to town this night; for this is the day of the grand debate about their rights and privileges.

I obeyed all your Lordship's directions to the Mafter*, Mr. Burfcough, &c. I beg your Lordship's bleffing; and am, my Lord, your moft obedient, and most humble fervant,

LETTER

FR. ATTERBURY.

XXVI.

To Bp. TRELAWN Y.

Thursday, [Feb. 29, 1701-2].

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR LORDSHIP,

TH

HE paper + could not be printed off early enough on Tuesday; but now I have fent it, and am forry that with it I muft fend your Lordship an account, that the Archbishop hath again this day adjourned us to the fifth of March, that we may be upon our cures, catechizing, and preparing people for the bleffed Sacrament at Eafter. About forty-five of us went down afterwards to our own Houfe, but came to no refolution; and are therefore to meet again on Saturday morning, when, I hope, we shall draw up a remonftrance. I am your Lordship's, in all duty,

FR. ATTERBURY.

* Of the Rolls, Sir John Trevor. + Promised in p. 75.

*F 7

Dr. Tenifon.
LET-

LETTER *XXVII.

To Bp. TRELAWNY.

Feb. 21, [1701-2].

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR LORDSHIP,

E met to-day, as a private company,

Win Henry the Seventh's chapel, to

debate what was to be done, in this exigence, to fecure our rights. Some of the members thought it convenient to have a chairman to manage this debate, and accordingly placed Archdeacon Drewe in it. There were then two or three methods of doing ourselves right propofed. One was, to choose on the next fynodical day a Prolocutor (under fome other name), and act as a body under him, Another was, to go up the next feffion, (March 5,) to the Jerufalem-Chamber, and there, by fome one member pitched upon for that purpofe, to declare, by word of mouth, our fenfe of that hardship. I will freely own to your Lordship, that I was of a third opinion, and proposed, that we should draw up a folemn proteftation, in form; fubfcribe it, every one, with our names at length (while we had yet numbers enough in town

to

to countenance fuch an act), deliver it in the Jerufalem Chamber on March 5, and defire that it might be then entered in the Upper House Journal.

In behalf of this, it was urged by feveral of us, that "this was the known method of "Convocation, and the right of every mem"ber of it, to diffent, by an humble protefta"tion, to whatever paffed there, and was not "approved by any perfon or perfons. That "there could never be a greater occasion to "juftify the entering of fuch a diffent, than

66

we now had before us. That, without it, 66 we did not do all we could to fecure the "constitution, nor confequently did answer "the truft repofed in us. That whatever elfe "we did, would not be fo fignificant, and

66

and

we should probably be baffled in it. An oral representation by one of our members would "die in the Jerufalem Chamber, and never be "entered on record there, juft as the reprefen"tation of the Dean of Chrift-Church "fome other members, made on fuch an oc“cafion eight or nine years ago, was dropped, "without any notice taken of it. That if this high violation of our right was to take

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place, it became us to have our sense of "the injury declared in as public and fo"lemn a manner as it was done. And if "there was a refufal to enter this proteftation "above, we had it certainly in our power "to enter it below in our own books, and might, if we thought fit, proceed to pub"lish and it would certainly have its "weight, and hinder pofterity at least from "thinking that we were any ways confenting "to this infringement. And as to the appoint"ing one to prefide in the room of a Pro"locutor, it was judged that this, if it were

66

thought fit to be done, fhould follow the "proteftation; and when the right had been "infifted upon, and been denied, then would be the time, if the Houfe fo pleafed, and "thought it worth while, under the present "want of members, to practife it. At pre

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fent, his Grace would fay, that he had no

ways notice from us that the putting off the "choice of a Prolocutor was thought a griev"ance by us; and that he wondered we would

66

proceed to a new choice, without giving him "the opportunity of redreffing the hardship, "if it were one, by a due information given "him concerning it: and that the very fub

"vious declaration of right, and desire of re"drefs, would be a plaufible argument for cutting off for the future all correfpondence "between the two Houses."

All that I could hear urged against the fubfcribed Proteftation was, that it might bring the members into danger that did it; and we were to take care of ourselves, as well as of pofterity. It was anfwered, that there was, and could be, no manner of danger in it; for it was doing no more than every fingle member of Convocation had a right to do, and a right to be hearkened to when he did it. But the danger was ftill urged, and prevailed fo far, that we broke up without any refolution, but this only, to meet early on March 5, in the morning, and then determine what to do; and by that time near half the members will have left the town.

I beg your Lordship's pardon for troubling you with this long account: but, being under the unhappiness to be of an opinion, which fome, whom I have a great regard for, oppofed, and which your Lordship may (it is poffible) hear of from another hand, I thought it not amifs, to be punctual.

6

*F 9

The