of these portions of Scripture were afterwards retained in the Form of Prayer and Thanksgiving, proper to the Service for his Majesty's Accession on the twenty-fifth of October. The Sermon, which directly succeeded, was a short, plain, and appropriate discourse, preached by Dr. Robert Drummond, then Lord Bishop of Salisbury, but who, before the end of September, was translated to the Archiepiscopal See of York, which was at that time vacant, in consequence of the decease of Dr. John Gilbert, who died on July 9th, 1761. The text of this Sermon, which was published by Special Command, was taken from 1 Kings, x-9. "Because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he Thee King, to do judgment and justice." The Bishop, from these words, shewed, firstly, that when good Kings reign, they are the means by which a people are blessed, as the advantage was not so much to Solomon as to Israel: and, secondly, that the duty of Royalty was to do Judgment and Justice. The concluding part of this discourse, time has since shown to have been almost a prophecy, at the least it was the best prayer which loyalty could offer to Heaven for a Beloved Monarch, and has been amply fulfilled; as, therefore, it is by far the finest portion of the Sermon, a transcript of it is here given :-*

"What then remains, but to exhort you; and what can be more becoming this great and solemn occasion, than to offer up the most fervent supplications, with one mind, to Heaven; that the Holy Spirit of that God, in whose presence the King and people are preparing to declare their mutual engagements, may pour into their the hearts a sincere zeal for each others' happiness, and unite them in strictest bands of affection? May the Sacred Oath which our Sovereign takes at the Altar of the King of Kings, ever recur to his mind,

* The Editor is indebted to the Rev. H. J. Todd, Keeper of the Archiepiscopal Records at Lambeth Palace, for the use of bis copy of Dr. Drummond's Coronation Sermon, which has now beocme a scarce and valuable publication.

as the genuine intentions of his own heart! May the homage which we pay him in all truth and faithfulness, be bound upon our hearts and minds with the ties of duty, gratitude, and love; and from us may unfeigned loyalty spread itself through all ranks, give a right temper to the conduct of all his subjects, and establish his Kingdom! May Justice and Judgment be the habitation of his Throne! May mercy and truth go before his face! May the Almighty mark every year with fresh instances of his goodness to him, and to his people! May every happiness of private life alleviate the cares of Royalty, and every blessing of public prosperity, yea and abundance of peace be in his day! Late may he be called to an Heavenly crown of Eternal Glory, and here, through the mercy of the Most High, to these Kingdoms, long with unsullied lustre may his Crown flourish, under the guidance of that wisdom, in whose right hand are length of days and honour! Amen."

During the Sermon, the King, who had before been uncovered, wore a cap of crimson velvet turned up with ermine; on his right hand stood the Bishop of Durham and the Lords who carried the Swords, and upon his left the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and the Lord Great Chamberlain. The Queen was attended in a similar manner by the Bishops her supporters, and the Ladies her train-bearers; while the other principal assistants in the Ceremony were placed as follow: the Archbishop of Canterbury, in his purple velvet chair, on the Northside of the Altar, with Garter King of Arms standing beside him. A part of the Bishops were seated on forms near the wall of the Church, between the Archbishop and the pulpit, and the remainder of them who had any part in the Service, stood with the Dean and Prebendaries of Westminster, upon the South-side of the Altar.

When the Sermon was concluded, the Archbishop of Canterbury went up to the King, and, standing before him, said,

Is your Majesty willing to make the Declaration?

To which the King answered,

I am willing.

The Archbishop being previously provided with the form of words written on a parchment roll, then proceeded to read to his Majesty the following

DECLARATION.

