Upon the day appointed, the Usher of the black rod is again sent for the Commons, when he alters his stile, and addresses himself to the Speaker. The members, obeying this summons, return to the house of Lords, and present their Speaker to the King, who is again seated on the throne, and having obtained his approbation, the Speaker desires, that the Commons, during their sitting, “may have free access to his Majesty, freedom of speech in their own house, and freedom from arrests.” After which the King makes his speech to both houses, the whole house of Commons being supposed to be at the bar of the house of Lords. After the Speaker and members have taken the oaths, the standing orders of the house are read, and grand committees appointed to sit on usual days: which being done, the house generally begins with reading some bill left unfinished the sessions before. Any member of parliament is at liberty to move for a bill to be brought in; which being agreed to by the house, the person who made the motion, with some of those who seconded it, are ordered to prepare, and bring it in. When the bill is ready, some of the members who were ordered to prepare it, read the order at the side bar of the house, desiring leave to bring the bill to the table; which upon the question being agreed to, it has a first reading by the clerk at the table; and then the Speaker taking the bill in his hand, reads the abbreviate or abstract of it: which one, after the debate upon the bill, if any happens, he puts the question, Whether it shall have a second reading; and sometimes upon a motion being made appoints a day for it. When the bill has been read a second time, the question is put, Whether it shall be committed, which is either to a committee of the whole house, if the bill be of importance; or to a private committee, any member at pleasure naming the persons to be of that committee; and their names being read by the clerk at the table, they are ordered to meet in the Speaker’s chamber, and report their opinion to the house. Accordingly meeting there, they chuse their Chairman, and either adjourn to some other time, or proceed upon the bill, which in this last case, the Chairman orders a clerk who attends them to read, then taking the bill himself, and reading it paragraph by paragraph, he puts every clause to the question, fills up the blanks, and makes amendments according to the opinion of the majority of the committee, of whom there must be eight of the persons named, to proceed regularly, though five may adjourn.