Thefe fhouts recall Lydia to life; fhe opens her eyes; the fees Laufus at Mezentius's feet, holding in one hand the bloody dagger, and in the other his dear and faithful Phanor. "It is I, "faid he to his father, "it is I alone who am culpable. Phanor's crime was mine: it was for me to expiate it. I forced him to refign me his place; I was about to kill myself if he refufed. I live, I owe that life to him; and if your fon be dear to you still, you owe your fon to him: but if your vengeance is not appeased, our days are in your hands: ftrike; we will perish together; our hearts have fworn it." Lydia, trembling at this discourse, viewed Mezentius with eyes fuppliant, and oveflowing with tears. The tyrant's cruelty could hot withstand this trial. The cries of nature, and the voice of remorse put to filence jealoufy and vengeance in his' heart. He remains for a long time immoveable and dumb, rolling by turns on the objects that furround him, looks of trouble and confufion, in which love, hatred, indignation and pity, combat and fucceed each other. All tremble around the tyrant. Laufus, Lydia, Phanor, a multitude innumerable, wait with terror the first words that he is to pronounce. He submits at last, in fpite of himself, to that virtue whofe afcendency overpowers him; and paffing of a fudden, with impetuous violence, from rage to tenderness, he throws himself into his fon's arms. "Yes," fays he to him, "I pardon thee, and I pardon alfo thy friend. Live, love one another: but there remains one facrifice more for me to make thee, and thou haft just now rendered thyself worthy of it. Receive it then," faid he with a new effort," receive this hand, the gift of which is dearer to thee than life: it is thy valour which has forced it from me it is that alone could obtain it." From the ROYAL MAGAZINE. Manner of the Proceedings in the Houfe F of Commons. ORMERLY the parliaments of Hall; but king Richard II. having occafion to call one in the year 1397, when that building was in a very ruinous condition, erected an house on purpose in the middle of the palace court, at a small diftance from the gate of the old hall. This was a plain and mean ftructure, open to the common people, that all might hear what paffed; while the king's perfon, and those affembled there for the fervice of the nation, were fecured by a guard of archers maintained at the public expence. Two years after, Westminster Hall being rebuilt, and fufficiently accommodated for the meeting of this great affembly, they met there again; till at length a tafte for regularity and magnificence in creafing with our improvements in arts, this noble room was taken for the great affembly of the national fenate. This room is fpacious, lofty, and every thing within it is difpofed with great regularity. It is hung with tapeitry, reprefenting the defeat of the Spanish Armada, which is shewn in various defigns; as, the first appearance of the Spanish fleet; the feveral forms in which it lay at different times on our coafts, and before the comparatively handful of England which pursued it : the place and difpofition of the fleets when engaged; and, in fine, its departure. These are the great subjects. The whole is excellently performed; and as the materials in that original state are perishable, the late Mr. Pine has perpetuated them in very fine engravings. These designs are certainly well adapted to the place, as they perpetually prefent to view the importance of our navy, on which our principal ftrength depends. At the upper end of the room is the throne, upon which the king is seated on folemn occafions, in his robes, with the crown on his head, and adorned with all the enfigns of majesty. On the right hand of the throne is a feat for the prince of Wales, and on the left for the next person of the royal family. Behind the throne are places for the Young peers who have no votes in the house. At a fmall distance below the throne, on the King's right hand, are the feats of the two archbishops, and a little below them the bench of bishops. On the oppofite fide of the house fit thofe peers who rank above barons; the president of the king's council, and the lord privy feal, if they are barons, here fit above all dukes, marquifes, and earls; and the marshal, Lord Steward, and Lord Chamberlaine, fit above all others of the fame degree of nobility with themselves. Just before the throne are the wool packs across the room, on which are feated the dignitaries of the law. The lord high chancellor, or keeper of the great feal, fits on that nearest the throne, with his great feal and mace by him; he is (peaker of the house of lords. On the other two woolpacks, which are placed parallel to this, fit the lord chief justice, the master of the rolls, and the other judges. These have no vote in the house, but they are advised with in points of law, on all occafions wherein a knowledge of the laws is necessary. The reason why all these