The Mother of Parliaments

Dalling's "Historical Characters," vol. ii. p. 39.

369

"Essays," vol. ii. p. 206.

370

Sir H. Crabb Robinson's "Diary, Reminiscences and Correspondence," vol. i. p. 330.

371

On Sunday, August 8, 1641, both Houses attended divine service at St. Margaret's Church at 6 a.m., after which they sat in the House all the morning, and in the afternoon the King met them in the banqueting room at Whitehall. "Duirnall Occurrences," p. 80.

372

Forster's "Grand Remonstrance," p. 342.

373

Elsynge's "Ancient Method of Holding Parliaments," pp. 114-115.

374

The judicial sittings of the House begin at 10.30 a.m.

375

The proceedings very often resemble those of the old Irish House of Lords, which we find recorded in the Journals as "Prayers. Ordered, that the Judges be covered. Adjourned." See Charlemont's "Memoirs," vol. i. p. 103.

376

Palgrave's "House of Commons," p. 45.

377

The fact of any single member taking objection to a motion is sufficient to include it among "opposed" business, and in an assembly of partisans it would be too much to expect that any private member's Bill should avoid giving grounds of objection to at least one opponent.

378

May, p. 430.

379

In 1641, during the Long Parliament, Hyde was appointed Chairman of Committees, so as to get him out of the way, that he might not obstruct business by too much speaking. Parry's "Parliaments of England," p. 354.

380

Lytton's "Life of Palmerston," vol. i. p. 115.

381

Pellew's "Life of Sidmouth," vol. i. p. 76.

382

The right of "counting out" the House was not exercised until 1729. On May 19, 1876, the Commons failed to "make the House" for the first time since April 4, 1865. See Irving's "Annals of Our Time," vol. ii. p. 197.

383

Pearson's "Political Dictionary," pp. 23-4.

384

"The Manner of Holding Parliaments Prior to the Reign of Queen Elizabeth." "Somers Tract," p. 12.

385

"Diurnall Occurrences," p. 8.

386

In 1909, during the temporary absence of the Chaplain, the Speaker read prayers himself.

387

"Parl. Hist." ii. 1072. Butler refers to them in "Hudibras":

"The oyster women lock'd their fish up,
And trudg'd away to cry 'No Bishop!'"

388

Noorthouck's "A New History of London," p. 180. Scenes of a similar character occurred in the reign of George III., when the Gordon rioters stormed the Houses of Parliament, shouting "No Popery!" In 1871, a mob of matchmakers marched to Westminster to protest against a tax on matches, and were dispersed by the police. In still more recent times female deputations in favour of Woman's Suffrage, accompanied by a mob of inquisitive sightseers and a section of the criminal classes, have besieged the Palace of Westminster in a vain attempt to gain admittance to the House of Commons.

389

When during Garibaldi's visit to London, some one suggested that he should marry a wealthy widow with whom he spent much of his time it was objected that he already had a wife living. "Never mind," said a wag, "we will get Gladstone to explain her away!"

390

Palgrave's "House of Commons," p. 41.

391

Bagehot's "English Constitution," p. 181.

392