other things, to preserve and advance the honour and service of Almighty God, and to discourage and suppress all vice, profaneness, debauchery, and immorality, which are so highly displeasing to God, so great a reproach to our religion and government, and (by means of the frequent ill examples of the practices thereof) have so fatal a tendency to the corruption of many of our loving subjects, otherwise religiously and virtuously disposed, and which (if not timely remedied) may justly draw down the Divine vengeance on us and our kingdoms: we also humbly acknowledging, that we cannot expect the blessing and goodness of Almighty God (by whom kings reign, and on which we entirely rely) to make our reign without a religious observance of God's holy laws: to happy and prosperous to ourself and to our people, interest, and his mind will incessantly be employed in searching the means to advance it. We have been excited to these reflections by a review of one of the first acts of his majesty on his accession to the throne, which was a proclamation ordered by him to be issued against vice and immorality. This memorable proclamation was intended to encourage the religion and virtue of his people, and to discourage vice and every species of profligacy. The king was by no means ignorant of the laxity of morals, which pervaded all classes of the community, and of the total disregard of, and inattention to the performance of every religious duty. He was conscious that in order to render a people prosperous and happy, the first object of its governors should be, not only to shew a proper attention to the preservation of their moral nature, but also that it becomes duty incumbent upon themselves, to check the growing influence of irreligion and immorality, by the powerful force of example. It is in the power of a king to call forth a love of virtue amongst his subjects, by manifesting it in himself. The welfare of a state demands that its moral, religious, and civil institutions of every kind should be held sacred, and guarded with a dragon's care, from every species of innovation or subversion; and well is it for that country where the monarch himself not only and evil actions and behaviour, may be therefore also pays due reverence to those institutions, but enforced the sooner to reform their ill habits and pracfrom the throne calls upon the people to follow tices, and that the visible displeasure of good men tohis example. wards them may (as far as it is possible) supply what The following is the proclamation alluded to: the laws (probably) cannot altogether prevent. By the KING, A PROCLAMATION for the encouragement of piety and virtue, and for preventing and punishing of vice, profaneness, and immorality. GEORGE R. We most seriously and religiously considering, that it is an indispensable duty on us to be careful above all the intent thereof that religion, piety, and good manners may (according to our most hearty desire) flourish and increase under our administration and government, we have thought fit, by the advice of our privy council, to issue this our royal proclamation, and do hereby declare our royal purpose and resolution to discountenance and punish all manner of vice, profaneness, and immorality, in all persons of whatsoever degree or quality, within this our realm, and particularly in such as are employed near our royal person; and that for the encouragement of religion and morality, we will, upon all occasions, distinguish persons of piety and virtue, by marks of our royal favour. And we do expect and require that all persons of honour, or in place of authority, will give good example by their own virtue and piety, and to their utmost contribute to the discountenancing persons of dissolute and debauched lives, that they, being reduced by that means to shame and contempt, for their loose And we do hereby strictly enjoin and prohibit all our loving subjects of what degree or quality soever, from playing on the Lord's-day at dice, cards, or any other game whatever, either in public or private houses, or other places whatsoever; and we do hereby require and command them, and every of them, decently and reverently to attend the worship of God on every Lord's-day, on pain of our highest displeasure, and being proceeded against with the utmost rigour that may be by law. And for [tive parish-church or chapel, to read, or cause to be the more effectual reforming all such persons, who by reason of their dissolute lives and conversations are a scandal to our kingdom; our further pleasure is, and we do hereby strictly charge and command all our judges, mayors, sheriffs, justices of the peace, and all other our officers and ministers, both ecclesiastical and civil, and all other our subjects, whom it may concern, to be very vigilant, and strict in the discovery, and the effectual prosecution and punishment of all persons who shall be guilty of excessive drinking, blasphemy, profane swearing and cursing, lewdness, profanation of the Lord's-day, or other dissolute, immoral, or disorderly practices: and that they take care also effectually to suppress all public gaming-houses and places, and other lewd and disorderly houses, and to put in execution the statute made in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of the late king Charles the Second, intituled, "An "act for the better observation of the Lord's-day, com"monly called Sunday:" and also an act of parliament made in the ninth year of the reign of the late king William the Third, intituled, " An act for the more