Letter to Sir J--- B---, by birth a Swede, but naturaliz'd and a m----r of the present P---t: concerning the late Minehead doctrine which was established by a certain free parliament of Sweden, to the utter enslaving of that Kingdom.

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( 14 ) at large in my Lord Bifhop's Account. But here we muft take notice, chat this was not an ordinary Council, but a Council approv'd of by the Parliament ; and by his Corona­tion• Oatb the King was oblig'd to take their Advice, and they were fworn to admonifh the King feriou(]y and frequently to do what they thought fo · the benefit of the Kingdom, rather than w hJt they knew would be only :pleafing to his Ma jefry ; a Task which they often found uneary and dangerous to them­felves : Suadere Principi quod oporteat multi Ia­baris, affematio erga Principem quemcunque fine affeflu perct_6irur, ita formatis Principis auribus · ut afpera qu.v utilia. Tacitus. This Council was what we have formerly had in England, llnder the Title of a Council of State. The Swedi/h Parliament condemn'd this part of the Confritution, which was of excellent ufe; for as we may obferve from that able Politician, my Lord 13ilhop of Briftol, 'This Body of Men fcrv' d to bear tbe Burden between the King and the Complainants ; the want of 1vhich pe~haps, fays his Lordfhip, in time may coft the Crown dear. For before this Alteration, every Counfellor was oblig'd to own and anfwer for the Ad­vice he gave, which obviated milnY Inconve­niences; for nothing could appear to be done publickly, but what was really fo. Matters could not be concerted privately in a Corner by two or three worthlefs Wretches, and af­terwards the hazard of the moft dcfpcrate mea­fum lie at the Prince's Door. The Affiftance of all the wifeft and hanefteft Men in the King­dom could nou benighted fo far, as that t~ey !hould fit at the Council-Table only to talk of ~he Wln4 ~n~ Y{~a~~~r, al!~ ~!!~!! n~tbin:f ( 1) ) of the Affairs of the Nation ; whilft all Bu· finefs of Importance was determin'd by they did not know whom, nor where, nor when. A Misfortune that the Kingdom paid dear for in a certain Reign, when the whole Na­tion was under the Influence of a She. Favou-rite, one Srichbrite: A Woman, fays my Au· Re'IJO!ut.of thor, that had neither Birth nor Beauty, and yet Sweden, • the Fate of the whole Court and Kingdom dcpen-P· 99, IGO. de a on her pleafure. The Calamities that this Mrs. Stichbrite the She-Favourite brought upon the Nation, by the · Affifrance of two or three Vnder-Favourites, might have put a prude~t Par!iament upon eltablilhing fuch a Councrl as thts above-mention'd, in order to prevent the Prince's being furpriz'd by cunning'' or mean-born Perfons for the future ; but how they lhouJd deftroy fuch an ufeful patt of the Conftitution, when they had that and more Examples before their Eyes, no fenfible Per-fen could imagine, if we were not inform'd that this Parliament was made up of Noble- Acctrmt <f men that depended on tbe Court, and Officers of Sweden, the Army, and Commons under the entire Ma-P• liS· nagement of tbe Clergy. In which !aft Parti-c; ular, tho his Lordlhip is not fo plain as in the two former, yet it is a Truth very well k1.1own to all that ~ave hea~d any thing of the matter. And h1s Lordfhtp declares it in another place, where he fays the People are under ~he entire management 'of the Clergy of w ~1ch more notice will be taken hereafter~ _T.hts Court-Parliament having begun by rummg the old Miniftry, and taken away what was call'd (as my Lord Bilhop tells us) an In­croachm. ent upon Royalty and Prerogative, the next thmg they did, which I almoft dread to