“June 11th. (1688) Whereas by order of Councell at White-Hall, dated 1st. June 1688, for the discharging severall members from their respective places in this Corporation, those words following—“By the King’s most excellent majestie, and the Lords of his most honorable Privy Councell, whereas by the Charter lately granted to the town of Lynn Regis in the county of Norfolk a power is reserved to his Majesty, by his order in Councell, to remove from their employments any officers in the said town, His Majestie in Councell is this day pleased to order, and it is hereby ordered that Robert Sparrow, mayor and alderman, Sir John Turner, Benj. Holly, Willm. Hadfield, Robt. Pain, Giles Bridgeman, aldermen; Hen. Bell, Wm. Holly, Chas. Turner, Hen. Pope, Sam. Bridgeman, Ja: Greene, Tim. Priest, and John Bradfield, Common Councell, and Edmd. Rolfe, Town-Clerke, and Mayor’s Clerk, and Clerk of Guild-Hall Courts, and Courts of Sessions, Court Leet, and Court of Pyepouder, Be, and they are hereby removed and displaced from their said offices in the said Town of Lynn Regis.
John Nicholas.
[Then it immediately follows] “And the said severall persons in the said order mentioned were and are by the Hall this day accordingly displaced and discharged.” [Next after which it is added.] “June 11th. Att a further congregation the same day, before Sir Symon Tayler Kt. Th. Robinson, John Kidd, Benj: Keen, Th. Lemon, Edwd: Hooke, Edwd. Bodham. A mandate under his Majesties Hand and Seale read before the members above mentioned to remove severall therein mentioned, and to require to elect John Davy to be mayor, Wm. Linstead, Cyp. Anderson, Hen: Framingham, Charles Peast, Wm. Blyth, to be aldermen; and Th. Buckingham, Sym: Tayler, John Hall, Wm. Thompson, John Tidd, Pet: Busby, Seel Peast, and St: Tayler to be Common Councell, and Math: Oufande to be Town-clerk, without administering to them any Oaths but for the execution of their respective offices, with which wee are pleased to dispense in their behalfe. [843]—By his Majesties Command.
Sunderland.”
The king appeared now bent upon persevering in these arbitrary measures; and in the following month of September, he issued his royal mandate for continuing as chief magistrate, during another year, the above mentioned John Davy, who seems to have been highly thought of by his sovereign, and, but for the revolution, might, perhaps, have been appointed mayor of Lynn for life. Of the said royal mandate the following notice is taken in the Hall-Books.—“Sept. 29. 1688. This day a madat [mandate] under his Majesties hand and seal was read, to elect and continue John Davy mayor for the ensuing year, without administring any oaths but of office.” Then it is added—“This day John Davy Esq. is elected mayor for the next year, by the common councell.”
Dark and humiliating as was the aspect of this new order of things, it continued only between four and five years. The last charter which reduced the corporation to so degrading a condition was granted in June 1684; and it was cancelled, in effect, or disannulled in the autumn of 1688, when the old Charters were again restored and the former order of things reestablished. Of these events the Hall-Books contain the following memoranda—“October 20. 1688: This day his Majesties Royal Proclamation for restoring Corporations to their antient Charters, Liberties, Rights and Franchises bearing date 17th. October being read in this House, and thereupon the several members of this Corporation being members at the time of the late surrender made of the Priviledges of this Burgh being now assembled did proceed, viz.—The Common Councell have elected Ed: Hooke, Robt. Sparrow, and Cyprian Anderson, aldermen; and chosen Cyprian Anderson, alderman, mayor till Michaelmas next.—Oct. 26. the Duke of Norfolk is elected and confirmed Lord High Steward of this Burgh.”—Under the same date the following memorandum is inserted—“In pursuance of an order from the office of Ordnance, signifying his Majesties Commands to send all the Guns to Hull, it is agreed to remove the same accordingly.” [845a]—“Nov. 2. Ordered the Seal to be affixed to the Patent for the Duke of Norfolk being High Steward. [845b]—Also the Seal to one Letter of Attorney giving authority to sundry persons therein named to receive from his Majesties attorney general the late Instrument or Deed of Surrender of divers franchises and liberties.”—While things were going on thus at Lynn, the prince of Orange arrived; which brings us to the happy era of the Revolution, and to the close of this chapter.
