CHAP. VI.

Of the Sons and Daughters of England.

THE Children of the King of England, are called the Sons

and Daughters of England, because all the Subjects of England have a fpecial Intereft in them.

Eldest Son. The Eldeft Son of the King was fometimes ftiled, in the Saxon-times, Clito, quafi Kλúr, Illuftris: And fo likewife Etheling, or Atheling, which is a Patronymic of the Saxon Word Athel, Nobilis. As Eadgaring was the Son of Eadgar, fo Atheling the Son of a Nobleman, was afterwards ufed only for the King's Eldeft Son. He is born Duke of Cornwal; and as to that Dutchy, and all the Lands, Honours, Rents, and great Revenues belonging thereunto, he is upon his BirthDay prefumed, and by Law taken to be of full Age; fo that he may that Day fue for the Livery of the faid Dukedom, and ought of Right to obtain the fame, as if he had been full 21 Years of Age. Afterwards he is created Prince of Wales, whofe Inveftiture was formerly perform'd by Impofition of a Cap of State, and Coronet on his Head, as a Token of Principality, and putting into his Hand a Verge of Gold, the Emblem of Government, and a Ring of Gold on his Finger, to intimate that he must be a Husband to his Country, and Father of her Children. Alfo to him is given and granted Letters-Patent, to hold the faid Principality to him and his Heirs, Kings of England, by which Words the Separation of this Principality is for ever avoided His Mantle which he wears in Parliament, is once more doubled. or hath one Guard more than a Duke's; his Coronet is of Groffes and Flower-de-luces, and his Cap of State Indented.

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Since the happy Restauration of King Charles the Second, it was folemnly ordered, That the Son and Heir Apparent of the Crown of England, fhall ufe and bear his Coronet of Croffes and Flower-de-luces with one Arch, and in the midst a Ball and Cross, as hath the Royal Diadem. That the Duke of York, and all the immediate Sons and Brothers of the Kings of England, shallufe and bear their Coronets, compofed of Croffes and Flower-de-luces only; but all their Sons refpectively, having the Title of Dukes, fhall bear and ufe fuch Coronets as other Dukes who are not of the Royal Family.

From the Day of his Birth he is commonly ftiled The Prince of Wales, a Title firft given by King Edward the First, to his Eldeft Son; for the Welsh Nation, till that time, unwilling to fubmit to the Yoke of Strangers, that King fo order'd, that his

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Queen was deliver'd of her first Child in Carna-van-Castle in Wales, and then demanded of the Welsh, as fome affirm, If they would be content to subject themselves to one of their own Nation, that could not speak one Word of English, and against whofe Life they could take no juft Exception. Whereunto when they had readily confented, the King nominated this his new-born Son, and after wards created him Prince of Wales, and bestowed on him all the Lands, Honours, and Revenues belonging to the said Principality.

The Prince hath ever fince been ftiled Prince of Wales, Duke of Aquitain and Cornwal, and Earl of Chester and Flint; which Earldoms are always conferred upon him by Letters-Patent. Since the Union of England and Scotland, his Title hath been Magne Britannia Princeps, but more ordinarily the Prince of Wales.

The King of England's Eldest Son (fo long as Normandy remain'd in their Hands) was always ftil'd Duke of Normandy. Anciently the Princes Arms of Wales, whilft they were Sove reigns, bear quarterly Gules, and Or, four Lions palant gardant counterchanged.

The Arms of the Prince of Wales at this Day, differ from those of the King, only by addition of a Lel of three Points, charged with nine Torteaux; and the Devil of the Prince is a Coronet, beautified with three Ofrich Feathers, infcrib'd with Ith Dien, which in the German Language fignifies, I ferve. This Devife was born at the Battle of Creffy, by John King of Bobemia, ferving there under the French King, and there flain by Edward the Black Prince; fince worn by the Princes of Wales, and by the Vulgar call'd the Prince's Arms.

Dignity.] The Prince, in our Law, is reputed as the fame Perfon with the King, and fo declared by a Statute of Henry the Eighth.

Devi edges.] He hath certain Priviledges above other Per fons.

To imagine the Death of the Prince, or to violate the Wife of the Prince, is made High-Treafon.

He can retain and qualifie as many Chaplains as he shall please.

Yet as the Prince in Nature, is a diftin&t Perfon from the King, fo in Law alfo, in fome Cafes, he is a Subject, holdeth his Principalities and Seigniories of the King, giveth the fame Respect to the King as other Subjects do.

Revenues.] The Revenues belonging to the Prince, fince much of the Lands and Demefnes in Cornwall have been alienated, are especially out of the Tin-Mines in that Dutchy, which with all other Profits thereof, amount yearly to the Sum of 14000 l. but have been augmented by his prefent Majesty to 100,000 1.

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The Revenues of the Principality of Wales, furveyed three hundred Years ago, was above 4680 l. yearly; a rich Estate, according to the Value of Money in thofe Days.

Till the Prince came to be fourteen Years old, all things belonging to the Principality of Wales were wont to be difpofed of by Commiffioners, confifting of fome principal Perfons of the Clergy and Nobility.

This tranfcendent Honour of being Magna Britania Princeps, or Prince of Wales, is now in the Perfon of his Royal Highnefs, George Auguftus, Prince Electoral, only Son of the King's Majefty, who was born at Han:ver the 30th of October 1683, and in September 1705 married the Excellent Princess Wilhel mina Carolina, Daughter of John Frederick, Marquis of Brandenburgh-Anfpack, by Eleanor-Erdmuth-Louifa his fecond Wife, Daughter of John-George, Duke of Saxe Eyfenach; which Princefs was born the First Day of March 1683, by whom he has had Iflue Frederick-Lewis, Prince of Brunswick, born at Hanover Senuary 30th 1706; and three Princeffes, Anne, Amalia-SophiaElionora, and Elizabeth-Carolina.