fages are placed on woolpacks, may probably be to remind them of the great importance of wool and sheep to this nation. The clerk of the crown, who is concerned in all writs of parliament, and the clerk of the parliament, who records every thing done there, fit on a form behind a table. Without the bar fits the king's firft gentleman usher, called the black rod, from a black wand he carries in his hand. Under him is a yeoman usher, who waits at the infide of the door, a crier with out, and a ferjeant at mace, who always attends the lord chancellor." When the king is prefent, with the crown on his head, the lords fit uncovered, and the judges stand, till his majefty gives them leave to fit. In the king's abfence, the lords, at their entrance, do reverence to the throne, as is done by all who enter the prefence-chamber. The judges then may fit, but may not be covered, till the lord chancellor or keeper fignifies to them, that the lords give them leave tɔ be fo. The king's council and masters in chancery also fit; but may on no account be covered. Upon the days when the king goes in ftate to the house, either at the opening or breaking up of the feffions, the Park guns are difcharged; and his majesty arriving at the house of lords, enters a room adjoining to it, called the prince's chamber, where he puts on his robes and crown, and from thence is conducted into the house by the lord chamberlain; where all the lords are dressed in their fcarlet robes, and being feated on the throne, fends for the commons by the gentleman ufher of the black rod. On their appearing, his majesty's speech is read by the lord chancellor to this grand united affembly; after which his majefty returns in the fame manner as he came, in his state-coach drawn by eight fine horfes, attended by guards, and the guns firing. Aftranger cannot any way form a more juft notion of the dignity of the English nation, than by attending this noble and auguft affembly, when the king is prefent, with the crown upon his head, and not only his majesty, but all the lords, are in their robes, and the commons attending without the bar. The houfe, in conjunction with the king and commons, has the power not only of making and repealing laws, but of conftituting the fupreme judicature of the kingdom; the lords affembled take cognizance of treafons and high crimes committed by their peers, and others, try all who are impeached by the commons, and acquit or condemn without taking an oath, only laying the right hand upon their breafts, and saying, Guilty, or Not Guilty, upon my honour. They reverfe appeals from all other courts, and even fometimes reverfe the decrees of chancery: and from this highest tribunal lies no appeal. All the lords fpiritual and temporal have the peculiar privilege of appointing proxies to vote in their ftead, when, from fickness, or any other caufe, they cannot cannot conveniently appear: but fuch as would make proxies are obliged, at the beginning of every parliament, to enter them in person. The lords give their fuffrages or votes, beginning at the puifne, or loweft baron, and then proceeding in a regular feries, every one answering apart, Content, or Not Content. If the affirmatives and negatives are equal, it paffes in the negative, the speaker not being allowed a voice, unless he be a peer of the realm. The next structure we vifited was that of the house of Commons, called also St. Stephen's chapel, which joins to the fouth-east angle of Westminster-hall. King Stephen first founded a chapel here, and dedicated it to St. Stephen, the protomartyr: but Edward III. rebuilding it in the year 1347, in a very magnificent manner, converted it into a collegiate church, the revenues of which, at its fuppreflion, amounted to 1085 1. 10 s. and sd. per annum: but being furrender'd to Edward VI. it was appropriated for the reception of the representatives of the commons of England, who have ever fince continued to meet there every feffions of parliament, except when fummoned by the king's writs to Oxford; and it is now generally called the house of commons. It is at prefent a fpacious room,wainfcotted up to the cieling, accommodated with galleries, fupported by flender iron pillars, adorned with Corinthian capitals and fconces; from the middle of the cieling hangs a handfome branch or lustre. At the upper end, the speaker is placed upon a raised feat, ornamented behind with Corinthian columns, and the king's arms carved and placed on a pediment; before him is a table, at which the clerk and his affiftant fit near him on each hand, just be low the chair; and on each fide, as well below as in the galleries, the members are placed promilcuoufly. The speaker and clerks always wear gowns in the houfe, as the profeffors of the law do in term time; but no other of the members wear robes, except the four reprefentatives for the city of London, who, the first day of every new parliament, are dressed in