and in new jurisdictions of Romish Archbishops; levied taxes; fecretly ftored up arms and munition; and were able to fet in motion fuch powerful agencies, at the Court and in Agencies the Council, that it actually there became at Court matter of debate whether or not to iffue to Council. some great men of the party, under private conditions and inftructions, a commiffion for the raifing of foldiers. And thus there was Imperium moulded within the English State another State in imperiɔ. independent in Government, oppofed in affection and intereft, fecretly corrupting the careless, actively combining against the vigilant, and in this posture waiting the opportunity to destroy those whom it could not hope to feduce.* (88 to 94 inclufive.) * Let me illustrate what is faid in the text by one of the most masterly expofitions ever made of the true ftate of the Speech by Rudyard. cafe, and of the real iffue that was then to be determined. "Sir," faid Sir Benjamin Rudyard, in perhaps the moft eloquent of all the fpeeches delivered in the great debates of November 1640, "if we fecure our Religion, we shall "cut off and defeat many plots that are now on foot by "them and others. Believe it, Sir, Religion hath been for a "long time, and still is, the great design upon this kingdom. "It is a known and practifed principle, that they who would "introduce another religion into the Church, muit first trouble "and diforder the government of the State, that fo they may Church "work their ends in a confufion: which now lies at the State and grievances "door. . . . . I have often thought and said, that it must infepara"be fome great extremity that would recover and rectify this ble. "State; and when that extremity did come, it would be a 66 great hazard whether it might prove a Remedy or Ruin. "We are now, Mr. Speaker, upon that vertical turning "point, and therefore it is no time to palliate, to foment our 66 own undoing. . . . . To discover the difeafes of the State is (according to fome) to traduce the Government; yet others are of opinion that this is the half-way to the cure. . . . . "Men that talk loudly of the King's fervice and yet have "done none but their own, that speak highly of the King's power yet have made it a miferable power producing nothing "but weakness, thefe are they who have always peremptorily 66 Claufes 95-104. Prifons full. But a crifis came unexpectedly. At the moment when any further illegal preffure on the fubject seemed hopeless, his Majesty's treasure was found to be confumed, and his entire revenue to be anticipated. Though the prisons were filled with commitments from the Council Table, yet "multitudes" who had refufed illegal payments ftill hung in attendance. at its doors. Several of the fheriffs had been dragged up into the Star Chamber from their refpective counties, and fome had been imprifoned for not having levied fhip-money with fufficient vigour. In a word, the fource of parlia- non-parliamentary supply was exhaufted. The mentary people, with no visible hope left but in defpefupply exhaufted, ration, languifhed, beginning to feem paffive under grief and fear; and the King's chief advisers fuggefted a fubfcription to fupply his wants, to which they made very large perfonal contribution. But the example was loft on the clafs to which alone, with any effect, the Difcon- appeal could be made. For now the Nobility themselves, weary of their filence and patience, began to be fenfible of the duty and truft which belonged to them as hereditary counsel Non tent of Lords: Ruin of old mon archy. Yonge's "purfued one obftinate pernicious courfe. First, they bring 66 things to an extremity; then they make that extremity, of "their own making, the reafon of their next action, seven "times worfe than the former. And there, Sir, we are at this "inftant. They have almoft spoiled the best instituted Govern"ment in the world, for fovereignty in a king, for liberty to "the fubject; the proportionable temper of both which, "makes the happiest State for power, for riches, for duration.” Many are daily imprifoned for refufing to lend the "King, fo that the prifons in London are full; and it's "thought they fhall be fent and imprifoned in divers "gaols in the country, remote from their own dwellings."— Walter Yonge's Diary, p. 105. * 66 lors of the Crown; and fome of the moft petition ancient of them petitioned his Majefty for the for Par redrefs to which his fubjects were entitled.* liament. This memorable Petition, which was afterwards the fub- The York ject of Ipecial thanks in both Houfes, which bore attached to Declarait the names of the Earls of Bedford, Bristol, Hertford, Effex, tion. Mulgrave, Paget, Warwick, and Bolingbroke, of the Viscounts Say and Seale, and Mandeville, and of the Lords Brook, and Howard of Efcrick, has never been fo correctly printed as in the copy now fubjoined. Every word has its weight and value. "The humble Petition of your Majesty's moft loyal fub66 jects, whofe names are here underwritten, in behalfe of "themselves and many others. • Most Gracious Sovereign: 12 peers < The fenfe of that duty and service which we owe unto 'your Majefty, and our earnest affection to the good and 'welfare of this your realm of England, have moved us, in all humility, to befeech your Majesty to give us leave to offer unto your moft princely wifdom, the apprehenfion Dangers 'which we, and other your faithful fubjects, have conceived, to State of the great diftempers and dangers now threatening the and 'Church and State, and your Royal Perfon, and of the fittest Church. 