11 E V 



the former proceedings may Hand revived, and be put in the 

 fame condition as at the time of the abatement. 



REUNION, Ifle dela, in Geography. See Bourbon. 



REVOCATION, Revocatio, in Law, the aft of re- 

 voking, calling back, or annulling, a power, grant, &c. made 

 before. 



The revocation of an offer, after it is accepted of, is in- 

 valid. All preceding wills or teftaments are revoked by the 

 laft ; but the republication of a former will revokes one of a 

 later date, and eftablifhes the firft again. 



The cancelling or revoking of a teftament is one of the 

 three ways of avoiding it. For, though I make a laft will 

 and teftament irrevocable in the ftrongeft words, yet I am 

 at liberty to revoke it, becaufe my own aft or words cannot 

 alter the difpofition of law, fo as to make that irrevocable 

 which is in its own nature revocable. (8 Rep. 82.) For 

 this, fays lord Bacon (Elem. c. 19.) would be for a man to 

 deprive himfelf of that which of all other things is molt in- 

 cident to human condition ; and that is, alteration or repent- 

 ance. It hath alfo been held, that without an exprefs revo- 

 cation, if a man, who hath made his will, afterwards marries 

 and hath a child, this is a prefumptive or implied revocation 

 of his former will, which he made in his ftate of celibacy. 

 (Ld. Raym. 441. 1 P. Wms. 204.) The Romans were alfo 

 wont to fet afide teftaments as being " inofficiofa," deficient 

 in natural duty, if they disinherited or totally parted by 

 (without affigning a true and fufficient reafon) any of the 

 children of the teftator. (Inft. 2. 18. 1.) But if the child 

 had any legacy, however Imall, it was a proof that the tef- 

 tator had not loft his memory or his reafon, which otherwife 

 the law prefumcd ; but was then fuppofed to have acted 

 thus for fome fubftantial caufe ; and, in fuch cafe, no 

 " querela inofficiofi teftamenti" was allowed. Hence pro- 

 bably has arifen that groundlefs vulgar error of the neceffity 

 of leaving the heir a milling, or fome other exprefs legacy, 

 in order to difinhent him effectually : whereas the law of 

 England makes no fuch conftrained fuppofition of forget- 

 fulnefs or infanity ; and, therefore, though the heir or next 

 of kin be totally omitted, it admits no " querela inofficiefi" 

 to fet afide fuch a teftament. 



The revocation of a devife of lands and tenements muft be 

 in writing, figned by the teftator, or fome other perfon in 

 his prefence, and by his exprefs direction ; and be fubfcribed, 

 in his prefence, by three or four credible witneffes. 



A prior claullral is revocable at pleafure. The revoca- 

 tion of the edict of Nantes was fatal to the French Pro- 

 teftants. 



REVOCATION of Ufes. See U*e. 



REVOLAX, in Geography, a town of Sweden, in the 

 government of Ulea ; 13 miles E. of Braheftad. 



REVOLSKOI, a town of Ruffia, in the government of 

 Viborg ; 1 28 miles N.W. of Povenetz. 



REVOLUTION, formed from revoho, to roll back- 

 wards, in Politics, denotes a grand turn or change of go- 

 vernment. 



There are no ftates in the world but have undergone fre- 

 quent revolutions. The abbot de Vertot has furnifhed us 

 with two or three good hiftories of the revolutions of 

 Sweden, the revolutions of Rome, &c. 



The Revolution, ufed with us by way of eminence, 

 denotes the great turn of affairs in England in 1688, when 

 king James II. abdicating, the prince and princefs of 

 Orange were declared king and queen of England, &c. 

 See Right of Crown. 



The declaration of the prince of Orange, which was dif- 

 perfed over the kingdom previoufly to his arrival, and which 

 was received with univerfal approbation, contained an enu. 