scarlet gowns, and fit altogether on the right hand of the chair, next to the speaker. The time of fitting is upon any day in the morning, except on Sundays, or fome other high festivals or fast-days, upon which it is not usual to assemble, unless upon the most urgent occafions : but though the speaker always adjourns the house to nine o'clock of the morning of the day when they agree to meet again, the house seldom meets till 12. This houfe has an equal fhare with the lords in making laws, and none can be made without the confent of the commons, who are the guardians of the liberties of the people; and as they are the grand inquest of the nation, they have a power to impeach the greatest lords in the kingdom, both spiritual and temporal. On the day prefixed by the king in the writ of fummons, his majesty goes in perfon to the house of lords, where being feated with the crown on his head, and cloathed in his royal robes, he fendsfor the commons by the gentleman usher of the black rod, who coming to the bar of the house, bows, and advancing a few steps, repeats this mark of refpect a fecond and a third time, faying, "Gentlemen of the houfe of commons, the king commands this honourable house to attend him immediately in the house of peers ;" and then retiring backwards, bowing, withdraws: the commons then immediately attend his majesty in the house of lords, where the lord chancellor or keeper commands them in the king's name to chuse a speaker, upon which they return to their own houfe. One of the members Itanding up in his place, and making a fhort introductory speech, moves that fuch member as he then names, may take the chair; and his motion being feconded by fome other member, if no contest happens, they lead the perfon mentioned from his feat to the bar of the houfe, from whence they conduct him, bowing thrice, up to the chair; where being placed, he ftands up, and returns thanks to the D 2 houte houfe for the honour done him; and modeftly acknowledging his inability to discharge fo great a truft, defires they would make choice of a more able perfon; which being difapproved, he fubmits to their pleafure; and after receiving the directions of the house, on the usual requests to be made on his appearing before his majefty, adjourns to the day appointed for that purpose. But before the commons can enter upon any business, or even the choice of a speaker, all the members enter the court of wards, where they take the oaths of allegiance and fupremacy, with thofe appointed by the act of the ift of William and Mary, in the prefence of an officer appointed by his majesty, who is ufually the lord steward of the houfhold; and after they have chosen the speaker, they take the fame oaths again in the house, at the table, and fubfcribe their opinions against the doctrines of transubstantiation, the invocation and adoration of faints, and the facrifice of the mass; and before they can give any vote in the house, except for the choice of a speaker, they are obliged alfo to abjure the pretender. Upon the day appointed, the ufher of the black rod is again fent for the commons, when he alters his stile, and addresses himself to the speaker. The members obeying his fummons, return to the house of lords, and prefent their Speaker to the king, who is again feated on the throne, and having obtained his approbation, the speaker defires, that the commons, during their fitting, "may have free access to his majefty, freedom of fpeech in their houfe, and freedom from arrefts." After which the king makes his speech to both houfes, the whole house of commons being fuppofed to be at the bar of the house of lords. After the speaker and members have taken the oaths, the standing orders of the house are read, and grand committees appointed to fit on ufual days which being done, the houfe generally begins with reading fome bill left unfinished the feffions before. Any member of parliament is at liberty to move for a bill to be brought in; which be ing agreed to by the house, the perfon who made the motion, with fome of thofe who feconded it, are ordered to prepare, and bring it in. When the bill is ready, fome of the members who were ordered to prepare it, read the order at the fide bar of the house, desiring leave to bring the bill to the table; which upon the question being agreed to, it has a first reading by the clerk at the table; and then the speaker taking the bill in his hand, reads the ab breviate or abstract of it: which done, after the debate upon the bill, if any happens, he puts the queftion, whether it hall have a fecond reading? and fometimes, upon a motion being made, appoints a day for it. When the bill has been read a second time, the question is put, whether it fhall be committed? which is either to a committee of the whole house, if the bill be of importance; or to a private committee, any member at pleasure naming the perfons to be of that committee; and their names