I, GEORGE the Third, by the Grace of GOD, KING of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. do solemnly and sincerely, in the presence of God, profess, testify, and declare, that I do believe, that in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper there is not any Transubstantiation of the Elements of Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, at or after the Consecration thereof, by any person whatsoever; and that the invocation or adoration of the Virgin Mary, or any other Saint, and the sacrifice of the mass, as they are used in the Church of Rome, are superstitious and idolatrous. And I do solemnly, in the presence of God, profess, testify, and declare, that I do make this Declaration, and every part thereof, in the plain and ordinary sense of the words read unto me, as they are commonly understood by the English Protestants, without any evasion, equivocation, or mental reservation whatsoever, and without any dispensation already granted me for this purpose by the Pope, or any other authority or person whatsoever, or without any hope of any such dispensation from any person or authority whatsoever, or without thinking that I am, or may be acquitted before GoD or man, or absolved of this Declaration, or any part thereof, although the Pope, or any other person or persons, or power whatsoever, should dispense with, or annul the same, or declare that it was null and void from the beginning.

After his Majesty had repeated this declaration, a silver standish was brought, and he subscribed his name to it on the top of his desk or faldstool.* To this succeeded the Coronation Oath, which the Archbishop began to administer, by first asking the King,

SIR, is your Majesty willing to take the oath? To which the King having answered

I am willing.

* The word Faldstool is originally Saxon, and signifies a seat, before which are placed a kneeling cushion and desk, for the purpose of falling down to in the acts of devotion.

The Archbishop then put the following questions to the King, whose replies were made from a book which he held in his hands.

Archbishop. Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of this Kingdom of Great Britain, and the dominions thereto belonging, according to the Statutes in Parliament agreed on, and the respective Laws and Customs of the same?

King. I solemnly promise so to do.

Archbishop. Will you to your power cause Law and Justice in mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?

King. I will.

Archbishop. Will you, to the utmost of your power, maintain the Laws of God, the true profession of the gospel, and the Protestant reformed Religion established by Law? And will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established, within the Kingdoms of England, Ireland, the dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick upon Tweed, and the territories thereunto belonging, before the union of the two Kingdoms? And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of England, and to the Churches there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain to them, or any of them? King. All this I promise to do.

His Majesty then arose out of his Chair, and, attended by his Supporters, went uncovered to the Altar, where, kneeling upon the steps, and laying his hand upon the Holy Gospels, he said,

The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God.

He then kissed the Book, and signed the Oath, as he had already done the Declaration.

On the King's return to his chair, the third Anthem of "Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire," composed by Turner, was sung by the Archbishop and the Choir, during which both their Majesties were kneeling, and upon its conclusion the Archbishop read the following prayer, preparatory to the Anointing:

*

go

O LORD, Holy Father, who by Anointing with Oil didst of old make and consecrate Kings, Priests, and Prophets, to teach and vern Thy people Israel; bless and sanctify Thy Chosen Servant GEORGE, who by our Office and Ministry is now to be Anointed with this Oil, and Consecrated KING of this Realm, strengthen him, O Lord, with the Holy Ghost the Comforter, comfirm and stablish him with Thy free and princely Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and government, the Spirit of council and ghostly Strength, the spirit of knowledge and true godliness, and fill him, O Lord, with the Spirit of Thy holy fear, now and for ever. Amen.

At the end of this prayer, the Choir sung Handel's Coronation Anthem, taken from 1 Kings i. v. 39-40. "Zadok the Priest, &c." during which the King removed into the ancient Coronation Chair to be anointed. The Duke of Devonshire, the Earl of Northumberland, the Earl of Hertford, and the Earl of Waldegrave, being all Knights of the Garter, held over his head a rich covering, and the Dean of Westminster stood by holding the Consecrated Oil and spoon; then the Archbishop pouring some out, anointed his Majesty on the head, breast, and hands, in the form of a cross, using nearly the same words each time, namely

Be thy head anointed with Holy Oil, as Kings, Priests, and Prophets were anointed.

Be thy breast anointed with Holy Oil.

Be thy hands anointed with Holy Oil. And as Solomon was Anointed King by Zadok the Priest, and Nathan the Prophet, so be you Anointed, Blessed, and Consecrated King over this people, whom the Lord your God hath given you to rule and govern, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

The King then kneeled down, and the Archbishop said over him the following blessing, which is here inserted to convey an idea of the prayers peculiar to this part of the Coronation-Service :

*The Archbishop here laid his hand on the Golden Eagle, or vessel containing the Anointing Oil, which, with the spoon, were laid upon the Altar.