b o o k powers o f the crown, and rendered the Swediih fovereign
*— «— 'the moft limited monarch in Europe.
It was fettled, that the fupreme legiflative authority ihould
refide abfolutely and folely in the ftates o f the realm aflem-
bled in diet, which, whether convened by the king or not
muft regularly affemble every three years, and could only be
diffolved by their own confent. During the recefs o f the
diet the executive power reiided in the king and fenate ; but
as the king was bound in all affairs to abide by the opinion
o f the majority ; and as he poffeffed only two votes, and the
calling voice in cafe o f equal fuffrages, he was almoft entirely
fubordinate to that body, and could be conlidered in no other
light than its prefident * . At the fame time the fenate- itfelf
ultimately depended upon the ftates, as its members, though
nominally appointed for life, yet were in a great meafure
“ o f the d ie t, ma y b e faid to h a ve been, in
** a g re a t meafure, lodg ed in a certa in num-
“ b e r o f perfons feledted from th e three or-
“ ders o f th e nobles, c le r g y , and burghers,
“ who conftituted whatwas denominated the
“ fe c re t committee , & c . W ith rega rd to the
“ ju d ic ia l p ow er , th e ftates affumed to
lt themfelves a r ig h t o f ex e rc ifin g that alfo,
f j whenever they thought p rop er, b y ta king at
pleafure caufes out o f the-ordinary courts
4 o f ju ft ic e , to t ry them before a temporary
‘ tribuna l e re iled b y themfelves, and com-
‘ pofed o f th e ir own members. Nothing
* could be more formidable than the power
* o f this c o u r t, o r more fubverlive o f lib erty;
c as , in rea lity , it united within it fe lf at.
4 once the leg ifla tive , ju d ic ia l, and executive
1 powers ; and it was to decide principally
* in cafes o f treafon ; w h a t rendered this
* e x traordina ry jurifdi£tion moft pre.poile-
4 rous was, its b e in g g en e ra lly at the fame
4 time both ju d g e and p a rty
* M r . Sheridan,, in his H ifto ry o f the
la te Re vo lu tion , & c . ha s thus delineated the
e x o rbitan t au th o r ity v eiled in the ftates , p .
* 45’ 44 W h ile the ftates w ere aflembled
“ they w e re , in fa f t , poflefled o f the w hole
'*i fupreme p ow er . T h e a u th o r ity o f the
** k in g and fenate was then fufpended, & c .
“ — In ih or t, th e ftates w e re veiled w ith the
“ fame p ow ers, independent o f th e k in g and
“ fen a te , that in En g lan d th e two houfes
“ o f p a rliament poifefs in conjunélion with
“ thé k ing.
“ T h e leg ifla tive p ow e r th e y referved
“ w h o lly to themfelves. T h e k in g and fe -
“ nate, having n o ih a re w h a te v e r in it , "Hid
iC not even pcffefs a nega tive On thofe refo-
■** lutions o f the d ie t , w h ich d ire f tly a t ta c k -
** ed the reg a l and fenatorial r ig h ts .— T h e
“ followin g powers were lik ew ife veiled in
,4< the ftates alone. T h o le o f d e clarin g w ar
“ -or m ak in g pea ce. T h a t o f a lte r in g the
“ ftandard o f th e co in , See.
T h e executive p ow e r , du ring th e f itt in g
chofen
g o v e r n m e n t ..
chofen by the ftates % were amenable before thataflembly, and c h a p .
liable to be removed from their office in cafe o f real or pre-v-iJL,
tended malverfation. Thus the fupreme authority refided in
a tumultuous affembly, compofed o f the four orders, into
which many nobles without property, the meaneft tradefmen,
and the loweftpeafants, were admitted; moftof whom were o f
courfe fubjecSt to all the corruption and influence to which
needy and ignorant reprefentatives are neceffarily expofed..
Although all ftatutes were figned by the king, and theordi-'
nances o f the fenate iffued in his name, yet in neither cafe did
he poflefs a negative: and in order to obviate the poffibility o f
his attempting to exercife that power, it was exta&ed, in the
diet o f 1756, that “ in all affairs, without exception, which
| had hitherto required the fign manual, his majefty’s name
“ might be affixed by a ftamp, whenever he ihould have de~
“ clined his fignature at the firft or fecond requeft o f the
I fenate.” In confequence of this refolution the royal fignature
was actually engraved, and applied to: the ordinary
difpatches o f government under the direction of the fenate+.
In a word, the king enjoyed little more than the mere name
of royalty. He was only the oftenfible inftrument in the.
hands o f one o f the two great parties who at that time divided'
and governed the kingdom, as either obtained the fuperior
influence in the diet.
We cannot but remark upon this fubjeff, that the Swedes,
who, during the reigns o f Charles XI. and XIJ. had fo re-
hnftantly fubmitted to. the defpotiftn of their fovereigns,,
knew not how to ufe their liberty : they intemperately ran>
mto the contrary extreme ; and, in order to- difable the king
from recovering arbitrary power, they even defpoiled him o f
b * A il vac.incics in th e ftate were filled minated b y the da tes.
J he k ing from th ree candidates, n o . f Sheridan, j . , iS 8 ^ C a n l i e r , p. 71^
1 thole.-