Volume Iii Part 33 (2/2)
”Although the commixture of nations, confluence of amba.s.sadors, and the relation which the affairs of our kingdoms have had towards the business and interests of foreign states have caused, during our regiment (government) a greater openness and liberty of discourse, even concerning MATTERS OF STATE (which are _no themes or subjects fit for vulgar persons or common meetings_), than hath been in former times used or permitted; and although in our own nature and judgment we do well allow of _convenient freedom of speech_, esteeming any over-curious or restrained hands carried in that kind rather as a weakness, or else over-much severity of government than otherwise; yet for as much as it is come to our ears, by common report, that there is at this time a more licentious pa.s.sage of _lavish discourse and bold censure in matters of state_ than is fit to be suffered: We give this warning, &c., to take heed _how they intermeddle by pen or speech with causes of state and secrets of empire_, either at home or abroad, but contain themselves within that modest and reverent regard of matters above their reach and calling; nor to give any manner of applause to such discourse, without acquainting one of our privy council within the s.p.a.ce of twenty-four hours.”
It seems that ”the bold speakers,” as certain persons were then denominated, practised an old artifice of lauding his majesty, while they severely arraigned the counsels of the cabinet; on this James observes, ”Neither let any man mistake us so much as to think that by giving fair and specious attributes to our person, they cover the scandals which they otherwise lay upon our government, but conceive that we make no other construction of them but as fine and artificial glosses, the better to give pa.s.sage to the rest of their imputations and scandals.”
This was a proclamation in the eighteenth year of his reign; he repeated it in the nineteenth, and he might have proceeded to ”the crack of doom”
with the same effect!
Rushworth, in his second volume of Historical Collections, has preserved a considerable number of the proclamations of Charles the First, of which many are remarkable; but latterly they mark the feverish state of his reign. One regulates access for cure of the king's evil--by which his majesty, it appears, ”hath had good success therein;” but though ready and willing as any king or queen of this realm ever was to relieve the distresses of his good subjects, ”his majesty commands to change the seasons for his 'sacred touch' from Easter and Whitsuntide to Easter and Michaelmas, as times more convenient for the temperature of the season,”
&c. Another against ”departure out of the realm without license.” One to erect an office ”for the suppression of cursing and swearing,” to receive the forfeitures; against ”libellous and seditious pamphlets and discourses from Scotland,” framed by factious spirits, and republished in London--this was in 1640; and Charles, at the crisis of that great insurrection in which he was to be at once the actor and the spectator, fondly imagined that the possessors of these ”scandalous” pamphlets would bring them, as he proclaimed ”to one of his majesty's justices of peace, to be by him sent to one of his princ.i.p.al secretaries of state!”
On the Restoration, Charles the Second had to court his people by his domestic regulations. He early issued a remarkable proclamation, which one would think reflected on his favourite companions, and which strongly marks the moral disorders of those depraved and wretched times.
It is against ”vicious, debauched, and profane persons!” who are thus described:--
”A sort of men of whom we have heard much, and are sufficiently ashamed; who spend their time in taverns, tippling-houses and debauches; giving no _other evidence of their affection to us but in drinking our health_, and inveighing against all others who are not of their own dissolute temper; and who, in truth, have _more discredited our cause_, by the license of their manners and lives, than they could ever advance it by their affection or courage. We hope all persons of honour, or in place and authority, will so far a.s.sist us in discountenancing such men, that their discretion and shame will persuade them to reform what their conscience would not; and that the displeasure of good men towards them may supply what the laws have not, and, it may be, cannot well provide against; there being by the license and corruption of the times, and the depraved nature of man, many enormities, scandals, and impieties in practice and manners, which _laws cannot well describe, and consequently not enough provide against_, which may, by the example and severity of virtuous men, be easily discountenanced, and by degrees suppressed.”
Surely the gravity and moral severity of Clarendon dictated this proclamation! which must have afforded some mirth to the gay, debauched circle, the loose cronies of royalty!
It is curious that, in 1660, Charles the Second issued a long proclamation for the strict observance of Lent, and alleges for it the same reason as we found in Edward the Sixth's proclamation, ”for the good it produces in the employment of _fishermen_” No ordinaries, taverns, &c., to make any supper _on Friday nights, either in Lent or out of Lent_.
Charles the Second issued proclamations ”to repress the excess of gilding of coaches and chariots,” to restrain the waste of gold, which, as they supposed, by the excessive use of gilding, had grown scarce.
Against ”the exportation and the buying and selling of gold and silver at higher rates than in our mint,” alluding to a statute made in the ninth year of Edward the Third, called the Statute of Money. Against building in and about London and Westminster, in 1661: ”The inconveniences daily growing by increase of new buildings are, that the people increasing in such great numbers, are not well to be governed by the wonted officers: the prices of victuals are enhanced; the health of the subject inhabiting the cities much endangered, and many good towns and boroughs unpeopled, and in their trades much decayed--frequent fires occasioned by timber-buildings.” It orders to build with brick and stone, ”which would beautify, and make an uniformity in the buildings; and which are not only more durable and safe against fire, but by experience are found to be of _little more if not less charge than the building with timber_.” We must infer that, by the general use of timber, it had considerably risen in price, while brick and stone not then being generally used, became as cheap as wood![250]
The most remarkable proclamations of Charles the Second are those which concern the regulations of coffee-houses, and one for putting them down;[251] to restrain the spreading of false news, and licentious talking of state and government, the speakers and the hearers were made alike punishable. This was highly resented as an illegal act by the friends of civil freedom; who, however, succeeded in obtaining the freedom of the coffee-houses, under the promise of not sanctioning treasonable speeches. It was urged by the court lawyers, as the high Tory, Roger North, tells us, that the retailing coffee might be an innocent trade, when not used in the nature of a common a.s.sembly to discourse of matters of state news and great persons, as a means ”to discontent the people.” On the other side, Kennet a.s.serted that the discontents existed before they met at the coffee-houses, and that the proclamation was only intended to suppress an evil which was not to be prevented. At this day we know which of those two historians exercised the truest judgment. It was not the coffee-houses which produced political feeling, but the reverse. Whenever government ascribes effects to a cause quite inadequate to produce them, they are only seeking means to hide the evil which they are too weak to suppress.
