]
Another innovation in this interesting reign were stage-coaches,
described as affording "admirable commodiousness both for men and
women of better rank, to travel from London and to almost all the
villages near this great city, that the like hath not been known
in the world, wherein one may be transported to any place,
sheltered from foul weather and foul ways, free from endamaging
one's health or body by hard jogging or over-violent emotion, and
this not only at a low price, as about a shilling for every five
miles in a day; for the stage-coaches called flying coaches make
forty or fifty miles in a day, as from London to Cambridge or
Oxford, and that in the space of twelve hours, not counting the
time for dining, setting forth not too early, nor coming in too
late."
Likewise were divorce suits introduced whilst Charles II. sat
upon the throne for the first time--if the case of Henry VIII. be
excepted--when my Lord Rosse, in consequence of the misconduct of
his lady, had a bill brought into the House of Lords for
dissolving his marriage and enabling him to wed again. There
being at this period, 1669, a project for divorcing the king from
the queen, it was considered Lord Rosse's suit, if successful,
would facilitate a like bill in favour of his majesty. After
many and stormy debates his lordship gained his case by a
majority of two votes. It is worth noting that two of the lords
spiritual, Dr. Cosin, Bishop of Durham, and Dr.
Pages:
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424