Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A50856
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That the lawful successor cannot be debarr'd from succeeding to the crown maintain'd against Dolman, Buchannan, and others / by George Mackenzie ...
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Mackenzie, George, Sir, 1636-1691.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing M206; ESTC R19286
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31,910
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82
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past designing him Heir to the Crown and Earl of Carrick and consequently he was so design'd before the death of Euphan Ross. 5. I have seen a Charter granted by King Robert the 2d when he was only Steward of Scotland granted in anno 1165 and so long before he was King In which Charter likewise John thereafter King by the name of Robert the 3d is a conjunct Disponer with him under the express designation of the eldest Son and Heir Robertus Senescallus Scotiae Comes de Strathern Ioannes Senescallus primogenitus haeresipsius Dominus Baroniae de Kyle c. which Charter confirms to the Abbacy of Pasley several Lands disponed to them by Reginaldus More Father to Sir William More of Abercorn And I find that David Duke of Rothsay was always in the Charters granted by his Father King Robert the first called Primogenitus and he was no Bastard nor can this designation be given to a Bastard as is clear by Covarâ—vâ—as de Matrim part 2. cap. 8. § 2. num 4. But how can it be imagined that the Monks of Pasley would have taken a Right from a person as Heir to the Crown who was not for this would have infer'd Treason against them beside the annulling their Right or who could understand better the lawfulness of a Marriage than a body of Church-men living in the time and very near to the Residence of the married Persons and in whose Conventual-Church the said King Robert and Elizabeth Muir ly buried together Item I have seen in the Registers another Charter granted by King Robert the 2. in the first year of his Reign with the consent of John Earl of Carrick primogenitus haeres Allano de Lavidia terrarum de Whitslet And an other granted by the said King 1. June anno primo regni confirming to Paulo M ctire a Charter granted by the Earl of Ross Father to Euphan wherein the said John primogenitus hares is a Witness And to shew that the said Euphan Ross was then living when he was so design'd Heir there is a Charter to her by the King upon the very same day of the Lands of Lochleaven As also there is a Charter granted by King Robert the 2d the first year of his Reign to Alexander his Son and another to John Kennedy of the Barrony of Dalrymple in both which the said John Earl of Carrick is call'd primogenitus and is Witness with the Earl of Dowglass so that he has been design'd eldest Son and Heir openly uncontravertedly and in all Papers and with the consent of the second Wife and her Relations 6. In the Parliament 1372 the said John Earl of Carrick is design'd to be Lieutenant of the Kingdom and all the Estates of Parliament swear to own him in his Government and which Statute is printed amongst the Satutes of King Robert the 2d Father to the said John and which must be during the Marriage with Euphan Ross for she liv'd three years after her Husband was King and he succeeded to the Crown anno 1371 And this also confutes Buchanan who asserts that he was created Earl of Carrick after the death of Euphan Ross and it is against all sense and reason to think that he could have been acknowledg'd during her life if he had not been the true Apparent Heir of the Crown and a lawful Son 7. Walter who they pretend should have succeeded to the Crown having kill'd his Nephew King James the first Son to King Robert the 3d He was not only not own'd after the death of the said King James as certainly he had been if his Title had been good and his Right so recent and demonstrable having so many great and powerful Relations that his Father was induc'd upon their account to marry his Mother but yet the said Walter was by all the Parliament unanimously condemn'd as a Traitor for having conspir'd the death of his lawful Prince Nor does Boetius justifie Walter 's Title in the least but on the contrary magnifies the Parliament for their just Sentence As did likewise Aeneas Silvius the Popes learned Legat who exhorted the Parliament to condemn him 8. How is it imaginable that King Robert who had so lately and after a strong competition come to the Crown would have adventur'd to make his Title yet more disputable by preferring a Bastard to the true Heir who had so many Friends by his Mother and who being an Infant had never disoblig'd him 9. If we will consider the opinion of the Civilians whom we and almost all Nations follow in the Cases of Succession we will find that the said King Robert the 3d was the eldest and lawful Son of King Robert the 2d filius legitimus non legitimatus For 1. They conclude that a Son is prov'd to be a lawful Son by the Assertion of the Father Alciat tract praesumpt Reg. 2 praesumpt 2. num 6. and certainly the Father is the best Judge in such Cases but so it is we have the Father owning the said Robert the 3d. to be his eldest Son and Heir both in Charters and Acts of Parliamnets which are the most solemn of all Deeds 2. Quando pater instituit aliquem tanquam filium sâ—um which holds in this Case where the Father institutes and leaves him Heir and the Parliament swears Allegiance to him as the Heir Mascard de prob vol. 2. conclus 799. And in dubious Cases the Father's naming such a man as a Son presumes him to be a lawful Son nominatio parentis inducit filiationem in dubio l. ex facto § si quis Rogatus ff ad trebell 3. Even Fame and the common opinion of the People do in favours of these that are in Possession and in ancient Cases prove filiationem legitimationem Mascard conclus 792. but much more where the Fame and common Opinion is adminiculated by other Arguments fulgos consil 128. Panorm in cap. transmiss qui filii sunt ligittimi 4. When Writs are produc'd calling a man a Son the Law concludes him to be a lawful Son Mascard vol. 2. conclus 800. num 15. all which can be easily subsum'd in our Case In which Robert the 3d. is nam'd not only Son but Heir and Allegiance sworn to him even in the lifetime of the second Wife and her Relations sitting in Parliament and all this acquiesc'd in for many hundreds of years and the Competitors punish'd as Traitors by the unanimous consent of all the Parliament I know that Buchanan does most bitterly inveigh against those Laws made by King Kenneth the 3d as Laws whereby the ancient Right of Succession was innovated and whereby the Government was settled upon Children who were neither able to consult with the People nor to defend them and whereby those had the Government of the Nation conferr'd upon them who were not capable to govern themselves To which my answer is That in this Buchanan's Malice contradicts his History for his own History tells us
