Chapter III

Electioneering on the accession of James II.--A parliament
summoned by James II.--The municipal charters restored in
the nature of bribes--Lord Bath, “the Prince Elector,” and
his progress in the west--Electioneering strategies--How Sir
Edward Evelyn was unjustly cozened out of his election--The
constitution of James II.’s Parliament--Inferior persons “of no
account whatever” chosen to sit in the Commons--The question
of supplies, the royal revenue, and prerogative--Assembling
of James II.’s parliament--The corrupt returns boldly
denounced--Violence at the elections--The abdication of
James II., and the “Convention Parliament”--Accession of
the Prince of Orange--Ballad “On the Calling of a Free
Parliament, Jan. 15, 1678-9”--Ballads on William III.’s
Parliament: “The Whigs’ Address to his Majesty,” 1689; “The
Patriots,” 1700--An election under William III., for the
City of London--“The Election, a Poem,” 1701; the electors,
the Guildhall, the candidates; Court-schemers _versus_
patriotic representatives; and “the liberties of the people”
_versus_ the “surrendered Charters”--Electioneering under
Queen Anne--The High Church party--“The University Ballad;
or, the Church’s Advice to her Two Daughters, Oxford and
Cambridge,” 1705--Whigs and “Tackers”--The Nonconformity
Bill--Mother Church promises to “wipe the Whigs’ nose”--The
“case of Ashby and White,” and the dispute thereon between the
Lords and Commons--Breaches of privilege--“Jacks,” “Tacks,”
and the “Occasional Conformity Bill”--Ballad: “The Old Tack
and the New,” 1712--The Act against bribery--Past-masters
of the art of electioneering--Thomas, Marquis of Wharton;
his election feats, and genius for canvassing-Election,
1705--“Dyer’s Letters”--Reception of a High Church “Tantivy”
candidate--Discomfiture of the “Sneakers”--Lord Woodstock’s
electioneering ruse at Southampton, 1705--“For the Queen and
Church, Packington”--Dean Swift on election disturbances
in Queen Anne’s reign--Sir Richard Steele’s mishap when a
candidate for election--Steele’s parliamentary career--“The
Englishman” and “The Crisis”--Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, an
accomplished hand at electioneering--Her _ruse_ against Lord
Grimston--“Love in a Hollow Tree”--Dr. Johnson on scandals
revived at election-time--Failure of the High Church party
to bring in the Chevalier--The accession of George I., and
the Tory discomfiture--“The Whigs’ answer to the Tories”--The
Jacobite and Hanoverian factions--Ballads upon “Nancy,” “the
Chevalier,” and George of Hanover, 1716--The disaffected and
their hatred to Sir Robert Walpole--Ballad: “King James’s
Declaration”--The abortive Jacobite rising in 1715--Ballad:
“The Right and True History of Perkin”--The end of Perkin’s
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