4

HTSTORY OF ENGLAND.

cnAp.

XXI.

1693 .

Parlia-mentaryproceed-ings :emanci-pation ofthe press.

martial ardour had been tamed by misery. “I tell you inconfidence,” he wrote, “that I feel myself to be no longer fitfor military command. Yet I will try to do my duty; and Ihope that God will strengthen me.” So despondingly did helook forward to the most brilliant and successful of his manycampaigns.*

There was no interruption of parliamentary business. Whilethe Abbey was hanging with black for the funeral of the Queen,the Commons came to a vote, which at the time attracted littleattention, which produced no excitement, which has been leftunnoticed by voluminous annalists, and of which the historycan be but imperfectly traced in the archives of Parliament, butwhich has done more for liberty and for civilisation than theGreat Charter or the Bill of Rights. Early in the session aselect committee had been appointed to ascertain what tem-porary statutes were about to expire, and to consider which ofthose statutes it might be expedient to continue. The reportwas made; and all the recommendations contained in thatreport were adopted, with one exception. Among the lawswhich the committee advised the House to renew was the lawwhich subjected the press to a censorship. The question wasput, “that the House do agree with the committee in the reso-lution that the Act entitled an Act for preventing Abuses inprinting seditious, treasonable and unlicensed Pamphlets, andfor regulating of Printing and Printing Presses, be continued.”The Speaker pronounced that the Noes had it; and the Ayesdid not think fit to divide.

A bill for continuing all the other temporary Acts, which, inthe opinion of the committee, could not properly be suffered toexpire, w r as brought in, passed and sent to the Lords. In a

* L’Hermitage, Jan. A-, 1695: Vernon to Lord Lexington, Jan. 1. 4.;

Jan.

Portland to Lord Lexington, Jan. William to Ileinsius, p-g—