Proclaimed king in the year 1714, and died in 1727.

PURSUANT to the act of succession, George the First, son

of Ernest Augustus, first elector of Brunswick, and the princess Sophia, grand-daughter to James the First, ascended the British throne. His mature age, he being now fifty-four years old, his sagacity and experience, his numerous alliances, the general tranquillity of Europe, all contributed to establish his interests, and to promise him a peaceable and happy reign. His abilities, though not shining, were solid: he was of a very different disposition from the Stuart family, whom he succeeded. The Stuarts were proverbially known for their neglect of their friends, and for their lenity to their enemies. George, on the contrary, soon after his arrival in England, was heard to say, "My maxim is, never to abandon my friends; to do justice to all the world, and to fear no man.' To these qualifications of resolution and perseverance, he joined great application to business. However, one fault with respect to Britain remained behind; he studied the interest of those subjects whom he had left, more than those whom he came to govern.

The

queen had no sooner resigned her breath, than the privycouncil met, and three instruments were produced, by which

the elector appointed several of his known adherents to be added as lords justices to seven great officers of the kingdom. Orders also were immediately issued out for proclaiming George king of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The regency appointed the earl of Dorset to carry him the intimation of his accession to the crown, and to attend him on his journey to England. They sent the general officers, in whom they could confide, to their posts; they reinforced the garrison of Portsmouth, and appointed Joseph Addison, a name celebrated in English literature, secretary of state. To mortify the late ministry the more, lord Bolingbroke was obliged to wait every morning in the passage among the servants, with his bag of papers, where there were persons purposely placed to insult and deride him. No tumult appeared, no commotion arose against the accession of the new king, and this gave a strong proof that no rational measures were ever taken to obstruct 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 sent for such of the nobility as had distinguished themselves by their zeal for his succession. But the duke of Ormond, the lord chancellor, and the lord treasurer, found themselves excluded.

The king of a faction is but the sovereign of half his subjects. Of this, however, the new-elected monarch did not seem sensible. It was his misfortune, and consequently that of the nation, that he was hemmed round by men who soured him with all their own interests and prejudices. None now but the leaders of a party were admitted into employment. The whigs, while they pretended to secure the crown for their king, were, with all possible arts, confirming their own interests, extending their connections, and giving laws to their sovereign. An instantaneous and total change was made in all the offices of trust, honour, or advantage. The whigs governed the senate and the court, they oppressed whomsoever they would, they bound the lower orders of people with severe laws, and kept them at a distance by vile distinctions; and then taught them to call this-LIBERTY.

These partialities soon raised discontents among the people, and the king's attachment considerably increased the malecontents through all the kingdom. The clamour of the church's being in danger was revived, and the people only seemed to want a leader to incite them to insurrection. Birmingham

Bristol, Norwich, and Reading, still remembered the spirit with which they had declared for Sacheverel; and now the cry was, "Down with the whigs! Sacheverel for ever!"

In the first meeting of parliament, which assembled on the 17th of March 1715, the whigs, with the king at their head, were predominant, and nothing was expected, but the most violent measures against the late ministry, nor were the expectations of mankind disappointed.

The Lords professed their hopes, that the king would be able to recover the reputation of the kingdom on the Continent, the loss of which they affected to deplore. The Commons went much farther: they declared their resolution to trace out those measures by which the country was depressed; they resolved to seek after those abettors on whom Prince James, nephew of the late queen, often called the Pretender, a nickname given him by the whigs. but his proper title was Chevalier de St. George, seemed to ground his hopes of regaining the throne of his ancestors; and they determined to bring such persons to condign punishment.

It was the artifice, during this, and the succeeding, reign, to stigmatize all those who testified their discontent against government, as papists, and jacobites, or, favourers of Prince James. All who ventured to speak against the violence of their measures, were reproached as designing to bring in the Chevalier; and most people were consequently afraid to murmur, since discontent was so near akin to treason. The people, therefore, beheld the violence of their conduct in silent fright, internally disapproving, yet not daring to avow their detestation.

