very of the monarchy of Spain to the House of Austria, thereby to preserve a due balance of power in Europe; but also from her just resentments against the Duke of Anjou, who then styled himself King of Spain, and who, in defiance of her Majesty's title to the crown, had acknowledged the Pretender as King of Great Britain, and, on these just foundations, her Majesty had, in vindication of the honour of the crown, and in justice to her people, at a vast expense of blood and treasure, and on the earnest and repeated advices of her parliament, prosecuted a vigorous war against the said Duke of Anjou; and whereas, in the years of our Lord 1710, 1711, and 1712, the said open, bloody, and expensive war was carried on between her said late Majesty Queen Anne and the said Duke of Anjou, and during all the time aforesaid the said war did continue, and for all that time the said Duke of Anjou, and the subjects of Spain adhering to him, were enemies of her late Majesty; he the said Henry Viscount Bolingbroke, then being one of her Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, and of her Privy Council, and a subject of her said Majesty, not considering the duty of his allegiance, but having withdrawn his true obedience from her said late Majesty, did at several times, in the years of our Lord 1710, 1711, and 1712, maliciously, falsely, wickedly, and traitorously aid, help, and assist, and adhere to the said Duke of Anjou, then an enemy to her said late Majesty, against her said Majesty; and, in execution and performance of the said aiding, belping, and assisting, and adhering, and in confederacy and combination with the then enemies of her late Majesty, and with divers other wicked and evil-disposed persons, did, at several times, in the years aforesaid, advise and counsel the enemies of her late Majesty, against her said Majesty; and, in such counselling and advising did concert with them, and did promote the yielding and giving up Spain and the West Indies, or some part thereof, to the said Duke of Anjou, then in enmity with her Majesty, against the duty of his allegiance, and the laws and statutes of this realm.

All which crimes and misdemeanours were committed and done by him the said Henry Viscount Bolingbroke, against our late

sovereign lady the Queen, her crown and dignity, the peace and interest of this kingdom, and in breach of the several trusts reposed in him the said Viscount; and he the said Henry Viscount Bolingbroke was one of her Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, and one of her Privy Council, during the time that all and every the crimes before set forth were done and committed: for which matters and things, the knights, citizens, and burgesses of the House of Commons, in parliament assembled, do, in the name of themselves and of all the commons of Great Britain, impeach the said Henry Viscount Bolingbroke of high treason, and other high crimes and misdemeanours, in the said articles contained.

And the said Commons, by protestation, saving to themselves the liberty of exhibiting at any time hereafter, any other accusations or impeachments against the said Henry Viscount Bolingbroke, and also of replying to the answers which the said Henry Viscount Bolingbroke shall make to the premises, or any of them, or to any impeachment or accusation that shall be by them exhibited, according to the course and proceedings of parliament, do pray, that the said Henry Viscount Bolingbroke be put to answer all and every the premises; and that such proceedings, examinations, trials, and judgments may be upon them, and every of them, had and used, as shall be agreeable to law and justice and they do further pray and demand, that the said Henry Viscount Bolingbroke may be sequestered from parliament, and forthwith committed to safe custody.

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No. III.

ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT OF HIGH TREASON, AND OTHER HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANOURS, AGAINST ROBERT EARL OF OXFORD AND EARL MORTIMER.

Whereas many solemn treaties ard alliances have been formerly entered into between the Crown of England and other Princes and Potentates of Europe, for their mutual safety, and from the considerations of the common danger which threatened all Christendom from the immoderate growth of the power of France: and whereas the preventing the monarchy of Spain from coming into the hands of the House of Bourbon has for many years been a fundamental principle and maxim of union among the allies in order to preserve a just balance of power in Europe; and, to that end, as the designs of France on the monarchy of Spain have from time to time appeared, new treaties and express stipulations have been entered into amongst the allies, to strengthen themselves against that approaching danger; and, on this foundation, a treaty for an intended partition, whereby a small part only of the dominions of the Crown of Spain was allotted to the House of Bourbon, was condemned by the wisdom of parliament, as being highly prejudicial and fatal in its consequences to England, and the peace of Europe; and whereas the Duke of Anjou, grandson to the King of France, on the demise of Charles the Second, King of Spain, took possession of the entire monarchy of Spain, whereby the balance of power, the Protestant religion, and the liberties of

