The Triennial and Septennial Acts, 491 



tlie determination of conceive we liave it not in our power to 



I817.J 



ftom and after 

 every otlier Parliament, legal writs un- 

 der tlie Great Seal shall be issued, by 

 direction of your Majesties, your heirs, 

 And successors, for calling, assembling, 

 And holding another new Parliaineut. 



3. And be it fiuiher enacted, by the 

 Authority aforesaid, That, from hence- 

 forth, no Parliament whatsoever, that 

 Ahall at any time hereafter he called. 

 Assembled, or held, shall have any con- 

 tinu<incc longer than for three years only 

 At the fartiic'st, to be accounted from the 

 day on which, by tiie writ of summons, 

 the said Pailiamcnt shall be appointed 

 to meet. 



4. And be it further enacted, by the 

 Authoiity aforesaid. That this present 

 Parliament shall cease and determine 

 •n the first day of November, which 

 shall be in the year of our Lord one 

 thousand six hundred and ninety-six, 

 unless their Majesties shall think fit to 

 disiiolve it sooner. 



PROTEST AGAINST IT. 



Upon the last reading of tlie Bill in 

 the House of Lords, the Lords Devon- 

 shire, Weymouti), Aylesbury, and Jtlali- 

 fex, entered the following protest against 

 it, viz. " liecausc it tended to the con- 

 tinuance of the present Parliament 

 longer than, as they apprehended, was 

 agreeable to the constitution of Eng- 

 land, and because of the ill conse- 

 quences which ill many respects might 

 attend it." 



THE EARL OF NOTTINGHAM'S SPEECH 

 AGAINST THE SEPTENNIAL ACT. 



He observed, that frequent Parlia- 

 ments were of the essence of the English 

 constitution, and were sanctioned by 

 the practice of ages; that the members 

 of the lower house were delegated by 

 the body of the nation for a certain term 

 «f years, at the expiration of which they 

 ■were no longer the representatives of 

 the people ; that, by thus leuglheniiig, at 

 their own pleasure, the duration oitJicir 

 own authority, thoy deprived the people 

 of the only remedy which the wisdom of 

 our ancestors had provided against the 

 ignorance and corruption of those who 

 might be temjited to betray the trust 

 reposed in them. He allirmed, that^ a 

 long Parliament would both enhance 

 the temptations, and multiply the o[,[)or- 

 tunitics, of a villous miuistry, to lunicr- 

 laiiie the integrity and indepeiulciu^e of 

 Parliaments far beyond what could 

 occur if they were ' sli<»il and frequent.' 



MK. SHIPPKN's speech. 



Mr. Shippen expressed himself in 

 these luemorublc words : " 1 luuiibl^ 



consent to this Bill ; for I cannot disco 

 Tor by what rule of reason, or law, we, 

 who are only representatives, can en- 

 large to our advantage the authority de- 

 legated to us; or that, by virtue of sucU 

 delegated authority, we can destroy th» 

 fundamental rights of our constitution 



" This House has no legislative au- 

 thority but wliat it derives from th» 

 people. The members of this assembly 

 were chosen under tire Triennial Act; 

 our trust is therefore a triennial trust ; 

 and, if we extend it beyond tJie strict 

 legal duration, we cease, from that in- 

 stant, to be the trustees of the people, 

 and are our own electors : — (rum that 

 instant we act by an unwarrantable a.s- 

 sumptioii of power, and take upon us to 

 create a new constitution; for, though 

 it is a received maxim in civil science, 

 that the supreme legislature cannot b» 

 bound, yet an exception is necessarily 

 implied, that it is restrained from .sub- 

 verting the foundation on which it 

 stands." 



SIR KOREUT Raymond's speech. 



"No!" said he, "not septennial, but 

 annual p»rliaments, are the true consti- 

 tutional remedy for all grievairces! This 

 was OUT ancient constitution, and every 

 departure from it has been attended with 

 inconvniience and injury.— Since the 

 Triennial Act passed, ten successiva 

 pailianicuts have sat, two long and 

 bloody wars have been waged, our fiic- 

 tions ran high, and our enemies were vi- 

 gilant; yet no such iiiconveiiiei.ces were 

 felt as are now apprehended or allcge«l, 

 uor were any attempts made by iliem, 

 as far as I have heard, to our prejiKliee, 

 during the tem|iorary ferments of those 

 elections. 



" Would the king establish his throne 

 in the hearts of his subjects, the most 

 sure and cfteclual way would be by fre- 

 quent appeals to the people, for such 

 :q)peals generate confidence, and (.-onti- 

 denee is a great advance towards agree- 

 ment and alieclion. 



" Will Hot the people say with reason, 

 if this Bill should pass, that, when the 

 original term of delegation is elapsed, 

 you are no longer their representatives? 

 In my opinion, (with great submission I 

 speak it.) king, lords, an<l cominons, 

 can no more conliiine a Parliament be- 

 yond its natural dinatioit. than they can 

 make a Parliament. The wisest go- 

 vernments, it is well known, have ever 

 been the most cautious in continuing 

 those persons in aulhoi ity to whom tiiey 

 have eiitni.sted the surjivmC power. A 

 .9 11 2 standing 



