fufficiently oppreffive-but the Queen replied, that with regard to these patents, the hoped her dutiful and loving fubjects would not take away her prerogative, which was the chief flower in her garden, and the principal and head pearl in her crown and diadem; but that they would rather leave these matters to her difpofal. This foft, but evafive answer, fo mollified the untoward and uncourtly difpofition of the House, that nothing farther was attempted, till the next parliament, which met in the year 1601, and which was the laft parliament fummoned in this reign. By this time, the abuses of which fuch repeated complaints had been made, and which it was expected that the Queen would have redreffed by virtue of her prerogative, had arisen to an enormous height; and a bill was immediately introduced, for the purpose of abolishing monopolies :-this measure was vehemently oppofed by the court party, on the old ground, that this matter regarded the prerogative; and that the Queen ought to be applied to, in the way of petition; and fome very extravagant things were advanced on this occafion, respecting the extent of the regal authority, particularly by Sir Francis Bacon, and other court lawyers, which were properly animadverted upon by several of the independent members; and when Serjeant Heyne had the affurance to affert, that the Queen had the fame right to the lands and goods of the fubject as to any revenue of her crown, the House hemmed and laughed, and would not suffer him to proceed

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proceed in his fpeech.. -Upon the whole, it evidently appeared to be the unanimous refolution of the House, notwithstanding these courtly arguments and harangues, that fome effectual method should now be taken to put a final period to these intolerable oppreffions: it was urged, that petition after petition had been prefented to no purpose, and that nothing lefs than an act of parliament was adequate to the correction of these abufes :but the excellent understanding and neverfailing political fagacity of the Queen once more faved her from difgrace; for, before the bill had paffed the Commons, fhe fent for the Speaker, and commanded him to acquaint the House, that she would immediately cancel thefe obnoxious patents. The House, who, no doubt, entertained a high and juft fenfe of the Queen's general character and perfonal merits, and did not without reluctance proceed thus far in their oppofition, immediately in a formal addrefs, returned their moft grateful acknowledgments for this extraordinary inftance of her Majefty's goodness and condefcenfion; and the Queen, in reply, made new profeflions of tendernefs, regard, and attachment to her beloved people. Thus was this critical affair, which the evil genius of a Stuart would quickly have fomented to a ferious quarrel, happily terminated; and the Queen had the fatisfaction of parting with her people in parliament, for the laft time, with all that mutual warmth, and ardour of attachment, which distinguished the aufpicious commencement

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of her reign more than forty years before.The Queen died in March following, more admired, beloved, and regretted, than perhaps any Sovereign whofe name is recorded in hiftory.

Certainly, it must be acknowledged, to the immortal honour of the female fex, that not one of her predeceffors, at least fince the days of Alfred, can be placed in any degree of competition with this great princefs in a political view, whether we confider the popularity, the wisdom, or the fuccefs of her administration. If an exception can be made in favour of any one of our antient monarchs, I fhould be inclined to fix upon Edward I. who diftinguifhed himself by the fame enlarged and rational views of policy, by the fame indulgent regard for his people, by the fame moderation and equity in the internal government of his kingdom, and, it may be added, by the fame uninterrupted flow of profperity and fuccefs: in this only they differ, that in the profecution of the different objects of their ambition, Edward I. fhewed but little regard, or rather fhewed a total difregard, to every principle of rectitude and juftice; while the means employed by Elizabeth to effect her purposes, were, generally speaking, not lefs innocent, and even laudable, than the ends fhe had in view were great and important. As to Edward III. and Henry V. those heroes of the mob, they appear to me little better than political Quixotes; the pretenfions of thefe princes to the crown of France were utterly ill founded, and even ridiculous;

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the expectation of final fuccefs in their attempts was highly extravagant, and the accomplishment of their grand object extremely pernicious, could it for a moment be fuppofed attainable. The limits of this Effay allow me to touch but very curforily upon the fucceeding reigns; certain indications appeared, very early after the acceffion of the Scottish monarch, that new maxims of government were adopted, and new measures of obedience were to be exacted. In the very first parliament fummoned by James, he fcrupled not to affert that he was an abfolute king, and that all their privileges were derived from his grant. His extravagant, and even prepofterous ideas of the nature of the kingly office and authority, displayed themselves by his fuppofing, that at his acceffion peace was ipfo facto reftored between the English and Spanish monarchies, merely because amity fubfifted between himself and the king of Spain previous to that event. The fame abfurdity of intellect, operating upon the fame loftinefs of difpofition, led him to confound the union of the two British crowns, with an union of the two nations; for he maintained, that his fubjects born in either kingdom after his acceffion, were of confequence naturalized in both. He openly afferted it to be fedition in fubjects to dispute what a king may do in the height of his power.

Soon after the death of the Earl of Salisbury, A. D. 1613, a parliament was fummoned; and

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the lofs of that able minifter quickly appeared in the rash and precipitate conduct of the king, who diffolved the parliament in great wrath, after a very short feffion, before the business of a supply was entered upon, on account of the apparent difpofition of the Houfe of Commons to restrain certain abuses of the prerogative. After which he continued to govern for fome years without parliaments; when, being reduced by his imprudent prodigality to extreme diftrefs, he was conftrained to call one in 1621; and though a tolerably good understanding feemed for a time to prevail between the king and the Commons, fome grievances being redreffed on the one part, and fome fubfidies voted on the other, a violent rupture foon enfued, in confequence of a remonftrance which the Houfe had the boldness to present to the king, refpecting the business of the palatinate, and the negotiation now carrying on for the marriage of the Prince of Wales with the Infanta. The king's pufillanimity, with regard to the first, had not excited lefs anger and refentment at home, than derifion and contempt abroad; and the puritanical spirit was now fo univerfally diffused, that the latter was viewed by the whole nation with horror and deteftation.The indignation of James at this unexpected and unwelcome interference knew no bounds; he reprimanded the House with great vehemence and acrimony, for prefuming to debate of things fo far above their reach and capacity; he abfolutely forbad them from meddling with these deep matters

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