Europe, were threatened with immediate danger; whereupon Leopold, then Emperor of Germany, his late Majesty King William the Third, of ever-glorious memory, and the States General of the United Provinces, finding at that most critical juncture, that a strict conjunction and alliance between themselves was become necessary for repelling the greatness of the common danger from so great an accession of power to the then common enemy, did, in the year of our Lord 1701, make, form, and conclude a new treaty of alliance, whereby it was agreed, "That there shall be and continue between the said confederates, his sacred Imperial Majesty, his sacred Royal Majesty of Great Britain, and the Lords of the States General of the United Provinces, a constant, perpetual, and inviolable friendship and correspondence; and that each party shall be obliged to promote the advantages of the other, and prevent all inconveniences and dangers that might happen to them, as far as lies in their power. That the said allies desiring nothing more earnestly than the peace and general quiet of all Europe, have adjudged that nothing can be more effectual for the establishing thereof, than the procuring an equitable and reasonable satisfaction to his Imperial Majesty, for his pretension to the Spanish succession; and that the King of Great Britain and the States General may obtain a particular and sufficient security for their kingdoms, provinces, and dominions, and for the navigation and commerce of their subjects; that the said confederates therefore shall, in the first place, endeavour by amicable means to obtain the said satisfaction but if, contrary to their expectations and wishes, the same is not had, the said confederates do engage and promise to one another, that they will assist each other with all their forces, according to a specification to be agreed upon in a peculiar convention for that purpose. That the confederates, in order to the procuring the satisfaction and security aforesaid, shall, amongst other things, use their utmost endeavours to recover the provinces of the Spanish low countries, that they may be a fence and rampart, commonly called a barrier, separating and dividing France from the United Provinces, for the security of the States General, as they have

served in all times, till of late that the Most Christian King has seized them by his forces: as likewise the Duchy of Milan, with its dependancies, as a fief of the empire, and contributing to the security of his Imperial Majesty's hereditary dominions : besides the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, and the lands and islands upon the coast of Tuscany in the Mediterranean, that belonged to the Spanish dominions, and may serve to the same purpose, and will be also of advantage to the navigation and commerce of the subjects of the King of Great Britain and of the United Provinces. That, in case the confederates shall be forced to enter into a war, for obtaining the satisfaction aforesaid for his Imperial Majesty, and the security of his Majesty of Great Britain and the States General, they shall faithfully communicate their designs to one another, as well in relation to the actions of the war, as all other things wherein the common cause is concerned that it shall not be permitted to either party, when the war is once begun, to treat of peace with the enemy, unless jointly and by a communication of counsels; and no peace shall be made unless an equitable and reasonable satisfaction for his Imperial Majesty, and the particular security of the kingdoms, provinces, dominions, navigations, and commerce, for his Majesty of Great Britain and the States General, be first obtained; and unless care be taken, by fitting security, that the kingdoms of France and Spain shall never come and be united under the same government, nor that one and the same person shall be King of both kingdoms; and particularly, that the French shall never get into the possession of the Spanish Indies; neither shall they be permitted to sail thither, on the account of traffic directly, or any pretence whatsoever; and lastly, unless full liberty be granted unto the subjects of the King of Great Britain and the States General, to exercise and enjoy all the same privileges, rights, immunities, and franchises of commerce, by sea and land, in Spain, the Mediterranean, and all lands and places which the King of Spain last deceased did possess at the time of his death, as well in Europe as elsewhere, which they used and enjoyed, or which the subjects of both or either of