URSUANT to the act of fucceffion, George the Firft, fon of Erneft Auguftus, firft elector of Brunfwick, and the princefs Sophia, grand daughter to James the Firft, afcended the British throne. His mature age, he beng now fifty-four years old, his fagacity and ex.. perience, his numerous alliances, the general tranquillity of Europe, all contributed to eftablish his interefts, and to promife him a peaceable and happy reign. His abilities, though not fhining, were felid: he was of a very different difpofition from the Stuart family, whom he fucceeded. Thefe were known, to a proverb, for leaving their friends in extremity. George, on the contrary, foon after his arrival in England, was heard to fay, "My maxim is, never to abandon my friends; to do juftice to all the world, and to fear no man." thefe qualifications of refolution and perfeverance, he joined great application to bufinefs. However, one fault with refpect to England remained behind; he ftudied the interefts of thofe fubjects he had left, more than thofe he came to govern.

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The queen had no fooner refigned her breath, than the privy-council met, and three inftruments were produced, by which the elector appointed several of his known adherents to be added as lords juftices to feven great officers of the kingdom. Orders alfo were immediately iffued out for proclaiming George king of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The regency appointed the earl of Dorfet to carry him the intimation of his acceffion to the crown, and to attend him on his journey to England. They fent the general officers, in whom they could confide, to their pofts; they reinforced the garrifon of Portsmouth, and appointed the celebrated Mr. Addison fecretary of ftate. To mortify the late ministry the more, lord Bolingbroke was obliged to wait every morning in the paffage among the fervants, with his bag of papers, where there were perfons purposely placed to infult and deride him. No tumult appeared, no commotion arofe against the acceffion of the new king, and this gave a ftrong proof that no rational measures were ever taken to obftruct his exaltation.

When he first landed at Greenwich, he was received by the duke of Northumberland, captain of the life guard, and the lords of the regency. When he retired to his bed-chamber, he then fent for fuch of the nobility as had diftinguished themselves by their zeal for his fucceffion.. But the duke of Ormond, the lord chancellor, and the lord treasurer, found themselves excluded.

The king of a faction is but the fovereign of half his fubjects. Of this, however, the new-elected monarch did not feem fenfible. It was his misfortune, and confe quently that of the nation, that he was hemmed round, by men who foured him with all their own interefts and prejudices. None now but the leaders of a party were admitted into employment. The Whigs, while they pretended to fecure the crown for their king, were, with all poffible arts, confirming their own interefts, extending their connexions, and giving laws to their fovereign. An inftantaneous and total change was made in all the offices of truft, honour, or advantage. The Whigs governed the fenate and the court; whom they would they op preffed; bound the lower orders of people with fevere

laws,

laws, and kept them at a distance by vile distinctions; and then taught them to call this-Liberty.

Thefe partialities foon raifed difcontents among the people, and the king's attachment confiderably increased the malecontents through all the kingdom. The clamour of the church's being in danger was revived, and the people only feemed to want a leader to incite them to infurrection. Birmingham, Briftol, Norwich, and Reading, ftill remembered the fpirit with which they had declared for Sacheverel; and now the cry was, Down with the Whigs and Sacheverel for ever.

Upon the first meeting of the new parliament, in which the Whigs, with the king at their head, A. D. were predominant, nothing was expected but the 1714. moft violent meafures against the late miniftry,

nor were the expectations of mankind difappointed.

The lords profeffed their hopes, that the king would be able to recover the reputation of the kingdom on the continent, the lofs of which they affected to deplore. The commons went much farther: they declared their refolution to trace out thofe meafures by which the country was depreffed: they refolved to feek after those abettors on whom the Pretender feemed to ground his hopes; and they determined to bring fuch to condign punishment.

It was the artifice, during this and the fucceeding reign, to ftigmatize all those who teftified their difcontent against government, as Papifts and Jacobites. All who ventured to fpeak against the violence of their measures were reproached as defigning to bring in the Pretender; and most people were confequently afraid to murmur, fince difcontent was fo near a kin to treason. The people, therefore, beheld the violence of their conduct in filent fright, internally difapproving, yet not daring to avow their deteftation.

