His Irish levies against the Scots.

Claufes 76-78.

Claufes 79-84.

pretence of having endeavoured to use fair (68, 69, 70, 71, 72). Simultaneously with the iffue of writs, went forth levies for a new army, with fresh acts of violence against the Scots. At the fame time, Strafford, passing over into Ireland, called together a parliament in Dublin; wrefted from it four fubfidies; and, without concealing the purpose for which they were defigned, fummoned levies of eight thoufand foot and one thousand horfe from the well-appointed army, chiefly of Papifts, which he had been able to raife in that kingdom (73, 74, 75).

4. The Short Parliament and the Scottish Invafion.

THE meeting of the Houses at Westminster on the 13th April, 1640; the demand of twelve fubfidies for the release of ship-money alone; the temperate tone of both the Commons and the Lords, and the fudden and intemperate diffolution; occupy claufes 76, 77, and 78. The next twenty-fix, from the 79th to the 104th inclufive, describe the momentous interval before the assembling of the Long Parliament.

On the very day of the diffolution of the Parliament of April, the King's most powerful Counsellor advifed that he was now abfolved from all rule of government, and entitled to Strafford's supply himself out of his fubjects' eftates counfel: without their confent.* A vigorous levy of

fatal

* This memorable advice, which coft Strafford his head, was given on the 5th May 1640; and it was from the notes

ship-money was accordingly ordered; a forced its refults. loan was fet on foot in the city of London; a falfe and fcandalous Declaration against the House of Commons was iffued in the King's name; on the day following the diffolution, fome members of both houfes had their ftudies and cabinets, "yea, their pockets," fearched;* and foon after, for having maintained the Diffoluprivilege of parliament, one of the members tion of of the lower Houfe was committed from the liament. Council Table. Harfher courfes were contemplated, and the report of them went abroad; but the fickness of the Earl of Strafford, and a tumultuous rifing in Southwark and about Lambeth,† were supposed to have intercepted

of the elder Vane, taken that day at the Council Table, and fubfequently found by his fon and handed to Pym, that the evidence was obtained against him.

Short Par

"Sir William Beecher was committed to the ufher of Arrests of "the blacke rod for not difclofing his warrant to ferche the Parlia"pockets of Erle of Warwicke, Lord Say, Lord Brooke, ment men. presently after the last parliament broken up. It was done "the next morne to the Lord Say and Lord Brooke in bedde; "the Lord Brooke's lady being in bedde with him. The "King at length affirming that he commanded it, he was "releafed."-Diary of John Rous, p. 101.

66

66

Lambeth.

"Upon the diffolution of the parliament (5th May, 1640) Riots at prefently were two infurrections in one weeke, at South-South"wark and Lambeth; in the first the White Lion pryfon wark and was broken and prifoners fet free, &c. ; in the second, Lam"beth House in hazard, &c. One man was taken, and hanged and quartered."-Diary of John Rous, p. 90. Clarendon tells us, (Hift. i. 253) that the reference to the Lambeth riots in the Remonftrance received modification during the debates. What he fays is characteristic, as well for its dishoneft reference to thofe riots (for which one man fuffered execution), as for its allufion to Mr. Strode. "This infa- Allufions "mous, fcandalous, headlefs infurrection, quafhed by the by Cla"deferved death of that one varlet, was not thought to be rendon. "contrived or fomented by any perfons of quality, yet it was "difcovered after in the Houfe of Commons by Mr. Strode "(one of those Ephori who moft avowed the curbing and

Claufes 85-87.

the execution of them. (79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84.)

Nevertheless they failed to turn afide the Archbishop from his eager and unswerving advance to Rome. Undaunted and undeterred by difcontents and tumults, never did he and Laud fill the other bifhops follow up that purpose more moving to actively than in those fix memorable months.

Rome.

If any before could have doubted what they aimed at, now it was made plain to all. For now it was that, with the authority of a fo-called provincial fynod, canons were put forth declaring things lawful which had no warrant of law; justifying altar-worship, and other fuperftitious innovations;* fetting at defiance the ufages and the ftatutes of the realm; trampling alike on the property and above the liberty of the fubject, the rights of Parliament, and the prerogative of the King; and showing that they who would fet the Crown above the

Crown

Laws:

66

fuppreffing of Majefty) with much pleasure and content; " and it was mentioned in the first draught of the first Re"monftrance (when the fame was brought in by Mr. Pym) "not without a touch of approbation, which was for that "reafon fomewhat altered, though it still carried nothing of "cenfure [judgment] upon it in that piece." It is quite true, as Clarendon alleges, that only one man fuffered death for this disturbance, but it was not the clemency of the Government, but of one of the few upright judges of the day, which An honest had prevented other capital profecutions. Judge Reeve," judge. fays Rous, November, 1640, "this fummer affizes did in "Southwarke refufe to proceede upon the inditement of one "of the Lambeth tumult, faying he wold have no hand in any man's bloud; but, because the fellow had been bufie, "&c. remitted him to prifon againe." Diary, 101.

