116

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XI.

IU89.

A bill was drawn up in conformity with the resolutions of the•Committee, and was rapidly passed through every stage. Afterthe third reading, a foolish man stood up to propose a rider,declaring that the oath was not meant to restrain the Sovereignfrom consenting to any change in the ceremonial of the Church,provided always that episcopacy and a written form of prayerwere retained. The gross absurdity of this motion was exposedby several eminent members. Such a clause, they justly re-marked, would bind the King under pretence of setting himfree. The coronation oath, they said, was never intended totrammel him in his legislative capacity. Leave that oath as itis now drawn, and no prince can misunderstand it. No princecan seriously imagine that the two Houses mean to exact fromhim a promise that he will put a Veto on laws W'hich they mayhereafter think necessary to the Avellbeing of the country. Orif any prince should so strangely misapprehend the nature ofthe contract between him and his subjects, any divine, anylawyer, to whose advice he may have recourse, will set his mindat ease. But if this rider should pass, it will be impossible todeny that the coronation oath is meant to prevent the King fromgiving his assent to bills which may be presented to him by theLords and Commons; and the most serious inconvenience mayfollow. These arguments w r ere felt to be unanswerable, andthe proviso was rejected without a division.*

Every person who has read these debates must be fully con-vinced that the statesmen who framed the coronation oath didnot mean to bind the King in his legislative capacity.** Un-

* Journals, March 28. 1689; Grey’s Debates.

** I will quote some expressions which have been preserved in theconcise reports of these debates. Those expressions are quite decisive asto the sense in which the oath was understood by the legislators whoframed it. Musgrave said, “ There is no occasion for this proviso. It can-not be imagined that any bill from hence will ever destroy the legislativepower.” Finch said, u Tho words ‘established by law,’ hinder not theKing from passing any bill for the relief of Dissenters. The proviso makes