ns were cloathed in white gowns and fear oods, with the symbol belonging to each ery, richly embroidered upon their es: They were all on horfeback, and thence preceded his Majefty to London, re he was received with the utmost pomp. city on this occafion was decorated rich filks and carpets; and on the bridge, in the streets, through which the cavalpaffed, were erected a variety of ftately ants, filled with perfons reprefenting Mules, Graces, and Sciences; and from pageants orations were made, and conperformed of vocal and inftrumental c. Two days after, the Lord Mayor Aldermen attended the King at Weftfter, and prefented him with a golden per, containing 1000 l. in nobles. Not tanding thefe early profeffions of loythe ill fuccefs and weakness of Henry le the citizens almost conftantly join his mies, and was one principal caufe of his

King Edward IV. therefore, in the fedyear of his reign, fhewed his gratitude the favours he had received from them, granting the city a charter, by which all ancient rights and privileges of the citiis were confirmed, and the following adional privileges beftowed:

The Lord Mayor, Recorder, and dermen, paft the chair, are appointed permal Juftices of peace in the city; and conftituted Juftices of oyer and terminer, the trial of all malefactors within their n jurifdiction.

For the better afcertaining the customs the city, when a plea is brought in any he fuperior courts, relating to thofe cuf18, the Lord Mayor and Aldermen are owered to declare, by the mouth of their order, whether the point in controversy cuftom of London, or not; and if, upon airy, it be found to be fuch, then it is e recorded, and remain an established om to all futurity.

The Lord Mayor and Aldermen are ver exempted from serving in all foreign es, juries, or attaints, and from the ofof Affeffor, Collector of taxes, Overor Comptroller of all public duties out the jurifdiction of the city.

The citizens are allowed the privilege olding an annual fair in the borough of thwark, together with a court of pieder, with the rights and cuftoms thereto onging, &c. all at the ancient fee-farm lal. per annum.

Afterwards, in the year 1479, the city e the fame Prince 1923 1. 19 s. 8 d. for liberty of purehafing lands, &c. in mortn, to the value of 200 marks per an

num; and alfo purchased of the King, for 7000 1. the offices of package, portage, garbling, gauging, wine-drawer, and coroner, to be enjoyed by them and their fuc ceffors for ever.

In the fame year a dreadful peftilence raged in London, which swept away an incredible number of people.

On the death of Edward IV. the Duke of Buckingham ftrove in vain to make the citizens join in railing the Duke of Gloucef ter to the throne, to the prejudice of the young Prince, Edward V, by making a long speech to them in Guildhall. The Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and some of the Common-council, were, however, prevailed upon to go and perfuade that inhuman monster to accept of the crown; and afterwards the Lord Mayor contefted with the citizens of Winchester the right of being chief Butler at the coronation of a man who was a difgrace to human nature; but the Mayor of London had for fome ages enjoyed this privilege, and was not now denied it.

In the beginning of the reign of Henry VII. the fweating fickness firft raged in London, carrying off great numbers within 24 hours; but those who furvived that time generally recovered; and of this disease died two Lord Mayors and one of the Sheriffs, in the space of the year.

The next year the privileges of the citizens were ftruck at by their own Magiftrates, in a very extraordinary act of Common-council, which injoined the citizens, under the penalty of an hundred pounds, not to carry any goods or merchandise to any fair or market within the kingdom, for the term of feven years; but this fcandalous and unjust by-law was the next year set aside by act of Parliament.

In the year 1500, the plague carried off 20,000 perfons in London; and during this reign the city alfo fuffered greatly by the oppreffions of the King's Minifters Emp fon and Dudley; but the death of the King delivered them from their troubles.

King Henry VIII, the year after his ac ceffion to the throne, came in the habit of one of the yeomen of the guard, to see the march of the city watch; it being an ancient custom for the watch, who were then a body of military forces, to make a pompous march on the vigils of St. John Baptist and St. Peter and Paul. His Majefty was a fpectator on St. John's eve, and was fo highly delighted with the fight, that he returned, on the eve of St. Peter, accompanied by his royal confort, and the principal Nobility, and staid in Mercer's-hall, Cheapfide, to fee the pros ceffion repeated.

