Content area
Full text
(ProQuest: ... denotes non-US-ASCII text omitted.)
Over the winter of 1687-8 James ii was attempting to secure a parliament which would repeal the test and penal laws that discriminated against his fellow Catholics. As part of his campaign he asked all lord lieutenants to pose three questions to the justices of the peace in their shires. The first enquired if they would vote for repeal of the anti-Catholic legislation if they were returned to parliament; the second if they would support people who favoured repeal in elections; the third if they would live peacefully with neighbours of all faiths. This systematic survey of opinion has been analysed by historians, who have usually argued that it was a disaster. Although rarely looking at the canvas in detail, scholars have suggested that most...