England under Charles II. from the Restoration to the Treaty of Nimeguen, 1660-1678: English History from Contemporary Writers
Taylor, W. F.
1889
How the Parliament was constituted.
Reresby : Memoirs. . | |
The Parliament of these days had, from the beginning, which was soon after the Restoration, been perfectly well inclined to the king: they had given him a very great revenue upon tonnage and poundage, and also began excise upon several sorts of liquors, hearth-money, not to mention temporary taxes, the whole amounting to above three times more than had been enjoyed by any king of England before. The | |
110 | country groaned under this pressure, and began to be dissatisfied; which having an influence on some gentlemen of both houses, gave birth to two parties, the one for the country, the other for the Court. The former pretended in an impartial manner to espouse the cause of the people in their liberties and properties, and whatever is dear to Englishmen; to assert the religion and government by law established; the latter pretended to the same, but thought the king was to have a competent income and be invested with a due power for the exercise of his regal office, without having two great a dependence on the people, a cause which had been of such pernicious effects to his royal father. Hence it was that gentlemen bestirred themselves more than usual to be elected into a seat in Parliament; so that great was the competition amongst the candidates, and at great expenses they were, even from one or two hundred, to two thousand pounds. But the concerns of the public were not what alone actuated all men ; some wanted to be in the House to be screened from their debts, the Parliament having sat a long while; and some had obtained great emoluments from the Court to stand up for that interest. |
