Cl1ap. X. The HIST 0 R Y of the PuRITANS",' 731 continued the poll till night; when the books were call up, each party King I . d I . . d' h . ~ .a.· b k Th /l. Charles H. c a1me t 1e ma_joray ac~or. 111g t? t e1r re.pec.uve oo s. e conte.. 1682 . rofe fo high, that Sir Wt!!tam Prttchard lord mayor, was afterwards ar- ~ rell:ed at the fuit of Mr. Papillon and Dubois, and detained prifoner in Skinners-hall till midnight. But when the affair came to a trial, the election was vacated, Papil!on and Dubois were imprifoned, and the leading men of the whig party, who had dii1inguifhed themfelves in the cootell:, were fined in large fums of money, which made way for the lofs of the charter. The court would have perfuaded the common-council to make a voluntary furrender of it to the crown, to put an end to all contefl:s for the c;ar.ter 1 future; but not being able to prevail, they refolved to condemn it by ~~:~~no &c. law ; accordingly a quo warranto was iifued out of the court of King's- forfeited. bench, to fee whether its charter h3d been duly obferved, becaufe the Burnet. P· common·c?uncil in one of their addreffes, had_ petitioned for th~ fit_ting k~~in~68• of the parhameht, and had taxed the prorogation as a delay of Jufbce; p. 3 , 9 , and becaufe they had laid taxes on their wharfs and markets, contrary to law. After trial upon thefe two points, the chief juf1:ice deliver~d it as the un\lnimous opinion of the court, that the liberties and francbifes ifBurnet. the city if London had been .forfeited, and might be jeized into the king's P· ~27• 53°• bands, but judgment was not to be entered, till the king's pleafure was &a;ette, further known. In the mean time the lord mayor and common-coun- N• r835. cil, who are the reprefentatives of the city, agreed to fubmit to the king's mercy, and fent a deputation to Winc!Jor, June I 8, 1683, to beg pardon; which the king was pleafed to grant on condition, that his majejly might have a negative 011 the choice qf all the chiif magiflrates -- that if his majijly difapproved qf their choice qf a lord mayor, they fhou!d choofe another within a week --And that if his majefly dij'approved their fecond choice, he jhou!d himfe!f nominate a mayor for the year enJuing ; and the like as to jherf/Js, aldermen, &c. \Vhen this was re- .parted to the common-council, it w~s put to the vote, and upon a diviiion, one hundred and four were for accepting the king's regulation, and eighty fix again!l: it ; but even thefe concejjions continued no longer than a year. The charter of London bt:ing loll:, the cities and corpora– tions in general were prevailed with to deliver up their charters, and ac– cept of fuch new ones as the court would grant, which was the highefl: degree of perfidy and bafenefs in thofe who were intrull:ed with them, efpecially when they knew, that the defign was to pack a p~rliament, in order to make way for a popiili fucceffor. Thus the liberties of England were delivered up to the crown; and Remarks. though the forms of law remained, mens lives and efiates were at the mercy of a fet of profligate creatures, who would fwear any thing for 5 A 2 hire
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