The false test set in a true light.

The Falſe TEST Set in a TRUE LIGHT. Being a full Confutation of Two Scandalous and Villainous Papers, [One entituled, A TEST offer'd to the Conſideration of the Electors of Great-Britain; the Other entituled, A LIST of the Honourable Houſe of Commons that voted for and againſt the Clauſe of the Hanover Succeſſion in the Year 1702.] by Extracts made from the Journals of the Honourable Houſe of Commons, (atteſted by Paul Jodrell, Eſq) and from the London-Gazette of Thurſday, March 18. 1702.

THE falſe and ſcandalous Papers above-mention'd, having, with great Induſtry and Malice been ſpread throughout this Kingdom, in order to aſperſe the Characters of the ſeveral Honourable and Worthy Gentlemen therein repreſented as Enemies to the Illuſtrious Houſe of Hanover, and to hinder their being elected Members of the enſuing Parliament: Therefore, for the right Information of the Electors, for vindicating the Reputation of the Candidates, and for giving a full, authentick, and ſatisfactory Anſwer to the ſaid Falſe, Scandalous and Seditious Pamphlets, Theſe Abſtracts from the Gazette's are made publick.

Extract from the Gazette of Saturday, Sept. 30. 1710.

WHereas Two printed Papers, one entituled, A Teſt offer'd to the Conſideration of the Electors of Great Britain; and the other entituled, A Liſt of the Honourable Houſe of Commons that voted for and againſt the Clauſe for the Hanover Succeſſion, in the Year 1702. are lately diſpers'd Abroad; wherein are mention'd Amendments made by the Lords to the Bill entituled, An Act for enlarging the Time for taking the Oath of Abjuration, and alſo for recapacitating and indemnifying ſuch Perſons as have not taken the ſame by the Time appointed: And that the Houſe of Commons, the 13th of February, 1702, took thoſe Amendments into Conſideration.

(Price One Penny.)

And whereas, after ſetting forth, verbatim, the Clauſe following, viz.

And for the further Security of Her Majeſty's Perſon, and the Succeſſion of the Crown in the Proteſtant Line, and for extinguiſhing the Hopes of the Pretended Prince of Wales, and all other Pretenders, and their open and ſecret Abettors; Be it further Enacted by the Authority aforeſaid, That if any Perſon or Perſons, at any time after the firſt day of March, 1702. ſhall endeavour to deprive or hinder any Perſon, who ſhall be the next in Succeſſion 〈◊〉 the Crown for the time being, according to the Limitations in an Act entitul'd, An Act declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject, and ſettling the Succeſſion of the Crown, And according to the other Act, entitul'd, An Act for the further Limitation of the Crown, and better ſecuring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject, from ſucceeding after the Deceaſe of Her Majeſty (whom God long preſerve) to the Imperial Crown of this Realm, and the Dominions and Territories thereunto belon •… ng, according to the Limitations in the beforemention'd Acts; that is to ſay, ſuch Iſſue of Her Majeſty's Body, as ſhall from time to time be next in Succeſſion to the Crown, if it ſhall pleaſe God Almighty to bleſs Her Majeſty with Iſſue; and during the time Her Majeſty ſhall have no Iſſue, the Princeſs Sophia, Electreſs and Ducheſs Dowager of Hanover; and after the Deceaſe of the ſaid Princeſs Sophia, the next in Succeſſion to the Crown for the time being, according to the Limitations of the ſaid Acts; and the ſame maliciouſly, adviſedly and directly ſhall attempt, by any Overt Act or Deed: Every ſuch Offence ſhall be adjudged High-Treaſon, and the Offender or Offenders therein their Abettors, Procurers and Comforters, knowing the ſaid Offence to be done, being thereof convicted or attainted, according to the Laws and Statutes of this Realm, ſhall be deemed and adjudged Traytors, and ſhall ſuffer Pains of Death, and all Loſſes and Forfeitures, as in Caſes of High-Treaſon.

And alſo, after ſetting forth the Subſtance of other Clauſes, (other of the ſaid Amendments) it is ſaid in the ſaid Printed Papers thus; After Debate, the Queſtion being put for agreeing with the Lords in theſe Amendments, the Houſe divided.

And at the end of the ſaid Printed Papers it is ſaid: To this happy Majority, tho' but of one Vote, we owe ſo excellent a Law, ſo great a Strengthening to the Proteſtant Succeſſion in the Illuſtrious Houſe of Hanover, upon the ſupporting of which our Religion and Liberties, and all that's dear to any true Britiſh Proteſtant, does entirely depend.

Now I (being requir'd to certify the Truth of the Fact, as it appears by the Journal of the Houſe of Commons) do humbly certify as followeth, viz.

