WHether the History of the Succession of the Crown will allow so good and clear an Hereditary Right , Jure Humane , the Reader will best judge by the short Historical Collection touching the Succession hereto subjoyned .

In the Heptarchy there was no fixt Hereditary Right , one King tripping up the heels of another , as he had Power , till one got all .

After no fixt Hereditary Right , for Athelstan the Great King was a Bastard , and so were several others , who by their Courage and Policy got the Crown ; so that a Law was made under the Saxon Monarchy De Ordinatione Regum , that directed the Election of Kings , prohibiting Bastards to be Elected .

Edward the Confessor was not King Jure H●reditario .

William the First , called the Conquerour , had no Right but from the Peoples Election .

William Rusus was Elected against the Right of his Elder Brother .

Henry the first came in by the same way .

King Stephen was Elected à Clero & Populo , and confirmed by the Pope .

Henry the Second came in by Consent , yet he had no Hereditary Right , for his Mother was living .

Richard the First was charged before God and Man by the Archbishop upon his Coronation , that he should not presume to take the Crown , unless he resolved faithfully to observe the Laws .

King John his Brother , because his Elder Brother's Son was a Foreigner , was Elected à Clero & Popul● , and being divorced from his Wife , by his new Queen , had Henry the Third .

Henry the Third was confirmed and settled in the Kingdom by the general Election of the People , and in his life-time the Nation was Sworn to the Succession of Edward the First , before he went to the Holy-Land .

Edward the First , being out of England , by the Consent of Lords and Commons , was declared King●

Edward the Second , being mislead , and relying too much upon his Favourites , was deposed , and his Son was declared King in his life-time .

Richard the Second for his Evil Government , had the fate of the Second Edward .

Henry the Fourth came in by Election of the People , to whom suceeded Henry the Fifth , and Henry the Sixth , in whose time Richard Duke of York claimed the Crown , and an Act of Parliament was made , That Henry the Sixth should enjoy the Crown for his life , and the said Duke after him ; after which King Henry raised an Army by Assistance of Queen and Prince , and at Wakefield in Battel kills the Duke , for which in Parliament , 1 Ed. 4th . they were all by Act of Parliament attainted of Treason , and one principal Reason thereof was , for that the Duke being declar'd Heir to the Crown after Henry , by Act of Parliament , they had killed him .

Edward the Fourth enters the Stage , and leaves Edward the Fifth to succeed , to whom succeds Richard the Third , confirm'd King by Act of Parliament , upon two Reasons : First , That by reason of a Pre-contract of Ed. the Fourth , Ed. the Fifth his Eldest Son , and all his other Children were Bastards . Secondly , For that the Son of the Duke of Clarence , Second Brother to Edward the Fourth had no Right , because the Duke was attainted of Treason by a Parliament of Edward the Fourth .

Henry the Seventh comes in , but had no Title ▪ First , because Edward the Fourth's Daughter was then living . Secondly , His own Mother , the Countess of Richmond , was then living .

After him Henry the Eighth wore the Crown , who could have no Title by the Father . In his time the Succession of the Crown was limited three several times , and the whole Nation Sworn to the Observance .

Sir Thomas Moor declared that the Parliament had a Power to bind the Succession , and would subscribe thereto .

Edward the Sixth suceeded , but his Mother was married to King Henry , while Katherine of Spain his Wife was living .

Queen Mary was declared a Bastard , and by virtue of an Act of Parliament of Henry the VIII . she succeeded ; which Act being repealed in the first of her Reign , and the Crown being limited otherwise by Parliament ; all the Limitations of the Crown in Henry the Eighth's Reign were avoided ; so that .

Queen Elizabeth who was declared a Bastard by Act of Parliament in Henry the Eighth's time , and limited to suceed in another Act in his time , and that Act repealed by Queen Mary , became Queen in the force of her own Act of Parliament , which declared her Lawful Queen .

The Crown was ential'd in Richard the Second's time , again in the time of Henry the Fourth , again in the time of Henry the Sixth , again in the time of Edward the Fourth , again in the time of Richard the Third , again in the time of Henry the Seventh ; thrice in the time of Henry the Eighth .

And upon the Marriage of Queen Mary to King Philip of Spain , both the Crowns of England and Spain were entail'd , whereby it was provided , that of the several Children to he begotten upon the Queen ; one was to have the Crown of England , another Spain , another the Low-Countries ; the Articles of Marriage to this purpose were confirmed by Act of Parliament ▪ and the Pope's Bull .

So that it was agreed by the States of both Kingdoms , and the Low Co●●tries , and therefore probably the Universal Opinion of the great Men of that Age , That Kings and Soveraign Princes , with the Consent of their States , had a Power to alter and bind the Succession of the Crown .