CHAP. VI.
History of Lynn from the Revolution to the present time.
The change which took place at the accession of William and Mary we denominate, by way of eminence, The Revolution, and sometimes, The glorious Revolution. It was certainly a most happy change for this nation, and very different from that which took place at the restoration of Charles II. The nation behaved now like people in their senses; but they behaved then like madmen, and were accessary to all the enormities of that detestable reign, and of the whole period from the restoration to the revolution. Had the people, or their leaders, done their duty at the Restoration, neither Charles nor James would have found it so easy a matter as they did to tyrannize over their subjects, and enslave their country. They were placed on the throne, like all other despots, not only without any terms or stipulation in favour of the people, but even with those lofty notions which they inherited from their predecessors, and in which they were confirmed by their priests and courtiers, and other sycophants, that they were absolute princes, who ruled by right divine, and so were not amenable to any human tribunal, or accountable to any earthly being for any of their actions. With such notions we need not wonder at the arbitrary measures they pursued, or at their wishing to be as absolute or uncontrolled here as their cousin, Lewis XIV, was in France, or the grand Seignior in Turkey. It was very natural for such men as they to be or to do so, and for their fawning and time-serving courtiers to encourage them in it: but for the whole church and priesthood to act herein as abettors, till James, rather impoliticly, proceeded to take some undue liberties with the hierarchy, is somewhat more remarkable. As to Charles, he took special care to keep fair with the prelates and mother church, and play into their hands to their utmost wishes, which enabled him to rule as despotically as he pleased, with or without a parliament: they on the other hand complimented him, by calling him most sacred majesty, and telling, even the Almighty, that he was a most religious king. But James departed from this wise policy of his brother, by presuming to encroach upon the sacred prerogatives of the church, and order the very bishops to read, and cause their clergy also, in all the churches, publickly to read his Declaration of Liberty of Conscience to all his subjects; which, certainly, was, in itself, no very unreasonable demand. Yet this was the rock on which he split, and the occurrence which most of all contributed to facilitate and hasten the Revolution. For it caused such an accession to the patriotic party as rendered it predominant and irresistible.
Section I.
A sketch of the Revolution, or brief observations on that memorable and interesting event.
The English Hierarchy, or national priesthood, is that body, of all others, which it most behoves a tyrant king to secure its attachment and cooperation. Nor will he find this attended with much difficulty, provided he take care not to encroach on the ecclesiastical department, and let the ecclesiastics tyrannize as much as they please in their own province. Charles II understood this subject well, and by that means could act the tyrant with perfect safety throughout his whole reign. The alliance between church and state was by him preserved inviolate; and consequently none of the enormities of his vile government were able to shake, or endanger his throne. But James, by violating that alliance, deprived himself of his chief support and bulwark, and lost every thing. Had he kept fair with the church, or the ecclesiastics, he might venture to play the despot, persecute the nonconformists, and other descriptions of his subjects, as much, and as cruelly as he pleased: they would once have remonstrated against that sort of conduct. But being himself a non-conformist, and assuming a dispensing power, and issuing a Declaration for liberty of conscience, and withal, interfering with the dignities and revenues of the church and universities, they were alarmed beyond measure, and all at once forgot, even their favourite doctrines of passive obedience and nonresistance, for which they had so long contended, and the disbelievers of which they had so often represented as vile miscreants, unentitled to the common comforts of society, or the natural rights of men. While the nonconformists and the laity were the only sufferers from the oppressions of government, they blamed them for complaining, and preached up passive obedience and nonresistance, and the divine right of kingship; [851a] but when those oppressions began to affect them, they immediately changed their tone, and appeared among the foremost to complain, and even to disobey and resist.—Such was the character of the English clergy, before and at the Revolution; and it deserves to be noted and remembered.
In imprisoning the bishops, James filled up the measure of his folly and infatuation. It converted a large majority of his subjects into enemies, and hastened that crisis which blasted all his prospects, and transferred his kingdom to another family.