A committee was appointed, confifting of twenty perfons, to infpect all the papers relative to the late negotia tion for peace; and to pick out fuch of them as might ferve as fubjects of accufation against the late miniftry. After fome time fpent in this difquifition, Mr. Walpole, as chairman of the committee, declared to the house that a report

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a report was drawn up; and in the mean time moved, that a warrant might be iffued for apprehending Mr. Matthew Prior, and Mr. Thomas Harley, who, being in the House, were immediately taken into cuftody. He then impeached lord Bolingbroke of high treafon. This ftruck fome of the members with amazement; but they were still more aftonished, when Lord Coningfly, rifing up, was heard to say. "The worthy chairman has impeached the hand, but I impeach the head; he has im"peached the fcholar, and I the mafter. I impeach "Robert earl of Oxford, and earl Mortimer, of high "treafon, and other crimes and mifdemeanors."

When lord Oxford appeared in the house of lords, the day following, he was avoided by the peers as infectious; and he had now an opportunity of difcovering the bafenefs of mankind. When the articles were read against him in the house of commons, a warm debate arose upon that in which he was charged with having advised the French king of the manner of gaining Tournay from the Dutch. Mr. Walpole alledged that it was treafon. Sir Jofeph Jekyl, a known Whig, faid that he could never be of opinion that it amounted to treafon. It was his principle, he faid, to do juftice to all men, to the highest and the lowest. He hoped he might pretend to fome knowledge of the laws, and would not fcruple to declare upon this part of the queftion in favour of the criminal. To this Walpole anfwered, with great warmth, that there were feveral perfons, both in and out of the committee, who did not in the leaft yield to that member in point of honesty, and exceeded him in the knowledge of the laws, and yet were fatisfied that the charge in that arti cle amounted to high treafon. This point being decided against the earl, and the other articles approved by the houfe, the lord Coningsby, attended by the Whig members, impeached him foon after at the bar of the house of lords; demanding, at the same time, that he might lose his feat, and be committed to cuftody. When this point came to be debated in the house of lords, a violent altercation enfued. Thofe who ftill adhered to the depofed minifter, maintained the injuftice and the danger of fuch proceedings. At laft the carl himself rofe up, and, with great

great tranquillity, obferved, that for his own part he always acted by the immediate directions and command of the queen, his miftrefs; he had never offended against any known law, and was unconcerned for the life of an infignificant old man.

Next day he was brought to the bar, where he received a copy of his impeachment, and was allowed a month to prepare his anfwer. Though Dr. Mead declared, that if the earl fhould be fent to the Tower, his life would be in danger, it was carried in the house that he should be committed.

At the fame time the duke of Ormond and lord Bo. lingbroke, having omitted to furrender themselves, for they had actually fled to the continent, within a limited time, it was ordered that the earl marshal should raze out their names and arms from among the lift of peers, and inventories were taken of their eftates and poffeffions, which were declared forfeited to the crown.

Lord Oxford being confined in the Tower, he continued there for two years, during which time the nation was in a continual ferment, from an actual rebellion that was carried on unfuccefsfully. After the execution of fome lords, who were taken in arms, the nation feemed glut ted with blood, and that was the time that lord Oxford petitioned to be brought to his trial. He knew that the fury of the nation was spent on objects that were really culpable, and expected that his cafe would look like in nocence itself, when compared to theirs. A day, there fore, at his own requeft, was affigned him, and the com. mons were ordered to prepare for their charge. At the appointed time the peers repaired to the court in Weftminfter-hall, where lord Cowper prefided as lord highfteward. But a difpute arifing between the lords and commons, concerning the mode of his trial, the lords voted that the prifoner fhould be fet at liberty. To this difpute he probably owed the fecurity of his title and fortune, for to the articles, importing him guilty of high treafon, they were at once malignant and frivolous; fo that his life was in no manner of danger.

In the mean time these vindictive proceedings excited the indignation of the people, who perceived that the

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avenues