4 



REV 



meration of the grievances of the nation, and the ftatement 

 of which evinced the abfolute neceffity of a change in the 

 government. Thefe grievances were the dilpenling and 

 fufpending power exercifed by the king ; the court of eccle- 

 fiailical commiffion ; the filling of all offices with Catholics, 

 and the railing of a Jefuit to be privy -counfellor ; the open 

 encouragement given to popery, by building every where 

 churches, colleges, and feminaries for that feci ; the dif- 

 placing of judges, if they ret ufed to give fentence according 

 to orders ieceived from court ; the cancelling of the charters 

 of all the corporations, and the fubjecting of elections to 

 arbitrary will and pleafure ; the treating of petitions, even the 

 moft modeft, and from perfor.s of the higheft rank, as crimi- 

 nal and feditious ; the committing of the whole authority 

 of Ireland, civil and military, into the hands of papilla ; the 

 affuming of an abfolute power over the religion and laws 

 of Scotland, and openly exacting in that kingdom an ob •- 

 dience without referve ; and the violent preemptions againft 

 the legitimacy of the prince of Wales. The redrefs of 

 thefe grievances was the prince's profeffed object ; and 

 for this purpofe he propofed to have a loyal and free par- 

 liament affcmbled, in order to provide for the fafety and 

 liberty of the nation, as well as to examine the proofs of 

 the prince of Wales's legitimacy. The prince, at the fame 

 time avowed, that he had no other defign than to procure 

 the full and laiting fettlement of religion, liberty, and 

 property. On the moment of alarm the Englifh minilters 

 redreffed fome of the grievances of which complaint had 

 been made ; but there ftill remained the foundation of all 

 grievances upon which they could again in an inltant be 

 erected, an arbitrary and defpotic power in the crown. For 

 this ufurpation there was no poffible remedy, but by a full 

 declaration of all the rights of the fubject, in a free par- 

 liament. On the 21ft of October 168S, the prince fet fail 

 from Helvoetfluys, with a fleet of near 500 veffels, and an 

 army of above 14,000 men. A ftorm drove him back, but 

 he foon repaired his lofs, and made fail with a fair wind to- 

 wards the weft of England. The fame wind detained the 

 king's fleet in its ftation near Harwich, and enabled the 

 Dutch to pafs the ftraits of Dover without oppofition. Both 

 (hores were covered with multitudes of people, who, beiides 

 admiring the grandeur of the fpectacle, were held in anxious 

 fufpenfe by the profpeft of an enterprize, the moft import- 

 tant, which, during fome ages, had been undertaken in Eu- 

 rope. The prince had a profperous voyage, and landed his 

 arm}- fafely in Torbay, on the 5th of November, 1,1688,) the 

 anniverfary of the gunpowder treafon. The firft perfon who 

 joined the prince was major Buerington ; and he was quickly 

 followed by the gentry of the counties of Devon and So- 

 merfet. Sir Edward Seymour made propofals for an affo- 

 ciation, which every one figned. By degrees, the earl of 

 Abingdon, Mr. Ruffel, fon of the earl of Bedford, Mr. Whar- 

 ton, Godfrey, Howe, came to Exeter. All England was in 

 commotion. Lord Delamere took arms in Chefhirc, the earl 

 of Danby feized York, the earl of Bath, governor of Ply- 

 mouth, declared for the prince, and the earl of Devonlhire 

 made a like declaration in Derby. The nobility and gentry 

 of Nottinghamfhire embraced the fame caufe ; and every 

 day there appeared fome effect of that univerfal combination 

 into which the nation had entered againft the meafures of the 

 king. Even thofe who took not the field againft him, were 

 able to embarrafs and confound his counlels. A petition 

 for a new parliament was figned by 24 bifhops and peers of 

 the greatelt diitinttion, and was prefented to the king. No 

 one thought of oppofing or refitting the invader. The army 

 deferted him ; and feveral officers of diftinction informed 

 Feverfham, the general, that they could not in confeience 



fight 