The march was begun by the city music,

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followed by the Lord Mayor's Officers, in party-coloured liveries; then the fwordbearer, on horfeback, in beautiful armour, preceded the Lord Mayor, mounted on a ftately horse, adorned with rich trappings, attended by a giant and two pages on horie. back, three pageants, morrice-dancers, and footmen; next came the Sheriffs, preceded by their Officers, and attended by their giants, pages, pageants, and morrice-dancers: Then marched a great body of demi-lancers in bright armour, on ftately horses; next followed a body of carabineers in white fuftian coats, with the city arms on their backs and breasts: Then marched a body of archers with their bows bent, and shafts of arrows by their fides; followed by a party of pikemen, with their corflets and helmets; after whom marched a body of halberdiers in their corflets and helmets; and the march was clofed by a great party of billmen, with helmets and aprons of mail.

The whole body, which confifted of

about 2000 men, had between every divifion a certain number of musicians, who were answered in their proper places by the like number of drums, with ftandards and enfigns, in the fame manner as veteran troops. This nocturnal march was lighted by 940 creffets, which were large lanthorns fixed at the end of poles, and carried over mens shoulders; 200 of which were at the city expence, 500 at that of the companies, and 240 were found by the city constables.

During this march, the houses on each fide the treets were decorated with greens and flowers wrought into garlands, and intermixed with a great number of lamps.

This fplendid proceffion, conftantly repeated twice a year, is not only a proof of the fondness for fhew which then prevailed, but lets us fee that the city was then watched by men corapletely armed; a body of troops of a peculiar kind, raised and maintained by the city.

The Hiftory of ENGLAND, continued from Page 23 of our laft.

In the midit of all these diftractions, the King caufed the Prince of Wales to be folemnly baptifed; the Pope, represented by his Nuncio, being godfather, and the Queendowager godmother: Father Saben officiated, and named him James-FrancisEdward.

At the fame time, the Court received a pamphlet, published in Holland, and intitled, A Memorial of the English Protestants, prefented to their Highneffes the Prince and Princefs of Orange.' It was afcribed to Dr. Burnet or Major Wildman; wherein, after a long narrative of the grievances of the nation, the author complained of King James's obliging his fubjects to own a fuppofititious child for the Prince of Wales; adding, That his Majesty would never fuffer the witneffes, that were prefent at the Queen's delivery, to be heard and examined. The King was no stranger to the fufpicions entertained by the people on this account, but hitherto had pretended to be ignorant of, or at least to despise thers. He perceived, however, that, on this occafion, he could not, without great prejudice to himfelf, help answering fo public a challenge; he therefore held an extraordinary Council, the 22d of October, 1688; to which were called the Queen-dowager, all the Lords fpiritual and temporal, then in town; the Lord-mayor and Aldermen of London, the Judges, and feveral of his Majefty's learned Council: All these being affembled, the King told them he had called them together upon a very extraordinary occafion;

but that extraordináry diseases must have extraordinary remedies: That the malicious endeavours of his enemies had fo poifoned the minds of fome of his fubjects, that, by the reports he had from all hands, he had reafon to believe, that very many did no think this fon, with which God had bleffec him, to be his, but a fuppofed child: Bu he might fay, that, by a particular provi dence, fcarce any Prince was ever borr where there were fo many perfons prefent: That he had taken this time to have the matter heard and examined there, expecting that the Prince of Orange, with the firt eafterly wind, would invade this kingdom and, as he had often ventured his life for the nation, before he came to the crown, so h thought himself more obliged fo to do now he was King, and did intend to go in per fon against him, whereby he might be ex pofed to accidents; and therefore he though it neceffary to have this now done, in orde to fatisfy the minds of his fubjects, and t prevent the kingdom's being engaged blood and confufion after his death: Th he had defired the Queen-dowager to gi herself the trouble co come hither, to decla what the knew of the birth of his fon; a that most of the Ladies, Lords, and oth perfons who were prefent, were ready depofe upon oath their knowledge of t matter.'

