244 HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

chap. “ will remain no overplus towards answeringlxvi. " those contingences, which may happen in all

1677 . “ kingdoms, and which have been a considerable

“ burthen on me this last year. ”

BtFuRE the parliament entered upon business,they were stopped by a doubt, concerning thelegality of their meeting. It had been enactedby an old law of Edward III. “ That parliaments“ should be held once every year, oroftener, ifneed be. " The last prorogation had beenlonger than a year; and being supposed on thataccount illegal, it was pretended to be equivalentto a dissolution. The consequence seems by nomeans just; and besides, a later act, that whichrepealed the triennial law, had determined, thatit was necessary to hold parliaments only oncein three years. Such weight, however, was puton this cavil , that Buckingham , Shaftelbury ,Salistnirv, and Wharton , insisted strenuously inthe house of peers on the invalidity of the par-liament , and the nullity of all its future acts.For such dangerous positions, they were sent tothe Tower , there to remain during the pleasureof his majesty and the house. Buckingham, Sa-lisbury , and Wharton made submissions , andwere soon aster released. But Shaftesbury, moreobstinate in his temper, and desirous of distin-guishing himself by his adherence to liberty ,sought the remedy of law ; and being rejected bythe judges, he was at last, after a twelve-month’simprisonment, obliged to make the same submis-sions ; upon which he was also released.