London in the Jacobite times, Volume IIDoran, Dr. (John)
History
London in the Jacobite times, Volume II
Doran, Dr. (John)
London (England) -- History -- 18th century
if favoured as he now asked to be, would betray again those whom
he had betrayed before, if he found advantage in doing so. Serjeant
Miller said that he loved the king, country, and ministry more than he
loved himself, and that he hated their enemies more than they did. To
loosen the restraints on Bolingbroke was only to facilitate his evil
action, and so forth; but Jacobite Dr. Freind, who had tasted of the
Tower, extolled the royal clemency to Bolingbroke; and the assurance
of Walpole that the traitor had rendered services which expiated all
by-gone treason, weighed with the House, and the condoning Bill was
ultimately passed, by 231 to 113.
[Sidenote: _IN THE LORDS HOUSE._]
Public interest in London was only diverted for a moment from this
measure, by the debate in the House of Lords, in May, on another Bill
(from the Commons) for disarming the Highlanders in Scotland, which
ended in the Bill being carried. Five peers signed a protest against
it, partly on the ground that England now enjoyed ‘that invaluable
blessing――a perfect calm and tranquility;’ that the Highlanders now
manifested no spirit of disorder, and that it became all good patriots
‘to endeavour rather to keep them quiet than to make them so.’ The
comment in all the Whig circles of London, as they heard of the
protest, was to repeat the names of those who subscribed it,――Wharton,
Scarsdale, Lichfield, Gower, and Orrery. Of them, the first was almost
openly in the Chevalier’s service, and the other four were thorough
Jacobites. But the interest in this Bill was as nothing compared
with that renewed by the Bill (sent up by the Commons) which passed
the House of Lords on May 24th, 1725, by 75 to 25, for restoring
Bolingbroke to his estates. The protest against the Act was signed by
the Earls of Coventry and Bristol, Lords Clinton, Onslow, and Lechmere.
The articles of the protest are among the most explicit and interesting
ever issued from Westminster, and are to this effect:――
The lands and other property of ‘the late Viscount Bolingbroke’ had
been forfeited through his treason, and had been appropriated to public
uses; therefore, say the protesters, it would be ‘unjust to all the
subjects of this kingdom, who have borne many heavy taxes, occasioned,
as we believe, in great measure by the treasons committed, and the
rebellion which was encouraged by this person, to take from the public
the benefit of his forfeiture.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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