'means by which they may be removed and prevented. The Evils and Dangers whereof your Majefty may be pleased to take notice are thefe : · 1. That your Majefty's facred perfon is exposed to hazard and danger in the prefent expedition against the Scotish armie and by the occafion of this war, your revenues much wafted; your fubjects burthened with Coat and Conduct Griev- ' and difcontent. 2. The fundry innovations in matters of Religion, the Innova'Oath and Canons lately impofed upon the clergy, and other tions in 'your Majefty's fubjects. religion. 3. The great Increase of Popery; and Employing of Popish Reculants, and others ill-affected to the Religion by Law established, in places of power and truft, especially in commanding of Men and Armes both in the Field and in fundry Counties of this your realm: whereas, by the Laws, they are not permitted to have Armes in their own houses. 4. The great mifchief which may fall upon this king'dom, if the Intention, which hath been credibly reported, 6 Which Petition had yet borne no fruit, when the Scots, oppreffed in their consciences, reftrained in their trades, impoverished by the ' of bringing in of Irish and foreign forces fhould take ' effect. Taxation 5. The urging of Ship-money, and profecution of fome without 'fheriffs in the Star-chamber for not Levying of it. tation. reprefen- 6. The heavy charges upon Merchandize, to the dif 'couraging of Trade. The multitude of Monopolies, and 'other Patents, whereby the Commodities and Manufactures ' of the Kingdom are much burthened, to the great and ' univerfal Grievance of your people. Parliament the only remedy. Story by Shaftefbury. 7. The great grief of your fubjects by the long Intermif'fion of Parliaments, and the late and former Diffolving of 'fuch as have been called, without the happy effects which ' otherwife they might have produced. For remedy whereof, and prevention of the danger that may enfue to your Royal perfon, and to the whole State, We do, in all humility and faithfulness, befeech your ' most excellent Majesty, that you will be pleased to fummon 'a Parliament within fome fhort and convenient time, where'by the cause of thefe and other great greivances which your 'people and your poor Petitioners now lye under, may be 'taken away, and the Authours and Councellours of them may be there brought to fuch Legal Tryal and condign 'punishment as the nature of their feveral offences fhall require; and that the prefent War may be compofed by your Majefties wisdom without effufion of blood, in fuch manner as may conduce to the honour and fafety of your Majesties perfon, the content of your people, and the unity of both of your realms against common enemies of the Reformed 'Religion.' "And your Majefty's Petitioners fhall always pray, &c." A fingular anecdote is told of this petition on no less authority than that of the firft Lord Shaftesbury. It occurs with his fignature in Locke's Common Place Book (King's Life, i. 222), and other undoubted references by Shaftesbury to the fame ftory (Martyn's Life, i. 115, 119), establish the authorship: "This petition," he fays, "was prefented to the King "at York by the hands of the Lord Mandeville and the Lord "Howard. The King immediately called a Cabinet Council, "wherein it was concluded to cut off both the lords' heads "the next day; when the Council was up, and the King gone, Duke Hamilton and the Earl of Strafford, general of the Court: the Earl of Strafford whether the army would stand to them, "the army, remaining behind, when Duke Hamilton, asking "the Earl of Strafford answered he feared not, and protested First refolve of Scotch invafion. feizure of their fhips in English and Irish ports, and hopeless of fatisfying the King by any naked unfupported fupplication, forced The the paffage of the Tyne at Newburn with a powerful army; and having poffeffed themselves of Newcastle, there, out of brotherly love to the English nation, stayed their march, and gave the King leifure to entertain better counfels. A ceffation of arms was determined upon for a certain fixed period, and all differences were referred in the interval to the wif- Parliadom and care of the Ancient Council of the ment fumnation. A Parliament was fummoned to meet 3d Nov. on the 3rd November, 1640. inclufive.) moned: (95 to 104 1640. 5. Acts of the Long Parliament. THE great deeds done by this memorable Claufes affembly during the first twelve months of 105 & 110. its existence, are then, in no boaftful or vainglorious fpirit, detailed by their authors. Hiftory speaks to us, here, while yet in the very procefs of creation; and, by a rare privilege, Heroes of records the actions of her heroes in language the Long "he did not think of that before then. Hamilton replied, if (6 we are not fure of the army, it may be our heads inftead of "theirs; whereupon they both agreed to go to the King and fecond "after the Council, which accordingly they did." There are thoughts. fome probabilities against the ftory, but at leaft it vividly reflects the popular belief of the fingularly dangerous and critical turning point to which public affairs, and all actors in them, had then unquestionably come. I take the opportunity of Shaftesreferring to the Papers refpecting the firft Lord Shaftesbury's bury life, of which a portion has been lately published by Mr. Papers. Christie, as extremely interefting in themselves, and not unlikely to clear off fome mifts of exaggeration and prejudice from a famous hiftoric name. |