Politics & government > Speech of Lord Belhaven, in the Scotch parliament, at the making of the union

lord Belhaven's Speech.
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f their nation, and reduced a confiderabie part of
aeir country to become wafte and defolate.
I am informed My Lord, That onr Comtnif-
oners did indeed frankly tell the Lords Commiflio-
ers for England, That the inclinations of the peo¬
ple of Scotland were ranch altered of late in relati¬
on to au incorporating union ; and that therefore,
>nnce the entail was to end with her Majefty's life,
vhom God long preferve, it was proper to begin
lie treaty upon the foot of the Treaty of the 1604
sear of God, the time when we came firft under one
overeign : But this theEnglidi Commiffioners would
jot agree to, and onr Commiffiouers, that they
light not feem obftinate, were willing to treat and
include in the terms laid before this honourable
(koufe, and fubje&ed to their determination.
If the Lords Commiffioners for England had been
,s civil and complaifant, they Hiould certainly have
iniffied a federal treaty likeways, that both nations
h’ght have the choice which of them to have gone
nto as they thought fit; but they would hear of
lothing but of an entire and complete union, either
incorporations, furrender or cooquefl; whereas
t»nr Cotnmtffioiers thought nothing but a fair equal
ncorporating onion : Whether this be fo or not,
( leave it to every man’s judgment; but, as for my-
jdf. I mufl beig liberty to think it no fnch thing,
’’or I t ike an incorporating union to be, where there
is a change both in the material and formal part of
the government; as if two pieces of meta! wes*
^ndted down into one mafs, it can neither befit
10 retain its former form or fubftauce, as it did be
fore the mixture. But uow, when I confider this
treaty, as it hath been explained and fpoke tobefore
its thefe three weeks bypaft, I fee the Englifh con-
fUtutioa remaining firm, the fame two Houfes of
C 2 Parlia-