authority and so to enable him the more to curb factions and oppose enimies he was called King yet he was but Rex fidei Commissarius being oblidg'd to restore it to the true Heir at his majority and so Governed only in his Vice and consequently was only his Vice-roy But because the Uncles and next Heirs being once admitted to this fidei Commissarie tittle were unwilling to restore the Crown to their Nephews and sometimes murder'd them and oftetimes rais'd factions against them Therefore the People abhorring these impieties and weary of the distractions and divisions which they occasion'd beg'd from King KENNETH the second that these following Laws might be made 1. That upon the Kings death the next Heir of whatsoever age should succeed 2. The Grand-childe either by Son or Daughter should be preferr'd 3. That till the King arriv'd at 14 years of age some Wise-man should be choos'd to Govern after which the King should enter to the free administration and according to this constitution some fit Person has still been choos'd Regent in the Kings minority without respect to the proximity of Blood and our Kings have been oftentimes Crown'd in the Cradle In conformity also to these principles all the acknowledgements made to our Kings run still in favours of the King and his Heirs As in the first Act Parl. 18. JAMES VI. and the II III IV. Acts Parl. 1. CHARLES II. And by our Oath of Alledgeance we are bound to bear faithful and true alledgeance to his Majesty his Heirs and Lawful Successors which word LAWFUL is insert to cutt off the pretexts of such as should not succeed by Law and the insolent arbitrarieness of such as being but subjects themselves think they may choose their King viz. Act 1. Parl. 21. JAMES 6. That this right of Succession according to the proximity of blood is founded on the Law of God is clear by Num. Chap. 27. v. 9. and 10. If a man hath no Son or Daughter his inheritance shall descend upon his Brother by Num. 36. Where God himself decides in favours of the Daughters of Zelophehad telling us it was a just thing they should have the inheritance of their father And ordaines that if there were no Daughters the estate should go to the Brothers Saint Paul likewayes concluds Rom. 8. If Sons then Heirs looking upon that as a necessary consequence which if it do not necessarly hold or can be any way disappointed all his divine reasoning in that Chapter falls to nothing And thus Ahaziah 2 Chron. 22. v. 1. was made King though the youngest in his Fathers stead because sayes the text the Arabians had slain all the eldest which clearly shews that by the Law of God he could not have succeeded if the eldest had been alive We hear likewayes in Scripture God oft telling By me Kings reigne And when he gives a Kingdom to any as to Abraham David c. He gives it to them and their posterity That this right of Succession flowes from the Law of nature is clear because that is accounted to flow from the Law of nature which every man finds grafted in his own heart and which is obey'd without any other Law and for which men neither seek nor can give another distinct reason all which hold in this case for who doubts when he heares of ane hereditary Monarchy but that the next in blood must Succeed and for which we need no positive Law nor does any man enquire for a further reason being satisfied therein by the principles of his own heart And from this ground it is that though a remoter Kinsman did possess as Heir he could by no length of time prescribe a valide right since no man as Lawyers conclude can prescribe a right against the Law of nature and that this principle is founded thereupon is confest l cùm ratio naturalis ff de bonis damnat cùm ratio naturalis quasi lex quaedum tacita liberis parentum haereditatem adjecerit veluti ad debitam successionem eos vocando propter quod suorum haeredum nomen eis indultum est adeo ut ne a parentibus quidem ab eâ successione amoveri possint Et § emancipati Institut de haered quae ab intest Praetor naturalem aequitatem sequutus iis etiám bonorum possessionem contra 12 tabularum leges contra jus civile permittit Which text shewes likewayes that this right of nature was stronger than the Laws of the 12 Tables though these were the most ancient and chief Statutes of Rome Which principle is very clear likewayes from the Parable Math. 21. Where the Husband-men who can be presum'd to understand nothing but the Law of nature are brought in saying this is the Heir let us kill him and seaze on his inheritance Nor does this hold only in the Succession of Children or the direct line but in the collateral Succession of Brothers and others L. hac parte ff unde cognati Hac parte proconsul Naturali aequitate motus omnibus cognatis permittit bonorum possessionem quos sanguinis ratio Vocat ad haereditatem Vid. l. 1. ff aegrad l. 1. § hoc autem ff de bonor possess And these who are now Brothers to the present King have been Sones to the former and therefore whatever has been said for Sones is also verified in Brothers As for instance though his Royal Highness be only Brother to King CHARLES the II. yet he is Son to King CHARLES I. and therefore as Saint Paul sayes if a Son then ane Heir except he be secluded by the existence and Succession of ane elder Brother That this gradual Succession is founded on the Law of nations is as clear by the Laws of the 12 Tables and the Praetorian Law of Rome And if we consider the Monarchy either old or new we will find that wherever the Monarchy was not elective the degrees of succession were there exactly observed And Bodinus de Republ. lib. 6 Cap. 5. asserts that Ordo non tantum naturae divinae sed etiam omnium ubique gentium hoc postulat From all which Pope Innocent in c. grand de supplend neglig praelati concludes In regnis haereditariis caveri non potest ne filius aut frater succedat And since it is expresly determined that the right of blood can be taken away by no positive Law or Statute L. Jura Sanguinis ff de Reg. jur L. 4. ff de suis legitim and that the power of making a Testament can be taken away by no Law L. ita legatum ff de conditionibus I cannot see how the right of Succession can be taken away by a Statute for that is the same with the right of Blood and is more strongly founded upon the Law of nature than the power of making Testaments Since then this right is founded upon the Law of God of nature and of nations it does clearly follow that no Parliament can alter the same by their municipal Statutes as our