DENMAREK. 
court, avaiicg themfelves of this flate of irritation, fug- 
gefted the extenfion cf the prerogative of the crown as molt 
1 i i ors 
wane, one of his on the deputies 0 of 
eee and a other to n invited to 
the -ha . > the nab to difeuts on a point relating to the 
new ta re moners atten than were expe€ied, 
the ne Otto ee a proud aad violent man, diimifled 
This infuit increafed 
mined to apply directly to the prince, = any interme 
ciate communication with the a The de epuitation 
was ae gracioufly Saran ah t 
e Sth of O&ober , Nanfen eae the a 
€ 
ear 
that ihe crown fhould be rendered hereditary, in order that 
the king might be the mafter. The clergy were aflembled 
at the {ame time. Swane made the fame propofal, and af- 
ter having conferred with the commons, read the act for 
rendering the crown hereditary in the perfon of the king 
and his polterity, male and female, which was leugarl 
approved, - It was ne communicated to the fenate. The 
robles met immediately, but having been taken iy. {urprize, 
they {eparated oe coming to a determination on the 
commons, headed by 
the rag to 
On their re- 
t the fenator Kragg, who 
ied at the Bine 
The next day a deputation of the 
know that place?” 
pu, do you know what is fufpended yonder ?”’ pointing at 
the alarm beil in the fteeple of St. Mary’s 
As the nobles had not fignified their concurrence on the 
roth of O&ober, the clergy and the commons repaired in 
preceffion to the fenate, where they found only four fena- 
tors. They returned in the afternoon, but Kragg anfwered, 
that the fenate, which befides was not complete, could not 
affent to the meafure propofed by two inferior orders. 
deputies then proceeded to the palace, and being admitted 
ie the ele prefence, offered to render the crown beredi- 
i ted that he wou 
fe uae after h i 
gatory aa ap = place betwe 
nobles, feveral of whom left the city with th 
tee) fe the proceedings of the diet. 
fign, the efhut. Difpirited at this meafure, the 
nobles on he ae of OGober fignified their concurrence fo 
far as to cuore the crown hereditary in the male line of the 
royal family: but this offer having been rejected, they con- 
curred the following day with the refolution of the clergy 
The choice of the members was left to the king, whu ap- 
pointed four fenators, four deputies of the nobles who were 
not fenators, five of the clergy, feven of the commons,, and 
one of the oniverfity of oe ee a a 
on Sunday the 14th of O&ober in 
and Nanfen obferved a profound filence ; a Lange; ae de 
puty of the unive sibel fuggefted the nec-flity of eftablithing 
iiidemeuele 
tutions were dif I he dife 
caffion by obferving that it was noon, that the hour for the 
afternoon’s fervice w 
was approaching, and that it was proper 
to adjourn the conference for a few hours he committee 
fat again in the evening ; but in the mean time it had been 
intimated to Lange that his prefeuce was not required, 
The annulling of the capi dieace or charter figned by the 
ee at - geen was unanimoofly agreed sages ; but to 
a e between the priuce and the ftates was 
found more Seale The nobles claimed a Contin 
of fome of pueda wpe privileges, ee which the clergy 
and the commons raifed violent objections. ‘To end their 
pau ae debs tes, ‘te bilh nop of Zealand propofed to ren- 
r the crown hereditary without any flipulation. and to 
fe to the impartiality of the none the decifion of a 
point on which they, who were molt concerned in it, could 
not agree. 
On the iGth of O€ober 1660, the three orders framed 
the decree by which they rendered the government heredi- 
wel in the male and.female line ; ftipulating only the right 
f primogeniture, and - indivilibility of the monarchy. 
othing, however, was mentioned of abfolute fcvercignty. 
Peder Gabel, fon he "Chriftian nae fecretary to the 
cil, whe een name ore as one of the 
his memoirs, 
o 2 
8 
vercignty in the a printer, and thus contributed to 
render the pow monarchs abfolute: but 
molt of the Danith writers doubt the truth of his aflertion. 
in aéts publifhed before the 
royal law, which eftablifhed the defpoti{m of the Danifh 
kings. 
The new oath of. allegiance was taken on the 18th of 
Ofober. The king promifed to eftablifh a form of B0- 
ake by which his fubje€ts fhould be certain of enjoy- 
ing the advantages of a Chriftianlike and merciful admini- 
ration under his fucceffors. The firft edi@ which expli- 
citly proclaims the abfolute power of the king was publifhed 
in 
to the throne in 1670. k IV. caufed this law to 
be engraved in 1709, with an introduétion of his own; an 
abftraét a it will be given under me head of the Danifh 
Conttitut 
From al, thefe circumftances, on which we have pur- 
pofely expatiated with fome length, it appears evident that 
the Danifh people were with much addrels cajoled into the 
acceptance of a de The intentions of 
mo- 
a were eaanal 
dr When the royal law was pro- 
mulgated, aed could not recal the fteps they had taken, 
30. and 
ta 