Sir Ben.

"They would evaporate and difpirit the power and Rudyard. vigour of religion by drawing it out into folemn fpecious "formalities, into obfolete antiquated ceremonies new fur"bished up."-Sir Benjamin Rudyard, 7th Nov. 1640.

*

Crown.

laws, would alfo fet themselves above the Crown. They impofed new oaths; they taxed the great mass of the clergy for the King's fupply; they fomented the quarrel with Mitre Scotland, which they fondly ftyled Bellum above Epifcopale; they compofed, and enjoined to be read in the churches, a prayer against the Scots as rebels, of which the object was to drive the two nations to irreconcileable bloodshed; and, above all, upon authority of their pretended canons and conftitutions, they proceeded to fuch extremities of fufpenfion, ex- Church communication, and deprivation against good opprefministers and well-affected people, as left the paffage easier than it yet had feemed to their defign of reconciliation with Rome. (85, 86, 87.)

fion.

For it was part of the defign that the Papifts Claufes at this time fhould receive peculiar exemptions 88-94. from the penal laws, befides many other encouragements and court favours. They

"Sir, imagine it!" exclaimed Mr. Harbottle Grimfton. Grimston. "See what a pitch they have flown! A fynod called together upon pretence of reconciling and fettling controverfies in “religion, take upon themselves the boldness, out of parlia"ment, to grant fubfidies and to meddle with men's free"holds! I fay, the like was never heard of before; and "they that durft do this will do worse, if the current of their raging tyranny be not stopped in time."

In the last great debate on the Remonftrance, Falkland Falkland. (of all men in the world) took objection specially to this paffage; feeble and faint tranfcription as it is, of what, fome few months earlier, he was never himfelf wearied of urging and repeating in fiery and paffionate speeches.

The celebration of mafs, though illegal, was openly Mafs conconnived at; but woe to the Proteftant who declined attend- nived at: ance at his parish church because he would not bow to the altar! He was punished first by fine, and, on a repetition of his refufal, by transportation. "It hath been more dangerous,"

Defigns poffeffed, in the King's fecretary of state, Sir and power Francis Windebank, a powerful agent for of Papifts fpeeding all their defires. They had a refident Pope's Nuncio, by whofe authority, under direct inftructions and influences from Rome itself, all the most influential of the nobility, gentry, and clergy of that perfuafion held fecret convocations after the manner of a parmeetings. liament. So led and ftrengthened, they erected

Secret

conven

ticles made cri minal.

Favour

exclaimed Falkland, in his fpeech upon grievances in the Short Parliament, "for men to go to fome neighbour's parifh "when they had no fermon in their own, than to be obftinate "and perpetual recufants. While maffes have been faid in "fecurity, a conventicle hath been a crime; and, which is "yet more, the conforming to Ceremonies hath been more "exacted than the conforming to Chriftianity." In like manner the Roman Catholics were fingled out for fpecial conceffions of monopolies. They grew," fays Clarendon, "not only fecret contrivers but public profeffed promoters "of, and minifters in, the moft grievous projects; as that of "foap, formed, framed, and executed by almoft a corporation "of that religion, which, under that licenfe and notion, "might be, and were fufpected to be, qualified for other "agitations" (i. 262). Fancy the monopoly of fuch a necefto Papifts. fity as foap in the hands of a corporation of Roman Catholics, ufing it to impofe the worft articles at the highest price upon all claffes of the people! "Continual complaints rife up," writes Garrard to Lord Deputy Wentworth, " that it burns "linen, fcalds the laundrefs's fingers, and waftes infinitely in "keeping, being full of lime and tallow." And fancy the fame fort of thing going on with refpect to every conceivable thing on which a tax could be laid, or out of which a monopoly could be formed! Salt, ftarch, coals, iron, wine, pens, cards, dice, beavers, belts, bone-lace, meat dreffed in taverns (the vintners of London gave the King 6000l. for freedom from this horrible impofition), tobacco, wine cafks, game, lamprons, brewing and diftilling, weighing of hay and straw in London, guaging of red herrings, butter-cafks, kelp and feaweed, linen cloth, rags, hops, buttons, hats, gut-ftring, fpectacles, combs, tobacco-pipes, fedan chairs, and hackney coaches (now firft invented), faltpetre, gunpowder, down to the privilege of gathering rags exclufively-all these things were fubject to monopolies, and all heavily taxed!

Matters fubject to

mono

poly.

*For proof in all refpects confirmatory of this ftatement, fee Clarendon's Hiftory, i. 311-12.