His independent conduct in Parliament in
opposing the despotism of the crown
17-19
Accession of Charles the First, and his
enmity to Coke
Coke chosen a member (in 1628) of that
19, 20
House of Commons which first resisted
the encroachments of the royal preroga-
tive
His excellent speech in that Parliament 20, 21
20
His death in 1634
Personal, judicial, and political character
of Coke
LIFE OF LORD SOMERS.
Birth and parentage of Somers (1650) 1
•
His early education
Entered at Trinity College, Oxford
Called to the bar
Political and historical tracts, written by
him while at Oxford
Removes to London and attends the
courts of law
Trial of the seven bishops
Returned to the first parliament of Wil-
liam III. for Worcester
He is made solicitor-general and knighted ib.
Conducts the prosecution on the trial of
Lord Preston, 1691
Becomes successively attorney-general,
lord-keeper, and lord chancellor
He is elected president of the Royal
Society, 1698
His usefulness to the king in the contests
between the Whigs and Tories
Decline of the Whig administration
Groundless charges against him in the
House of Commons
Captain Kidd's piracies
The king persuaded to dismiss him from
his office
Popular excitement in England upon the
French king's recognition of the Pre-
tender's title
King William's speech at opening his
last parliament
Lord Somers excluded from the admini-
stration on the accession of Queen
Anne
Debates on the bill against occasional
conformity
He encourages the scheme of appropriat-
ing the First Fruits and Tenths to in-
crease the revenues of the poorer clergy 16
Debates upon the proposal to invite the
Princess Sophia to England
Lord Somers's Bill for the amendment of
Union with Scotland, 1706
His speech in favour of the Bill for
abolishing the Scotch privy-council
Returns to administration and takes the
office of president of the council, in
1708
Again retires from office, 1710.
His speech at the bar of the House of
Attends in the House of Lords during
the proceedings on the impeachment
of Lord Derwentwater, in 1716
His last illness and death
He is impeached by the Commons
Impeachment dismissed by the Lords
His opinion on the Septennial Bill
Disposition of the king to recur to Lord
Somers and the Whigs
Scarcity of information respecting Lord
Somers's personal history
Death of James II. at St. Germains, in
1701
His character by an anonymous contemn-
porary writer
His judicial and political character
Delivers the great seal to Lord Jersey,
Signs a protest against the Schism Act
On the accession of George I. takes his
seat in the cabinet council
Discourages the prosecutions against the
partizans of the Pretender
Series of engagements with the Dutch
fleet
Description of the fleets of those times 13
List of the British navy of 1675, with an
account of their guns and tonnage 14
The royal ships effect a passage through
his squadron, after sustaining great loss,
and arrive in the Tagus
War commences, in consequence, be-
tween England and Portugal
Honourable behaviour of Admiral Blake
to the captain of a French ship of war ib.
Blake receives the thanks of Parliament,
and is made warden of the Cinque
ports
He reduces the Scilly Isles, and Jersey,
to the subjection of the Commonwealth 9
Causes of the war with the Dutch; and
first engagement with Van Tromp
Blake captures the Dutch convoy in the
North Sea
His engagement with and defeat of De
Witt and De Ruyter
Blake's conduct on the turning out of
the Long Parliament
Assumption of the protectorate by Crom-
well
Blake chosen a member for Bridge-
water, to Cromwell's first parliament,
in 1654
Expedition to the Mediterranean against
the states of Barbary
Large booty acquired in that expedition 19
Illness of Blake while blockading the
coasts of Spain
Burning of the Spanish fleet at Santa
Cruz, with remarks on that transaction 20
Blake cashiers his own brother for cow-
His death when returning to England in
1657, and splendour of his funeral
Treatment of his remains at the Restoration ib.
His general character
23-24