CHAP. The feffion did not commence in the prefent form with a fpeech from the throne, 1665. but the house immediately fell into a confideration and debate about a plot for feizing the castle. This had been hatched by colonel Blood and his affociates, fo notorious afterwards for his intended affaffination of the duke of Ormond in the Haymarket in one thousand fix hundred and seventy; for his attempt to fteal the crown; for the fhameful use that was made of him by the duke's inveterate enemies, by the profligate adversaries of every wife and virtuous man in the court of the fecond Charles; as well as for that monarch's abfurd pardon and unwarrantable clemency. On the 27th of October the house was called over, and fome abfentees were fined. Mr. Shapcote, Mr. Staples, Mr. Buxton, Mr. Warren, Mr. Scott, Mr. Chambers, and Mr. Boyd, were afterwards expelled by a declaration of the house, for being conspirators in the above plot. On III. On the 30th of October several precedents CHAP, were cited respecting the exercise of the right of the house to iffue writs in the room of 1665. abfentees; and the examples of fir Barnaby Bryan, on the 4th of November one thoufand fix hundred and thirty-four, which was the first precedent in the journals; of fir Henry Tichborne, the 26th of November one thousand fix hundred and thirtyfour; of Arthur Chichester efq. Philip lord Lifle, and Lawrence Crawford efq. in one thousand fix hundred and fortyfour, which have been already mentioned, were produced; and writs were iffued in the room of fir Anthony Morgan, of Mr. Rofs, Mr. Davis, and of Mr. Burton, who were abfent without leave. On the 18th of November application was made to the lord lieutenant for a dif abling bill against the expelled members, and to disqualify them from any office, civil or military. They had been previously declared incapable of ever being re-elected to parliament, and were left to the ordinary courfe of law. On CHAP. On the 4th of December the lords defired a conference, relative to a cause in 1665. which lord Conway and the bishop of Down were concerned, against Mofes Hill efq. a commoner. This was the beginning of those conferences upon this cafe, which involved the moft frivolous queftions about idle formalities, and produced that memorable and fatal difpute, which ended in the diffolution of parliament in one thousand fix hundred and fixty-fix, and the interruption of parliament for five-andtwenty years, till they affembled in one thousand fix hundred and ninety-two, after the Revolution. A writ was iffued this day for Naas in the room of Mr. Wentworth, who was then in England, and who had fignified to his friends that he could not return foon to Ireland. On the 12th of December fir George Lane informed the house, that the duke of Ormond had received letters from lord Ar lington, III. 1666. lington, the secretary of ftate in England, CHAP. respecting the preparations of the king of France for war; an extract of which was produced in the house. This seems to be the first communication of this kind which appears in the Irish journals. It was received with warm acknowledgments. A committee was deputed to thank his grace the lord lieutenant, and to present an unanimous declaration of the house, to affift his majefty with their lives and fortunes; and expreffing, that they had taken into confideration the granting of eight entire fubfidies from the temporalty of the kingdom. The bill for this extraordinary fupply was then read a firft time, and a second time on the following day. Eighty-four members were fined ten pounds each for absence when the house was called over the third time on the 31ft of January one thousand fix hundred and fixty-fix. This is mentioned here, not only to remark the numerous abfentees at this period; among 1666. CHAP. among whom were, fir John Temple, the III. mafter of the rolls; his fon fir John Temple, the folicitor general; fir William Petty; and other distinguished members; but also to note, that fir William Temple, who had been fo very leading and useful a member in the laft, is not once mentioned, and was probably abfent during the whole of this feffion; and it feems the more extraordinary, as he is not enumerated among those who were fined as abfentees. The only folution I can give of this difficulty is, that his fplendid diplomatic career began about this time; and probably the Irish parliament adopted a rule which was laid down in the British fenate on a memorable occafion, and proceeded upon a principle which was there moft elegantly and justly expreffed in a debate respecting the absence of fome ambaffadors, that qui reipublicæ caufa abeft, non abeft. On the 9th of March one thousand fix hundred and fixty-fix, in a committee on the bill for farming the hearth-money; and in a report agreed to by the house, |