After this fpeech, depofitions were take firft of the Queen-dowager, who only fai That she was in the room when the Que was delivered,' without any thing more p

tions are not applicable to any of the cafes, without being contradicted by those who maintain one of the other two cafes. Let us take, for inftance, the two depofitions which, next to that of the midwife, appear moft convincing; namely, that of the Lady who had feen milk run from the Queen's breafts; and that of the Lady Ifabella Wentworth, who had felt the child in the womb. These two teftimonies are fufficient against those who maintain, that the Queen was not with child from January, the time of her declared pregnancy, to the roth of June, the time of her delivery; but they are infufficient against those who pretend, that he was really with child from the 6th of October to the 9th of April, when the had a mifcarriage, for the reafons beforementioned. To be able therefore to give a certain judgment concerning the birth of the Prince of Wales, it is neceflary, 1. That facts fhould be agreed in, I mean, whether it be true, that the Queen was really with child, and that he had a mifcarriage. 2. That thofe, who derive their fufpicions from the Queen's obftinate refufal to give fatisfaction to the public, should fix the time of this obftinacy to the interval between the 9th of April, the day of her pretended mifcarriage, and the 10th of June, the day of her delivery; for, in fuppofing the reali ty of her pregnancy till Eafter-week, the fufpicions arifing from the Queen's obftinacy cannot but be ill-grounded, unless this ob ftinacy is confined to the space of time between the miscarriage and the delivery; which it is not. 3. That the two Ladies, who depofed concerning the milk and the motion of the child, fhould have fixed the time to the fame interval, otherwise their teftimony proves nothing against those who maintain, that the Queen was really with child till Eafter-week, and had then a miscarriage; but this is what does not appear. As to the teftimony of the midwife, which is the principal and moft pofitive, all that can be objected to it is, that it is a fingle teftimony, and that, befides, fhe, being a Papift, might have been corrupted. But this is only a conjecture, a bare poffibility; it is therefore clear, that, to decide this question in a manner capable to fatisfy thofe who only feek the truth, a more perfect knowledge must be had of many circum ftances which as yet lie concealed.

fitive or particular. After her followed forty witneffes, of which feventeen were Papifts; and it was begun with proving, that the Queen was brought to bed while many perfons were in the room. To this tended the teftimonies of the 18 Lords who accompanied the King thither. This proof fignified nothing, or was very ambiguous; it was well known there were a great many perfons in the room, at the time the Queen was faid to be delivered; which, doubtless, was all that was meant by this proof; but it was not fufficient to prove the reality of the delivery. Some of the Ladies depofed, that they faw the child foon after in the arms of the midwife; but, as no man in the Council durft put any questions to the witneffes, concerning feveral circumstances, thefe general depofitions were incapable to remove all fufpicions. The midwife depofed pofitively, that he took the child from the Queen's body. The Countess of Sunderland depofed, that the Queen called her to give her her hand, that the might feel how the child lay; which, added fhe, I did; but he did not fay whether the felt the child, or not. The Bishop of Salisbury adds, that the Countefs of Sunderland told the Duchefs of Hamilton (from whom he had this particular) that, when the put her hand into the bed, the Queen held it, and let it go no lower than her breasts, fo that really the felt nothing. Many Ladies depofed, that they had often feen the marks of milk on the Queen's linen near her breafts. Two or three depofed, that they faw it running out at the nipple: But, what is remarkable, none of thele Ladies named the time in which they faw the milk, except one, who named the month of May. Now, if it be true, as was before related, that the Queen was really with child till the 9th of April, and that the mifcarried that day, then all that was mentioned of milk in the Queen's breafts, particularly by her that fixed it to the month of May, might have followed upon that mifcarriage, and be no proof concerning the late birth. Mrs. Pierce, the laundrefs, depofed, that the took linen from the Queen's body once, which carried the marks of a delivery. The Bishop objects here, that it is ftrange the fhould fpeak only to one time. The Lady Wentworth was the fingle witnefs that depofed, that he had felt the child move in the Queen's belly; but the fixed it to no

time.

The King's precaution produced not the expected effect; the fufpicion of an impof In general, fee in few words the ufe that ture was fo deeply rooted in the minds of may be made of the fufpicions mentioned by most of the English, that it was rather .coneveral authors, and of thefe depofitions, firmed than removed by this examination, amely, There being three cafes, in none The mysterious conduct obferved at a time of which the two parties agree, the def when, confidering the general suspicion, all

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