Sir Edward Askew, knt. Commissioner of the Prizes, for Grimsby, Lincolnshire. Sir Matthew Andrews, knt. Gentleman of the King's Bed-chamber, and Master of Trinity house, Shafton, Dorsetshire. Matthew Aylmer, esq. a Flag-Officer in the Fleet, Dover, Cinque-Port. B The hon. Peregrine Bertie, Vice Chamberlain, Boston, Lincolnshire. The hon. Hugh Boscawen, Governor of St. Maw's Castle, &c. County of Cornwall. William Blaithwait, esq. Secretary of War, one of the Council of Trade, and one of the Clerks of the Council, Bath, Somersetshire. Nathaniel Bond, the King's Serjeant at Law, Dorchester. Col. Gibson's regiment, Lymington, Southampton. Sir Robert Dashwood, knt. and bart. Commissioner of the Excise, Banbury, Oxfordshire. Sir Ralph Delaval, late a Flag Officer in the Fleet, Great Bedmin, Wilts. E Sir Stephen Evans, knt. Commissioner of the Excise, and Commissioner for WineLicenses, Bridgeport, Dorsetshire. Thomas Earle, esq. Major-General of the Army, Governor of Portsmouth, and Colonel of two Regiments of Foot, Warhaw, Dorsetshire. F Sir Stephen Fox, knt. Lord of the Treasury, Westminster. Sir Thomas Felton, Bart. Master of his Ma jesty's Houshold, Orford, Suffolk. Sir William Forrester, one of the Commis sioners of the Greencloth, Northumberland. William Farrer, esq. one of the King' Council, Bedford. The right hon. Viscount Fitzharding, Teller in the Exchequer, Windsor, Berkshire. Sir Thomas Frankland, bart. Post-master William Bridges, esq. Secretary to the Com-General, Heydon, Yorkshire. missioners for Paper and Parchment, Liscard, Cornwall. John Burrard, esq. Governor of Hurst Castle, Lymington, Southampton. John Burrington, esq. Commissioner of the Victualling, Oakhampton, Devonshire. Thomas Blofield, esq. Receiver-General of the Excise for the County of Norfolk, Norwich. The hon. George Booth, esq. late Commissioner of the Customs, Bostney, Cornwall. The hon. Charles Bertie, esq. Treasurer of the Office of the Ordnance, Stamford, Lincolnshire. C The right hon. Lord Coningsby, late Lord The hon. John Lord Cuts, Baron Gouram, Sir Robert Cotton, knt. Post-master-General, Newport, Isle of Wight. William Culliford, esq. Surveyor-General of his Majesty's Customs, Corfe-Castle, Dorsetshire. William Coward, esq. King's Serjeant at Law, Wells, Somersetshire. William Cowper, esq. King's Council, Hertford. D Edward Dummer, esq. Surveyor of the Navy, Arundel, Sussex. Thomas Done, esq. Auditor of the Imprest of the Exchequer. Thomas Dore, esq. Lieutenant-Colonel to The right hon. Lord Fairfax, Colonel of a Regiment of Dragoons, York. Charles Fox, esq. Pay-master to the Army, Cricklade, Wiltshire. Gi Sir Henry Goodrick, Lieutenant-General of Charles Godolphin, esq. Commissioner of the Sir Rowland Gwyn, late Treasurer of the King's Chamber, Tiverton, Devonshire. Francis Gardner, esq. an Employ in the Mint at Norwich, Norwich. The hon. Ralph Grey, esq. Auditor of the Exchequer, Berwick. Sir Bevil Granvile, Governor of Pendennis Castle, and Colonel of Foot, Fowey, Cornwall. John Gibson, esq. Colonel of a Regiment of Foot, and Deputy-Governor of Portsmouth, Portsmouth. H The hon. sir Robert Howard, knt. Auditor of the Exchequer, Castlerising, Norfolk. Henry Haveningham, Lieut, of the Band of Pensioners, Dunwich, Suffolk. Robert Henley, esq. Commissioner of the Customs, Lime-Regis, Dorsetshire. Thomas Howard, esq. a Teller of the Exchequer, Bleching, Surrey. Sir Joseph Herne, Patentee for Copper Halfpence, and Trustee for Circulating ExchequerBills, Dartmouth, Devonshire. Sir John Hawles, knt. Solicitor-General, Wilton, Wiltshire. Sir Henry Hobart, bart. Commissioner of the Customs, County of Norfolk. James Herbert, esq. Treasurer of the Prize Office, Ailesbury, Bucks. Charles Montague, esq. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Under-Treasurer of the same, one of the Lords of the Treasury, &c. Westminster. Sir Thomas Mompesson, kat. one of the Commissioners of the Privy-Seal, in the absence of the earl of Pembroke, New Sarum, Wilts. · John Methuin, esq. Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Devizes, Wilts. Christopher Montague, esq. Commissioner for Paper and Parchment, Northampton. Sir Charles Musgrave, art. Master of the Robes to the Queen Dowager, Appleby, Westmoreland. N The right hon. John Smith, esq. Lord of the Treasury, Andover, Southampton. George Sayer, esq. Lieut. of the Yeomen of the Guards, Canterbury. Sir Cloudsly Shovel, Admiral of the Blue, Commissioner of the Navy, and Colonel of a Marine Regiment, Rochester, Kent. James Slone, esq. Secretary to the Chief Jus tice in Eyre, Thetford, Norfolk. The hon. James Stanley, esq. Groom of the King's Bed-chamber, Secretary to the Houshold, and Colonel of Foot, County of Lan caster. T Sir William Trumball, knt. late Principal Se- John Taylor, esq. Book-keeper to the