FOOTNOTES:
[243] The whole story is in 12 Co. 746. I owe this curious fact to the author of Eunomus, ii. 116.
[244] A quarto volume was published by Barker, the king's printer, and is ent.i.tled ”A Booke of Proclamations Published since the beginning of his Majestie's most happy Reign over England, until this present month of Feb. 1609.” It contains 110 in all. The Society of Antiquaries of London possesses at the present time the largest and most perfect collection of royal proclamations in existence, brought together since the above was written. They are on separate broadsheets, as issued.
[245] In 1529 the king had issued a proclamation for resisting and withstanding of most dampnable heresyes sowen within the realme by the discyples of Luther and other ”heretykes, perverters of Christes relygyon.” In June, 1530, this was followed by the proclamation ”for dampning (or condemning) of erronious bokes and heresies, and prohibitinge the havinge of holy scripture translated into the vulgar tonges of englishe, frenche, or dutche,” he notes many bookes ”printed beyonde the see” which he will not allow, ”that is to say, the boke called the wicked Mammona, the boke named the Obedience of a Christen Man, the Supplication of Beggars, and the boke called the Revelation of Antichrist, the Summary of Scripture, and divers other bokes made in the Englishe tongue,” in fact all books in the vernacular not issued by native printers. ”And that having respect to the malignity of this present tyme, with the inclination of people to erronious opinions, the translation of the newe testament and the old into the vulgar tonge of englysshe, shulde rather be the occasion of contynuance or increase of errours amonge the said people, than any benefit or commodite toward the weale of their soules,” and he determines therefore that the scriptures shall only be expounded to the people as heretofore, and that these books ”be clerely extermynate and exiled out of this realme of Englande for ever.”
[246] History of the Reformation, vol. ii. p. 96, folio.
[247] In June, 1574, the queen issued from her ”Manour of Greenwich”
this proclamation against ”excesse of apparel, and the superfluitie of unnecessarye foreign wares thereto belonginge,” which is declared to have ”growen by sufferance to such an extremetie, that the manifest decay, not only of a great part of the wealth of the whole realme generally, is like to follow by bringing into the realme such superfluities of silkes, clothes of gold, sylver, and other most vaine devices, of so greate coste for the quant.i.tie thereof; as of necessitie the moneyes and treasure of the realme is, and must be, yeerely conveyed out of the same.” This is followed by three folio leaves minutely describing what may be worn on the dresses of every grade of persons; descending to such minutiae as to note what cla.s.ses are not to be allowed to put lace, or fringes, or borders of velvet upon their gowns and petticoats, under pain of fine or punishment, because improper for their station, and above their means. The order appears to have been evaded, for it was followed by another in February, 1580, which recapitulates these prohibitions, and renders them more stringent.
[248] The list of a very few of those issued at the early part of his reign may ill.u.s.trate this. In 1604 was published a ”Proclamation for the true winding or folding of wools,” as well as one ”For the due regulation of prices of victuals within the verge of Kent.” In 1605, ”Against certain calumnious surmises concerning the church government of Scotland.” In 1608, ”A proclamation against making starch.” In 1612, ”That none buy or sell any bullion of gold and silver at higher prices than is appointed to be paid for the same.”
Another against dying silk with _slip_ or any corrupt stuff. In 1613, for ”Prohibiting the untimely bringing in of wines,” as well as for ”Prohibiting the publis.h.i.+ng of any reports or writings of duels,” and also ”The importation of felt hats or caps.” In 1615, ”Prohibiting the making of gla.s.s with timber or wood,” because ”of late yeeres the waste of wood and timber hath been exceeding great and intolerable, by the gla.s.sehouses and gla.s.seworkes of late in divers parts erected,” and which his majesty fears may have the effect of depriving England of timber to construct her navy!
[249] I have noticed it in Calamities of Authors.
[250] Lilly, the astrologer, in his memoirs, notes that Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel (the famous collector of the Arundelian marbles now at Oxford), ”brought over the new way of building with brick in the city, greatly to the safety of the city, and preservation of the wood of this nation.”
[251] This proclamation ”for the suppression of coffee-houses” bears date December 20, 1675, and is stated to have been issued because ”the mult.i.tude of coffee-houses, lately set up and kept within this kingdom, and the great resort of idle and dissipated persons to them, have produced very evil and dangerous effects,” particularly in spreading of rumours, and inducing tradesmen to neglect their calling, tending to the danger of the commonweal, by the idle waste of time and money. It therefore orders all coffee-house keepers ”that they, or any of them, do not presume from and after the tenth day of January next ensuing, to keep any publick coffee-house, or utter, or sell by retail, in his, her, or their house, or houses (to be spent or consumed within the same), any coffee, chocolate, sherbett, or tea; as they will answer it at their utmost peril.”
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