180

HISTORY OP ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XXIV.

1111 ) 8 .

the popular prejudice, and while they were respectfully re-" presenting to him that by so standing up they should onlymake that prejudice stronger and more noxious, the daycame which the Commons had fixed for taking the royalspeech into consideration. The House resolved itself intoa Committee. The great question was instantly raised;What provision should he made for the defence of therealm? It was naturally expected that the confidentialadvisers of the Crown would propose something. As theyremained silent, Harley took the lead which prop'erlybelonged to them, and moved that the army should notexceed seven thousand men. Sir Charles Sedley suggestedten thousand. Vernon, who was present, was of opinionthat this number would have been carried if it had beenproposed by one who was known to speak on behalf of theKing. But few members cared to support an amendmentwhich was certain to be less pleasing to their constituents,and did not appear to be more pleasing to the Court, thanthe original motion. Harley’s resolution passed the Com-rilittee. On the morrow it was reported and approved.The House also resolved that all the seven thousand menwho were to be retained should be natural born English sub-jects. Other votes were carried without a single divisioneither in the Committee or when the mace was on the table.

The King’s indignation and vexation were extreme. Hewas angry with the opposition, with the ministers, with allEngland. The nation seemed to him to be under a judicialinfatuation, blind to dangers which his sagacity perceived