A committee was appointed, consisting of twenty persons, to inspect all the papers relative to the late negotiation for peace; and to pick out such of them as might serve as subjects of accusation against the late ministry. After some time spent in this disquisition, Mr. Walpole, as chairman of the committee, declared to the house, that a report was drawn up; and in the mean time moved, that a warrant might be issued for apprehending Mr. Matthew Prior, and Mr. Thomas Har. ley, who, being in the house, were immediately taken into custody. He then impeached lord Bolingbroke of high treason. This struck some of the members with amazement; but they were still more astonished, when Lord Coningsby, rising up, was heard to say, "The worthy chairman has impeached the hand, but I impeach the head; he has impeached the clerk, but I the justice; he has impeached the scholar, and I the master. I impeach Robert earl of Oxford and Mor

timer, of high treason, and other crimes and misdemea.

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 discovering the baseness 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 alleged that it was treason. Sir Joseph Jekyl, a staunch whig, said that he could never be of opinion that it amounted to treason. It was his principle, he said, to do justice to all men, to the highest and the lowest. He hoped he might pretend to some knowledge of the laws, and would not scruple to declare upon this part of the question in favour of the criminal. To this Walpole answered with great warmth, that there were several persons, both in and out of the committee, who did not in the least yield to that member in point of honesty, and exceeded him in the knowledge of the laws, and yet were satisfied that the charge in that article amounted to high treason. This point being decided against the earl, and the other articles approved by the house, the lord Coningsby, attended by the wnig members, impeached him soon after at the bar of the House of Lords; demanding, at the same time, that he might lose his seat, and be committed to custody. When this point came to be debated in the House of Lords, a violent altercation ensued. Those who still adhered to the deposed minister, maintained the injustice and the danger of such proceedings. At last the earl himself rose up, and, with great tranquillity, observed, that for his own part, he always acted by the immediate directions and command of the queen his mistress; he had never offended against any known law, and was unconcerned for the life of an insignificant 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 answer. Though Dr. Mead declared, that if the earl should be sent to the Tower, his life would be in danger, it was carried in the house, that he should be committed.

At the same time the duke of Ormond and lord Bolingbroke, having omitted to surrender 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 list of peers; and inventories were taken of

their estates and possessions, 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 which was carried on unsuccessfully. After the execution of some lords, who were taken in arms, the nation seemed glutted 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 persons who were really culpable, and expected that his case would look like innocence itself when compared to theirs. A. day, therefore, at his own request, was assigned him, and the commons were ordered to prepare for their charge. At the appointed time, the peers repaired to the court in Westminsterhall, where lord Cowper presided as lord high-steward. But a dispute arising between the lords and commons, concerning the mode of his trial, the lords voted that the prisoner should be set at liberty. To this dispute he probably owed the security of his title and fortune; for as to the articles importing him guilty of high treason, they were at once malignant and frivolous; so 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 avenues to royal favour were closed against all but a faction. The flames of rebellion were actually kindled in Scotland. The earl of Mar assembling three hundred of his own vassals in the Highlands, proclaimed prince James at Castletown, and set up his standard at Bræmar, on 6th September 1715, assuming the title of lieutenant-general of his majesty's forces. To second these attempts, two vessels arrived in Scotland from France, with arms, ammunition, and a number of officers, together with assurances to the earl, that the Prince himself would shortly come over to head his own forces. The earl, in consequence of this promise, soon found himself at the head of ten thousand men, indifferently provided. The duke of Argyll, apprized of his intentions, and, at any rate, willing to prove his attachment to the present government, resolved to give him battle on Sheriff-Muir, in the neighbourhood of Dunblane, though his forces did not amount to half the number of the enemy; but this disproportion in point of numbers was more than compensated by their being regular, and some of them veteran, troops; and led against a body of men, in general, ignorant of military evolutions, and not even well armed. After an engagement which continued several hours, in the evening,