being read by the clerk at the table, they are ordered to meet in the fpeaker's chamber, and report their opinion to the house. Accordingly, meeting there, they chufe their chairman, and either adjourn to fome other time, or proceed upon the bill, which in this last case the chairman orders a clerk who attends him to read, then taking the bill himself, and reading it paragraph by paragraph, he puts every claufe to the question, fills up the blanks, and makes amendments, according to the opinion of the majority of the committee, of whom there must be eight of the perfons named, to proceed regu larly, though five may adjourn. When the committee have gone thro the whole bill, the chairman by their defire makes his report at the side bar of the house, reading all the alterations made by the committee, and how any of thefe amendments have altered the scope of the bill, the clerk having before written down in what page and line of the bill these amendments are to be found; and if the committee havethought fit to add any claufes, they are marked alphabetically, read by the chairman, and delivered to the clerk, who reads all the amendments and clauses. The Speaker then puts the question, whether they fhall be read a fecond time? and if this be agreed to, he then reads them himself, and particularly as many of them as the house agrees to. After which the question is put, whether the bill fo amended shall be engrossed, that is, written fair on parchment, and read the third time fome other day? It being at length read the third time, the speaker holds the bill in his hand, and puts the question, whether the bill shall pass and if the major part be for it, the clerk writes on the bill, Soit baillé aux feigneurs, Be it delivered to the lords. When an engroffed bill is read, and any clauses reserved to be added to it, they must be on parchment ingroffed like the bill, which are then called riders; and, if agreed to, they are added to the bill, Petitions are offered like bills at the bar of the house, and brought up and delivered at the table, by the member who presents them. When a member speaks to a bill, he ftands up uncovered, and addresses himfelf only to the speaker; but if he be anfwered by another, he is not allowed to reply the fame day, unless personally reflected on: for nobody is to speak to a bill above once in a day, unless the whole house be turned into a committee, and then every member may reply as often as the chairman thinks proper. But if a bill be rejected, it cannot be any more proposed during the same seffions. Meffengers from the lords, and all perfons appearing at the bar of the houfe, are introduced by the ferjeant attending the house, with the mace upon his fhoulder. While the speaker is in the chair, the mace lies upon the table, except when fent upon any extraordinary occafion into Westminster hall and the court of requests, to fummon the members to attend. But when the members refolve themfelves into a committee of the whole house, the mace is laid under the table, and the chairman to that committee takes the chair where the clerk of the house usually fits. Forty members are neceffary to make a house, and eight a committee. But the speaker is not allowed to vote, except the houfe is equally divided: nor is he to perfuade or diffuade in paffing a bill, but only to make a short and plain narrative. The members of the house of commons vote by yeas and noes; but if it appear doubtful which is the greater number, the house divides. If the question relates to any thing already in the house, the noes goes out; but if it be to bring any thing in, as a bill, petition, &c. the yeas go out: where the house divides, the speaker appoints four tellers, two of each opinion, who after they have told thofe within, place themselves in the paffage between the bar and the door, and tell the others who went out ; which done, the two tellers who have the majority take the right hand, and placing themselves within the bar, all four advance, bowing three times; and being come up to the table, deliver the number, saying, the yeas who went out, are fo many; the noes who itaid, fo many; which is repeated by the speaker, who declares the majority. In a committee of the whole house, they divide by changing fides, the yeas taking the right hand of the chair, and the noes the left; and then there are only two tellers. If when a bill is paffed in one house, and fent to the other, they demur upon it, a conference is then demanded in the painted chamber, where certain members deputed from each house meet, and debate the affair, while the lords fit covered at a table, and the commons stand without their hats. If they difagree, the affair is dropped; but if they come to an agreement, it is at length brought, with all the other bills that have passed both houses, to receive the royal affent, in the house, where the king being seated in the chair of state, the clerk of the crown |