laft, and great Part of the preceeding one, Authors have not stuck to fay that the Members of them were got together by undue Influence on the Electors, falfe Returns, and illegal discharging of fome of the Members. Bifhop Burnet has laid this heavy Charge on Queen Mary's Ministry, from the Teftimony of one Beal, Clerk of the Closet in Queen Elizabeth's Time; and Mr. Rapin, our more modern Proteftant Writer, has greatly enlarged upon it. As the Charge is very extraordinary, this laft Author's own Words are the fitteft to be made ufe of on this Occafion (9).

The Court had refolved to abrogate all the Laws Rapin's Characmade in favour of the Reformation, and to restore ter of her first Parliament. the antient Religion. This was not to be done without the Concurrence of the Parliament. But if Elections had been left free, it would have been difficult, not to fay impoffible, for the Queen to fucceed in her Defign. The Number of the Reformed was without Comparison greater than that of the Roman-Catholicks, and confequently the Elections would not probably be favourable to her. But befides the ordinary Ways made ufe of by Kings to have Parliaments at their Devotion, all Sorts of Artifices, Frauds, and even Violences, were practised in this. As Care was taken beforehand to change the Magiftrates in the Cities and Counties, and there was not one almost but was a Roman-Catholick, or had promised to be fo, every Thing tending to the Election of Catholick Reprefentatives was countenanced. On the contrary, thofe who were fufpect

(4) Hiftory of England, Vol. II. Pag. 33.

ed