Rights Billof

Rights, Bill of, a declaration delivered by the Lords and Commons to the Prince and Princess of Orange, February 13, 1689, and afterwards enacted in Parliament when they became king and queen. It sets forth that King James, by the assistance of evil counsellors, endeavoured to subvert the laws and liberties of the kingdom by exercising a power of dispensing with and suspending of laws, by levying money for the use of the Crown by pretence of prerogative without consent of Parliament, by prosecuting those who petitioned the king and discouraging petitions, by raising and keeping a standing army in time of peace, by violating the freedom of election of members to serve in Parliament, by violent prosecutions, and the causing partial and corrupt juries to be returned on trials, excessive bail to be taken, excessive fines imposed, and cruel punishments to be inflicted, all of which were declared illegal. The declaration concludes in these remarkable words: - "And they do claim, demand, and insist upon all and singular the premises, as their undoubted rights and liberties." The Act of Parliament above referred to (1 Will. & Mary, statute 2, c. 2) itself recognises "all and singular the rights and liberties asserted and claimed in the said declaration to be the true, ancient, indisputable rights of the people of this kingdom."