Treasurer of the Navy, and Usher of the Receipt of the Exchequer, Sandwich, Kent. Charles Trelawney, esq. a Major-General in the Army, and Colonel of a Regiment of Foot, East-Low, Cornwall. Henry Trelawney, esq. a Colonel in the Army, East-Low, Cornwall. Joseph Thurbarne, esq. King's Serjeant at Thomas Neale, esq. Master of the Mint, and Law, Sandwich, Kent. Groom-Porter, Lurgeshall, Wilts. U The right hon. J. Vernon, esq. Principal Se Foot Onslow, esq. Commissioner of the Ex-cretary of State, Penryn, Cornwall. cise, Guildford, Surry. Charles Osbourn, esq. Lieut. Governor of Hull, Hull, Yorkshire. P Thomas Pitt, esq. Master in Chancery, Old Sarum, Wilts. Thomas Pelham, esq. Lord of the Treasury, Lewis, Sussex. The hon. Henry Priestman, esq. Lord of the Admiralty, Shoreham, Sussex. Thomas Papillon, esq. Commissioner of the Victualling, London. W Sir Joseph Williamson, Keeper of the Records of State, Rochester, Kent. Sir William Wogan, one of the King's Serjeants at Law, Haverford-West, Wales. Richard Woolliston, esq. Receiver-General for the County of Hertford, Whitchurch, South ampton. The hon. Good Wharton, esq. Lord of the Admiralty, Cockermouth, Cumberland. Edmund Webb, esq. Gentleman-Usher to the Prince of Denmark, Cricklade, Wilts, &c. The HISTORY of the Kentish PETITION, in 1701.* IT would be hard to suspect him of errors in fact, who writes the story of yesterday: a his * Somers' Tracts, 2 Col. vol. iv. p. 300. See Proceedings of the House of Commons, May 8, 1701, and Note. torian of three weeks must certainly be just, for had he never so much mind to lie, it would be nonsense to expect the world could be imposed upon, every body's memory would be a living witness against him, and the effect would be only to expose himself.-Authors of histo let ries generally apologize for their quotations, plead their industry in the search after truth, and excuse themselves by asserting the faithfulness of their collections. The author of the following sheets is not afraid to let the world know, that he is so sure every thing that is related in this account is literally and positively true, that he challenges all the wit and malice the world abounds with, to confute the most trifling circumstance. If aggravations are omitted, and some very ill-natured passages go without observations, those persons who were guilty of them may observe that we have more good-nature than they have manners; and they ought to acknowledge it, since a great many rudenesses both against the king himself and the gentlemen concerned have escaped their scurrilous mouths which are not here animadverted upon.-And lest the world should think this presumptive, and that the accusation is only a surmise, we will query what they think of that kind remark of Mr. J. How, finding the king's Letter to the house, and the Kentish Petition to come both on a day, and the substance to be the saine, That the king, and the Dutch, and the Kentish men were all in a plot against the house of commons.'-I could have swelled this pamphlet to a large volume if I should pretend to collect all the Billingsgate language of a certain house full of men, against the king, the lords, and the gentlemen of Kent; but it is a fitter subject for a satire than a history: they have abused the nation, and now are become a banter to themselves; and I leave them to consider of it, and reform.-I assure the world I am no Kentish man, nor was my hand to the Petition: though had I been acquainted with it, I would have gone a hundred miles to have signed it, and a hundred more to have had the opportunity of serving my country, at the expence of an unjust confinement for it. It may be fairly concluded, I am no Warwickshire man neither, with a Petition in my pocket brought a hundred miles, and afraid to deliver it. Nor my name sir Robert Clayton, by which you may know that I did not promise the members, who were then in fear enough, to use my interest to stifle a city petition. Nor is my name Legion, I wish it were, for I should have been glad to be capable of speaking so much truth, and so much to the purpose as is contained in that unanswerable Paper. But I am an unconcerned spectator, and have been an exact observer of every passage, have been an eye and ear-witness of every most minute article, and am sure that every thing related, is as exactly true as the causes of it all are scandalous and burthensome to the nation.