The Upper House. 459

that a devout Exercise of Religious Duties has by some been
termed Enthusiasm, a rational Enquiry into the Grounds and Prin-
ciples of Religion branded with Atheism and Free thinking, a
people complaining of real Aggrievances have been called Male con-
tents, and Persons exposing the oppressive Practices of Officers
said to want the Offices for themselves; there is no way that we know
of guarding against such Imputations but by Peoples sitting still and
saying nothing, let the Occasion of speaking or acting be ever so
great; however, that the World may judge of the Ground of what
we have said in this matter, we beg- Leave to put a Case which we
hope can give Your Honours no Offence; Suppose then the noble
Personages who compose the House of Peers in Great Britain, held
their Seats there at the Pleasure of the Prince, and that he could
place and displace them when he thought fit; Suppose them also
possessed of all the Great Offices in the Government upon the same
precarious Terms, could the people have any great Reason to boast
of their Happiness in such a Constitution? Could that be called a
free and independent Branch of the Legislature, who should keep
a Ballance between the Prince on the One side and the People on the
other ? or could it with any Colour of Reason be said, that a House
so constituted and so endowed, enjoyed all Freedom of Action, and
was at all times clear from any Restraint? And although from
his present Majesty's known Goodness, they could in such Case be
in no Danger, yet what would not many Princes who have reigned
heretofore have done with the Assistance of such a House of Peers ?

U. H. J.
Calvert
Paper

No. 735

If this Case be applicable to any Part of Our Constitution then We
presume there is no Foundation for your Answer, but if on the other
hand there is no Similitude between the Two, we shall allow the
World has Reason to believe all we have said on that head has pro-
ceeded from no other Cause than the want of your Offices
If your Honours will be pleased to look again into Our Message
you will find that we did not propose the Bill for Arms and Ammu-
nition generally for any Sum, or for any Number of years with a
fixed Determination, but only for such Sum as the Trade could bear,
and for such a Term as the Necessity of the present Juncture might
require, and therefore if you are so much influenced with Desires
for his Majestys Service as you often express, we hope Our Offer of
that Bill for Six Pence or any less Sum that may be thought needful
instead of the three Pence, and to continue to the twenty ninth Day
of September which shall be in the year of Our Lord God Seventeen
hundred and forty two, will not be rejected, for that We think it
much more conducive to that Service and Our Safety at this Time,
inasmuch as greater Sums will thereby be raised in less time, and
although that Duty will be higher than has usually been given for
the same purpose, yet if the present Necessity be so urgent as you
represent it, we hope the People will not be displeased with it, nor

p. 44