THE INTERREGNUM.

439

that the low bom young barrister was appointed to so honour- chap.able and important a post in a Parliament filled with able and — jg 88 yexperienced men, only ten days after he had spoken in theHouse of Commons for the first time, sufficiently proves thesuperiority of his abilities. In a few hours the Declarationwas framed and approved by the Commons. The Lords as-sented to it with some amendments of no great importance.*

The Declaration began by recapitulating the crimes anderrors which had made a revolution necessary. James hadinvaded the province of the legislature; had treated modestpetitioning as a crime; had oppressed the Church by meansof an illegal tribunal; had, without the consent of Parliament,levied taxes and maintained a standing army in time of peace;had violated the freedom of election, and perverted the courseof justice. Proceedings which could lawfully be questionedonly in Parliament had been made the subjects of prosecutionin the King’s Bench. Partial and corrupt juries had been re-turned: excessive bail had been required from prisoners: ex-cessive fines had been imposed: barbarous and unusualpunishments had been inflicted: the estates of accused per-sons had been granted away before conviction. He, by whoseauthority these things had been done, had abdicated thegovernment. The Prince of Orange, whom God had madethe glorious instrument of delivering the nation from super-stition and tyranny, had invited the Estates of the Realm tomeet and to take counsel together for the securing of religion,of law, and of freedom. The Lords and Commons, havingdeliberated, had resolved that they would first, after the ex-ample of their ancestors, assert the ancient rights and libertiesof England. Therefore it was declared that the dispensingpower, lately assumed and exercised, had no legal existence;that, without grant of Parliament, no money could be ex-acted by the sovereign from the subject; that, without con-sent of Parliament, no standing army could be kept up intime of peace. The right of subjects to petition, the right ofelectors to choose representatives freely, the right ofParlia-

' Commons’ Journals, Feb. 4, 8,11, 12 .; Lords’ Journals, Feb. 9,11,

12.168}.