STATE P A P E 11 S. 



443 



parliament, by declarations, infor- 

 mations, or oliierwise, are crimes 

 for which some persons may be 

 justly excepted out of the bill of 

 indemnity.' " 



On the nth of Jane, 1689, the 

 House ordered, " That the re- 

 cords of the Court of King's 

 bench, relating to the proceedings 

 againstWiiliam Williams, esq. now 

 sir William Williams, knt. and 

 bart. late Speaker of this House, 

 be brought into this House, by 

 the custos brevium of the said 

 court, on Thursday morning next." 



On the 12th of July " The re- 

 cord was read ; and the House 

 thereuponresolved, Thalthe judg- 

 ment given in the Court of King's- 

 bench, in Easter term 2 Jac. 2di, 

 against William Williams, esq. 

 Speaker of the House of Com- 

 mons in the parliament held at 

 Westminster the 25th of October, 

 thirty-second Car. 2di, for matter 

 done by order of the House of 

 Commons, and as Speaker there- 

 of, is an illegal judgment, and 

 against the freedom of parlia- 

 ment." 



" Resolved, That a bill be 

 brought in to reverse the said 

 judgment." 



" This bill was twice read, but 

 went no further in that session." A 

 similar bill was in the following 

 session ordered to be brought in ; 

 and a third bill passed the Com- 

 mons in 1695, and was sent up to 

 the House of Lords, but did not 

 proceed there to a second reading. 



It appears further, that on the 

 4th of June, 1689, " A petition of 

 John Topham, esq. was read, set- 

 ting forth, that he, being a ser- 

 jeant-at-arms, and attending the 

 House in the years 1679 and 1680, 

 when several orders were made, 



and directed to the petitioner, for 

 the taking into his custody the se- 

 veral persons of sir Charles Neale, 

 &c. and others, for several misde- 

 meanours by them committed, in 

 breach of the privilege of the 

 House ; and after that the Com- 

 mons were dissolved, the said per- 

 sons being resolved to ruin the pe- 

 titioner, did in Hilary term, the 

 thirty-third or thirty-fourth of king 

 Charles, sue the petitioner in the 

 King's-bench in several actions of 

 trespass, battery and false im- 

 prisonment, for taking and detain- 

 ing them as aforesaid: to which ac- 

 tions the petitioner pleaded to the 

 jurisdiction of the court the said 

 several orders ; but such his plea 

 was over-ruled; the then judges 

 ruling the petitioner to plead in 

 chief, and thereupon he pleaded 

 the orders in bar to the actions : 

 notwithstanding which plea and 

 orders, the then judges gave judg- 

 ment against him, &c." 



" Upon the report from the com- 

 mittee of privileges and elections, 

 to whom the petition of J. Top- 

 ham was referred, the House re- 

 solved, ♦' That this House doth 

 agree with the committee, that the 

 judgment given by the Court of 

 King's-bench, Easter term, thirty* 

 fourth Car. H. regis, upon the plea 

 of John Topham, at the suit of 

 John Jay, to the jurisdiction of 

 that court ; and also the jud^^ments 

 given against the said Mr. Topham 

 at the suit of Samuel Verdun, &c. 

 are illegal, and a violation of the 

 privileges of parliament, and per- 

 nicious to the rights of parlia- 

 ment." Whereupon it was order- 

 ed, " That sir Francis Pemberton, 

 sir Thomas Jones, and sir Francis 

 Wythens do attend this House 

 on Wedneday morning next." 



