28 Bishops and Laity in Partibvs Infiddium. [JAN. 



Ferdinand of Spain, at this moment, King of the Indies in partibus ?. 

 Does he not, in this capacity, extend his potent sway over most of the 

 American continent, from the rocks of Cape Horn to the Floridas from 

 the Atlantic to the Pacific ? Does he not, in this capacity, plant his flag-staff 

 on the highest pinnacle of the Andes, and command wherever the Castilian 

 tongue is heard? Does he not, in this capacity, rule over five or six 

 republican states, which innocently enough imagine themselves free and 

 independent republics ? Does he not, in this capacity, possess the pro- 

 perty of all their mines and the monopoly of all their commerce ? Is not 

 the King of Spain, therefore, though very weak in his European 

 dominions, one of the most powerful monarchs in partibus that ever 

 existed ? Far be it from us, on this account, to adopt the language of 

 the Council of Trent, and call him a vagabond king, though we believe 

 such a title has been treasonably whispered on the Exchange of London. 

 Not to multiply examples unnecessarily, we may just mention, that the 

 Knights of Malta are now Knights of that island in partibus; that 

 during the last twenty years, while the chapter of the order resided at 

 Catania, in Sicily and since it has transferred its seat of power to the 

 states of the Pope in the north of Italy it has maintained, and still 

 maintains, its sovereignty in partibus. In the same capacity it may 

 boast of a navy, and defend the Pope against the attacks of the Barbary 

 corsairs. 



Our readers must all remember how much Mr. Burke astonished the 

 house of commons on the introduction of his economical bill, by the 

 immense effects which he ascribed to the influence of the king's turn-spit 

 being a member of parliament. Now the right honourable economist 

 could not mean that this gentleman, after turning a majority in the house 

 of commons, went home to the palace and turned a spit in the king's 

 kitchen. The turn-spits, or turn-broaches (as they were formerly called), 

 formed, at the time of Mr. Burke, a detachment of no less than eight 

 persons, and turned spits in the king's kitchen just as King Ferdinand 

 rules the states of South America by proxy. We find, out of the eight, 

 in an old list of the royal household, two very appropriate names, John 

 Gutly, and Josiah EahvelL Whether it was a lineal descendant of the 

 Gutlys, or the Eatwells, that possessed such distinguished parliamentary 

 influence about fifty years ago, we do not know ; but certain it is, that 

 he must have been a turn-spit only in partibus. These must have been 

 glorious days for high life below stairs at the palace, when a corps of two 

 hundred persons superintended the making of the king's dinner when 

 grooms of the pantry subscribed themselves gentlemen when purveyors 

 of eggs and butter were denominated esquires when a master cook was 

 served by gentlemen yeomen when there was an honourable deputy 

 clerk of the deputy clerk of the second clerk of the kitchen when 

 scullions were paid like general officers, and turn-spits were members of 

 parliament. Though the office of many of these worthy squires of the 

 bake-house, the pantry, the poultry, the buttery, the kitchen, the pastry, 

 the scalding-house and scullery, was in partibus they happily had their 

 living at home and hence, no doubt, in allusion to our episcopal parallel, 

 they were said to hold their appointments without cure, or sine cures. 



Nor is this qualification confined exclusively to clerical professions and 

 government offices. Many individuals, and even whole classes of men, 

 hold their character, their fame, and their virtues, by a tenure in partibus. 

 Are not the members of the Greek committee the trustees for the Greek 



