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Show l 134 i [ 135 ] do not deny the propriety of the pre- tion ofroyal Prerogative, above-mentioned, tenfion in the former cafe. tion was certainly illegal, and therefore mutt be efleemed a bad precedent; for Mr. Barrington himfelf, who cites it, does Clergy were compelled at length to fubmit to that unnatural Tyranny, by a variety of the molt unjul't and not pretend to juf'tify it; andI know cruel laws and opprefiions 1‘ that {atanical malice could that he will as readily allow, that one had The exer- poflibly dcvife, in the feveral ecclefiaflical Synods of that and the following century. But the Decree againft Big-am} was aimed at the Lair} as well as Clergy ; fince every Layman that could read was (before) entitled to the Benefit rfClergy, when convicted of fome particular offences; which privilege was by this Decree taken away from all perfons called ligami, or who had been twice married {uccefliveb}; I the principal purpofe of this new popilh Ordinance being to call an odium and rel'traint precedent cannot juf'tify another; to that his adding {till more precedents of the fame kind add: no weight to his argu- ment, becaufe the authority of Prece(lem‘s mutt always be weighed and governed by Fir/l-Princzlnlrs and wig/litu- and confound them tz'omzl Law; otherwife we {hould beli- with the rml Felony of having two wives at one time. Thus able to adopt the molt dangerous doc- upon law/2;! lecond marriages, trines, fince there is nothing fl) lad but 1- See, for infiance, the feveral Decrees of; Council, held at London by Antielm, Archhifhop of Canterbury, in 1108, upon this {ubjcé't, to oblige the Clergy to forfake their larujizl wives, who were mentioned by the Council as Contubbrer, and were ordered to be dellvered up to the Bilhops as Adultery/ix, together with all the goods of thofe unfortunate huibands, who perfifled in their natural affection! Tenth and laft Article: " Omnia vero mobilia lapforum pofihac that a Precedent may be found for it l The a prefbyterorum, Diaconorum," C‘fc. (meaning the goods of there Thus the intention of the Romilh Church was appg- who can-Iimwd ta emf: their auburn) " tradentut Epifcopis, et CamuHowel‘s Synapfi: Carmmmz; rently dials/rm]; under a falle pretence of extraordinary purity, to difcourage [mu/rd Murriuger, and thereby enfnare mankind, through their natural frail- I lligamfe (fays Sir William Staunford, in his " Pl es del Como." p- [34) " ell un rounlrrplcr a Clergie," (Lamhard calls it an " ll"- ties, into rmlpol/utiom ,- and it is notorious that the " bind, cum rebus this, velut fldultera." {in vol. I. p. 88. u gully and pupil/3 Catlnhrflud," liiren. p. 555,) ‘I s. a dzrc, que u "Gui, qui demaunde le privilege de {on Clergy, fuifi ct'poufe a un 4‘ fame, 3 ml "CU, deynz tiel dioccs, et que le dirfim: firm/l, et ad .11 {Cprufc aver/emit," I've. popifh tenet of " ifbrélzl'tll'lg‘ to marry" is one of the dillinguiihing(fir/plural mart; qr" AN l'lCl-lkli'!‘ l |