ads of their poorer neighbours. Whenever three or four of these ants thought fit to parcel out a contiguous common among -elves, they set the greatest rogue of an attorney in the district rk, to draw a Bill, and to go round the parish for a sufficient er of signatures, or consents, of the poor devils who were thus red to sell their own and their great-grand-children's births for a mess of pottage :-and woe betided the miserable cotwhether male or female,-old or young,-widow or orphan, 10 refused to sign the fatal deed!-their wretched alternative to choose between the ejection of themselves and families from hovels and homesteads, or of their cattle, their donkeys, and geese, from the common which had been bequeathed by their athers to them and to their children, FOR EVER!

some oversight of the printer, the following passages were not aserted in their proper places: they are too important to be Itogether omitted.—

In Dec. 1678, the Earl of Danby, Lord Treasurer, was impeached the Commons for endeavouring to subvert the constitution, and Introduce arbitrary government. He affirmed, on his honour, that had never done any thing of great moment, for which he had not vays had the King's command: but this was of no avail; for he is dismissed from his post, and the Treasury put into commission. In Feb. 1679, the King fearing that the new Parliament would ́oceed against the Earl of Danby, granted him a full pardon under e great seal; but, on March 20th, the Commons reminded the ords of the impeachment, and desired that he might be committed; hereupon he absconded. On the 22d the King went to the House, nd spoke in his favour. The Lords then offered to appease the Commons by bringing in a Bill to remove the Earl from the King's person, and to render him incapable of holding any place or office, r of sitting in the House of Peers ;-but this the Commons rejected, and moved an address to his Majesty on the irregularity and illegality of the royal pardon, and the dangerous consequences of granting pardons to persons impeached.-On the 26th, the Lords sent a message to the Commons, acquainting them that they had sent to apprehend the Earl, but that he was not to be found; whereupon they ordered a Bill to be brought in for the delinquent to appear

on, or before, the 21st of April, or to stand attainted:
on the 15th he surrendered, and was committed to the Twe
the 25th, he pleaded the King's pardon, which, however,
mons resolved was illegal and void; and they demanded
of the Lords against him*.

In the year 1680 was passed the celebrated Habes (s.
Act; in which it was provided that prisoners should bare",
Habeas Corpus to bring them up and be discharged from
unless detained by legal process t.

In the debate about the prosecution of the Lord Treasurer Darby, of a very peculiar speech pronounced by the Earl of Carnarvon, a pezz st never to have spoken before in the House, who, having been heated with w excited to display his abilities, by the Duke of Buckingham, (who meant to the Treasurer, but only ridicule), was resolved, before he went up, to any subject that would offer. Accordingly he stood up, and delivered his

"My Lords,

"I understand but little of Latin, but a good deal of English, and met a le the English history, from which I have learned the mischiefs of such ke secutions as these, and the ill fate of the prosecutors. I could bring many a and those very ancient; but, my Lords, I shall go no farther back than end of Queen Elizabeth's reign, at which time the Earl of Essex was rude! Sir Walter Raleigh, and your Lordships know very well what became of Sz Raleigh. My Lord Bacon, he run down Sir Walter Raleigh, and your L know what became of my Lord Bacon. The Duke of Buckingham, be m my Lord Bacon, and your Lordships know what happened to the Duke a ingham. Sir Thomas Wentworth, afterwards Earl of Strafford, he ran der i Duke of Buckingham, and you all know what became of him. Sir Harry Fi• run down the Earl of Strafford, and your Lordships know what became of S Vane. Chancellor Hyde, he run down Sir Harry Vane, and your Lordships what became of the Chancellor. Sir Thomas Osborne, now Earl of Den down Chancellor Hyde, but what will become of the Earl of Danby, your L best can tell. But let me see the man that dare run the Earl of Danby dar we shall soon see what will become of him."

This being pronounced with a remarkable humour and tone, the Duke of ingham, both surprised and disappointed, after his way, cried out, "The inspired! and claret has done the business.”—Torbuck's Parliamentary Dvol. i. page 248.

+Bishop Burnet relates a circumstance respecting the Habeas Corpus Act, r is more curious than credible; but though we cannot be induced to sups this important statute was obtained by a jest and a fraud, yet the story prevs a very formidable opposition was made to it at the time: "It was carried." he, by an odd artifice in the House of Lords. Lord Grey and Lord Norris s named to be the tellers: Lord Norris, being a man subject to vapours, was z all times attentive to what he was doing; so, a very fat Lord coming in, Loré tém counted him for ten, as a jest at first, but seeing Lord Norris had not observal he went on with this misreckoning of ten: so it was reported to the House, and clared that they who were for the Bill were the majority, though it indeed war the other side; and by this means the Bill past." 1 Burnet, Hist. Ch. II. 45

APPENDIX.