I had this day been married thirty-nine years—blessed be God for all his mercies!
The new very young Lord Chief-Justice Herbert declared on the bench, that the government of England was entirely in the King; that the Crown was absolute; that penal laws were powers lodged in the Crown to enable the King to force the execution of the law, but were not bars to bind the King's power; that he could pardon all offenses against the law, and forgive the penalties, and why could he not dispense with them; by which the Test was abolished? Everyone was astonished. Great jealousies as to what would be the end of these proceedings.