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times fell coo near the 13d of April, to celebrate the Feaft $Kbn without breaking the Law, which was the real caufc P ■bfthofe Prorogation?, of.which there are many Inftances.
itnd as'■he Kni^hts-CompanionsbM Prohibitions pUt uponthe Solemnization* of their Feaft, in cafe of its interfering #3tvith E after, fo had the Church of England, in their Ob-fervation of Sc. Georges Day, in reference to fevetal othek,
Feftivals 3 and this continued till the time of the Refor-
mation beguh by King Edward VI. but fince the GrandFeaft has been celebrated upon any of them indifferently "tthe Feaft of Eaftcr only excepted. ” 1
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The fecond fort,of Prorogations, which are meerly "jQ?’ ! - and wholly dependent on the Sovereign’s Plea- ^clmj
Arbitrary, -, , , .. - - -,-- 0 ..
Pure, yet warranted fufSciently from the _ Words, C aufa^*,foflulante, , mentioned in King Henry VlIPs Statutes; as •likewife the great Latitude given the Sovereigns of thismoft Noble Order, in reference to their Affairs, in thefame Statutes : The firft Precedent of which was, Anna ;5 Hen. V. when about Auguft, four Months after Sc,; qc ,George’s Day, that King being engaged in the Wars of 'LFrance, ordered the Fe .ft to be celebrated at Caen in Nor - •'Tnimandy, arid with great Solemnity created fifteen Knights HP 5 fl.into the Order. , . .. .
There are feveral other Examples, particularly oneS Hint. VIII. when the King being at Eltbam on St George'sDay, it was in a Chapter there held, Decreed, That the ac 4cuftotrsed Feaft of St. George fhould be obferved ztpVinifor
25th of May enfuing. And from this time it became An-
nually cuftomary, to keep the Day of St. George where theSovereign at that time made his Abode : On which Day;and the Day after, the ufual Solemnities were obferved.But as to the Solemnization of the Grand Feaft it (elf;that was in otie of the Chapters then held, adjourned tofome farther time, and then folemnized ac EP’indJor byProrogation, not by the Sovereigns themfelves. but bytheir Lieutenants and their Affiants appointed for thatpurpofe.
Bur to proceed with the Caufes of Prorogation, whichwere either for fome weighty reafons, or upon emer-gent Occanons; Anno r Marine, the Sovereign celebratingthe Feaft of St. George at Sc. James’s, Philip, Pr nce ofSpain, and the Earl of Sujfex, were on the Morrow aftereledted into the b der ; whereupon it was likewife De-
cttedj
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