The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-12-27 00:00:00

of the Princess of Modena and the Duke of Yo. k.
There was 411 aothess of the House of Co:unions to
the King to prevent his marriage. The King's an-
swer is very remarkable. " It is completed (says the
King), }lnt it was with my consent and authority,"
and the Parliament acquiesced in that answer. Now
this address was absurd, if the King had no power to
prevent it; so that this amounts to the jtufgment
and opinion of the King And Parliament, that this
right was in the Crown exclusive of his brother. So
here is the King claiming this anthorisy even against
his own brother and his private right, and the Par-
liament confirming it.
"'fhen there is the marriage of the Princess Mary,
' daughter of the Duke of York, to the Prince of
Orange. This snatch was made entirely by the
King's consent, even without the knowledge of the
Duke, her father, and against his liking or consent.
The King, speaking to Sir William Temple about
this match, says, a If 1 am not deceived, the Prince
of Orange is the honestest man in the world : there-
fore he shall have his wife, and you shall go anti tell
my brother so, ansl that it is a thing I am resolved
on.' The Duke was chagriseil a little, but said,
the'Vng shall he obeyed:
44 I lere is a father acknowledging the right to be
in the King to marry his own daughter, who was
only a collateral relation to the King, and,manied
against the father's will, as every one knows.
" In 1663, the match with the Princess Anne, the
other daughter of the I )u1.:,! of Yo: k, was made by
the King in the same manuer, and both these mar-
' riages acre established by a public declaration of
His Majesty to the while nation.
" And thus I beg le tee to conclude the instances
of marriage, bur with this remark, that happy it is
for this nation that the King in the two last in•
stances had this prerogative ; for, had this pretended
paternal right then prevailed, the English nation had
been for ever undone, and our religion destroyed,
and we had never. seen the many and great blessings
we enjoy and are likely to enjoy by this family sitting
on the throne of Great Britain. Thus the nation
sees the trace of this happy prerogative from henry
111.'6 time to this very day, being the compass of
almost 500 ye trs uninterrupted, undisputed, and
not one single instance to the contrary.
44 These instances concerning marriages of the
Royal Family being so numerous, and the light so
glai jag, from histories, records, public ads, statutes,
and law•books, the two Judges who differ could seat
resist this part of the question, but have retired to
the other part, that of the education ; though I hoFe
to prove, that if the King has the marriage, be must
have the education too. the reason that m)• Lord
Coke gives, why the Queen Dowager cannot marry
without the King's leave is, at oaprealdbat iuiwui,Revs
maritentiff. Now, the season for the King's having
the wardship of his grand-children, and education
too, is stronger, viz. lest the Heir of the Crown
himself be led aside by ill principles and had poli-
tics, and become himself an enemy to the constitu-
tion and to the kingdom. Marriage is one of the
main ends of the education; and that education is a
principal qualification tor that marriage, and there-
fot e can never be so properly placed as with him who
has the marriage. Vide ti KV!. 2 Inst. p. Is.
44 Besides, these two powers, if placed in the hands
of different persons, may clash and be repugnant
for which of thin is to determine when the marriage
is to begin, and to whom and when tne education
is to end

. _
" Again. if the King has the marriage, he has
the appolitment of thi: time of that MAI nage. and
consequently he can, at Any time, appotnt it ;:andhe
that can at any time.appoint the marriage, can at
any time call for the custody of that person ; and he
that can at ans. time demand the person out of cus-
tody of another, has the entire power over that per-
son.

Again, it is a tru•• arid regular argu:nent, and
conclusive, to say, that w•hn ver has the end must
have the means also, others ise he cannot he laid to
have the end.

" If I have the marriage of any person, I can nec
ver be sure of that miles; I have the custody and
education cf that person. But blis Majesty's pre-
rogative, in this part of the question relating to the
education, is as clearly to be made out, though out
by so many instances, as the case of marriage.
M Whom Prince Comics had by surprise got leave
of his I.ther to make a j.,nrney to Spain, to fetch
home his mistress the Infanta, revolving in his mind
the hazard of that expedition, and the ill influence
it might have on the people ; King James then de-
clared that the Prince was looked upon by his peo-
ple as the son of his kingdom.—aarendun's Histo-
ry, page 14. And this being related by Lim, car-
ries with it his authority tuo, who was a very great
Dwyer, and Chancellor of the realm.

The law hdoks of Bra4on and Flea. which
rye been quoted, arc the law of the land,
wending to all cues; but this law being altered
only in private cases by usage and statute, it remains
law to this day as to the Royal Family ; because.
as to them, this law bashad so alteration Ity any law
or statute whasever, and usage has gone accord-
ingiy.
These I.tw books are sn strong. that there has
been no way thought of to evade them, but by de-
nying the authority of them, and calling it civil
law. But I own I am not a little surprised that
these honks should he denied for law, when, in my
little oerience, I have known them quoted almost
in every argument, where pains have been taken, if
any thins could be found in those books, to the
question in hand; and I have never known them
denied f.ir law, but where some statute or usages
time out of miad, has altered them We have
been told, indeed, that they were quoted in the case
of ship money. Hut I believe that objolilin would
not bare been mude, if they had been aware that
these very books were quoted on both sides of the
question, which destroys the obje6ion, and spews
that they wets approved of by all who argued in
that case, both of one side and the other.
s• Dot if it be meant Civil Law. be. Ause it is in
forte in all civilised nations, I believe that is true ;
for I take this to be the prerogative of all Kings.
nor has there been any instance given in any Nlo-
11.11chy where the law is otherwise.
a /dr. Seldon says, the King of England is an
Emperor, and this realm an empire, and so called
in statutes and records without number ; arid if so,
he will have the prerogative, equal with other Kings
and Fmpetors, if no statute law or usag... say the
contrary.
a If the rrtrnative then be the law of nations,