But they are" Like angel's visits, few and far between."

I HAVE Scrupulously abstained from entering into the politics of these reigns, or of the men who flourished as politicians, but I cannot resist giving the reader the following account of the ever to be remembered Andrew Marvel, who died, August 16th, 1678: "A man who dared to be honest in the worst of times;" he was the son of a clergyman at Hull, in Yorkshire, where he was born, in 1620. In 1633, he was sent to Trinity college, Cambridge; in 1657, he became assistant to Milton, in his office of Latin Secretary to Cromwell; and at the restoration he was chosen to represent his native town in the house of commons.

His conduct was marked by inflexible adherence to the principles of liberty, and his wit, as a writer, was levelled at the corruptions of the court; yet Charles II. courted his society for the pleasure of his conversation. He lived in a mean lodging in the Strand,

"There lived he jocund, and his thoughts

Were roses all."

here he was visited by Lord Danby, at the desire of the king, with his majesty's request to know in what way he could serve him; Lord Danby, in the course of his conversation, assured him of any place he might choose. Marvel nobly replied, "he could not accept the offer without being unjust to his country by betraying its interests, or ungrateful to the king by voting against him." "His heart was not buried in the rubbish of the world." Before Lord Danby took leave, he told him his majesty had sent him £1000, as a mark of his private esteem. Marvel did not need the assurance, but he refused the money; and, after his noble visitor departed, borrrowed a guinea which he wanted, of a friend. Charles might intend it a high compliment to send his message by a peer, but we may judge by the following couplet, by Marvel, of what he thought of the king's friends and counsellors:

"To make a white staff maker, a beggar, a lord,

And scarce a wise man at a long council board!”

This great man, after having served his constituents for twenty successive years in parliament, was buried at their expence in the church of St. Giles, in the Fields." Hone.

He felt the full force of a maxim which has been well expressed by D'Alembert, "The highest offices of church and state, are like the top of a pyramid, accessible only to eagles and reptiles," so he chose to do his duty below.

ELECTIONS.-I could also furnish many pages of electioneering anecdotes. At that period the people did not seem to take much concern in such matters, and in some places the sufferage was very limited. The following account of the election of a member for the city of Bath, 1645, will show a very different feeling to what is now exhibited: The person chosen to represent them in parliament, was generally allowed a gratuity in consideration of the trouble.

Copy of a letter "To our muche honoured and worthie friend, John Harrington, Esq., at his house at Kelstone, near Bathe. Worthie Sir,

Out of the long experience we have had of your approved worth and sincerity, our citie of Bathe have determined and settled their resolutions to elect you for a burgess for the house of commons in this present parliament, for our said citie, and do hope you will accept the trouble thereof; which if you do, our desire is you will not fail to be with us at Bathe on Monday next, the eighth of this instant, by eight of the morning at farthest, for then we proceed to our election; and of your de termination we entreat you to certify us by a word or two in writing, and send it by the bearer to

Your assured loving friends,
JOHN BIGG, the maior,
WILLIAM CHAPMAN.

Bathe, 6th Dec., 1645.

M

Sir John's account of the proceedings, "A note of my Bathe business about the parliament."

Saturday, 26th Dec., 1645, went to Bathe and dined with the maior and citizens; conferred about my election to serve in parliament, as my father was helpless and ill able to go any more; went to the George Inn at night, met the bailiffs, and desired to be dismissed from serving; drank strong beer and metheglin, expended about 3s., went home late, but could not get excused, as they entertained a good opinion of my father. Monday, 28th Dec., went to Bathe, met Sir John Horner; we were chosen by the citizens to serve for the city. The maior and citizens conferred about parliament business. The maior promised Sir John Horner and myself a horse a piece, when we went to London to the parliament, which we accepted of; and we talked about the synod and the ecclesiastical dismissions. I am to go again on Thursday and meet the citizens about all matters, and take advice thereon.

Thursday, 31st., went to Bathe, Mr. Ashe preached. Dined at the George Inn with the maior and citizens, spent at dinner 6s. in wine.

Laid out in victuals, at the George, 11s. 4d.; laid out in tobacco and drinking vessels, 4s. 4d.; in drinking 6s. 2d.; 1 Jan. my father gave me £4 to pay my expenses at Bathe.

Mr. Chapman, the maior, came to Kelston and returned thanks for my being chosen to serve in parliament, to my father, in the name of all the citizens. My father gave me good advice, touching my speaking in parliament, as the city should direct me. Came home late at night from Bathe, much troubled hereat, concerning my proceedings, truly, for men's good report and mine own safety."

Note, I gave the city messenger 2s. for bearing the maior's letters to me. Laid out in all, £3 6s., for victuals, drink, and horse hire, together with divers gifts." Hone's E. D. B.

At this period there was no need for much bribery; there might have began to be a little coaxing, something like the following from the "Patrician's Daughter:"

My father was a man of toil,

I mean of real toil, such toil as makes the hand

Uncouth to sight, coarse, hard to touch;

There are none here that would have touch'd that hand,
Save at our elections-when all fingers

Grow marvellously pliant!"

