Page:Prerogatives of the Crown.djvu/93

 Ch.VL] Prerogative as to Parliament, 79 ' With respect to their internal arrangements, Parliaments are, by the constitution of the country, and, indeed, their na- ture requires that they should be, distinct from, and independ- ent of, the Crown. There are, therefore, but few prerogatives, except those which have just been considered, legally exer- ciseable over the two Houses. The King has, however, the suddenly dissolved the Parliament then sitting at Oxford. His speech was as follows : — * My Lords and Gentlemen — That all the world may see to what a point we are come, that we are not like to have a good end, when the divisions at the beginning are such : therefore, my Lord Chancellor, do as I have com- manded yoiu' Then the Lord Chancel- lor said, ' My Lords and Gentlemen — His Majesty has commanded me to say, that it is his royal pleasure and will, that this Parliament be dissolved j and this Parliament is dissolved.' — Bishop Burnet (Hist, of Own Times, V. L p. 499.) gives the following account of this dissolution: — ' By the steps which the Commons had taken, the King saw what might be expected from them ; so, very suddenly, and not very decent- ly, he came to the House of Lords, the Crown being carried between his feet, in a sedan : and he put on his robes in haste, without any previous notice, and called up the Commons, and dissolved the Parliament ; and went with such haste to Windsor, that it looked as if he was afraid of the crowds that this meeting had brought to Oxford.' " In these two instances, the dissolu- tion in person was thought indecent and offensive. It is true that the Parlia- ment of 16fi0 — the Convention Parlia- ment, which restored King Charles II. — was dissolved by the King in person j but then, his Majesty had sent a mes- sage to the House of Lords some days before to signify his intention, which message was communicated by them to the Commons, and a conference was holden upon it. The message was as follows: — ' His Majesty hath expected, ever since Thursday morning, to be in- foi rued that his two Houses of Pariiu^ ment had been ready to present suck bills to him as they had prepared for his royal assent, and hath continued ever since in the same expectation, and hop- ed that he might have this day finished the work, and dissolved them according to his signification ; but, being informed that there are yet depending in both Houses some few bills of great import- ance to his and the public service, which are not yet ready to be i)resented to him ; and being desirous to part with his two Houses of Parliament, who have deserved so well of him, in such a man- ner, that they may not be obliged to use more expedition in the despatch than is agreeable to the affairs which are to be despatched, his Majesty is graciously pleased to declare, That he will be ready to pass such bills as are necessary, in point of time, to be pass- ed, on Monday morning j and then, that the Houses adjourn tillThursday, so that they may have that day and Friday to put an end to those most public bills which are not yet finished ; and his Majesty will, on the next day, being Saturday the 29th of this month, be present with them, and dissolve the Parliament j and his Majesty desires both Houses, against that time, to lay aside all business of private concern- ment to finish all public bills.' •* Since the Revolution, Parliament has been always dissolved by proclama- tion, after having been first prorogued. The dissolution, therefore, by the Prince Regent in person was an unusual pro- ceeding J hut it does not appear, from any thing that was said or done, that it was meant to be offensive. It was adopted merely for the sake of dis- patch." undoubted