1819 Sept. 19

Parl. Reform Bill or Defence ag. Ed Review

Reasons, or […?]

§.2. Electors Who

Females?

Historical cause

2

Not only Naturally; but one should have thought necessarily. But in this case as in others, accident will sometimes produce /clog general rules with/ strange exceptions.

Among our British ancestors, not only the head of the state but the conductor of the war – the war against the oppressing Romans – was of the female sex – Queen Boadicea

Among our Saxon ancestors we find another such anomaly in the person of Matilda, wife of the /an/ Emperor of the West, our /in the language of our early English/ historians stiled the Empress Maud, who disputed the Crown with our King Stephen, and left her pretension to her more successful /fortunate/ son, King Henry the second. /our second Henry./

In the portion of time stiled the reign of Henry 6 th the Monarch being in a state little if any thing above that of idiocy, and having a woman of spirit for his wife, of spirit sufficient to take a lead in the command of such armies as were then in use here then was another example of where a part destined by nature for the male sex, was under the pressure of necessity acted occasionally by a female.

It must have been Nothing less than a /an extraordinary/ concurrence of circumstances could have produced an arrangement /a pretension/ so all according with the general state of the public mind in that rude age.

By this example /these examples/ added to the support sought for /to/ his title by Henry the seventh to /in his marriage with/ the heiress of the House of York, and the extraordinary ascendancy /influence/ obtained over the public mind by the strength of character of Henry the eighth prepared the people for quiet submission after the death of his son Edward to his daughter Mary, and thus to his daughter Elizabeth. In her days it was no longer necessary that supreme ruler should be a military leader

In all its branches appropriate probity, appropriate intellectual aptitude, and active talent, her aptitude for the situation equalled at least if it did not exceed that of any Monarch we then had or have since had of the male sex.

Adverting to /Led blindfold by/ the custom formed by these examples /instances/ the /it was by /in the eyes of/ the/ politicians have /been/ deemed it right, proper and unexceptionable that the supreme acting power should be in the hands of a female: why? because they have been used it: /to see it there:/ in the same eyes the notion that it has been absurd and ridiculous absurd to such a degree as to be ridiculous /a just object of ridicule/ to suppose that a /this the/ minutest fraction of what controuling power there is that can apply a check to that same supreme power should be in female hands: Why? because they are not used to see it there.