182

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XV.

XU90.

of the Exclusionists, stood up and moved to add a clause pro-viding that every municipal functionary who had in any mannerbeen a party to the surrendering of the franchises of a boroughshould be incapable for seven years of holding any office in thatborough. The constitution of almost every corporate town inEngland had been remodelled during that hot fit of loyaltywhich followed the detection of the Rye House Plot; and, inalmost every corporate town, the voice of the Tories had beenfor delivering up the charter, and for trusting every thing to thepaternal care of the Sovereign. The etfect of Sacheverell’sclause, therefore, was to make some thousands of the mostopulent and highly considered men in the kingdom incapable,during seven years, of bearing any part in the government ofthe places in which they resided, and to secure to the Whigparty, during seven years, an overwhelming influence inborough elections.

The minority exclaimed against the gross injustice of pass-ing, rapidly and by surprise, at a season when London w'asempty, a law of the highest importance, a law which retro-spectively inflicted a severe penalty on many hundreds of re-spectable gentlemen, a law which would call forth the strongestpassions in every town from Berwick to St. Ives, a law whichmust have a serious effect on the composition of the House itself.Common decency required at least an adjournment. An ad-journment was moved: but the motion was rejected by a hun-dred and twenty seven votes to eighty nine. The question wasthen put that Sacheverell’s clause should stand part of the bill,and was carried by a hundred and thirty three to sixty eight.Sir Robert How y ard immediately moved that every person who,being under Sacheverell’s clause disqualified for municipaloffice, should presume to take any such office, should forfeitfive hundred pounds, and should be for life incapable of holdingany public employment whatever. The Tories did not venture