That it does appear by the Journal of the Houſe of Commons, of the Seſſion of Parliament begun in October, 1702 as alſo by the Original Minute Books thereof, That the ſaid Clauſe ſet forth at large as aforeſaid, (and which was mark'd B) was agreed to by the Houſe of Commons, without any Diviſion thereupon: And that the Diviſion that was in the Houſe upon the 13th Day of February, (upon which the Number of the Yea's were 118, and No's 117) was upon a precedent Amendment, viz. upon a Clauſe mark'd A, which is as followeth:

Provided always, that no Perſon or Perſons, who, by reaſon of any ſuch Miſtake, Neglect or Omiſſion, hath or have left or forfeited and Office, Benefice; Place, Dignity or Imployment whatſoever, to which any other Perſon or Perſons hath or have been preferr'd or promoted, ſhall be reſtor'd to ſuch Office, Benefice, Place, Dignity or Imployment; Any thing herein contain'd to the contrary notwithſtanding.

And the other Amendments made by the Lords to the ſaid Bill were agreed to by the Houſe of Commons, without and Diviſion.

PAƲL JODRELL, Cler' Dom' Com' 29. Sep. 1710.

It appears by this Certificate of Mr. Jodrell, upon what Clauſe the Diviſion was not, and upon what Clauſe it was; and that the Clauſe, upon which the Houſe divided, had not the leaſt relation to the Security of the Proteſtant Succeſſion. And it is evident, that had the Clauſe, upon which the Diviſion was, been rejected, the Proteſtant Succeſſion had been equally ſecur'd by the Clauſe upon which there was no Diviſion, and which paſs'd without any Contradiction. All the Difference between thoſe who diſagreed, and thoſe who agreed to the Clauſe, was, that the Former would have the Benefit of the Act for Enlarging the Time for taking the Oath of Abjuration, &c. extend to All who had not taken that Oath within the Time limited, whether their Places were fill'd, or not; whereas the Latter were for excluding all ſuch from the ſame Benefit, whoſe Places were fill'd: The Former were for granting the ſame Favour to all Perſons who had an Equal Pretenſion to it; the Latter for denying it to thoſe, whoſe Misfortune it was, but not their Fault, to have their Places not only forfeited, but fill'd; that is, they were for denying Now (after this Amendment was ſent down from the Lords) that Favour to Some, which they Themſelves, as well as Others, had granted to All, before the Bill was ſent up to the Lords.

This is a plain and full Anſwer to all the Cavils and Artifices which have been made uſe of, in order to evade a Charge of Malicious Forgery in framing a Liſt, whereby many Gentlemen of the greateſt Families and Fortunes have been baſely traduc'd as Enemies to the Proteſtant Succeſſion, and the Illuſtrious Houſe of Hanover.

This Attempt is the more ſcandalous and inexcuſable, becauſe when Mr. Dyer had, in his News-Letters, affirm'd, That the Commons had divided about the Clauſe relating to the Succeſſion, a Proſecution of him was order'd by the Houſe of Commons, as appears from this following

Extract from the Gazette of Thurſday, March 18. 1702.

JOhn Dyer, a Writer of News, having in his Papers of the 18th of the laſt Month, inſerted the following Words, viz. The Commons to-day agreed to the Amendments made by the Lords to the Abjuration Bill, but divided upon that which relates to the Succeſſion, but carry'd it. Yeas 118. Noes 117. whereas there was no Diviſion upon any part of the Bill which relates to the Succeſſion, or that makes it High-Treaſon to alter the Succeſſion, as it is now eſtabliſh'd by Law; but the ſame paſs'd WITHOUT ANY CONTRADICTION: The Houſe of Commons taking Notice of this falſe and ſcandalous Report, order'd the ſaid Dyer to appear at the Bar of the Houſe; but he not appearing, and the Seſſions being near an End, they farther order'd he ſhould be found out and proſecuted for the ſame; and he being taken into Cuſtody, is to make his Appearance at the Court of Queen's-Bench, the firſt Day of next Term: And Her Majeſty hath been pleas'd to give Directions to the Attorney-General, to proſecute him according to Law, for publiſhing the ſaid falſe, ſcandalous, and ſeditions News.

Upon the whole; The Only Matter now in debate, is, Whether the Gentlemen accus'd did Vote againſt the Clauſe for Securing the Proteſtant Succeſſion, or not? and by Conſequence, Whether they are rightly repreſented as Enemies to the Illuſtrious Houſe of Hanover, or not? To this Queſtion, the Authors, Spreaders, and Abettors of this new Black Liſt, have, in the Face of all the World, ſaid, Yea; they did Vote againſt the Clauſe, they are Enemies to the Houſe of Hanover: To the ſame Queſtion, every Britiſh-Subject, to whom this Paper ſhall reach, will be able, from Unqueſtionable Authority, to ſay, No; they did not Vote againſt that Clauſe; they are not Enemies, but hearty Friends, to the Illuſtrious Houſe of Hanover: And, to do them Right, and to give them an Opportunity of doing themſelves Right, I will heartily eſpouſe and vigorouſly promote their Intereſt in the enſuing Elections.