-As to the gentlemen of the house of commons, I shall not pretend to enter into their character, because I care not to enter into captivity, nor come into the clutches of that worst of brutes, their serjeant. Literally speaking, no member of the house of commons can be a Jacobite, because they have taken the oaths to king William. But this may be observed, that the Jacobites in Eng land are generally the only people who approve of their proceedings, and applaud their measures; and it is observable that at Paris, and St. Germans, the genteel compliment of a health in all English company is, a la sante de Monsieur Jack-How;' the truth of which there are not a few very good gentlemen in town can attest, from whence I think I may draw this observation, that either he is a Jacobite, or the Jacobites are a very good-natured people. Noscitur ex socio qui non dignoscitur ex-se.-The following sheets contain an exact History of the Kentish Petition, and of the treatment the gentlemen who presented it, met with both from the house, the serjeant, and at last from their country. The best way to come to a conclusion, whether the gentlemen Petitioners were well or ill used, is to review the matter of fact, all panegyrics and encomiums come short of the natural reflections which flow from a true Account of that Proceeding, and the whole is collected in this form, that all the world may judge by a true light, and not to be imposed upon by partial and imperfect relations. On the 29th of April, 1701, the quarter-sessions for the county of Kent, began at Maidstone, where William Colepeper, of Hollingbourn, esq. was chosen chairman, though be was then absent, and with an unusual respect the bench of justices proceeded to do business, and kept the chair for him, for several hours, till he came.-The people of the county of Kent, as well as in most parts of the kingdom, had expressed great dissatisfaction at the slow proceedings of the Parliament; and that the king was not assisted, nor the protestants abroad considered; and the country-people began to say to one another in their language, That they had sowed their corn, and the French were a coming to reap it;' And from hence it is allowed to proceed, that during the sitting of the session, several of the principal freeholders of the county applied themselves to the chairman aforesaid, and told him, it was their desire that the bench would consider of making some application to the parliament, to acquaint them of the apprehensions of the peo ple. The Chairman replied, 'It was the proper work of the grand-jury to present the Griev ances of the country, and therefore he referred them to the said grand-jury who were then sitting. The grand-jury being applied to, accepted the proposal, and addressing to the said Mr. Colepeper, the chairman acquainted him that they had approved of such a motion made as before, and desired that the bench would join with them; the chairman told them he would acquaint the justices of it, which he did, and they immediately approved of it also, and desired the said Wm. Colepeper, esq. their chairman, to draw a Petition-Mr. Colepeper withdrew to compose it, and having drawn a Petition, it was read and approved, and immediately ordered to be carried to the grand jury, being 21 in number, who all unani hours beyond his time, he adjourned them til next morning in the Court of Requests, where he told them absolutely, that he would not deliver the Petition.-Here it is very observable, out of the house, and returned the Petition in the manner above-mentioned, Mr. Meredith, the other representative for the county, came to them, and told thear that their Petition had been exposed in the house, and that Mr. How was then making a speech against it. mously signed it, and brought it into court, desiring all the gentlemen on the bench would do the same; whereupon the chairman and 23 of the justices signed it, and the freeholders of the county crowded in so fast, that the parch-that at the very time sir Thomas Hales came ment was filled up in less than five hours time; and many thousands of hands might have been had to it, if the justices had not declined it, refusing to add any more rolls of parchment, as insisting more upon the merits of the Petition, than the number of subscribers. By all which it appears how foolish and groundless their The gentlemen finding themselves thus bepretences are, who would suggest, that the Pe- trayed by sir Thomas Hales, consulted together tition was a private thing transacted by a few about finding another more proper person to people; whereas it is plain it was the act and deliver the Petition, and resolved to apply deed of the whole county.-As soon as the Pe- themselves to Mr. Meredith, the other member tition was signed and there was no more room for the county of Kent, and Mr. Meredith havfor any hands, it was delivered by the granding agreed to deliver it, in case sir Thomas. jury to the aforesaid Wm. Colepeper, esq. Hales should refuse, had appointed to meet chairman of the session, and he was desired to them, with several other gentlemen, meaibers present it in their names to the Parliament, of the house, in order to consult about the which at their request he promised to do, and matter of the Petition, and the manner of dethe rest of the gentlemen, viz. Thomas Cole- livering it.