we shall declare our pleasure to the contrary, notwithstanding the same commission be not continued by adjournment. And lastly we have revoked and determined, and by these presents do revoke and determine certain letters patents under our great seal of England, 5 bearing date the 6th day of April in the seventh year of our reign, whereby we constituted and appointed you the said Thomas lord archbishop of Canterbury, John lord archbishop of York, William lord bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, Gilbert lord bishop of Sarum, and Simon lord 10 bishop of Ely, together with the then right reverend father in God, Edward lord bishop of Worcester lately deceased, to be our commissioners for the purposes above mentioned, and every clause, article, and thing therein contained. In witness whereof we have caused these our 15 letters to be made patents. Witness ourself at Westminster the 9th day of May, in the twelfth year of our reign. Per Breve de Privato Sigillo, Original in the hands of Dr. Edward Tenison, Archdeacon of Caermarthen. CHUTE. 20 CLXX. Archiepisc. Cant. Anno Christi Reg. Angliæ His grace the lord archbishop of Canterbury's circular letter to the right reverend the lords bishops of his province: in which is inserted her majesty's gracious letter to him of the eighth of April, MDCCVII. relating to matters in convocation. To the right reverend the lord bishop of ON Right reverend brother, N the eighth day of this instant April I received a letter from her most gracious majesty, the contents 5 of which I was therein required to communicate to the bishops and clergy of my province in convocation assembled. His grace the lord archbishop] This appeal from the upper house of convocation to the clergy in general was occasioned by the refractory Io conduct of the lower house on the subject of prorogations and intermediate sessions; and this form was given to it, partly on account of the premeditated absence of the prolocutor (dean Stanhope), when her majesty's letter was communicated to the lower house, and partly on account of the great publicity that had been given to their proceedings, 15 inasmuch as a protest had been circulated throughout the whole of the province, for the purpose of obtaining the signatures of all those members of the lower house who were opposed to the factious conduct of the majority. The prolocutor was pronounced contumacious; but further proceedings against him were stayed on his making a full sub20 mission; and the bishops, having the legal opinions of the lord chancellor Cowper and the lord chief justice Holt in their favour, received the direct support and authority of the crown. No business can be undertaken in convocation, unless it has been specially proposed to them by royal license; and much mischief, allayed with little benefit, The convocation at that time stood prorogued to April the tenth, on which day we met; and those of the lower house, who were present, being called up to the Jerusalem chamber, I did, in pursuance of her majesty's order, communicate to them her said gracious letter. 5 But the prolocutor being absent, and very few of the lower house appearing, I thought it proper, in a matter of so great importance, to acquaint all the clergy of my province not only with the letter itself, but with divers other matters, which give light to it, and without which 10 those, who were absent, will not be able to comprehend the full scope and intention of it. I would therefore desire you to acquaint the clergy of your diocese, as soon as conveniently you can, with the following particulars. On the twelfth of February last, by virtue of a royal writ then received, I prorogued the convocation to March the fifth following. 15 On the 19th of March the lower house did, by their prolocutor, deliver to the president an application in these 20 words: To the most reverend his grace the lord archbishop of Canterbury, and the right reverend the bishops of the upper house of convocation. May it please your grace and your lordships. "We the clergy of the lower house of convocation beg leave to acquaint your lordships, that some of our members have carefully compared the several royal proroga 25 having for some time previously resulted from their labours, no such permission has been granted since the year 1717, so that from that period 30 the convocation has virtually become extinct. Burnet, Own Times, vol. v. pp. 202. 254. Baxter's Life, p. 713. Hallam, vol. ii. p. 549. Tindal's Contin. p. 539. Tanner MSS. vol. cclxxxii. p. 234. tions of the parliament, and of the synod of the province of Canterbury, from the year of our Lord MDXXXII. when the first royal writ for proroguing the convocation issued, to the year of our Lord MDCCV. when this present convo5 cation first assembled. 66 Upon the perusal of a schedule thereof, which we are ready to lay before your lordships at your next session, your lordships will be pleased to observe, that within the period above mentioned, containing one hundred seventy 10 three years, there is no one instance of a writ of prorogation issuing, during the session of parliament, to dismiss the clergy, when met in convocation. "We do therefore in all humility and earnestness beseech your lordships, that out of that conscientious regard 15 which we doubt not but your lordships have for the welfare of the church of England, you will use your utmost endeavours, that your lordships, and the clergy of this province, may enjoy the same usages, which your lordships' protestant predecessors and ours have been in 20 constant possession of, and have never misemployed." 25 As to the schedule mentioned in the foregoing paper, for the support of their assertion therein, they did not bring it up till March 26, on which day it was offered and received. After a perusal of it, the president and his suffragans caused a paper to be drawn up at large, containing a vindication of her majesty's proceeding; together with observations on their schedule, and an appendix relating further to it. But the matter of the said application 30 being of so high and nice a nature, they did forbear, at that time, to give them any other answer than this, which follows: April 2, MDCCVII. Mr. Prolocutor, and the rest of the clergy with you. "We have perused and considered your application brought up on the 19th of March last past, and your schedule mentioned therein, and brought up on the 26th of the same month; and are prepared to shew, that your 5 assertion in the aforesaid application, together with what is offered as a support of it in the said schedule, is in many particulars far from being true. "But it appearing to us, that the matter therein contained does highly concern her majesty's royal supremacy, 10 (which she was pleased to declare in her gracious letter of Feb. 25, MDCCV., that she was resolved to maintain, as a fundamental part of the constitution of the church of England,) we think it not proper to make any further step in relation thereunto, till we have humbly laid the same 15 before her majesty." On April 5, (the day to which the convocation was prorogued,) some of the lower house brought up a short declaration; which, it seems, they had entered upon their minutes on March 5, but did not acquaint the upper 20 house therewith till the 5th of April; when the prolocutor, with four or five more, brought up the following paper: May it please your grace and your lordships. "The clergy of the lower house of convocation humbly 25 pray, that when your grace shall be pleased to lay before her majesty the application and schedule lately brought up to your grace, the following declaration, made antecedently to their application, may also be laid before her majesty, as transcribed from the minutes; viz. that they 30 did not thereby intend to enter into any manner of debate |