t solicitor, upon which the lords had been remanded to prison. At
the same time the whole affair was referred to a committee, empowered
to send for persons, papers, and records. The judges were ordered to
attend: Aaron Smith was examined touching the evidence against the
committed lords. The committee reported their general resolution,
which produced a vehement dispute. The opinion of the judges was
unsatisfactory to both parties; the debate was referred to a committee
of the whole house, in which it was resolved and declared, as the sense
of that assembly, that in pursuance of the _habeas-corpus_ act, it was
the duty of the judges and gaol-delivery to discharge the prisoner on
bail if committed for high treason, unless it be made appear, upon oath,
that there are two witnesses against the said prisoner, who cannot be
produced in that term, session, or general gaol-delivery. They likewise
resolved it was the intention of the said statute, that in case there
should be more than one prisoner to be bailed or remanded, there must be
oath made that there are two witnesses against each prisoner, otherwise
he cannot be remanded to prison. These resolutions were entered in the
books as standing directions to all future-judges, yet not without
great opposition from the court members. The next debate turned upon
the manner in which the imprisoned lords should be set at liberty.
The contest became so warm that the courtiers began to be afraid, and
proposed an expedient which was put in practice. The house adjourned to
the seventeenth day of the month, and at its next meeting was given to
understand that the king had discharged the imprisoned noblemen. After
another warm debate, a formal entry was made in the journals, importing,
That the house being informed of his majesty's having given directions
for discharging the lords under bail in the king's-bench, the debate
about that matter ceased. The resentment of the peers being thus
allayed, they proceeded to take his majesty's speech into consideration.

THE COMMONS PRESENT ADDRESSES TO THE KING AND QUEEN.

The commons having voted an address of thanks, and another, praying that
his majesty's foreign alliances should be laid before them, determined
on a bill for regulating trials in cases of high treason. They passed
a vote of thanks to admiral Russel, his officers and seamen, for the
victory they had obtained, and then proceeded to an inquiry, Why that
victory had not been pu