LIBERTY. 



if any thing be done to the contrary, it 

 shall be void in law, and held for error. 

 After a long interval these liberties were 

 still further confirmed by the petition of 

 right ; which was a parliamentary de- 

 clara ion of the liberties of the people, 

 assented to by King- Charles I. in the be- 

 ginning 1 of his reign. This was closely 

 followed by the still more ample conces- 

 sions made by that unhappy Prince to his 

 parliament; (particularly the dissolution 

 of the Star Chamber, by statute 16 Charles 

 I. c. 10) ; before the fatal rupture between 

 them; and by the many salutary laws, 

 particularly the Habeas Corpus Act, pass- 

 ed under King Charles II. 



To tlu-se succeeded the Bill of Rights, 

 or declaration delivered by the Lords and 

 Commons to the Prince and Princess of 

 Orange, February 13, 1688; and after- 

 wards i Carted in parliament, when they 

 became King and Queen ; which, as 

 peculiarly interesting, is here inserted at 

 length. 



Statute 1 William and Mary, statute 2, 

 c. 2, $ 1. Whereas the Lords Spiritual 

 and Temporal, and Commons, assembled 

 at We-stminster, representing all the 

 estates of the people of this realm, did, 

 upon the 13th of February 1683, present 

 unto their Majesties, then Prince and 

 Princess of Orange, a declaration, con- 

 taining, that the said Lords Spiritual and 

 Temporal, and Commons, being assem- 

 bled in 2 full and free representative of this 

 nation, for the vindicating their ancient 

 rights and liberties, declare, that- the 

 pretended power of suspending of laws, 

 or the execution of laws, by legal au- 

 thority, without consent of parliament, 

 is illegal ; that the pretended power of 

 dispensing with laws, or the execution of 

 laws, by rc-gal authority, as it hath been 

 assumed and eNtrcised of late, is illegal ; 

 that the commission for erecting the^late 

 court of commissioners lor ecclesiastical 

 causes, and all other commissions and 

 coiii-'s of like nature, are illegal and per- 

 nicious. 



That levying money for, or to the use 

 of the crown, by pretence of prerogative, 

 without grant of parliament, for 'longer 

 time, or in other manner than the same is 

 or shall be granted, is illegal ; that it is 

 the right of the subjects to petition the 

 Kin;;, and all commitments and prosecu- 

 r such petitioning, are illegal ; that 

 the raising or keeping a standing army 

 within the kingdom in '.ime of peace, un- 

 less it be with consent of parliament, 'is 

 against law ; that the subjects which are 

 protestunts may have arm's for their de- 



fence, suitable to their conditions, and as 

 allowed bylaw; that election of members 

 of parliament ought to be free; that the 

 freedom of speech, and debates or pro- 

 ceedings in parliament ought not to be 

 impeached or questioned in any court or 

 place out of parliament; that excessive 

 bail ought not to be required, nor exces- 

 sive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual 

 punishments inflicted; that jurors ought 

 to be duly impaimelled and returned, and 

 jurors which pass upon men in trials for 

 high treason, ought to be freeholders; 

 that all grants and promises of fines and 

 forfeitures of particular persons before 

 conviction, are illegal and void ; and for 

 redress of all grievances, and lor the 

 amending, strengthening, and preserving 1 

 of the laws, parliaments ought to be held 

 frequently ; and they do claim, demand, 

 and insist upon all and singular the 

 premises, as their undoubted rights and 

 liberties ; and that no declarations, judg- 

 ments, doings, or proceedings, to the 

 prejudice of the people in any of the said 

 premises, ought in anywise to be drawn 

 hereafter into consequence or example ; 

 Sect. 6. All and singular the rights and 

 liberties asserted and claimed in the said 

 declaration are the true, ancient, and in- 

 dubitable rights and liberties of the peo- 

 ple of this kingdom, and so shall bees- 

 teemed, allowed, adjudged, and taken to 

 be ; and all the particulars aforesaid shall 

 be firmly holden as they are expressed in 

 the said declaration ; and all officers shall 

 serve their majesties according to the 

 same in all times to come. Sect. 12. No 

 dispensation by non obstante of any statute 

 shall be allowed, except a dispensation be 

 allowed of in such statute ; and except in 

 such cases as shall be especially provided 

 for during session of parliament. Sect. 

 13. No charter granted before the 23d of 

 October 1689, shall be invalidated by this 

 act, but shall remain of the same force as 

 if this act had never been made. Lastly, 

 these liberties were again asserted at the 

 commencement of the present century, in 

 the Act of Settlement, statute 12 and 13 

 William III. c. 2, whereby the crown was 

 limited to his present Majesty's illustrious 

 house ; and some new provisions were 

 added at the same fortunate asra, for bet- 

 ter securing our religion, laws, and liber- 

 ties, which the statute declares to be 

 "the birthright of the people of England;" 

 according to the ancient doctrine of the 

 common law. 



Thus much for the declaration of our 

 rights and liberties. The rights themselves, 

 thus defined by these several statutes, 



