®8v
m
5*tj
U ( [
itj'
““l
readily accept the Orrfer, he is obliged, by the Statute^io return the Sovereign a Certificate of fuch his Accep-tance, and defire of Ratification. And ’tis obfervable,before the additional Claufe made by King Henry VIII.t bis ceremonious Courfe had been the Practice of an-S dent Times; and both expected from, and obferved bythe King of Denmark, who having been elected, 6 Hen.Y.wa s the eighth of the fame King taken notice of for notreturning, before that Time, an Anfwer, whether hdiZ?, accepted the Honour or no : And it appears, before the■ next Feaft of St. George, he fent over his ready Accep-both of the Honour of Election, and of the En-figns of the Order ; and thereupon Directions were givenw . ! '1 for his Inftallation by the Lord Fit% Hugh, his Proxy.
But for an inftance, after the faid additional Claufe,'T there is one remarkable enough, in the Preamble of thehI Sovereign’s Credential Letters to the Duke of Savoy, i andlt , i 1 ar| d Mar . fent with the Habit and Enfigns of the1 e Order ; in which it appears : That the Sovereign havinggiven notice of his Election into this mojl Noble Order, hehi returned back, bis cheerful and ready Acceptance of, andfinplar Satisfaction in the faid Choice ; and therefore cor-iUII) wijhed it might attain its due Effect.
In fucceeding Times it was thought neceflary, wherethe whole Habit was fent to a Stranger, together with theSovereign’s Letters of notice, to make a provifiona! De-cree, (which palfed, 13 Car. I.) That Garter, and allfibers, whom he fleafed to join in Commijfon with him,Jbould bt moft punctually careful, that they delivered notfie Enfigns of the Order to any elect Stranger, till theyHirefatisfied, by his Letters Patent, of his kind and grate-ful Acceptance thereof ; or in cafe of refufal, to forbeartheir Prefentation.
And the fame care was alfo taken, where only theOerter and George were fent ; as appears by the Inftru-ctions fent, 19 Car. I. to Sir William Bofiwel, then ap-pointed by the Sovereign to prefent thofe two principalUnfigns to PVilliam, Prince of Orange ; where, amongother things, he is exprefly commanded, To take a Tefli-oiomal from the faid Prince, of his kind Acceptation thereof,before he fkould deliver thofe Enfigns of Honour to him :So likewife in the Inftitutions of the fame Date, for de-livery
iu
ileatk
emu:
Joi’ii:
SAf
h