-In the morning the house being peper, esq.; Justinian Champneys, David Pol-met, Mr. Meredith came out and told them hill, esq.; and Wm. Hamilton, esq.; offered the house was in such a ferment that none of themselves to go with him. the gentlemen durst appear for it, nor come to On Tuesday the 6th of May they came to them, and he doubted would not venture so town with the Petition, and the next day they much as to speak a word in the house for the went up to the house, and applied themselves Petition.-Nor were these all the discourageto sir Thomas Hales, in order to desire him to ments the gentlemen met with in their presentpresent it to the house; he being one of the ing the Petition, but several members of the representatives of the county of Kent; sir house pretending respect, and others that were Thomas read the Petition, and telling them it really their friends, and in concern for them, was too late to present it that day, it being came out of the house to them, and endeavourafter 12 o'clock, desired they would let him ed to persuade them not to expose themselves show it Mr. Pelham of Sussex, and Mr. Cole- to the fury of the house, by delivering the Pepeper told him he was willing enough Mr. Pel-tition, telling them that Mr. How in particular ham should see the Petition, not doubting he would be a friend to it, but that he was unwilling to part with it, being intrusted with it by his country, adding, That he should make but an indifferent figure in the country, if the Petition should be got out of his hands and lost.' | Whereupon sir Thomas Hales past his word and honour, that he would not show it to any person whatever, but to Mr. Pelham, and that he would return it to them immediately. But this word and honour so solemnly engaged, was as easily forgotten: for having got the Petition, he carried it into the house, where he stayed an hour and a half, and then returning, he gave it to the gentlemen; and told them he had shewn it to sir Edward Seymour and several others. This perfidious action to that very part of the nation which he represented, deserves some special notice, and there is no question but the people will remember it for him, and show their resentment on proper oc casions. had said, That if there were one hundred thousand hands to the Petition, they should be all made examples of.' And sir Edward Sey. mour added, That the whole country should be double-taxed, and the estates of those who presented it, be confiscated to the use of the war.' Although these menaces, together with the almost omnipotent power of the house of commons, had circumstances enough in them to shake the resolution of a whole county, yet they had not the effects here which was expected, for the gentlemen, far from being terrified at all this, unanimously declared their resolution to discharge the trust placed in them by their country, and to present it to the house; and Mr. Win. Colepeper in particular alluding to the words of Luther, to those who dissuaded him from going to the city of Worms, told them, That if every Tile upon the chapel of St. Stephen's was a Devil, he would present the Petition.' And all of them declared, That if none of the gentlemen would do their Mr. Colepeper, in the name of the rest, gave him an answer suitable to the action, and suf-country so much service as to present their ficient to let him know their surprize at so ungentleman-like usage, viz. That he had broke his word, and served his country very ill.' But this being neither place, nor season, for further debates, he appointed to meet them in the evening, and then after making them wait two VOL. V.-Appendix. Grievances to the parliament in a legal l'etition, they would knock at the door of the house and deliver it themselves.' Mr. Meredith, finding the gentlemen so resolute, did consent to carry in the Petition, which he performed with great discretion and fidelity. | whatever Answer they gave might be misrepresented to the house, delivered by word of mouth, they resolved to put it into writing, and having consulted a while they agreed to send in this civil Answer: The Petition being thus delivered, the gentlemen attended, for Mr. Speaker, further to intimidate them, had let fall some speeches, That it was the usage of the house when a Petition was brought in, the persons who presented it ought to be ready without to justify the matter of their Petition." And the gentlemen seeing no reason to be ashamed of theirs in particular, resolved to abide the utmost which their and the nation's enemics could do to them. Having waited about half an hour, they were called in to the bar of the house, where Mr. Speaker, treating them in his usual haughty