effectual sup"pressing of blasphemy and profaneness;" and all other laws now in force for the punishing and suppressing any of the vices aforesaid; and also to suppress and prevent all gaming whatsoever in public or private houses, on the Lord's-day; and likewise, that they take effectual care to prevent all persons keeping taverns, chocolatehouses, coffee-houses, or other public houses whatsoever, from selling wines, chocolate, coffee, ale, beer, or other liquors, or receiving or permitting guests to be or remain in such their houses in the time of divine service on the Lord's-day, as they will answer it to Almighty God, and upon pain of our highest displeasure. And for the more effectual proceeding herein, we do hereby read, this our proclamation, at least four times in every year, immediately after divine service, and to incite and stir up their respective auditors to the practice of piety and virtue, and the avoiding of all immorality and profaneness. And to the end that all vice and debauchery may be prevented, and religion and virtue practised by all officers, private soldiers, mariners, and others, who are employed in our service by sea and land, we do hereby strictly charge and command all our commanders and officers whatsoever, that they do take care to avoid alt profaneness, debauchery, and other immoralities, and that by their own good and virtuous lives and conversations, they do set good examples to all such as are under their care and authority; and likewise take care of and inspect the behaviour of all such as are under them, and punish all those who shall be guilty of any offences aforesaid, as they will be answerable for the ill consequences of their neglect herein. Given at our court at Leicester-house, the 31st day of October, 1760, and in the first year of our reign. GOD SAVE THE KING. A proclamation was also issued, requiring all persons who were in office of authority or government at the decease of the late king, to proceed in the execution of their respective offices, and to take the oaths to his present majesty as soon as convenient. A few days after the accession of his majesty, he received the following letter from the venerable bishop of London, the simple and unaffected sentiments of which made a deep impression upon the feelings of his majesty. Copy of a Letter from the Bishop of London to the King. Amidst the congratulations that surround the throne, permit me to lay before your majesty a heart, which, though oppressed with age and infirmity, is no stranger to the joys of my country. direct and command all our judges of assizes and justices of the peace, to give strict charges at their respective assizes and sessions, for the due prosecution and punishment of all persons that shall presume to offend in any of the kinds aforesaid, and also of all persons, that, contrary to their duty shall be remiss or negligent in putting the laws in execution; and that they do, at their respective assizes and quarter sessions of the peace, cause this our When the melancholy news of the late king's demise royal proclamation to be publicly read in open court im- reached us, it naturally led us to consider the loss we mediately before the charge is given. And we do hereby had sustained, and upon what our hopes of futurity defurther charge and command every minister in his respec-pended. The first part excited grief, and put all the tender passions into motion; but the second brought life and spirit with it, and wiped away the tears from every face. Oh! how graciously did the providence of God provide a successor, able to bear the weight of government in that unexpected event. You, Sir, are the person whom the people ardently desire; which affection of theirs is happily returned, by your majesty's declared concern for their prosperity; and let nothing disturb this mutual consent. Let there be but one contest between them, whether the king loves the people best, or the people him: and may it be a long, a very long contest, may it never be decided, but let it remain doubtful; and may the paternal affection on the one side, and the filial obedience on the other, be had in perpetual remembrance. It must however appear singular to those, who are acquainted with the strict attention which his majesty paid to the observance of the duties of the sabbath, that at the time of his accession to the throne, it was the custom at court to hold the drawing-rooms on a Sunday. Thus on the 2d of November, eight days after his accession, he attended divine service at the royal chapel, St. James's, and immediately after held a drawing-room at St. James's palace, and an order was the same day issued, that the drawingrooms would be held in future every Thursday and Sunday. It must also be remarked, notwithstanding the clamour which is raised of the degenerate state of the moral world at this period, especially in the exalted stations of life, that in whatever concerns the forms and ceremonies of the court, at no epoch of our history, was a greater degree of propriety and decorum manifested than at present. Court drawing-rooms are considered as the highest This will probably be the last time I shall ever trouble your majesty. I beg leave to express my warmest wishes and prayers on your behalf. May the God of heaven and earth have you always under his protection, and direct you to seek his honour and glory in all you do; and may you reap the benefit of it, by an increase of happiness in this world, and in the next. As a proof that his majesty disliked all ful-assemblage of