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As I remember, the first thing that you was in doubt of, was, Whether the Crown of England be Hereditary, or no; and to that I anfwer negatively, That it is not Hereditary. And in order to the clearing of this, I will, in the first place, give you a fhort hiftorical account of Matter of Fact till K. James.

I think it will not be denied, that from the firft known Times in this Island (after that they had Kings) till the Conqueft, but that the People Ele&ed him for their King whom they beft liked, without regard bad to the Iffue of the deceafed King and alfo, that they depofed them very frequently, and fet up others in their ftead, when upon tryal they were found unfit for the purpose. He that fays otherwife, confeffes himself, either not to have read our English Story, or that he underfood not what he read and if your felf doubts the truth of what I affirm, I will at any time give you a particular account of it, till the entrance of the Normans.

William the Firft, commonly called the Conqueror, we muft begin with him, who, it's moft certain, had no Right or Title to the Crown, by Inheritance or Defcent; and it is as true that he did not gain it by Conqueft: for Edgar Etheling, who was alive and in England when William came in, had an unquestionable right by Descent, and therefore whilst he was alive William could not pretend any Title by Inheritance, but muft find out fome other way to come to the Crown; and therefore he pretended one while a Compact between him and Harold; and again, That it was left to him by Edward the Confeffor, by his Will; yet he found that all these were but empty founds: for although he had a potent Army, by which he

might

might have done great things, yet that Army only brought him into England, but it was the EleEtion of the People that gave him the Crown, and he foon perceived, that there was no Reft for the Sole of his Foot, till he had taken the Coronation Oath, and had fworn to maintain their Laws and Properties. Some little Irregularities must be admitted in a time when things are unfettled, but it will scarcely be found, that any man was difceaJed of his Freehold, but only fuch whole Demerits render'd them unworthy of them: and from his time the Norman Government proceeded upon the Saxon Principles; for King William, by the Advice of his Nobles, caused a select number of Men out of every County to be fummoned, who were to fet down their Laws, what they were in Edward the Confeffor's time; for it was he who had collected the Laws, which at this day is called the Common Law.

Then, after him, William II. and Hen. I. fucceeded each other, and their Title was by Election of the People; for Robert their elder Brother was alive, and faw them both preferred to the Crown, and he never enjoy'd it, for he died a Prifoner at Cardiff Castle, in the time of Hen. I.

The next was K. Stephen, who was fecond Son to Adela Daughter to William the Conqueror; he was chosen by the People, for he had an elder Brother whofe Name was Theobald, and there was Maud the Empress, Daughter to Henry I. and both these were nearer by defcent than he.

After him came Hen. II. he came in by Compact between K. Stephen himself, and the Nobles, and the good liking of the People; for Maud his Mother was alive, and by defcent it belonged to her. Aaaa 2

Then

Then Richard I. was elected in his Father's Life-time, and received Homage from the Peers. King John was chofen by the People, or else Arthur his elder Brother's Son, who was then living, would have fucceeded Richard I.

Henry III. came in by Election, for Lewis the French Prince pretended to the Crown, several of the Nobility having called him into their aid againft King John, and had sworn to him: but the Earl of Pembrook, who had married Henry's Aunt, ftuck to him, and got him crowned by the confent of the Nobles and People, after that he had taken the Coronation Oath, and made other promifts to the People.

Edward I. being out of the Land when his Father died, was chofen by the confent of the Lords and Commons; and I find that the Nation was fworn to the Succeffion of Edward I. before he went to the Holy Land.

Edward H.being mif-led by his Favourites, was depofed, and his Son

Edward III. was declared King in his Lifetime.

Richard II. Son to Edward the Black Prince, was depofed for his Evil Government.

Henry IV. came in by Election of the People, and though upon occafion fometimes he might pretend to feveral other Titles, yet he found them unstable; and to make fure, he got the Crown entailed by Act of Parliament; and so came in Henry V. and then his Son

Henry VI. but he being found unmeet for Government, enclining too much to the Counsels of his Wife, (who was a Foreigner) and negleAting the Advices of his Parliament, he was depofed, and

Ed

Edward IV. who was E. of March, whofe Father the D. of York, by Act of Parliament, was declared Heir apparent to the Crown,and afterwards flain in the Battel at Wakefield. He, I fay, was Elected, and afterwards Henry was restored, and Edward fet afide; but at laft Edward was fetled, and dies, and the Crown came to his Son.

Edward V. who lived no longer than to be put into the Catalogue of our English Kings, and then Richard III. was confirmed King by Act of Parliament: for Elizabeth Daughter to Edw. IV. was living, who afterwards was married to Henry VII. and by right of defcent the Crown belonged to her, and he had no Title but what the People gave him.

Henry VII, came in by Election; for his Wives Title preceded his and there was alfo Edward Plantaginet, Son to George D. of Clarence, had an unquestionable Right before him, if Descent might take place; but to clear all doubts, he got the Crown fetled by Act of Parliament upon him and the Heirs of his Body fucceffively for ever; and upon that came in

Henry VIII, and in his time the Crown was limited three feveral times by Act of Parliament,and there fucceeded upon thofe limitations, first, Edward VI. then his Sifter

Queen Mary, by Katherine Widow to Prince Arthur, and then

Q. Elizabeth, by Ann Daughter to Sir Thomas Bullen; and in the thirteenth year of her Reign a Law was made, whereby it is made penal, if any fay that the Parliament cannot limit the Succeffion.

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And now, Sir, I have given you a juft account how the Crown has been difpofed; and if I fhould fay no more, I think that this of it felf might convince any impartial man, that the Crown, till King James, was in the Peoples dispose.

But that I may leave no place for doubt, I will fay fomething to thofe things which are fo frequently objected, and I will begin with that which fays, as follows; Although there be many Instances where the Crown has leaped over the right Heir by defcent, and has lit upon the Head of another, yet, fay they, there are feveral Inftances, both before the Conquest and fince, where the Son has fucceeded to the Father, and that these are chiefly to be regarded, because most agreeable to the Word of God, which tells us, That by me Kings reign, &c. and that the prefidents that are otherwife, are no better than Ufurpation, and not to be efteemed as legal, but to be forgotten as Errors in the Government.

I acknowledge, there is fuch a Text of Scripture, but I muft deny, that it is to be taken in the literal fence, for otherwife the King muft be look'd upon to receive his Soveraign Power immediately from God, without any regard had to Our Laws and Conftitutions, and then he is King Jure divino, and no Bounds or Limits of Humane Contrivance can be fet to his Will, but we are wholly at his Mercy and Pleafure, and Magna Charta and the Petition of Right are wafte Paper: nay, it not only deftroys our Government, but it puts an end to all other Conftitutions in the World: But the true meaning of the Words are, That Kings are to be obeyed, and that they are to govern under God, according to the Laws of that Government,

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