King George the Third, Born

(4TH JUNE.)

This day being the anniversary of the birth of our present amiable and much-beloved SOVEreign, George THE THIRD,-whom Heaven long preserve, it is regarded as the first in consequence of our POLITICAL FESTIVALS. The ACCESSION, PROCLAMATION, and CORONATION of this Monarch, are in like manner set apart as RED LETTER OF HOLY-DAYS: and the Church has established a regular service to be annually performed on the day of the Accession, to offer up thanksgivings for the commencement of his Majesty's happy reign.

The practice of keeping BIRTH DAYS, or DIES NATALES, is very antient; and they appear to have been celebrated with much pomp and religious ceremony:-The birth days of the ROMAN EMPERORS were observed with extraordinary festivity and solemnity; public sports were appropriated for the occasion, with costly feasts; vows were offered for the preservation of their persons, power, and prosperity; and medals struck to commemorate the auspicious event. ADRIAN 80lemnized three days in each year as Dies Natales, one of his real nativity, a second in respect to his adoption, and a third,-(somewhat answering to the Accession in this country)-of his Inaugura

tion, or when he assumed the chief honour and dignity of the state.

His present Majesty was the eldest son of FREDERICK LEWIS, the late PRINCE OF WALES, who died during the reign of his Royal Father, GEORGE THE SECOND: three Christian names were given to His Majesty at the time of his baptism -"GEORGE, WILLIAM, FREDERICK," the first of which is alone subscribed to public acts; nor are the other two ever noticed in any Parliamentary edict or other national instrument; the title of " GEORGE THE THIRD," &c. being deemed amply significant of the royal person designated.

The title of KING, given to the Sovereign of these realms, is expressive of his being the chief or head of the state. The Hebrew word

Rosch, is considered as the root of all the present titles, denoting Kingly or Sovereign power; namely, the Punic RESCH, the Scythian REIX, the Latin REX, the Spanish REY, and French Roi. The present English appellative KING, is, however, generally derived from the Saxon Lýning, cunning or wise; and it is past dispute that all the German nations styled their antient monarchs, according to their different dialects, KONIG, KUNING, KONING, KING.

SAUL, we read in sacred history, was the first King of the Israelites, about 1095 years before Christ, while in prophane history we find ASHER, the second son of SHEM, to have been king of

Assyria, then called Curdistan, about 2240 years before Christ: and the Chinese afford testimony of FонI,-by some thought to be NOAH, having been king of CHINA 2952 years before that æra.

The ROYAL STYLE, as settled on the 5th of November, 1800, in consequence of the Union with Ireland, which was to commence from the 1st of January, 1801, runs thus:-GEORGE the Third, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, KING; DEFENDER OF THE FAITH; and of the United Church of England and Ireland, on earth the supreme head." In the Latin it is differently expressed: "GEORGIUS Tertius Dei Gratia Britanniarum Rex, &c.; the word BRITANNIARUM, first introduced upon that occasion, being regarded as expressive under one term, of the incorporated Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland. JAMES the First, when he ascended the throne of England, revived the title which had been laid aside by an edict of EGBERT in the commencement of the ninth century, and styled himself KING OF GREAT BRITAIN, comprehending under that appellation his dominion over England and Scotland:-Before the "Union of the Crowns," BRITAIN alone was in general used in the style of our Sovereigns, to signify ENGLAND and WALES: ALFRED, however, was called GoVERNOR of the CHRISTIANS of BRITAIN; EDGAR, MONARCH OF BRITAIN; HENRY the SECOND, KING of BRITAIN; and, synonimous with the latter, JOHN was styled REX BRITONIUM.

The revival of the term GREAT BRITAIN, is stated to have fulfilled the old prediction, that

The initials of HENRY, EDWARD, MARY, PHILIP, and ELIZABETH, the immediate predecessors of James, spell Hemp, including the final E in that word, as it was usually then written; which final E stood for ELIZABETH, whose reign was no sooner "spun" out, or completed, than JAMES took his NEW title, and discontinued that of ENGLAND, which word ENGLAND was accordingly "DONE" or ended, as well as Scotland.

The title of KING of IRELAND was first granted, by the POPE, to HENRY the Second, though it was not regularly added to the royal dignities, until assumed by HENRY the Eighth, in 1541; before that time the dominion of the English Sovereigns over that Island was usually expressed by the term "Lord ;" and it is a fact, that our Monarchs publicly denominated some of the Irish chieftains Kings, while they themselves were content with the subordinate honour of "Lord," &c.: The commission whereby HENRY the Second made WILLIAM FITZ-ARDELM, his Lieutenant of Ireland, is expressly addressed "To the Archbishops, Bishops, Kings, Earls, Barons, &c." although the Pope had before granted to him the exclusive title of King. It should be remembered, however, that the title of KING did not invariably denote sove

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reignty; and according to the antient feudal tem, of which those Irish Kings formed a part, many of the Barons, who were dignified with that high-sounding appellation, were in a state of vassalage. The King of Majorca was tributary to the King of Arragon; the King of Man to the King of Scotland; and the Kings of Ireland to the King of England; to which might be added other instances from the early history of this country: while even so late as the reign of RICHARD the Second, the whole of the Kings of Ireland were tributary to ROBERT DE VERE, DUKE of that Island.

The nominal dignity of KING of FRANCE, was, by the late regulation, no longer continued in the Royal style, after having been claimed by our Sovereigns, from the year 1340, when it was assumed by EDWARD the Third. The FLEUR de Lis, or LILIES, were also omitted in the armorial bearings, which were re-marshalled upon the occasion in the following order; viz. Quarterly, 1st and 4th Gules, 3 Lions passant Or, for England; second, Or, within a double tressure-story, Gules, a Lion rampant of the same for Scotland; third, Azure, a Harp, Or, for Ireland; the whole surmounted by an Escutcheon of pretence, containing the paternal coat of Brunswick, viz. Parpale Gules, two Lions passant guardant, Or, for Brunswick; Or, semée of Hearts proper, a Lion rampant Azure, for Lunenburg; with grafted in base Gules, a Horse courant Argent, for antient Saxony; and in a shield surtout, Gules, the Crown