regard for their welfare and happiness. Pro

• committee, to confider of the state of the queens majesty's jointure; and to inform themselves what part thereof is fold, or otherwise disposed of, and what remains unfold; what part of that, which is fold, hath been forfeited fince the fale, and what not; and, where any part is not forfeited, what confideration will be fit to be had of the refpective purchasers; what deceits have been used in the purchafing any part 'thereof; what rents remain in any of the tenants hands; < and likewife to confider of a fum of money, to be pre⚫fently provided for the queens majesty's present sup'port.' The house of commons, we fee, foon commenced good courtiers, at least in their own apprehenfions, and were a very different kind of men from those who accufed her majefty of high treafon, and fequeftered the royal revenues! And yet very certain it is, that the committee, to whom the matters relative to the queen were now referred, was made up of many of those men who had the greatest share in those memorable transactiId. ibid. ons (ƒ). Such alteration in mens fentiments and behaviour is there under change of times!

In pursuance of this refolution, it was ordered, June 16th following, that a ftay be forthwith made of all • wafte upon any of the lands of the queens jointure; • and on any lands of the kings:' and, a few days afterwards, it was refolved, that her majefty be forthwith restored to the poffeffion of feveral mannors, houses, and lands, purchased by perfons whose estates are liable to forfeiture.' Among these were the manors of Ampthill, Crowland, Somerfham, Nonefuch House

and

Proclamations were iffued against the re

bels

(g) Jour nal, 23

June, 1660.

(b) Parliamentary Hift. vol.

and Park, the manor of Richmond, Nonefuch Great Park, manor of Weft Walton, and the manor of Oldcourt, which had been purchased by Colonel Okey, Mr. Walton, Mr. Scroope, Major General Lambert, Sir Gregory Norton, the Colonels Pride and Whalley, and Alderman Tichborne (g); men obnoxious as judges of the late king, and the fupporters of those who had changed the government in 1648. Things, however, did not reft here. The confidence increasing between his majesty, the parliament, and the people, the house of lords resolved, that the king's and queen's majefties should be, and was thereby, restored to the poffeffion of all his and her honors, jointure, manors, lands, rents, and hereditaments, ¶ notwithstanding any fales, alienations, or difpofitions, • made by any pretended authority whatfoever (b). Befides this, acts of parliament paffed, for reftoring the eftates of fuch noblemen as had been forfeited for their xxii. p. 384. adherence to the royal caufe; and they were put in full poffeffion of them, without any confideration of the purchafers. With respect to the ecclefiaftical revenues, it seems to have been the intention of the house of commons, to have fettled part of them for the maintenance of the inferior clergy; to restore others to the church, fuch especially as had been bought by the chief managers from 1648 to 1660; and to veft the property of the remainder, in those who had bought them on the faith of the parliament, before it was fubjected by the army (i). But the court, having no liking to these projects, with great art and dexterity, put off the conclu- Journals of Aug. 6th fion of their refolutions, by promises never intended to and 7th.

be

(i) See

bels in Ireland, a people moft hateful

to

(*) Barwick's Life, P. 218.

be kept, till the parliament was diffolved; whereby all became upon a footing: that is, the whole revenues reverted to the church, in the fame unequal proportions as they before had been in.

Thus were men, who had relied on the faith of the public, and advanced their monies for the defence of the rights and liberteis of the people, in oppofition to regal and ecclefiaftical tyranny, deprived of their properties, for no fault but their credulity, in thinking, that the fon of a tyrant, and his lawless followers, would have any regard to right and equity in their treatment of their opponents. And thus were the ecclefiaftical revenues, which, wifely managed, might have been made useful to the ftate, and provided well for the ftate clergy at the fame time, permitted to revert into the hands of men to whom they have feldom done good, unless the enabling them to live in pomp, fplendor, and luxury, fhould be thought fuch. There were not more than nine or ten bishops living at the time of the Reftoration (k). These were old; and might have been well provided for during life. No ecclefiaftic had any claim, in equity, to their revenues after them; and, confequently, if the prefent poffeffors must be deprived of them for paft offences, the state should have applied them to the use of the public, whereby the people would have been greatly eafed for generations to come. Yea, juftice, in part at least, might have been done to the purchasers, even though the revenues were, for the future, to flow in their old channel. • For almoft

-

4

all

to the English; against vicious and debauched

(1) Burnet,

vol. i. P.

186.

all the leafes of the church eftates over England were fallen in, there having been no renewal for twenty years. The leafes for years were determined: and the wars had carried off so many men, that most of the leafes for lives were fallen into the incumbents hands. So that the church eftates were in them: and the fines, raised by the renewing the leafes, rofe to about a million and a half (1).' Had this money been given to the honeft and fair purchafers, it probably would have went far towards making them fatisfaction. But as it was pocketted by the bifhops, and other ecclefiaftics, there was great ground for complaint of injustice and oppreffion. Very many families were reduced to the deepeft poverty and diftrefs, by these proceedings, Dr. Cornelius Burgefs, who had bought many church lands, and rebuilt the Dean's house at Wells, at the expence of 1500 or 2000 l. for which he had been offered 12000 and odd pounds but a year before the Restoration, at this time loft all; and became fo poor, that he had not bread to eat (m). Dr. Barlow (m) Wood's imputes this to the divine justice; --- but, in truth, it Athenae, ought to be placed to the iniquity of the times, when truth, juftice, equity, and every thing right, had much lefs regard paid to them, than bigottry, fuperftition, malice, and revenge. It may reasonably be supposed, that the purchasers did not submit quietly to this treatThe above-mentioned Dr. Burgess published feveral treatifes, I find, on this fubject. Here are their titles, according to Mr. Wood:

ment.

vol. ii. c.

348.

1. No

bauched perfons; against fighting duels;

for

1. No facrilege nor fin to aliene or purchase the lands of bifhops, or others, whofe offices are abo¬ lifhed. Lond. 1659. 2d edit. of this book. There was a 3d edit. Lond. 1660, revised and abbreviated for the fervice of the parliament.

2. A cafe concerning the lawfulness of buying bishops lands.

3. Another paper, reported to be his, wherein the kings majefty is attempted, by the offer of five hun¬ 'dred thousand pounds, to make good, by an act of 'parliament, the purchases of bishops, deans, and chap'ters lands, for 99 years. Printed 1660.

Charles I. we know, confented to fomething of a like nature, at the treaty of Newport, for the fatisfaction of purchasers; though facriledge and schism were as offenfive to his noftrils, as to thofe of his pious fon and () Hifto fucceffor (n).

rical and

Critical Account of

Charles I.

4. Apology for purchasers of lands late of bishops, deans, and chapters. This is a fheet in folio; and 'therein,' fays Wood, < ing (•).'

is fhewn a great deal of read

None of these tracts have fallen under my inspection.

But I have now before me a little treatise, intitled, "Fides-Anglicana: or, A plea for the public-faith of these nations. By George Wither. A man held in some esteem, in his own time, as a poet; but fince, long fince, neglected and forgot in that capacity. This is a fenfible, bold piece; and contains many things worth perufing. Take the following extract as a fpecimen. As for the lands claimed by the prelates,

• there