31 Car, II.

Weight, and therefore he should confider of 4.D.1679. it. And fome Time after, the King fent the Commons a Meffage by the Lord Ruffel, to acquaint them, That he confented the Law Thould pass upon Pickering, but as to the other condemn'd Priests, the House of Peers had fent for them, in order to a further Examination; and put them in mind of granting Supplies, for fitting out a Fleet, for the Defence of the Kingdom, of which little Notice was taken; but they granted upwards of two 200,000l. hundred Thousand Pounds, for disbanding isbanding given for the reft of the Army, of which they pretend- the Army. ed to be in much more Dread than of a foreign Enemy.

The Commons receiving a Meffage from The Lords the Lords, the Beginning of May, That the appoint Earl of Danby adhered to his Plea of Pardon, argue the a Day to' and pray'd to be heard by his Council, to Validity of make good the Validity thereof; and that it the Earl of Danby's was order'd by the Lords Spiritual and Tem- Pardon. poral, That Saturday the 10th Inftant be appointed for hearing the Earl make good his Plea; and that the five Popish Lords in the Tower should be brought to their Trials, on Wednesday the 14th of this Month: The The ComCommons thereupon refolved, That no Commons formoner fhould prefume to maintain the Vali- Council to dity of the Earl of Danby's Pardon, without plead for the Confent of the Houfe; and whoever did, the Earl. should be accounted Betrayers of the Liberties of the Commons of England, which was order'd to be pofted up in Westminfier-Hall, and the Inns of Court.

bid the

between

the two

There were also fome Differences between Differences the two Houses concerning the Trials of the Popish Lords: For the Peers had addrefs'd Houles, the King, to appoint a High Steward, which concerning

the

Lords.

A.D.1679 the Commons thought unneceffary on a Trial in Parliament; and this occafion'd fome Con31 Car.II. ferences, at one of which, the Lords acthe Trial of quainted the Commons, That they had rethe Earl of ceived a Petition from the Earl of Danby, ferDanby, and the Popish ting forth, That his Council durft not appear to argue the Validity of his Pardon, by reafon of a Vote of the Houfe of Commons; and that their Lordships defired to know, Whether there was any fuch Vote as was alledged in the Said Petition? To which the Commons, inftead of giving an immediate Anfwer, fell upon their Fears and Jealoufies again; and, The Com-to alarm the People, addrefs'd his Majefty to mans ad- raife the Militia of London, Westminster, and King, to Middlefex, to defend them against the Papifts, raife the that fwarm'd about Town, at this Time, as they pretended: They refolved alfo to fit on Sunday, as they had done a Fortnight before, to confider how to avoid thefe threatning Refolve on Dangers; and then order'd a Bill to be a Bill of brought in to difable the Duke of York to inheric the Crown, as the only Expedient that

drefs the

Militia.

Exclufion.

Refolve to could remove their Fears: After which, they

revenge

the Papists.

the King's refolved, Nemine Contradicente, That in DeDeath on fence of the King's Perfon, and the Proteftant Religion, they would ftand by his Majefty with their Lives and Fortunes: And if his Majefty fhould come to any violent Death, they would revenge it to the utmost upon the Papifts; and attending his Majefty with an Addrefs of the fame Tenor, he answer'd; Gentlemen, I thank you for the Żeal for the Prefervation of the Proteftant Religion, and of my Perfon: And I affure you, I shall do what in me lies, to fecure the Proteftant Religion; and am willing to do all fuch Things, as may tend to the Good and Benefit of my Subjects.

The

Lords,

The Lords, about the fame Time, commu- A.D.1679 icated their Refolutions to the Commons, in 31 Car.II. relation to the impeach'd Lords, viz. That the Office of High Steward, on the Trials Refolutiof Peers upon Impeachments is not neceffary, ons of the but that the Lords may proceed upon fuch concerning Trials, if a High Steward be not appointed, Trials, at their humble Defire; and that a Lord High Steward was but a Speaker, or Chairman, for the more orderly Proceedings at Trials. II. That the Lords Spiritual have a Right to stay in Court, in capital Cafes, 'till the Court proceed to the Vote of Guilty, or Not Guilty. The Lords alfo acquainted the Commons, That they had appointed Thursday the twenty fecond Inftant for the Trials of the five Lords; and that thereupon the Lords Spiritual had ask'd Leave of the House, that they might withdraw themfelves from the Trials of the faid Lords, with the Liberty of entering their ufual Proteftations: But the Difputes Commons declared, that the Lords Spiritual the Right concerning ought not to have any Vote in any Proceed of the Spiings against the Lords in the Tower, which ritual put a Stop to the Trials of thofe Lords for Lords to the prefent, and Books were written on both. Trials. Sides, concerning the Right of the Lords Spiritual to fit and yote in Capital Cafes.

