a
committee of the whole House, the Lords appointed Westminster Hall to be
the place of trial and instructed Sir Christopher Wren to make the
necessary preparations as speedily as possible.(1956) The trial commenced
on the 27th February and continued for three weeks. Day after day as
Sacheverell passed from his lodgings in the Temple to Westminster Hall and
home again his coach was besieged by crowds striving to kiss his hand and
shouting "Sacheverell and the Church for ever!" So again when the queen,
impelled by curiosity, attended the trial, as she did on more than one
occasion, shouts were raised as she passed on her way of "God bless your
majesty and the Church! we hope your majesty is for Dr. Sacheverell!" Had
the mob confined itself to this kind of demonstration little harm had been
done. Unfortunately it allowed itself to be carried away by excitement and
took to attacking meeting-houses and damaging the property of
Dissenters.(1957) The arguments on both sides having at last been
concluded, the Lords, by a narrow majority, pronounced Sacheverell guilty.
They did not venture, however, to proceed against him with any greater
severity than to order his sermons to be burnt at the Exchange by the
common hangman, in the presence of the lord mayor and sheriffs, and to
prohibit him from preaching for the next three years.(1958) Such a
sentence was virtually a victory for the Tories and a defeat of the Whigs.
Lord mayor Garrard contrived to escape the humiliation of presiding over
the burning of a sermon of which he in his heart approved, and this part
of the sentence was carried out in his absence under the supervision of
the sheriffs.(1959) The verdict was welcomed in the city with
illuminations and bonfires, accompanied with some little tumult and
disorder. The queen complained to the Court of Aldermen by letter, and
thereupon the court appointed a committee to investigate the recent riots
(27 March, 1710). The result was that the ringleaders were arrested and
bound over to the sessions.(1960) The streets were flooded with republican
pamphlets which the House ordered to be burnt by the common hangman.(1961)
Addresses were sent in from all parts of the country, some in favour of
the existing parliament, but the majority advocated a speedy
dissolution.(1962) The Common Council voted an address (but only by a
small majority) in which her majesty was assured of the City's hatred of
all "anti-monarchical principles," its co