Soon after the Death of his Grandfather by the Mother's Side the Duke of Zell, his Royal Highness was elected Knight of the Garter; the Enns and Habits of which Order were fent to him Anno 1706 And in the Year 1708, this most Excellent Prince, the Hopes of Great-Britain, did in a very particular Manner diftinguish himself at the Battle of Oudenard, giving illuftrious Proof of his early Valour, as well as those other eminent Vertues that are confpicuous in him.

His Royal Highnefs, as an Addition of Honour from the late Queen, was Created Duke of Cambridge, and an A&t of Parliament pafs'd on purpose to give him the Precedence of all the reft of the Peers of Great-Britain; and by His Royal Father, immediately after his Acceffion to the Crown of Great Britain, was created Prince of Wales; and is the only Prince of Wales, fince the Black Prince, that has had Children alive in his Father's Reign.

The Cadets or Younger Children of the Royal Family.

Cadets. The Cadets, or Younger Sons of England, are created, (not born) Dukes or Earls of England, of what Places or Titles the King pleafeth.

They have no certain Appenages, as in France, but only what the good Pleasure of the King beftows upon them.

All the King's Sons are by their Birth Counsellors of State, that fo they may grow up in the weighty Affairs of the Kingdom.

The

The Daughters of England are stiled Princeffes, the Eldeft of which to violate unmarried, is High-Treafon at this Day.

To all the King's Children belong the Title of Royal Highnefs; all Subjects are to be uncovered in their Prefence, to kneel when they are admitted to kifs their Hands; and at Table they are (out of the King's Prefence) ferved on the Knee

The Children, the Brothers and Sifters of the King, being Plantiffs, the Summons in the Procefs need not have the Solemnity of fifteen Days, as in Case of other Subjects.

All the King's Sons, Grandfons, Brothers, Uncles, and Nephews of the King, are by Stat. 3. Hen. VIII. to precede other in England. It is true, the Word Grandfon is not there in terminis, but is understood (as Sir Edward Coke holds) by Nephew, which in Lati being Nepos, fignifies alfo, and chiefly, a Grandfon.

The Natural or Illegitimate Sons and Daughters of the King, bear what Surname the King pleaseth to give them, and for Arms, the Arms of England, with a Bafton, or a Border Gabonne, or fome other Mark of Illegitimation.

Of the feveral Acts of Succeffion, by which the most Serene Houfe of Hanover is called to the Succeffion of the Crown of Great Britain, &c.

PON the Death of His Highness the Duke of Gloucester,

Anno 1700, his late Majefty King William having recommended in his Speech to both Houfes of Parliament, the Succeffion to the Crown in the Proteftant Line in Cafe of the Death of His faid Majefty, after the Deceafe of her Royal Highness the Princess Anne of Denmark without Iffue of their Bodies; the Parliament thereupon, in the fame Seffion, pass'd an Act Entitled, An Act for the further Limitation of the Crown, and better fecuring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject, whereby it is Enacted,

That the meft Excellent Princefs Sophia, Electrefs, and Dutchess Dowager of Hanover, Daughter to the moft Excellent Princess Elizabeth Queen of Bohemia, Eldest Daughter of King James I. of happy Memory, be, and is hereby declared to be the next in Succeffion in the Proteftant Line, to the Imperial Crown and Dignity of the Realms of England, France and Ireland, with the Dominions and Territories thereunto belonging, after his Majefty and the Princess Anne of Denmark; and in Default of Iffue of his Majefty and the faid Princefs Anne refpectively, to the Crown and Regal Government of the faid

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Kingdoms of England, France and Ireland, &c. shall be and remain, and continue to the moft Excellent Princess Sophia, and the Heirs of her Body, being Proteftants, &c.

Soon after Her late Majefty's Acceffion to the Throne, She was pleafed to order the Princefs Sophia to be pray'd for in the Prayers for the Royal Family: And the more firmly to fecure the Succeffion in the Proteftant Line, did in the Parliament holden in the Fourth and Fifth Years of Her Reign, give the Royal Affent to Two farther Acts, vix. One, For Naturalizing the faid Princefs Sophia, and the Iffue of her Body And the other, An Ad for the greater Security of Her Majesty's Perfon and Government, and of the Succeffion of the Crown of England in the Proteftant

Line.

And by the Treaty of Union between the Two Kingdoms, the Proteftant Succeffion in the most Serene Houfe of Hanover, to the Imperial Crown of Great-Britain, &c. was made a Fundamental Part of our present moft happy Conftitution.

THE

CHAP. VIII.

of Ecclefiaftical Government.

HE Government of England, under the King, is Ecclefi aftical, Civil, and Military; of which three great Heads of Government in their Order.

The Chriftian Faith being preach'd in England, Bishops were confecrated, and the number of them encreas'd by degrees, in proportion to the growth of the Gospel. They had, like all other Bifhops of the Chriftian Church, a Preeminence over the Clergy within certain Precincts, and in process of time, their Seats were all plac'd in the moft confiderable Towns within their Jurifdiction, pursuant to a Canon made for that Purpose.

Afterwards, the Bishops being receffitated to meet about Public Affairs of the Church, at Confecrations, Confultations for Remedy of general Disorders, for Audiences Judicial, when the Action of any Bishop fhou'd be call'd in question,or Appeals from Bishops, our Ancestors (according to other Chriftian Churches even before the first Nicene Council) had one to be the chief in Authority over the reft, from thence named Archiepifcopus, Arch or Chief Bishop, whereof we have two in England, call'd Primates, Metropolitans, or Arch Bishops, that is, Chief Bishops the one of Canterbury, the other of York; each of which have, befides their peculiar Diocese, a Province confift