vote in

ftance of

The Commons, in the mean Time, finish'd The Subtheir Bill for the Exclufion of the Duke of the Bill of Tork, whereby he was render'd incapable of Exclufion. inheriting the Crown; and it was provided, that on the Demise of his Majesty, his Dominions fhould devolve on the Perfon next in Succeffion, as if the Duke were dead; and that if any one should endeavour to fet the Duke upon the Throne, or correfpond with him for that End, he should incur the Guilt of

31 Car.II.

AD 1679 High Treafon: And if the Duke should come into any of the British Dominions, he fhould alfo be deem'd guilty of High Treafon : All Perfons were required to feize and imprifon him; and in Cafe of Refiftance made by him and his Adherents, to fubdue them by Force of Arms. This Bill, at the fecond Reading, was carried by a great Majority, viz. Yeas The Parlia- 207, Noes 128: But the Parliament being ment pro- prorogued on the 27th of May, they proceedrogued.

ed no further in it this Seffion. The Earl of Shaftsbury was at this Time preparing Remonftrances, to incite the People against the Government; but being disappointed in finishing At which them by this fudden Prorogation, he raved Shaftsbury like a Madman, crying out in the House, He

rages.

would have the Heads of thofe who were the Advifers of it: To fuch a Height of Arrogance was this Incendiary arrived. The moft material Act that pafs'd this Seffions was that The Ha- for the Security of the Liberty of the Subject, ufually ftiled, The Habeas Corpus Act; the Benefit whereof we enjoy at this Day.

beas Cor

pus Act pafs'd. The Scots

rebel.

The Scots obferving how confiderable the Malecontents were in England, began to lead the Way to another Rebellion; in which they did not doubt of being fupported by their Friends in the South, as they were in the former For, at their Field Conventicles, they difplay'd the Banners of JESUS CHRIST, as they call'd their COLOURS: Their Preachers declaring, That this was the Time of their Deliverance, when God would take Vengeance of their Enemies: Only they must repent, be frong, and of great Courage, and fight the Battles of the Lord manfully; and then difperfed Lifts of fuch Men as they had deftin'd to Deftruction, among whom were Doctor Sharp, Archbishop

of

of St. Andrews, whom they term'd, a perjur'd and Apoftate Prelate; and foon after murder'd this excellent Man, in the following Manner.

A.D.1679

31 Car. II

Arch

drews.

His Grace, having affifted at a Council at They mur. Edinburgh, went over from thence into Fife, der the in the Afternoon, on the fecond of May, bishop of 1679: He lodged that Night at Captain St. 4nSeaton's, in a Village call'd Kennoway, which is in the Mid-way, between Bruntifland and St. Andrews. About Midnight, as the People of the Town report, two Men, well mounted, and arm'd, came thither to enquire, if the Archbishop of St. Andrews was lodged at Captain Seaton's, and as foon as they were inform'd that he was, they prefently rode out of the Town again. The next Morning, being the third of May, feveral Parties of Horfemen were feen to traverfe the Road betwixt Kennoway and St. Andrews; but the Lord Primate, who was a Man of great natural Courage, and whom fo many Deliverances, for almoft Twenty Years, from the Hands of thofe bloody Zealots, had now brought to an entire Confidence in God's Protection, took Coach about Nine of the Clock, having none but his elder Daughter with him, and three Servants on Horfeback, to attend him; one of whom he had fent, before he was affaulted, to pay his Refpects to a Perfon of Honour, by whofe House he pafs'd on the Road. He advanced in his Journey in great Security, 'till he came to a little Country Village, call'd Magus, two Miles diftant from St. Andrews, betwixt Eleven and Twelve of the Clock in the Forenoon; there he first perceived himself to be purfued by Eleven or Twelve Men, bareVOL. XXIII,

H

faced,