knight, nor in providing a portion of the third branch of the legislature, at the marrying of his daughter. As that there is a great difficulty in dethe great bulk of the people had nei- termining not only when the repre ther power, property, nor knowledge sentatives of the people were first of the affairs of the state, and were summoned, but also when they bekept in the most servile condition, came a separate house. I believe it the haughty barons of those times will be a fruitless attempt in search. were too proud of their rank to stoop ing after authentic documents for into consult with the representatives of formation on this sul ject prior to the the common mass of the people. reign of Henry the Third. Brady says, I confess the parlia ment rolls of Henry the Third and Edward the First are wanting, so that we cannot be so well assured what was done in the parliaments of those times as we may be afterwards; yet there are writs of summonses extant upon the close rolls before and after those times, by which the bishops, earls, and barons, were summoned to the great council; and we have the close rolls of John and Henry the Third, in which anciently most of the writs of summons to the commons in other kings' reigns were entered. It is therefore very strange, if the commons were represented by knights, citizens, and burgesses, and summoned to parliament as at this day, that there cannot be found any summonses to them upon such rolls, as well as to the Lords.

In the early letters of attendance under seal, and in the summonses to parliament, we may learn who were the persons who composed the great council; and in them we may see that they were archbishops and bishops, abbots, priors, earls, knights, and great barons, and some others who had duties to perform, according to the services stipulated for in their charters which was the case of the Barons of the Cinque Ports, after their emancipation and enfranchisement.

The parliament summoned by the Earl of Leicester, while he had King Henry the Third and Prince Edward in his custody, could not be exactly upon the plan of the present parliament, though he might, without any design, give the first rude outline of

If those who contend that the commons formed a part of the Witenagemot of the Saxons, or the great council of the nation, in the time of the first Norman kings, they may perhaps see some reason for changing their opinions, by consulting Magna Charta, which says, the king declares Ad habendum commune consilium regni summoneri faciemus archiepiscopus, episcopus, abbates, comites, et majores barones, sigillatim per litteras nostras et præterea faciemus summoneri in generale, per vice comites, et balivos nostros illos que de nobis tenent in capite:" which is, " To hold the common council of the it, in summoning the knights,citizens, kingdom, we shall cause the arch- and burgesses, to answer his interested bishops, bishops, abbots, earls, and purposes and to increase his popu great barons, to be summoned indi- larity; for when the king reassumed vidually by our letters; and, besides, his liberty, after the battle of Eves we shall cause all those in general ham, he called a parliament accord who hold of us in capite to be sum- ing to the ancient usage, by summonmoned by our sheriffs and bailiffs." ing the prelates, earls, barons, and The lowest members in society which the king promised to call to the great council of the nation, by his letters of attendance, were those who held lands of him in capite, or who had services to perform, which they had contracted for in their charters; but, as for his summoning any representative of the commonalty, it does not appear that it was even thought of at that time.

After all, it must be confessed by every candid inquirer into the origin

great men; but he did not cause any writs to be issued, as Leicester had done, to citizens and burgesses; per were there any summoned to the par liament held in the fiftieth year of his reign, if we except those who had contracted for any particular service. It does not appear that his son, Edward the First, deviated from the usual custom in the early part of his reign in summoning members to the great council of the nation; for we fearn in the Statute of Westminster,

1

1

which passed in the third year of Edward the First, that "Ceux sont les establishments le Roy Edward fits le Roy faits a Westminster a son primer parliament general apres son coronement lendemaine de la cluse de Pasche lan de son raigne 3. par de son counsell & par lessenment des archieves ques, evesques, abbes, priors, countes, barons, & tout le commonalty de la terre iilonques summones:" which is, These be the acts of King Edward, son of King Henry, made at Westminster, at his first parliament general after the coronation, on the Monday of Easter, set as in the third year of his reign, by his council, and by the assent of archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, earls, barons, and all the commonalty of the realm being thither summoned.

In the thirty-third year of Edward the Third, the king gave many thanks to the archbishops, the bishops, the earls, barons, knights of counties, and to the citizens and burgesses, for attending the parliament at his com:nand; by which it appears that the citizens and the burgesses were summoned to appear in the council of the nation towards the close of that reign.

