CHAP.

XIII.

1083.

1G IlISTOEY OF ENGLAND.

abolished; that no other system had been substituted; that itwas impossible to say what was the established religion of thekingdom; and that the first duty of the legislature was to putan end to an anarchy which was daily producing disasters andcrimes. The leaders of the Club were not to be so drawn awayfrom their object. It was moved and resolved that the consi-deration of ecclesiastical affairs should be postponed till secularaffairs had been settled. The unjust and absurd Act of Incapa-citation was carried by seventy four voices to twenty four.Another vote still more obviously aimed at the House of Stairspeedily followed. The Parliament laid claim to a Veto on thenomination of the Judges, and assumed the power of stoppingthe signet, in other words, of suspending the whole administra-tion of justice, till this claim should be allowed. It was plainfrom what passed in debate that, though the chiefs of the Clubhad begun with the Court of Session, they did not mean to endthere. The arguments used by Sir Patrick Ilume and othersled directly to the conclusion that the King ought not to havethe appointment of any great public functionary. Sir Patrickindeed avowed, both in speech and in writing, his opinion thatthe whole patronage of the realm ought to be transferred fromthe Crown to the Estates. When the place of Treasurer, ofChancellor, of Secretary, was vacant, the Parliament ought tosubmit two or three names to his Majesty; and one of thosenames his Majesty ought to be bound to select.*

All this time the Estates obstinately refused to grant anysupply till their Acts should have been touched with the sceptre.The Lord High Commissioner was at length so much provokedby their perverseness that, after long temporising, he refusedto touch even Acts which were in themselves unobjectionable,and to which his instructions empowered him to consent. This

* As to Sir Patrick’s views, see his letter of the 7th of June, andLockhart’s letter of the 11th of July, in the Lcven and Melville Papers.