tone, this short dialogue passed between themi: Speaker. Gentleinen, is this your Petition? [Holding up the Petition by the one corner.] Gentlemen. Yes, Mr. Speaker. [Bowing very respectfully.] Speaker. And, gentlemen, you own this Petition? Gentlemen. Yes, Mr. Speaker. Speaker. And, gentlemen, your hands are to this Petition? Gentlemen. Yes, Mr. Speaker. Speaker. Withdraw, and expect the order of the house. Whereupon they withdrew, and attended in the lobby, and now began the second attack upon their resolution; for the members, who came out, represented with all the terror imaginable the fury of the house; imprisonment and the ruin of their fortunes and families was the least they had to expect; impeachments, laws er post facto, tacking them to Money-Bills, and all the arbitrary methods which any arbitrary parliament have ever made use of ruin those who have felt their magnipotent indignation, were laid before them. When some who pretended pity for the misfortune of so many worthy gentlemen, came out of the house and told them they had yet a lucky moment left them, by an immediate submission, to fly to the clemency of the house, that they were sent out by sir Edward Seymour and the rest of the gentlemen on that side, to let them know that Mr. How was now speaking, and would continue so for some time, to give them opportunity to recollect them selves, and by a timely acknowledgment to save themselves from ruin. The gentlemen being at a loss to know in what particular they could have given the house such offence, and being well assured they were in the protection of the law, and had not acted any thing but what the known constitution of the realm expressly allowed, remained still unshaken, and boldly replied, They had nothing to say but what was in their Petition.'-But being further pressed by sir Theophilus Oglethorpe, and several other gentlemen; and because they would not show any disrespect to the house, or seem to slight their displeasure, they considered of an Answer to be given to the proposal of submission. And because We are humbly of opinion, that it is our Right to petition this honourable house, according to the Statute of 13 Car. 2. As to the matter of our Petition, we declare that we intend nothing offensive to this honourable house.' This Writing being shewn to sir Theophilus Oglethorpe, and several other members, they began to smile, and imagined their point gained, and told the gentlemen they were glad they began to be sensible of their danger; and if they would but add one word more, viz. That they were sorry for what they had done, they would undertake for the clemency of the house: This they unanimously refused, one of the gentlemen with some heat replying, We will have no sorry. Here the members (or conspirators rather) would have had them put it, that they did it through inadvertency. This they also refused, declaring they did it at the request of their country, maturely and deliberately, were justified in doing it by the laws of the land, and they would never recede from it. So they delivered the Paper to sir Thomas Hales, but whether he delivered it to the house or no, he never had the civility to inform them. The debate in the house held five hours, after which notice was given them by the messengers, that the house had voted the Petition scandalous, insolent, and seditious, [vid. the Votes] tending to destroy, &c. and ordered them to be taken into custody for the same; upon which the gentlemen went and immediately surrendered themselves to the Serjeant, though the warrant was not made out for some hours after. The Serjeant only asked them where he should come to them at dinner, which was agreed to be at the Castle-Tavern in Fleetstreet, where they dined on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and were hitherto very civilly treated by his officers; and accompanied by great numbers of citizens and gentlemen of the first quality, and not a few of the nobility; the officers were seldom with them, went of errands for them, and oftentimes were all absent together; so that there was no colour of reason for the serjeant to say, he feared a rescue, for they had all the opportunities they could desire, if they had had the least design to escape, and it was never heard of that they who could escape when they pleased, would expose their friends to the hazard of a rescue. On Friday in the evening, Mr. Serjeant began to treat with them, and representing his absolute power, letting them know, that he bad an unbounded liberty of using them at discretion, that he could confine them at pleasure, put them into dungeons, lay them under ground, keep them apart, remove them daily, and keep all people from them, by making them close prisoners. He thereby gave them to understand, that he expected a consideration suit |