We certainly read that, so early as the reign of Edward the Second, the lords and the commons granted supplies to the king; but, when they were first separated, and claimed different privileges, and the essence of privileges, as mentioned by a certain barrister, must not depend upon what our ancestors have told us, but upon what we can gather from the refinement of modern times.

This was called a general parliament, because all the commonalty of It is in vain to look for the reprethe land, or, in other words, all the sentatives of the people assembled in lesser barons and tenants in capite, parliament prior to their having their were summoned. There is a bundle personal liberty and their property of writs, of the eighteenth year of secured to them by law, and by their Edward the First, directed to the industry the inhabitants of counties, sheriffs of several counties, and they cities, and borouglis, had accumulated are the most ancient of any extant, wealth to enable them to pay a proor perhaps that ever were; in which portionable part of the taxes to the writs they were directed to chuse two king. It was the security of person knights for each county; and it is and property which first roused the very probable that the summonses activity and the industry of Englishfor knights, citizens, and burgesses, men; and, while this protection rewere omitted from the forty-ninth of mains, the spirit of enterprise will Henry the Third to the eighteenth never forsake them, but spur them of Edward the First. At that time on in the pursuits of victory and the king wanted scutage of his sub- wealth. jects, and, as many of the citizens Instead of searching in the dark and burgesses were grown rich by ages of our history, or in the reigns commerce, he might think it more, of the Tudors or the Stuarts, for political to summonse them to par- precedents to support privileges which liament, to persuade them to give are not clearly defined, we should their assent to his request, rather shew more wisdom in attending to than to demand it of them, as such Solomon, who says, "The beginning a step might cause disaffection, and of strife is as when one letteth out weaken their attachment. Whether water; therefore he advises to leave this is the first time that the citizens off contention before it be meddled and burgesses were generally sum- with." moned, or whether they were regularly called to attend parliament afterwards, may perhaps be questioned; but one thing may be rather more certain, that the barons, the citizen and the burgesses, did not meet in separate houses, as they do at present; the fanciful appellations bestowed, for it was the opinion of Sir Edward throughout this country, on the revelCoke, that the lords and commons lers who assemble to celebrate Twelfth originally sat together. Day. The custom might originate in

For the Universal Magazine. LITERATURE FOR LOUNGERS. HAVE never it with any satis

factory account of the origin of

the Christmas carousals once main- The love of ancestry is a weakness tained in the inns of court. It is (if so it must be termed) common to certain that the chief actors in these the inhabitants of every civilized porfestivities were distinguished by hu- tion of the globe; but the nobles of mourous and satirical names, during no state can vie, in point of family the period of Wassalry. It does not antiquity, with those of Venice.Occur that this singular practice ex- Other countries have been conquered isted before the reign of Henry VIII; and over-run, or so intermingled with and, perhaps, the following circum- surrounding districts, that the origin stance may have some connexion with of the oldest families may be traced the original creation of twelfth-night to a comparatively modern date. He peer and peeresses-Henry, having who looks back on an ancestry dissummoned a shooting-match at Wind- tinctly ascertained to the 10th or 11th sor, one Barlow, an inhabitant of century, is, in most countries, respected Shoreditch, so entirely eclipsed his for the antiquity of his honours. But compeers, that the king jocosely de- it is not so in Venice. Some of the clared he should be ever afterwards Roman families, which, during the stiled the Duke of Shoreditch; and, ravages of the Huns, took shelter in from that time, the officers of the the Isles of Venice, and were then London band of archers were known' considerable enough to be intrusted and called by fantastic appellations, with the affairs of government, still as Marquisses of Clerkenwell, Isling- remain, and are certainly the most ton, and Hoxton; Earls of Cheapside, ancient in Europe. Many of these Watling-street, &c. clearly trace their genealogy to the time of Attila the Hun, who invaded Italy in 452.

Respecting another favorite custom, that of making April Fools," Lord Valentia observes that nearly a similar practice prevails, at a peculiar season, among the natives of Hindo

stan.

