164 HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

€ H ALXV.1672 .

i». At the same time, the act of navigation wassuspended by royal will and pleasure: A measure,which, though a stretch of prerogative, seemeduseful to commerce , while all the seamen wereemployed on board the royal navy. A like

suspension had been granted , during the first:Dutch war, and was not much remarked; becausemen had, at that time , entertained less jealousyof the crown. A proclamation was also issued ,containing rigorous clauses in favor of pressing:Another full of menaces against those who pre-sumed to speak undutifully of his majesty’s mea-sures , and even against those who heard suchdiscourse, unless they informed in due time against:the offenders : Another against importing orvending any sort of painted earthen ware, “ ex-'“ cept those of China, upon pain of being griev-cc oufiy fined, and suffering the utmost punishment,<x which might be lawfully inflicted upon con-“ temners of his majesty’s royal authority.” Anarmy had been levied ; and it was found , thatdiscipline could not be enforced without theexercise of martial law , which was thereforeestablished by order of council, though contraryto the petition of right. All these acts of power,how little important soever in themselves, savoredstrongly of arbitrary government, and were no-wise suitable to that legal administration, whichthe parliament, after such violent convulsions andcivil wars, had hoped to have established in thekingdom.

It may be worth remarking, that the lord-