ORDER OF THE GUELPHS.

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General Remarks.

Upon the most remarkable circumstance relating to the Order of the Guelphs—its diversion from the purpose for which it was Instituted, by having beenprofusely given to Natives of this Country, some observations have alreadybeen made . * 1 The Order is now, however, for the first time, confined to itslegitimate object; and has thus become in practice, what it was always intendedto be, a Foreign Order. When therefore, its decorations are conferred uponany of the Queen’s Subjects, or when any of them who had received the Secondor Third Class from its former Sovereigns, are promoted to a higher degree,it is necessary that they should obtain Her Majesty’s Royal Licence to autho-rize them to accept and wear the Ensigns.

It would scarcely be necessary to repeat, that the Order never gave rankor precedence to the Knights in Great Britain, were it not, that two or threeof them have ventured to assume the appellation of “ Sir,” contending that astheir own Sovereign had appointed them a Knight of one of His Orders, theybecame to all intents and purposes, dejure, Knights Bachelors of these Realms.Some pretence for this opinion is certainly afforded by the dictum of Lord ChiefJustice Coke, and other authorities , 2 that “ the highest and lowest dignities areuniversal; for if a King of a Foreign Nation come into England by the leave ofthe King of this Realm (as it ought to be), in this case he shall sue and be suedby the name of a Kingand that “ a Knight was named by the name of aKnight, wheresoever he received that degree of dignity,” which is supported bya modern decision of the Court of Queen’s Bench, in a case where the person

1 Vide pp. 3, 14, 15, antea.

1 7 Co. 15 b , 16 (Calvin’s Case). Y. B. 6 Hen. VI. 14, and 20 Edw. IV. 6. Justice Doddridge’sLaw of Nobility, ed. 1658, p. 129. Broke’s Abridgment, Nosme de Dignitie, No. 49.

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