Among the numerous votaries of light literature, there have not been wanting some possessed of leisure to inquire into the meaning of Horns being usually ascribed to those who are unhappy enough to have wives of over-accommodating dispositions. -A writer (who must certainly be termed learned, since he expresses himself in Latin) informs us that none but horned animals are gregarious, and intermingle in common, and that thence originates the gibe under consideration. But it is evident that this author is mistaken, both in regard to his presumed fact of natural history, and the application of it.There is no room for doubt as to the foundation of the custom. The ancient soldiers wore, during military excursions, the horns of such animals as had been sacrificed to the god of battles; and it was in allusion to the prevalent levity of their help-mates during the separation, that every unfortunate husband was first said to be

one who wore the horns.

The French, as a nation, have generally been considered less sensible to the charms of nature than any other people in Europe. The few gentle men's seats observable in France are chiefly old, and are generally situated either in, or immediately contiguous to, a provincial town; and those which are placed amidst more retired scenery, are by no means conspicuous for elevation of site or harmony of prospect. The temper of the last years of the old monarchy precluded the expenditure of wealth in the erection of new buildings; so that it remains problematical whether the increase of encouragement given to landscape painting, and to poetry descriptive of natural images, would have induced a better taste in the French at the latter part of the 18th century. It is certain that the magic of Rousseau's writing had caused it to be fashionable for the French to spend some of the finest weeks of every year in the seclusion of the country; a cir cumstance which renders it probable that, if intestine commotions had not intervened, the inhabitants of modern Gaul would have gradually acquired a taste for the picturesque; and, in imitation of the English, have learned to consider the intermingled beauties

of wood and water, of hill and dingle, the prime objects required in planning the site of a provincial residence.

The Emperor Charles V caused a consultation of divines to be held at = Salamanca, for the purpose of ascer taining whether it was not impious to permit persons to anatomise the human body, though the advance ment of science was the object which prompted dissection. It is curious to observe, that, at the very period of this consultation, the emperor was engaged in a campaign, during which between twenty and thirty thousand men fell victims on the field of battle! Yet, let us not, without reflection, deride the seeming inhuman capriciousness of the emperor's conduct. He had been taught to esteem ambitious warfare glorious; he was ignorant of science, and had been bred to habits of religious bigotry. The inconsistency, therefore, was the consequence of education, and by no means the failing of the natural man.

many

useful publications, the sum of ten pounds per year. The value of money was then in England as 5 to 1 compared with Scotland; and a Professor's salary, in the Scottish universities, was 44s. 6d. per annum.

Queen Elizabeth is well-known to have been parsimonious in every particular. The following instance of this saving knowledge in her majesty is not, I believe, to be seen in any other work than the Life of Sir Thomas Smith, the secretary;—a book published in the sixteenth century, and almost unknown at the present day. When the Earl of Desmond (that potent instigator of rebellion among the Irish) was prisoner in England, A. D. 1572, the queen consented to a political reconciliation; and, in observance of the rank and immense power of the earl, and in consideration of his promising to drive the rebels entirely out of Ireland, she informed the secretary of her graciously intending to confer some tokens of her regard on Desmond before he left the metropolis. Sir Thomas applauded this intention, and then the queen professed her readiness to bestow on the demi-monarch a piece of silk for his apparel, together with some of the current coin of her kingdom.

66

One of the correspondents of the Universal Magazine has stated reasons for believing that religious prejudice has grossly exaggerated the asperity of Mary, Queen of England, This writer has not entered into a comparison of the numbers who fell Upon which Sir Thomas's judgmartyrs to religious opinions in the ment was, that, seeing the queen sister reigns of Mary and Elizabeth. would tie the earl to her service with But it should, certainly, be remem- a benefit, it should be done liberally bered that Elizabeth put to death, on and largely, not grudgingly and meanaccount of religion, 168 persons; ly. Which, as he added, did so diswhich leaves only a balance of 109 grace the benefit, that, instead of love, against the persecuting Queen of the many times left a grudge behind in Catholics. But, then, only two of the heart of him that received it, Elizabeth's martyrs suffered by fire; the rest died on the gibbet. Let those, who feel inclined, mention this latter circumstance in alleviation of the Protestant Queen's cruelty.

