tinued to disturb public tranquillity; for that muft be a wretched people indeed, that are more easily driven than led into obedience to authority.

CHAP. XLIV.

GEORGE I. (Continued.)

Na conftitution fo very complicated as that of England, it muft neceffarily fuffer alterations from time; for fome of its branches may gain ftrength, while others become weaker. At this period, the orders placed between the king and the people acquired more than their fhare of power. The king himfelf being a foreigner, and ignorant of the laws and conftitution of the country, was kept under the controul of his minifters, who, by their private connexions, governed the parliament. At the fame time, the people, awed by the fears of imputed Jacobitifm, were afraid to murmur, and were content to give up their freedom for fafety. The rebellion now extinguished, only ferved to confirm the arrogance of thofe in power. The parliament had fhewn itself eager to fecond the views of the miniftry; and the pretended danger of the ftate, was made a pretext for continuing the parliament beyond the term fixed for its diffolution. An act, therefore, was made by their own authority, repealing that by which they were to be diffolved every third year, and the term of the duration was extended to seven years.

This attempt, in any delegated body of people, to en creafe their own power by extending it, is contrary to the first principles of justice. If it was right to extend their duration to feven years, they might alfo perpetuate their authority; and thus cut off even the fhadow of nomination. This bill, however,

I

ever, paffed both houfes, and all objections to it were confidered as difaffection. The people might murmur at this encroachment, but it was too late

for redrefs.

Domestic concerns being adjusted, the king began to turn his thoughts to his Hanoverian dominions, and resolved upon a voyage to the continent. He forefaw a storm gathering from Sweden. As Charles the twelfth, the extraordinary monarch of that country, was highly provoked against him for having entered into a confederacy with the Ruffians and Danes in his abfence, and for having purchased the towns of Bremen and Verden from the king of Denmark, which conftituted a part of his domin'ons. George, therefore, having paffed thro' Holland to Hanover, in order to fecure his German dominions, entered into a new treaty with the Dutch and the regent of France: by which they agreed mutually to affift each other in case of an invafion.

Nor were his fears from Sweden without foundation. Charles maintained a clofe correfpondence with the difaffected fubjects of Great Britain; and a fcheme was formed for the landing a confiderable body of Swedish forces, with the king at their head, in fome part of the island, where it was expected they would be joined by all the malecontents in the kingdom. Count Gyllenburg, the Swedish minifter in London, was peculiarly active in the confpiracy; but being feized with all his papers, by order of the king, the confederacy was broke from this time. However, a bill was paffed by the commons, prohibiting all commerce with Sweden, the trade with which country was of the utmost confequence to the English merchants. A fupply of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds was granted the king, to enable him to fecure his dominions against the threatened invafion. Thefe

were

were the first fruits of England's being wedded to the continent; however, the death of the Swedish monarch, who soon after was killed by a cannonball at the fiege of Frederichal in Norway, put an end to all difquietude from that quarter.

But this was the age of treaties, fubfidies, and political combinations. At that time the politicians of the age, fuppofed that fuch paper chains would be fufficient to fecure the permanence of dominion, but experience has fufficiently taught the contrary. Among other treaties concluded with fuch hopes, was that called the Quadruple Alliance. It was agreed upon between the emperor, France, England, and Holland, that the emperor fhould renounce all pretenfions to the crown of Spain, and exchange Sardinia for Sicily with the duke of Savoy; that the fucceffion to the dutchies of Tufcany, Parma, and Placentia, fhould be fettled on the queen of Spain's eldeft fon, in cafe the prefent poffeffors fhould die without male iffue. However, this treaty was by no means agreeable to the. king of Spain, and confequently it became p: ejudicial to the English, as it interrupted the commerce to that kingdom. But the intereft of England was not the object which this treaty was intended to fecure.

The difpleasure of the king of Spain foon broke out into open war against the emperor, whom he confider d as the chief contriver of this alliance; and a numerous body of Spanish troops were fent inte Italy to fupport Philip's pretenfions in that quarter. It was in vain that the regent of France attempted to diffuade him, in vain the king of England offered his mediation, their interpofition was rejected as partial and unjuft. War, in the prefent exhausted ftate of the English finances, was a real evil; but a rupture with Spain was refolved, on in order to fupport a very diftant intereft. A

ftrong

1

ftrong fquadron of twenty-two ships was equipped with all expedition, the command of which was given to Sir George Byng, and ordered to fail for Naples, which was then threatened by the Spa nish army. He was received with the greatest de monftration of joy by the inhabitants of that city, and was informed that the Spaniards to the amount of thirty thousand men, were then actually landed in Sicily. In this exigence, as no affiftance could be given by land, he refolved to fail thither, fully determined to pursue the Spanish fleet on which they had embarked. Upon coming round Cape Faro, he perceived two fmall Spanish veffels, and purfuing them clofely, they led him to their main fleet, which before noon he difcovered in line of battle, amounting, in all to twenty-feven fail. However, the Spanish fleet, upon perceiv ing the force of the English, attempted to fail a way, though fuperior in number. The English: had for fome time acquired fuch expertnefs ins naval affairs, that no other nation would attempt to face them, but with manifeft advantage. The Spaniards feemed diftracted in their councils, and acted with extreme confufion. They made a running fight, and the commanders behaved with courage and activity, in fpite of which they were all taken except three, which were preferved by the conduct of one Cammoe, their vice admiral, a native of Ireland. Sir George Byng behaved on this occafion with equal prudence and refolution, and the king wrote him a letter, with his own hand, approving his conduct. This victory, ne-. ceffarily produced the refentment and complaints of the Spanish minifters in all the courts of Europe; and haftened the declaration of war upon the part of the English, which had been hitherto delayed.

This rupture with Spain ferved once more to raife the declining expectations of the pretender and his adherents.. It was hoped that, by the affiftance of cardinal Alberoni, the Spanish minif ter, a new infurrection might be excited in England. The duke of Ormond was the perfon fixed upon to conduct this expedition; and he obtained from the Spanish court a fleet of ten fhips of war and tranfports, with arms for twelve thousand more. But fortune was ftill as unfavourable as ever. Hav ing fet fail: and proceeded as far as Cape Finisterre, he was encountered by a violent ftorm, which difabled his fleet, and fruftrated the expedition. This misfortune, together with the bad fuccefs of the Spanish arms in Sicily, and other parts of Eu-. rope, induced Philip to with for peace; and he at laft confented to fign the quadruple alliance. This was at that time thought an immenfe acquifition, but England though the procured the ratification, had no fhare in the advantage of the treaty.

The king having thus given peace once more to Europe, returned from the continent to receive the addreffes and congratulations of his parliament. From addreffing they proceeded to an object of much greater importance; this was the fecuring the dependency of the Irish parliament on that of Great Britain. One Maurice Annefly had appealed to the houfe of peers in England, from a decree made by the house of peers in Ireland, and this decree was reverfed. The British peers ordered the barons of the Exchequer in Ireland to put Mr. Annelley in poffeffion of the lands he had loft by the decree of the lords in that kingdom. The barons of the exchequer obeyed this order; and the Irish house of peers paffed a vote against them, as having attempted to diminish the just privileges of the parliament of Ireland and at the fame time

ordered