The constitution of parliaments in England deduced from the time of King Edward the Second, illustrated by King Charles the Second in his Parliament summon'd the 18 of February 1660/1, and dissolved the 24 of January 1678/9 : with an appendix of its sessions / observed by Sr. John Pettus ... Knight.

SECT. III. Of the Princes of the Bloud.

IN this Act the King by vertue of his Kingly Office (for so is the word in the Act) and Prerogative,* 1.1 having power to give such Honors, Places, and Reputa∣tion to his Counsellors, and other his Subjects as shall seem best to his most Ex∣cellent Wisdom, (especially to his Coun∣cil or Parliament) gives the Priority of all Places and Precedings to these follow∣ing seven Degrees of the Bloud-Royal, viz. (1.) to the Kings Son, (first entituled Prince of Wales in the 11. Edw. the 3d.) (2.) to the Kings Children, (3.) to the Kings Brother, (4.) to the Kings Uncle, (5.) to the Kings Nephew, (6.) to the Kings Brothers Son, (7.) to the Kings Sisters Son, (all of these have Title of Earls or Dukes) and any one of these (where others in priority are wanting) are to be accounted the first in their own seven Degrees, and are Prior to the 5 fol∣lowing Degrees, which comprehend all the Lords Temporal, and these, as they happen to be more or less, have their di∣stinct Writs, as also their proceedings to

all or any other Degrees, either Spiritual or Temporal, Official or Hereditary, of whom I shall speak more in the following Sections and Chapters; but if there be a failour of any of these, or that they are absent from Parliaments in respect of Mi∣nority or otherwise, then some of the Lords Spiritual have precedency to the Lords Temporal, (as will be shewn,)

All that were Summon'd of this De∣gree to this Parliament, were only the Duke of York, the Kings Brother, and Prince Rupert his Sisters Son, Sect. Cap. 2. Fig. 1. and 2.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Obs. I.