violations of the most facred principles of the conftitution. They forget that the question is not whether he acted agreeably to thofe enlarged ideas of political liberty which now prevail; but whether the regulated her conduct by the temper and spirit of the times in which fhe lived; and whether the violated any of thofe principles which were in that age held facred. On the other hand, it muft, without doubt, surprise those who conceive of Queen Elizabeth, as a princess poffeffed of defpotic authority, which is the idea Mr. Hume labours to inculcate, to be made acquainted with circumstances of her conduct and management in the course of her reign.

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In the very commencement of it, the odious and fanguinary inftruments of her fister's cruelties escaped with impunity; because they had acted under the fanction of the law. So mild were the maxims of the government at this period, that the deteftable and inhuman Bonner himff could venture to appear in public, and even at court, with perfect fecurity. The Queen indeed, it is remarked, averted her eyes, no doubt with horror, from that man of blood; but no other mark of difgrace or refentment followed. Bishop Burnet informs us, that Cecil and the other counsellors of Elizabeth were unanimoufly of opinion, that no fteps fhould be taken by the Queen's highness, to reftore the Proteftant religion, till a parliament could be fummoned; and we accordingly find, that nothing of confequence was done, in that im

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portant business, without the fanction of legislative authority. In the enfuing parliament, the affair of the fucceffion, which had been flightly touched on by the preceding one, was refumed with great warmth, and the Queen was reduced to a very disagreeable dilemma. The right of blood clearly rested in the houfe of Stuart; but the will of Henry VIII. the validity of which, though founded on an act of parliament was however the subject of much difpute, was exprefs in favour of the house of Suffolk. An authoritative and ultimate decifion in favour of either must be attended with obvious inconveniences to the reigning fovereign.

To prevent the Houfe from urging the matter any farther, fhe was obliged contrary probably to her real intentions, as well as her former declarations, to give them fome hopes, and intimations, that the entertained views of entering into the marriage ftate. With these hopes they appeared in a great degree fatisfied; but time proving them to be fallacious, in a few years they renewed their application for a fettlement of the crown, with greater vehemence than ever. The Queen on this occafion, was so far provoked, as to prohibit the House from proceeding any farther in this matter: however, as little regard was paid to her orders, however peremptory, the thought proper, by another meffage, graciously to revoke them, and to allow the House liberty of debate. She again intimated her intentions of speedy marriage; but, finding this artifice did not make much impreffion,

the plainly declared her apprehenfions, that the appointment of a fucceffor would be attended with great danger to her perfon; that she knew, by her own experience during the reign of her fifter, how much court was ufually paid to the next heir, and what dangerous facrifices men were disposed to make of their prefent duty to their future profpects; and that fhe was, therefore, determined to delay, till a more proper opportunity, the decifion of this important question.--The House, finding the extreme reluctance of the Queen to comply with their wishes, thought proper to drop the profecution of this fubject for the prefent; and the Queen, on diffolving the parliament, reiterated her proteftations of regard for the welfare and safety of her subjects, and disclaimed the moft diftant intention of encroaching on their rights and liberties; but, ftill fearing that her conduct might leave injurious impreffions, fhe voluntarily remitted a confiderable part of the fubfidy voted by parliament; declaring, that, as fhe had no immediate occafion for the money, fhe was as well fatisfied it fhould remain in her fubjects pockets as in her own Exchequer.

In the year 1571 another parliament was fummoned; and the principles of the Puritans having made great progrefs in the intervening years, attempts were made in the House of Commons to procure fome further reformation in religion; but the fuperintendency of ecclefiaftical affairs being

being vested in the crown by the act of fupremacy, the Queen took offence at these proceedings; and went fo far as to restrain, by an order of council, a member named Strictland, who had the prefumption to move the obnoxious bill in queftion, from giving his attendance in parliament, The Commons immediately took fire at this unusual stretch of power; and it was boldly and unrefervedly declared, that the Members of that House were amenable for their conduct, in that capacity, to no other jurisdiction; that, though the prerogative of the Crown ought not to be violated, yet was that prerogative limited by law; and that as the Sovereign could not make laws, so neither was he entitled to break them, of his own authority. The court party, by moving an adjournment, prevented the House from paffing any violent refolutions upon this occafion; and the next day the Queen had the good fenfe and moderation to fend her royal permiffion to Strictland to attend his duty in parliament. Upon a question respecting monopolies, the power of granting which at that time conftituted a dangerous branch of the prerogative, Sir Humphrey Gilbert advised the Houfe to beware, left, if they meddled farther with these matters, the Queen might look to her own power; and, finding herself able to fupprefs their challenged liberty, and to exert an arbitrary authority, might imitate the example of Lewis XI. of France, who, he observed, had delivered that crown from wardship; a plain indication, furely, that a fundamental difference

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difference at this time exifted, and was perceived to exist, between the two monarchies of France and England.

In the year fucceeding the defeat of the Armada, a parliament being held, fome regulations were proposed respecting the abufes of purveyance, and certain alterations moved in the practice of the court of Exchequer; upon which a kind of amicable difpute enfued between the Queen and the Commons. Lord Burleigh, in her name, infifted that these were matters which touched the prerogative; and, that the Queen had ample authority to rectify grievances of this nature, if applied to by way of petition; upon which the House appointed a committee to attend the Queen, and affure her, that their conduct did not proceed from want of duty or respect. The Queen received them with the most gracious condefcenfion; and, in her turn, affured her loving fubjects, that she had already given orders for an enquiry into the abufes attending purveyance, but that the progress of it was retarded by the dangers of the Spanish invasion: that, with the advice of her council and judges, fhe I would redress every grievance which had crept into the adminiftration of the courts of juftice; but could not admit, that the House of Commons, by laws moved without her privity, fhould deprive her of the honour attending these regulations.

In the next parliament application was again made to the Crown, by way of petition, against monopolies; which, indeed, appear to have been fufficiently