itants, as in such Cases among us our
Parliament Men are chosen; but were by Birth and Blood, or by
Dignities, High-Offices, _&c._ entitled to sit in the aforesaid
Council, except one Part of the Island, who had by some former
Constitution been a several distinct Government, and had a certain
Number of Nobility of their own. This Part having by some ancient
Treaty been join'd to the other, their whole Nobility were not
intituled to the Right of sitting in Council as above; but they usually
met by themselves upon such Occasions, and chose a certain Number to
represent the whole Body. This Number was, as near as I can remember,
Sixteen or thereabouts, not reckoning some who were singled out by the
Sovereign to be advanc'd by new Titles, to be Members of the Great Body
of the Hereditary Nobility; a Favour, which by the Stipulations of the
said Agreement, was reserv'd to the Sovereign of that whole Island.

Now there happening, as I have noted, an Occasion to assemble this
Great Council; the Nobility of that Part of the Island which were thus
particularly constituted, behoved to meet, _as said is_, to elect the
Number that were to represent them in the great Assembly; and the
History of that Meeting having so many strange Circumstances in it, and
making so much Noise in that Country, it cannot but be useful for us to
be inform'd of it.

The Nobility of that Island, as I find it too much the Fate of all the
Nobility in the World, were unhappily divided into Factions and
separate Interests, and therefore before I proceed to the Relation, it
will be necessary to give you a brief Account of these several
Divisions, and as to the Characters of the Persons, it will necessarily
fall into the Course of the Story.

The Divisions and Animosities which, as I say, were among the Nobility,
were very unhappily occasion'd upon two several Foundations, and
therefore consisted of two several Kinds.

This Island, it seems, was govern'd by a very glorious Queen, who
however she was of the ancient Royal Blood of that Country, was yet for
Reasons more especially respecting the Safety of the Country, plac'd
upon the Throne by the Suffrage of the Nobility and People, without
Regard to her Father or his Male Children, who for like Reasons of
Safety they had Depos'd and render'd incapable: There being, it seems a
Power reserv'd by the Constitution of that Place, to the said Nobility
and People so to do a thing so like what we call in _England_