the nobility and the fashionable some adulation, and particularly that high strain of panegyric which characterized the discourses of those divines, who were appointed to preach before him, his majesty shortly after his accession to the throne, issued an order, prohibiting any of the clergy who should be called to preach before him, from paying him any compliment in their discourses. This order was occasioned by three clergymen; the Rev. Messrs. Nichols, Potter, and T. Wilson, prebendary of Westminster, preaching one after the other in the Chapel Royal, and eulogizing his majesty in the most fulsome terms, for which they expected to receive, if not preferment, at least the thanks of the royal auditor; but in this they were most egregiously mistaken, for his majesty, through lord Mansfield, expressed his severe displeasure, saying, that he came to chapel to hear the praises of God and not his own." world, and may, in some respects, be regarded as splendid galas. The first drawing-room of George III., was held on the 2d of November, the very day on which the mourning for his grandfather commenced; the second was held on the Thursday following and the third on the Sunday; thus making three drawing-rooms before the interment of George II., which did not take place till the 11th. It is true that his present majesty, George IV. held a court immediately on the demise of his royal parent, but it was a matter of state necessity, the laws of the country requiring it; but the same cause could not be ascribed to the drawing-rooms of George III., which were usually held on days on which he had previously attended divine worship. These circumstances are, however, merely mentioned as indicative of the change of manners, and corroborative of the fact that we have not degenerated from our forefathers in our strict attention to the religious duties of the sabbath. On the 9th of November, about eight o'clock, the bowels of the deceased king were privately interred in king Henry VII's chapel. A party of horse guards preceded, who were followed by the lord chamberlain, bearing his staff of office, and other noblemen in two mourning coaches, with three footmen behind each with flambeaux. A second party of horse-guards followed; after which came immediately another mourning coach and six, upon the front seat of which were two noblemen, and on the back seat lay a box rather long, covered with purple velvet and gold nails, to which were fixed four golden handles. The noblemen who attended having alighted, eight yeomen of the guard, who waited at the abbey door to receive the bowels, put a napkin through each handle, which was supported by two of them; and the box was thus carried into the chapel, preceded by the above noblemen, through the abbey, in which were posted a party of the foot-guards; and the box was deposited in the royal vault, the trumpets sounding a dead march during the whole ceremony. On the 10th, the royal corpse was conveyed from Kensington palace to the prince's chamber near the house of lords, and on the subsequent day it was interred according to the following ceremonies : The right honourable the earl of Rochford's coach, with six horses, several servants behind in livery, with lighted torches. The hon. Mr. Finch's coach, with two horses, one servant behind, in livery, with a torch. His grace the duke of Devonshire's chariot, with six horses, several servants behind, in livery, with torches. Two horse grenadiers, their swords drawn. Two of the royal coaches, in mourning, with six horses each, the servants behind in mourning, with torches. A large party of horse grenadiers. A royal coach in mourning, with six horses, the servants behind in mourning, with torches. The royal hearse, covered with purple velvet, finely ornamented with carved work. The royal arms being at the upper part on each side, and adorned at the top with several crowns. It was drawn by eight cream-coloured horses, with large purple velvet trappings, and followed by the royal trumpeters in their rich habits, sounding a dead march, and a large party of the life-guards. The procession was closed by one of the royal coaches out of mourning, with the blinds up, drawn by two horses, and one servant behind, in a royal livery frock, with a torch. GEORGE the SECOND, By the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick and Lunenburg, Holy Roman empire. He died the 25th day of October, in the Year of our Lord 1760, in the 77th Year of his Age, and in the 34th Year of his Reign. The day following, Tuesday the 11th, about nine o'clock, the royal corpse was carried from the prince's chamber to Westminster-abbey, and interred in the royal vault in Henry the VIIth's chapel. The procession was very grand and solemn, according to the ceremonial following: His royal highness the duke of Cumberland was chief mourner, and his train was borne by the dukes of Newcastle and Bridgewater. Minute guns were fired at the Tower and Park, and the bells in every parish tolled during the whole ceremony. Two thousand foot-guards, and 250 horse lined the scaffold, and kept off the mob. There was so many thousands of spectators, that great numbers could not get near enough to see the procession, and only saw at a distance the great light given by the flambeaux and lamps. Knight-marshal's men with black staves, two and two Pages of the presence Yeomen of the robes Gentlemen ushers, quarter waiters Pages of honour Grooms of the privy chamber Gentlemen ushers assistants Gentlemen ushers daily waiters Physicians to the king |