e

fuffer them to be wretched in their own worthlefsnefs. Pro lege femper.

C. D.

Rushworth's Collection, vol. I. page 365, anno 1626.

A remonstrance and petition of the peers, in behalf of the earl of Arundel.

May it please your majesty,

E the peers of this your realm affembled in

W parliament, finding the earl of Arundel

abfent from his place, that fometimes in this parliament fate among us, his prefence was therefore called for; but thereupon a meffage was delivered unto us from your majefty by the lord keeper, that the earl of Arundel was reftrained for a misdemeanor which was perfonal to your majesty, and had no relation to matters of parliament. This meffage occafioned us to inquire into the acts of our ancestors, and what in like cafes they had done, that fo we might not err in our dutyful refpect to your majesty, and yet preferve our right and privilege of parliament; and after diligent fearch of all ftories, ftatutes and records that might inform us in this cafe, we find it to be an undoubted right and conftant privilege of PARLIAMENT, that no lord of parliament, the parliament fitting, or within the ufual times of privilege of parliament, is to be imprisoned or reftrained, without fentence or order of the house, unless it be for treafon or felony, or for refufing to give furety for the peace; and to fatisfy ourselves the better, we have heard all that could be alledged by your majefty's council learned at the law that might any way weaken or infringe this claim of the peers and to all that can be fhewed or alledged, fo full fatisfaction

hath been given, as that ALL the peers of parliament, upon the question made of this privilege, have una voce, confented that this is the undoubted RIGHT of the peers, and bath INVIOLABLY been enjoyed by them.

Is this a doubt on the behalf of the commons in the reign of George the third?

Remarks on the fcurrility thrown upon Mr. Wilkes's private character.

I

OBSERVE that nothing has entered deeper into the late altercation about Mr. W, than his private moral character. I am always forry to hear of vice and immorality, and regret much that it is fo common amongft fine gentlemen and people of fashion, that I am afraid it cannot be efteemed any great reproach among them. I have the miffortune however to follow this rule, which is certainly a very unreasonable one, not to believe ill of any man without fufficient evidence: and I have feen none offered to the public to support the accufation of fingular immorality made in the papers against Mr. W that would not establish the fame charge against a chancellor of the exchequer, or any other gentleman of worth and honour; nor indeed am I quite fatisfied of the right of anonymous writers to fpread, or of news-papers to be the licenfed vehicles of private fcandal; I even queftion the title and powers of the public, to erect itself into a tribunal for fuch a trial, or how it can give a fair one. Befides all this, I have always a violent fufpicion of reports raised and propagated at critical feafons, and for particular purpofes, and I cannot put the highest value on thofe fcruples of virtue, which are offended with the vices of one man, in particular circumftances, and make no complaint

of

of the faults of others, equally, if not more confpicuous, and not inferior in kind or quality.

For all these reasons, I own, what has been faid as to Mr. W's moral character, on the prefent occafion, has made no impreffion on me. But be it what it may, I cannot help thinking it is very foreign to the fubject of the difpute which he has been the occafion of. It is, in my poor opinion, not confiftent with the rules of juftice, nor even of humanity, to endeavour to create prejudices against a perfon, who is to be brought upon his trial for a crime he is charged with. The mischief of impreffions of that fort may be very fatal, and fo far as they have influence, those who are at pains to instill them are certainly answerable for the confequences. I have known men hanged and hot, before now, more from the effects of prejudice, and a bad opinion of their general character, than upon any proof of the particular crime they were accused of. But I always looked upon fuch inftances as very criminal murders, and that every one concerned in them had much to answer for.

To say the truth, nothing can be more abfurd, I fhould think, than to talk of a man's amours, when his politics are in question; or when he is accused of fedition, to object against him the genteel vices of gallantry and fwearing. I fhould therefore, as one indifferent to every thing but juftice, in what concerns the accufation or profecution of Mr. W wish that all that fort of inflammatory defamation was dropt.

At the fame time, if any good could be drawn out of the evil which I complain of, because I really think it is itself a very great immorality, it would compenfate, in fome degree, the mifchievous tendency of it. There has not been an act of his prefent majesty's government more like himself, than the ufual proclamation he iffued immediately upon his

acceffion,

acceffion, against vice and immorality; in which he declared his royal purpose to discountenance it in all perfons, and in all forts, and to distinguish with the marks of his favour thofe who fhewed a regard to piety and virtue; and particularly expreffed his refolution to fuffer none to be about his royal person, that were not of untainted character in that refpect. I love the king as a pious prince, and because of his fenfe of religion, and the great regard he fhews to decency in his own conduct. If his example was to have the influence that its own merit, independent of the authority of it, ought to give it, it would be a very happy thing for the nation. But bad as the world is, that fame old fashioned thing called religion, has not entirely loft its value. One of the eminent fervices done to his majesty by the late minifter, the merit of which is much infifted upon by the advocates for him (and with great reason, I think, if the fact fupports the claim) is his care to imbibe the king with principles of religion.

I know it was expected that the effects of those good principles, and of the fame noble person's influence with his majefty, would have been seen amongst all ranks, in a very exact conformity to the end and defign of the royal declaration I have alluded to. The king's loving and christian subjects would be very forry, if they saw (a thing that can never happen in this reign) the places nearest to his majesty's perfon filled with men, who, if they were obliged to bring a character with them (as the fervants of private people are expected to do) muft have it from Arthur's or New-market, or perhaps a worse place than either, because their talents, and their merit, are best known in those temples of virtue.

It is not my inclination to rake into scandal, nor to retail calumny, if there was room for it. But it is with pleasure that I can defire any body to look

up

up to the highest offices in the kingdom, in all departments, domeftic and political, that he may be fatisfied with his own eyes how entirely vice and immorality is profcribed from the uppermoft forms of the state. No promotions, no elevations to dignities or employments, have been made in this reign, that reflect on his majesty's amiable character for piety, for which all good men fincerely love and honour him; none that are difgraceful to the court, or derogatory to their profeffions of regard for vir tue, who have the greatest share of influence with his majesty. Some remarkable inftances of the contrary kind occurred very early after the acceffion; and others have taken place on latter occafions, to fhew the uniformity there is, in that refpect, in the conduct of those who have had the nomination to all thofe places. If it were otherwife, the appearances would be fo contrary to the profeffions of thofe who have had the honour to advise his majesty, and fo oppofite to the king's own principles, of which there can be no doubt, that no other account could have been given of it but one, which, if true, would have indeed been a moft lamentable one; fuch an one as none but a very ill-natured perfon could have harboured a thought of in his own breaft, unless a fincere respect for his majefty, and the firmeft opinion of his good difpofitions had compelled him to believe it: I mean that the king found, from the informations given him, that the scarcity of pure and unblemished characters was fo very great amongst the highest orders in the kingdom, or that his service would fuffer fo much by not employing fome particular perfons, that the evil, however difagreable to himself, and contrary to his declared and well known principles, as well as difhonourable to the court, muft, from neceffity, have been submitted to. If that had been the cafe, those who did not like the thing could only have regreted it,

com