only good, account of these debates
is given by L'Hermitage, Feb 28/March 9 1696. He says, very truly; "La
difference n'est qu'une dispute de mots, le droit qu'on a a une chose
selon les loix estant aussy bon qu'il puisse estre."]

[Footnote 687: See the London Gazettes during several weeks;
L'Hermitage, March 24/April 3 April 14/24. 1696; Postman, April 9 25 30]

[Footnote 688: Journals of the Commons and Lords; L'Hermitage, April
7/17 10/20 1696.]

[Footnote 689: See the Freeholder's Plea against Stockjobbing Elections
of Parliament Men, and the Considerations upon Corrupt Elections of
Members to serve in Parliament. Both these pamphlets were published in
1701.]

[Footnote 690: The history of this bill will be found in the Journals
of the Commons, and in a very interesting despatch of L'Hermitage, April
14/24 1696.]

[Footnote 691: The Act is 7 & 8 Will. 3. c. 31. Its history maybe traced
in the Journals.]

[Footnote 692: London Gazette, May 4. 1696]

[Footnote 693: Ibid. March 12. 16. 1696; Monthly Mercury for March,
1696.]

[Footnote 694: The Act provided that the clipped money must be brought
in before the fourth of May. As the third was a Sunday, the second was
practically the last day.]

[Footnote 695: L'Hermitage, May 5/15 1696; London Newsletter, May 4.,
May 6. In the Newsletter the fourth of May is mentioned as "the day so
much taken notice of for the universal concern people had in it."]

[Footnote 696: London Newsletter, May 21. 1696; Old Postmaster, June
25.; L'Hermitage, May 19/29.]

[Footnote 697: Haynes's Brief Memoirs, Lansdowne MSS. 801.]

[Footnote 698: See the petition from Birmingham in the Commons'
Journals, Nov. 12. 1696; and the petition from Leicester, Nov. 21]

[Footnote 699: "Money exceeding scarce, so that none was paid or
received; but all was on trust."--Evelyn, May 13. And again, on June
11.: "Want of current money to carry on the smallest concerns, even for
daily provisions in the markets."]

[Footnote 700: L'Hermitage, May 22/June 1; See a Letter of Dryden to
Tonson, which Malone, with great probability, supposes to have been
written at this time.]

[Footnote 701: L'Hermitage to the States General May 8/18.; Paris
Gazette, June 2/12.; Trial and Condemnation of the Land Bank at Exeter
Change for murdering the Bank of England at Grocers' Hall, 1696. The
Will and the Epitaph will be found in the Trial.]

[Footnote 702: L'Hermitage, June 12/22. 1696.]

[Footnote 703: O