But there was some bribery; for in the time of Elizabeth, there" was one Thomas Longe, (being a simple man, of small capacity to serve in parliament,) acknowledged that he had given the returning officer, and others of the borough, £4, for which he was chosen, and was for that premium elected. But for this offence the borough was amerced, the member was removed, and the officer was fined and imprisoned." (Commons' Journal, 1571.) And in Sir Henry Slingsby's Diary, is the following entry, respecting the election at Knaresborough, Anno. 1640: "There is an evil custom at such elections to bestow wine on all the town, which cost me sixteen pounds at least."

When a person is chosen a member of Parliament he is obliged to serve; if he accepts a place of profit, he is then obliged to vacate his seat, but he may sit again if he is re-elected; occasionally, the minister wishes to elect a new man, who, with some peculiarity of talent, is able and willing to support his measures, but without a fresh general election, he may not have an opportunity for obtaining his services in the house of

commons.

During the last century, a way was discovered, by which a member may vacate at any time, which was by accepting the stewardship of the Chiltern hundreds, and there are two or three of these stewardships, all of which are complete sinecures, and the salary is only one sovereign per year, but still it is a place of profit; John Pitt, Esq., in 1750, was the first M. P., who retired from parliament by means of this newly discovered hole in the constitution.

STATE TRIALS.

"How history makes one shudder." ANTHONY WOOD.

I think proper, to show the manners and customs of this half barbarous age, to give the following state trials, if trials such infamous proceedings may be called. Dr. Leighton, and Mr. Prynne, were both men of eminence, and, although their zeal in the good cause of reforming, their country led them too far; the present generation have much to thank them for. They were both good men, and of indomitable zeal, they not only felt the full force, but, for the benefit of future generations, they generously acted up to the following excellent maxim: "Go and kick an ant's nest about, and you will see the little laborious, courageous creatures instantly set to work to get it together again; and if you do this ten times over, they will do the same. Here is the sort of stuff that men must be made of to oppose with success those who, by whatever means, get possession of great and mischievous powers." Cobbett.

And, as an encouragement to perseverance, Lord Byron writes, "If tyranny misses her first spring, she is as cowardly as the tiger, and retires to be hunted."

"TRIAL BY JURY." The learned Selden,* and no one need seek for higher authority, writes, "This was the trial wherein the people of this nation were made happy above all other people, and whereby the freemen as they had the legislative power, so likewise had they the juridical, and thereby, next unto God, an absolute dominion over themselves, and their estates." But, before this learned lawyer wrote this excellent work, there had been from time to time various courts piled one upon the other, which, for all useful purposes, such as protecting the people from the arbitrary power of the crown, were

* Hist. Disc. on Government of England, by N. Bacon, ed. 1647.

expressly founded to take away every vestige of this form of trial, which is the most noble institution that ever was framed : by the judgment of man.

These courts were erected under the plea of the royal prerogative. "The misapplication of the word "prerogative," (which simply means a privilege belonging to any one,) to our king's, like the misapplication of the word "Omnipotence," to our parliaments, was among the multitude of abominations of which the Norman lawyers were so prolific in favour of despotism. The word prerogative thus misapplied, is mere legal jargon, nearly allied to the pulpit impiety of divine rights of kings, ever covering something mysterious and mischievous. With reference to those who may still choose to use the word prerogative; be it observed, that where law can provide, there prerogative cannot exist."*"

The reader will, I hope, now comprehend the nature of those courts, which, thanks to the changes brought about in those times, are entirely swept away. But they cannot sweep away the terrible punishments therein awarded.

"Let holy rage, let persecution cease,

Let the head argue, but the heart be peace;
Let all mankind in tone of what is right,
In virtue and humanity unite." THOMPSON.

DR. LEIGHTON. About 1630, Archbishop Laud called before him, in the Star Chamber, Alexander Leighton, a Scotch puritan preacher, for writing against the Queen of Charles 1st. and the Bishops, in a book entitled, " An appeal to the Parliament, or Sion's Plea against Prelacy." The tone of the book was disrespectful, fanatic, and in some respects brutal; but we lose sight of its demerits in the atrocious punishment of the author, who vainly pleaded, in this infamous court, that he had offended through zeal, and not through any personal malice.

He was degraded from the ministry, publicly whipped in Palace-yard, Westminster, near where this infamous court was situated, placed in the pillory for two hours, had an ear cut off, a nostril slit, and was branded on one of his cheeks, with the letters SS., "Sower of Sedition." After these detestable operations, he was sent back to prison; but at the end of one short week, before his wounds were healed, he was again dragged forth to another public whipping, the pillory,† the knife, and

"The English constitution produced and illustrated," by John Cartwright, 1823.

Many readers will not be able to understand what the pillory means, and I trust they will never sce one; at the bottom of page 93, I have introduced