Henry VIII, though he professed so much fondness for the arts, and so great a reverence for learning, was not in the habit of bestowing a munificent remuneration on men of lettered eminence. He assigned to Roger Ascham, as a reward for his

It is evident, from his works, that this elegant writer was-skilled in the

which marred the whole benefit.”—

The queen was proud of her frugality, and therefore was not offended with the secretary's advice.

The above-mentioned Sir Thomas Smith wrote a long conversational disquisition on the propriety of his royal mistress entering into that holy

exercise of archery. From the information of an ancient, and somewhat

scarce volume, I am enabled to men

tion that Ascham was likewise a celebrated cock-fighter-This latter partiality is, I believe, not noticed by his biographers.

state, against which her love of sway capable of making a tolerable defence. adduced stronger arguments than any The town forms an oblong and irreopposed by the well-meaning zeal of gular square; the streets run at right the secretary. Sir Thomas was a angles, and the houses are seldom warm advocate for her majesty marry- above one story high, built of wood; ing with an Englishman; and some neatness and cleanliness prevail idea of his style, and of the manner throughout. There are two wellin which it was usual to address the built churches, one for the European Sovereign, may be formed from the and the other for the Malay christians. following passage of his work:— All the other public buildings are "Then, if there be any qualities and withinside the fort, except the stadperfection in any of our nation which house, which fronts the fort, and is a her majesty can like, were it not more neat stone builing two stories high. to be wished for her highness to make The town is plentifully supplied with her choice there, where her own self water, and though not of the best is judge, than to build upon hearsay, quality, it is both wholesome and and, in so weighty a matter, (by well-fasted. But the water for the marrying an alien-prince) to buy, as shipping is, for the most part, taken the common proverb is, a pig in the from a stream on the north side of poke." the harbour.

SHORT ACCOUNT of the VALUABLE SETTLEMENT of AMBOYNA, and its DEPENDENCIES, recently captured.

HE eleven islands which formed

The island is divided into districts, called Negrees, and the officers who govern them are distinguished by the titles of regents, rajahs, patties, and orancayos. The three principal ra jahs are permitted to inherit their regencies in their own families, and

are, Amboyna proper, Ceram, Bouro, tuguese who first settled on the island; Amblauw, Manipa Kelang, Bonoa, all the others are appointed by the Ceram-laut, Noussa-laut, Honimoa, governor. They receive a per centage and Oma. The middle of the island on the cloves produced in their reof Amboyna is in 3° 45' S. latitude, spective districts. Though the com and in 128 40' longitude E. from pany consider themselves as para Greenwich. It consists of two penin- mount lords of the soil, the clove sulas, connected by an isthmus of plantations are considered as the inabout a mile across. The barbour that is formed by these two peninsulas is called the Bay of Amboyna, and is a commodious and safe one, completely land-locked. The island is very mountainous, and the loftiest summits are covered with trees, and give a rich and picturesque appearance. The soil is mostly a reddish clay; but in the vallies, it is blackish, and mixed with sand.

There are no minerals found in the island; but, in some parts, abundance of brimstone is found, particularly on the mountain Wawani, which was formerly a volcano, and in 1695 made a dreadful eruption.

Fort Victoria, the principal fortress, is an irregular hexagon, with a ditch and covered way on the land side, and a horn-work towards the sea; which, were it not commanded by two ranges of heights, within from 700 to 1200 yards distance, would be

heritance of the natives, and are inalienable. There are some lots of land, however, which have been granted as alienable property, under a prohibition of cultivating cloves.

The grounds which yield cloves are called Daty-lands; a regular register of their produce is kept, the trees are numbered once a year, and their qua lities particularly noted. The people are bound to deliver the entire produce into the company's stores, under pain of death. When young trees shoot up in remote parts, they are either transplanted into the daty grounds, or are destroyed.

The clove-tree grows to the height of about forty or fifty feet in a favour able soil, and, when well attended to, it begins to bear at the end of nine years, and continues in perfection till it is forty years old. The usual time of the clove-crop is from October till December, when they are of a reddish